The Greek myths are celebrated as timeless stories in this collection by renowned author Bernard Evslin “The Dolphin Rider” is Arion, who lives in Corinth, a city near the sea. He longs to go on great adventures, but an oracle warns that if he embarks on a voyage, he will never return. When Apollo, the god of music, gives Arion a golden lyre for his twentieth birthday, Arion ignores the oracle’s words and sets sail for Sicily. Everyone falls in love with his singing, and great treasures are heaped on him, but Arion is forced to contend with an unexpected foe: man’s greed. “The Gift of Fire” introduces Prometheus, the young giant who fears no one, including Zeus, mighty ruler of gods and men. However, when Prometheus vows to bring his precious gift to every cave in the land, he makes multiple deadly enemies. This collection also features stories about Narcissus, destined to fall in love with his own beautiful reflection; King Midas, who loves only gold; Cupid, who must suffer the consequences when he is struck down by love; and the fatally curious Pandora.

Through the magic of desire, Sean discovers he can speak with Mari, a young dolphin mother, who takes him aboard her back for a day on the ocean. But just beyond the harbor jetty, Mari's pod is scattered by a tuna fleet, and Sean soon wonders if either he or the pod will survive to tell the tale. Searching for Mari's missing son, they confront the dangers of the sea - from lost drift nets to lightning storms - and readers learn how different life is for wild dolphins from those in captivity.

Although positivism dismissed myths as childish fancy, bound to be superseded by reason, there has been a continuous reappraisal of the power of myths since the 19th century. Once viewed as primitive and unreliable accounts and an inadequate and distorted form of knowledge, myths came to be perceived as exemplary narratives, consisting of rich and complex symbolic constructs that carry meaning and a connection to reality. Myths then came to be regarded as a privileged expression of the human soul and of its possibly submerged and unconscious abysses and dramas. Rather than inherently obscure and elusive to a rational grasp, mythical narratives would therefore be driven by logical reasoning, giving shape to a particular worldview of life and humankind. The enduring power of mythical narrative is attested to by its very plasticity, subject to multiple recreations informed by changing concerns and insights. Mythical narratives have thus attracted the interest of various disciplines, from ethnology and history to philosophy, literature, sociology, politics, the history of religions and art history. This interdisciplinary volume studies how myths are inscribed and recycled within both individual and collective heritage, and examines the personal and political implications of multifaceted engagement with myths as one of the forms through which societies try to make sense of their perplexities.

The Shefton Collection in Newcastle upon Tyne contains a fine array of Greek and Etruscan objects and takes its name from its founder Professor Brian Shefton (1919 – 2012). In spite of the importance of this collection it has not been widely published and remains something of a hidden gem. Brian Shefton was an insightful collector, as well as a distinguished scholar of Greek and Etruscan archaeology, and the 14 papers presented here reflect the broad scope of the collection; ranging across pottery, jewelery, terracottas and metalwork. The contributions, written by leading experts in the field, focus on specific objects or groups of objects in the Collection, providing new interpretations and bringing previously unpublished items to light. The history of the Shefton Collection is explored. Together these contributions provide a tribute to a remarkable individual who made a substantial and notable contribution to his discipline.