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9781782690306: The Adventures of Hermes, God of Thieves: 100 Journeys Through Greek Mythology
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Follow Hermes on 100 unforgettable journeys across the fascinating, colourful world of Greek mythology. The young god is determined to have adventures from the very moment of his unusual birth, stealing sacred cows, discovering fire and inventing the lyre and flute. With his tumbling brown curls and cheerful fearlessness, he charms his fellow gods: mighty Apollo, mournful Artemis, beautiful Aphrodite, and even the king of the gods, his father, Zeus himself.He will drink the nectar of Olympus and discover the truth about the immortals, from their first moments and worst monsters to their greatest loves and most terrible battles-but Hermes won't let any of it distract him from that whole wide world of good fun...

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Extrait :
Episode 1

In which we witness the birth of Hermes

The sun was only barely beginning to rise when Hermes came
out of his mother’s womb. He stretched himself, yawned
and leapt right away to his feet. Then he ran to the entrance of
the cave where he had just been born, in order to admire the
world. “How beautiful it is!” he murmured.
It was indeed a very strange birth. Had anyone ever seen
a child who had started to walk and talk the instant he was
born? This child, however, lived in the land of the gods. This
child lived in the beginning of time. In times of mystery
when everything was possible. What Hermes discovered on
this first morning of his birth was a landscape of rare beauty.
The cave where he had just seen the light of day had been
dug out at the top of a very high mountain. Fine grassy hills
extended below his feet. It was the fourth day of the month
of May, and spring was bursting. The child put his hand over
his eyes to shield them from the rising sun. He looked for
a long time at the small white blotches on the green grass:
they were flocks of sheep. He looked for a long time at the
small purple blotches on the green grass: they were budding
trees. A bird flew in the sky above, tracing great circles. A fine
perfumed smell wafted in the air. Hermes suddenly felt the
urge to laugh, to burst into laughter: this is how beautiful life
seemed to him as it began.
It was then that a gentle voice called to him from inside the
cave. It was Maia, his mother. She had long, silky hair and her
gaze was sweet like honey. She smelt good, she smelt of mummy.
Hermes went back inside the cave.
“Where is my father?” he asked.
Maia gave a strange smile. “He is everywhere and nowhere.”
Hermes pulled himself sharply away from his mother and
stamped his foot on the ground: “But I want to see him, I want to!”
“Everything in good time,” replied Maia, running her fingers
through her child’s curly hair.
The sun was already high up in the sky when Hermes realized
that he was hungry. His mother had fallen asleep and he had
followed her in her slumber, nestling tightly close to her. Without
a sound, he freed himself from Maia’s arms and decided to go off
in search of adventure. He really hoped that he would find on
this beautiful earth something which would make him happy.
Noiselessly, Hermes clad himself with a sheepskin; he slung a
bag over his shoulder and left the cave. Then he scampered down
the slopes of the very high mountain without looking back.
He was whistling gaily and walked at a brisk pace. All of a
sudden his foot struck what he took to be a great green stone.
The stone rolled some feet away from him. Hermes stopped
and picked it up. It wasn’t a stone, but the shell of a tortoise! “It
might always come in handy,” he told himself. And he slipped
it into his bag.
A little farther, Hermes saw at the edge of the road some
great shrubs with shiny leaves. A pungent scent which tingled
his nose emanated from them. They were laurels, the sacred tree
of the god Apollo. Hermes did not know this yet. But he liked
the smell, so he broke off a laurel branch and slipped it into his
bag. “It might come in handy,” he told himself. A little farther
still, Hermes came near a pond. A forest of supple stalks swayed
around him. He thought that he could hear them murmur:
“Good-day, day-good, good-day...” Since he was naturally polite,
he returned the greeting to the long reeds. Then he slipped a few
of them into his bag, saying to himself: “They may always come
in handy.” And he continued on his way. He was not yet very
tall, and the forest of reeds concealed him almost completely.
This is how he arrived unseen before a herd of cows. These
cows were magnificent. They possessed long, curvy horns.
Their skin glistened in the sun. With their heads held high,
they contemplated the world around them with astonishing
elegance. They were so white and so nobly proud that Hermes
was certain that he had discovered the most beautiful cows in
the world. He felt a great urge to play with them. He dreamt of
climbing on their backs for a royal jaunt. He dreamt of sliding
underneath their udders to drink their milk. Hmm, how good
that warm and frothy milk must be! Hermes, who was getting
very hungry, felt his mouth water at the thought. He threw a
few glances all around but there was no drover in sight. No one
seemed to be keeping watch over this herd. So he made up his
mind to serve himself. Yet he had to show cunning. Hermes lay
down for a few moments on the mound of cool grass in order
to think. The butterflies flitted about him, the sun tickled his
neck. What would be the best way to steal these cows without
getting caught?
To be continued...
Episode 2
In which Hermes invents fire

Previously: On the very day of his birth, Hermes

runs away from the cave where he was born, in order
to see the world. He discovers the most beautiful
cows on earth. And he decides to steal a few...

