For more than a decade, the mythology has had a colossal resurgence in popular culture. From God of War video games to Thor: Ragnarok, kids and adults all over the world are devouring all the movies, TV shows, and video games based on the mythology.
but, for those of us who want to dig a little deeper, there are some amazing books on mythology to discover and devour.
You are reading: Best books on mythology
For hundreds of years, writers and historians have been documenting stories and creating books on Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and more.
and, right now, some of the best writers have started to do the same. they’re taking mythology and imbuing it with original novels, or they’re retelling old stories with fresh energy.
So if you’re looking to read more mythology books because you love movies and games inspired by Greek and Norse myths, or if you want more Greek mythology books for kids, this is what you’re looking for. searching!
quick note: these books cover our favorite areas of mythology: Norse, Greek, and Japanese. We’re not experts on other mythologies (yet), so we’ll stick with these three for now.
books on Norse mythology
Norse mythology is my favourite. The gods of Norse mythology are fallible, reckless, aggressive, and their story has an end. Norse mythology feels like a novel, rather than a collection of stories.
and it’s so deliciously dark and brutal. The Norse Eddas and Sagas have recently been studied and rewritten by writers, filmmakers, and game designers with phenomenal results.
So, here are four fantastic books on Norse mythology.
norse mythology by neil gaiman
Neil Gaiman, an author to whom I owe much, has relied on the Norse gods from the very beginning. From his Sandman comics to his magnum opus American Gods, Loki and his children have been in the background of his tales.
And so it makes sense for an author like Gaiman to rewrite the best stories of Norse mythology.
This book is a short and simple collection of Norse myths, most of which center on Loki and his plans. they are very basic stories that give a clear and direct introduction to the gods of nose mythology. this is a great choice for your first Norse mythology book.
buy a copy of Norse mythology here!
the gospel of loki by joanne harris
This novel is the perfect continuation of Neil Gaiman’s Norse mythology. Joanne Harris is a national treasure who has written some of the most grounded human stories, but here she turned to mythology and delivered a very clever and witty novel.
the gospel of loki is what you get if you take the loki-centric stories of Norse mythology and weave them into a main narrative, creating a seamless and progressive story.
This book is the entire saga of Norse mythology turned into a singular tale. That story is also told from Loki’s perspective. it’s smart and full of fun.
Buy a copy of Loki’s gospel here!
vinland saga by makoto yukimura
There is something satisfying about including a book on Norse mythology by a Japanese author on a list that also includes Japanese mythology.
It’s also worth noting the obvious here: vinland saga is a manga, not a book. It’s also more of a historical legend than a myth, but anyone who loves Norse mythology will love this manga immensely.
vinland saga is an incredible historical epic with unforgettable viking characters, fueled by anger, revenge and arrogance.
vinland saga tells the story of thorfinn karlsefni, a true icelandic explorer who here begins his life as a young man bound by his own obsession with avenging his father’s death.
works for his father’s murderer as a mercenary; paying him is a duel.
As books on mythology go, this one isn’t about gods and monsters. is a Norse legend about war, adventure, and conquest. it’s about people, vikings, specifically.
Those of us who love Norse mythology love it for its brutality; for its cold, harsh world of blood, death, and mischief. vinland saga is a manga that gives us all that and more. essential reading for any and all fans of Norse mythology.
buy vinland saga here!
the book of nordic myths of d’aulaires
This is the perfect Norse Mythology book for children. It’s very similar to Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, only it’s written with kids in mind.
This means that the book is illustrated with huge, charming and hilarious drawings that capture the strange world of the Norse gods.
In fact, even attempting to put the almost unbelievable events of these stories on paper is an incredible achievement. this is what makes d’aulaires book of norse myths worth reading, even if you’re not a kid.
buy a copy of d’aulaires book of norse myths here!
ragnarok by a.s. byatt
How do you make old myths relevant to modern times? let one of the most unique British authors of the 20th century show you how.
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Ragnarok uses the framing device of the Thin Girl, an English girl who has fled to the countryside to avoid the bombs falling in World War II, to tell the story of Ragnarok: The End of the Norse Gods.
