When Xena and Gabrielle are asked to rescue a group of kidnapped children, the legendary huntress Atalanta, is the first to volunteer. After all, she believes herself to be the only one with the strength to succeed. But when they find the kidnapper, Xena realizes that no one is strong enough to defeat it. For who can challenge the deadly riddles of the legendary sphinx?
Passing through Athens, Xena, the Warrior Princess, and her apprentice, the bard Gabrielle, are just in time for the women’s foot races—in which the legendary hunter, Atalanta, will be running. But when a band of armed raiders kidnap a group of maidens, Xena and Gabrielle must rely on Atalanta’s tracking skills to find the girls before it is too late. But Atalanta may not be who she seems, and as the trail leads to a sphinx—one of the most dangerous and duplicitous creatures of the ancient world—Xena and Atalanta’s skills with the blade become meaningless, and only Gabrielle can save them. Based on the hit television series, Xena: Warrior Princess, created by John Schulian and Robert Tapert, The Huntress and the Sphinx continues the story of Xena and her trusted companion, Gabrielle, as they fight to protect the innocent and to redeem Xena’s troubled past.
Sought, the Sphinx seems everywhere, whether the guardian of the pyramids on Egypt's Giza plateau or the beautiful man-eater with a deadly riddle, to be approached with awful caution. The Sphinx, that icon painted, sculpted, engraved, and exalted in poetry, fiction, and music, so impressed the philosopher Hegel that he pronounced the creature “the symbol of the symbolic itself.” With a wealth of illustrations, Book of the Sphinx confirms Hegel's lofty judgment, finding the Sphinx everywhere: in tragedies, paintings, opera, murder mysteries, brothels, bars, and advertisements. Pursuing the Sphinx through kaleidoscopic sightings and encyclopedic observations, Willis Goth Regier plumbs the symbol's mysteries, conducting the reader down ever more perplexing and intriguing paths. Wonderfully readable, his highly idiosyncratic tour of the ages and the arts leads at last to a conception of the Sphinx that embraces nothing less than all that is unknowable—proving once again that confronting a Sphinx is one of the most dangerous and exhilarating adventures of the imagination.
Ancient Egypt springs to life in this enthralling sequel to Sphinx’s Princess. As she did in Nobody’s Princess and Nobody’s Prize, author Esther Friesner offers readers a fresh look at an iconic figure, blending historical fiction and mythology in a heady concoction. Hunted . . . Overnight, every aspect of Nefertiti’s life has changed. She is no longer living at the royal palace as the intended bride of the crown prince. Instead, she is being chased by the prince and his soldiers for a crime she did not commit. Hidden . . . Traveling with two of her dearest friends, including the crown prince’s brother, who helped her escape, Nefertiti takes shelter in the wild hills along the Nile’s west bank. She must rely on her own resourcefulness and skills (all those secret archery lessons prove very useful) as the fugitives fight to survive. Haunted . . . But the need for justice gnaws at Nefertiti. She is determined to plead her case to the Pharaoh and set things right. As she begins to question long-held sacred beliefs—a questioning that could alter the fabric of Egyptian society—her extraordinary journey from commoner to royalty brings adventure, intrigue, and romance.
In this rousing sequel to Nobody’s Princess, young Helen of Sparta is not about to be left behind when her older brothers head off to join the quest for the Golden Fleece. Accompanied by her friend Milo, and disguised as a boy herself, Helen sets out to join the crew of heroes aboard the massive ship known as The Argo. Helen quickly faces all sorts of danger. There are battles to be fought, as well as an encounter with a terrifying murderous princess. With her beauty blossoming, Helen’s journey takes her beyond the mythology of the Golden Fleece to Athens, where her very future as Queen of Sparta is threatened.
This ultimate collection for fans of the syndicated TV series Xena: Warrior Princess, ending after six seasons in August, 2001, features 15 all-new original stories by 17 of fantasy's best-known authors who bring Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, Ares, and a host of Olympians back to life in these adventures. Authors include Jennifer Roberson, Diane Duane, Melissa Good, Greg Cox, and others.
Hadrian, a man claiming to be the son of Hermes and a thief like no other, frames Xena and Gabrielle for one of his crimes, then helps them escape from prison. Suddenly they are living like true cutpurses. Is Hadrian good or evil? Xena and Gabrielle don't have time to find out. For he has much more in store for them--an adventure only the son of Hermes could survive.
What's in a name? Using the example of a famous monster from Greek myth, this book challenges the dominant view that a mythical symbol denotes a single, clear-cut 'figure' and proposes instead to define the name 'Scylla' as a combination of three concepts - sea, dog and woman - whose articulation changes over time. While archaic and classical Greek versions usually emphasize the metaphorical coherence of Scylla's components, the name is increasingly treated as a well-defined but also paradoxical construct from the late fourth century BCE onward. Proceeding through detailed analyses of Greek and Roman texts and images, Professor Hopman shows how the same name can variously express anxieties about the sea, dogs, aggressive women and shy maidens, thus offering an empirical response to the semiotic puzzle raised by non-referential proper names.
Helen of Sparta wants to be more than a princess and a pretty face—she wants to be a hero. The traditions of ancient Sparta would have Helen know her place: a beautiful princess, a loyal daughter, a perfect bride. But Helen wants adventure, and she's not looking back. Not one to count on the gods to take care of her, she sets out to see the world and seek her own fate with steely determination. Her rebellious will makes Helen dangerous enemies—such as the self-proclaimed "son of Zeus" Theseus—but it also gains her true friends, from the famed huntress Atalanta to the young priestess who is the Oracle of Delphi. If she is strong enough, if she is cunning enough, if she is brave enough, Helen will find her destiny . . . but what does destiny have in store for her? In Nobody's Princess, author Esther Friesner deftly weaves together history and myth as she takes a new look at the girl who will become Helen of Troy. The back of the book includes further facts about Helen of Troy and Ancient Greece. Hand to readers who love Tamora Pierce and Leigh Bardugo, particularly if they just finished Wonder Woman: Warbringer and want to know more about Helen of Troy. "A must-read for fans of fantasy and mythology."—VOYA "Along the way, Friesner skillfully exposes larger issues of women's rights, human bondage, and individual destiny. It's a rollicking good story."—Booklist