Hermes looked minuscule next to the immense cows of the
herd he had discovered. He did not hesitate for an instant,
however. He edged his way among the beasts and approached the
one with the longest horns. He was convinced that this particular
cow was the leader of the herd. He stretched one hand gently
towards her; the cow turned her head around sharply. Hermes
flinched: was she going to give him a good, hard blow with
her horns? The animal’s eyes were, however, full of kindness.
Hermes raised himself up on the tips of his toes and spoke into
her ear for a long time. What was said between the child and
the animal has remained secret. Yet the cow nodded her head
thrice to tell Hermes that she had understood well. Then she
assembled fifty or so of the most beautiful cows of the herd,
and walked them backwards out of the field. That’s right—the
cows were all of them walking backwards! Hermes was skipping
with joy all around them as he guided them along the way. He
was very proud of his ruse: in this manner, they were fleeing in
one direction, while their hoof prints gave the impression that
they were heading in the opposite one. Hermes could not keep
from laughing, very pleased with the trick he had just played on
the owner of the cows. Hermes could not help but wonder who
could possibly possess such beautiful beasts. A thought crossed
his mind: what if these cows were the property of a god? There
was a good risk that his anger might be terrible...
As the way was long, Hermes decided to take shelter with
his cows in the recess of a valley. A small brook snaked its way
through the hollow of the valley. The beasts drank and the child
began to skim stones. He was so absorbed by the small pebbles
he was throwing against the surface of the water that he did
not notice the passage of time. All of a sudden he shivered.
“But what is happening? It is dark here and it is cold too,” he
murmured, bewildered. Night had fallen soundlessly, and Hermes
was discovering it for the first time. Very quickly he began to
feel anxious. No matter how wide he opened his eyes, he could
see nothing in the darkness. He could just barely make out the
outline of his herd, if at all. “But where has the light gone? Will
it come back? I cannot stay in the dark, I am too scared, I really
am!” He approached the cows in order to feel more reassured.
The beasts had lain on the ground. The cow with the longest
horns, however, was still standing. She was striking the rocky
ground with her feet, staring hard at Hermes as she did so. She
struck, and struck, and struck. All of a sudden a faint spark sprang
from under her hoof. When he saw it, Hermes leapt to his feet.
Right away he began to look for a tender piece of wood. When
he had found it, he took out of his bag the branch of laurel that
he had picked up along the way. He took it between the palms
of his hands and began to rub the branch against the piece
of hard wood. The child rubbed, and rubbed, and rubbed. He
rubbed so very much that after a while a thin plume of smoke
emerged, then a flame leapt up. Immediately he added some
dry grass, then some kindling wood, and soon there were great
flames dancing. Hermes had just invented fire! The fire drove
away the cold, the fire drove away the darkness, the fire drove
away fear. Hermes was happy. He had just created on earth the
invention which would prove the most useful to men.
Since that morning, he had still not eaten anything except
strawberries and raspberries he had collected along the way, and
some bitter-tasting fruit he had picked off an almond tree. His
hunger was once again making itself felt. He went to see the
cow with the long horns. As though she had understood, the
fine beast laid herself down. Hermes lay next to her and drank
all of her milk.
Once he had drunk to his heart’s content, Hermes resumed
his way. A friendly moon had risen. Having reached the foot
of the same mountain where he had been born that very
morning, he hid away the stolen cows. He wished them good
night, clambered up to his cave and slipped noiselessly into his
crib. His mother Maia had, however, heard him. She had been
waiting for him.
“Where do you come from in the middle of the night?” she
said.
“You scold me as though I were a baby,” protested Hermes,
“but I am all grown up now.”
Maia was about to reply to Hermes that one should not go
too fast in life, but she stayed silent. Hermes was tired. As he
had been talking, he had taken hold of a rag with one hand and
his tortoise shell with the other. The great adventurer looked
once more exactly like a baby. So Maia approached the crib and
began to hum softly:
Sweet baby Hermes, you will be the one most loved.
Great cuddly Hermes, you shall never fear a thing.
Because you are the son of the strongest of the strong,
The son of the master of the living gods.
With his thumb in his mouth, Hermes murmured: “Mummy,
who is my father?”
Maia leant down and whispered: “He is called Zeus, he is
the king of the gods.”
But Hermes did not hear her. He had already fallen asleep.
And he would do well to rest, for on the following day a
great surprise awaited him...
To be continued...
Biographie de l'auteur :
Murielle Szac was born in Lyons. She has worked as a political journalist, been editor-in-chief at various children's magazines and directed a number of documentaries for television. She has also written several books for children, including The Adventures of Theseus, and The Adventures of Hermes, and is currently the publisher of a children's imprint at the French publishing house Actes Sud Junior. 
Mika Provata-Carlone is an independent scholar, translator, editor, photographer and illustrator. She is passionate about good books, old and new, for the young and for the old; also about old-fashionedpresses, smelling of paper and ink. She has also translated Pockety for Pushkin Children's Books.

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  • ÉditeurPushkin Children's Books
  • Date d'édition2014
  • ISBN 10 1782690301
  • ISBN 13 9781782690306
  • ReliureRelié
  • Nombre de pages380
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