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Our protagonist, while hiding in the field, finds a book on Norse mythology, and from here we are told the story of Ragnarok again, while the girl tries to maintain life in the midst of the war by reformulating the story .
It is a short, intelligent and exciting novel that mixes fiction and mythology with the realities and tragedies of life.
buy a copy of ragnarok here!
books on greek mythology
Greek myths are by far the most famous and well-known stories in world mythology. everyone knows something about zeus, herakles, ares, apollo, athena, icarus, jason, theseus, I could go on and on.
but what exactly are their stories? where do they come from and what do they do with their lives? these are the mythology books that explore those stories.
read more: the best books on Greek mythology
ariadne by jennifer saint
ariadne is one of the many great tales of greek mythology and history we’ve received in the last ten years (from the song of achilles to the silence of the girls), but what makes jennifer saint’s novel Sea, in particular, a great book for fans of Greek mythology is the sheer number of stories it contains.
Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne is initially a retelling of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur; one of the most famous greek legends. Theseus enters the labyrinth of King Minos of Crete, built by the inventor Archimedes, and to confront and defeat the half-man, half-bull that resides at its center.
however, ariadne is much more than that. covers the story of how the Minotaur came to be, before introducing us to the arrogant and narcissistic Theseus. From here, we meet and learn about the god Dionysus, while also being told stories about Medusa, Heracles, King Midas, and more.
all this is seen and told from the perspective of the princess of crete, ariadne. she is our protagonist, our eyes and ears, and through her we learn and experience many stories from Greek mythology, all tied together in one exciting narrative.
buy ariadne here!
the greek myths of robin waterfield
This was the first and still the best book on Greek mythology I’ve ever read. I picked it up at a little bookstore in south kensington and walked through it on the train home.
This is a detailed book, faithful, but backed by energy and adoration for the subject.
robin and kathryn waterfield are perfect for striking that balance between in-depth, scholarly writing versus insightful, exciting stories.
Greek Myths is not too long and covers everything you would want to know about Greek myths and legends. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Buy a copy of the Greek Myths here!
myths of stephen fry
I was excited when this book was announced. i enjoyed neil gaiman’s norse mythology and am a big fan of stephen fry’s command of the english language.
However, something I didn’t know and definitely should know is that this book is more geared towards children. as a children’s Greek mythology book, it’s perfect; one of the best children’s greek mythology books you can buy.
mythos traverses the world of Greek mythology chronologically, starting at zero and telling the stories of the titans and gods as it goes.
fry’s writing is sweet and charming, but very much geared towards a younger audience. so if you have children, this book is a dream.
buy a copy of mythos here!
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percy jackson and the lightning thief by rick riordan
another of the best greek mythology books for children is percy jackson. In fact, like the Harry Potter series, this is a collection of children’s books.
If your child is a fan of Greek mythology but doesn’t want to read the stories for themselves, this series is a great alternative.
rick riordan’s percy jackson book series is a huge success. brings the Greek gods into the modern world and takes young readers on a wild ride that is larger than life.
If you have kids who aren’t reading as much as you’d like, this series is a great option.
buy a copy of percy jackson here!
books on Japanese mythology
Japan is our specialty and our passion. We spend most of our time exploring Japanese literature, food, language, history, art, etc. and we have noticed that Japanese mythology is becoming more and more popular in the West, thanks to video games and anime.
Japanese ghosts and monsters (yokai) are more popular than ever, and there are some fantastic books to read if you’re a fan of the huge and terrifying world of Japanese mythology.
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where are the wild ladies by aoko matsuda
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translated from japanese by polly barton
Sixteen stories, each inspired by a single ghost or monster from Japanese folklore, set in modern Japan and with a decidedly feminist twist. I ask you: what more could you ask for in a collection of short stories?
Instead of sighing maidens and masterless samurai, the protagonists of matsuda’s stories are disheartened salarymen and embittered young women exhausted by loneliness, isolation, and misogyny.
Where the Wild Ladies Are offers sixteen incredibly human stories about the lives of Japanese men and women today.
There is simply a lot of fun to be had with this collection. many of the stories here give us an angle: that of a young woman or man in a strange or difficult situation.
from there he introduces a ghostly presence or transformative power to befriend, overcome or embrace.
These are exciting stories of ghosts and everyday monsters. They’re weird and jarring at times, especially given the juxtaposition of ape-like monsters and ghosts lurking in castles with modern suit-and-tie culture, but that’s just part of the fun you get from these tales.
where the wild ladies are never forgets how wonderfully strange yokai tales are, and uses them to bring us a stream of witty, biting, eccentric and dark tales of feminism in modern Japan.
Buy a copy of Where the Wild Ladies Are Here!
kitaro by shigeru mizuki
translated from japanese by jocelyne allen
Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki is one of the most culturally influenced manga ever created and a must-read for fans of Japanese mythology. As the mythology books say, this manga for children of all ages is a wonderful window into the strange world of Japanese yokai.
Kitaro has inspired spin-off TV shows, movies, and video games (perhaps the most famous today is the excellent anime Gegege no Kitaro). The titular Kitaro is a yokai boy who can sense other monsters and frequently encounters a wide variety of them on his adventures.
Kitaro is a fantastic manga series for anyone who wants to get acquainted with yokai and Japanese mythology. As you follow Kitaro, you’ll encounter a collection of yokai, each with their own appearances, quirks, stories, origins, and unique abilities.
buy kitaro’s manga here!
the yokai book by michael dylan foster
yokai are the monsters, ghosts, and demons of Japanese folklore and mythology. They appear everywhere in Japanese games, television and movies.
They inhabit household objects, crawl out of lakes, and frequent cemeteries. yokai are strange, varied and fascinating mythological creatures. and michael dylan foster is one of the world’s foremost yokai experts.
The yokai book is cleverly written, filled with beautiful and faithful illustrations, and brings all the yokai of Japanese mythology to life. If you are looking for a book about the ghosts and monsters of Japanese folklore, this is the book for you.
buy a copy of the yokai book here!
tales from japan
chronicle books have brought together multiple collections of stories from all corners of the world and from all kinds of mythology. his tales of japan is a magnificent collection full of amazing original illustrations.
This book takes legendary folktales from Japanese history and rewrites them with fresh energy for a modern audience.
These stories are told to children; they are ghostly, romantic, adventurous, strange and mysterious. a perfect insight into the popular stories of japan.
buy a copy of tales of japan here!
japanese ghost stories by lafcadiohearn
lafcadio hearn was a fascinating writer. Born in Greece and raised in Ireland, he spent his early adult years as a journalist in the United States before moving to Japan later in his life.
Once there, he became fascinated with the ghost stories of Japan and, with the help of new friends, rewrote and collected them for Western readers.
Thanks knowing that we in the West know something about Japanese ghost stories, and they remain some of the most inventive, chilling, and haunting ghost stories anywhere in the world.
Buy a copy of Japanese ghost stories here!
yokai attack! by hiroko yoda and matt alt
This charming Japanese mythology book is the yokai book for children. If you have a child who likes to watch Gegege no Kitaro or play Nioh on their PS4, then this is a great companion book on Japanese yokai for kids.
matt alt is an expert on Japanese pop culture and folklore, and here he has created a charming, colorful and fun book on yokai for children of all ages.
buy a copy of yokai attack! here!
read more: ten classic Japanese ghost stories
japanese fairy tales by grace james
I’ll be honest with this one and say it can be hard to track. I found a copy in a second-hand bookshop in Cambridge, UK. If you can find a copy of your own, this collection of Japanese fairy tales, originally published in 1910, is quite the time capsule.
many Japanese words here are written in an unconventional way, from a time before the standardization of romaji spelling, and the book even has quite a few typos. however, all of that aside, this is an impressive collection of cherished Japanese folk and fairy tales from Japanese mythology.
Stories like the Green Willow, the Peony Lantern, and Tamamo, the Fox Maiden, are classic Japanese tales and it’s worth finding a copy of this important book, written by a Tokyo-born author who lived through a fascinating time in Japan. history of japan.
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