Tanglewood Tales for Boys and Girls is a compilation of Greek myths written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American author known for his interest in morality, history, and faith. Published in 1853, Tanglewood Tales is a sequel to A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys (1851), continuing the device of a frame story featuring Eustace Bright as the storyteller and extending the project of adapting classical Greek mythology for young readers by providing short interpretations of six famous myths.

Hawthorne’s versions of these stories (which in this book include “Theseus and the Minotaur,” “Hercules and the Pygmies,” “The Dragon’s Teeth,” “Circe’s Palace,” “The Pomegranate Seeds,” and “Jason and the Golden Fleece”) pit the virtuous role models of Greek heroes against villains and monsters, while omitting some of the darker events and moral complexity of the original versions. The book explores themes of Using Violence for Moral Good, Achieving One’s Destiny Through Initiative and Hard Work, and Compassion and Responsibility as Heroic Qualities.

This guide refers to Penn Publishing Company edition, published in 1921 and digitized in 2007.

Note: Hawthorne refers to characters using their Roman names rather than their Greek names.

Content Warning: The source material and guide contain depictions of graphic violence and death, including death by suicide.

Plot Summaries

In the Introduction, “The Wayside,” Hawthorne introduces a fictional character named Eustace Bright, whom he credits as the real author of the Tanglewood Tales. He reminisces about Bright’s visit to his farm, where he was happy to learn that he could edit Bright’s latest children’s book, which shares stories from the Greek myths.

In “The Minotaur,” a young boy named Theseus is raised in Troezene, Greece, by his mother and grandfather. Theseus longs to meet his father, King Aegeus, the ruler of Athens, and when he becomes a young man, his mother finally lets him go to his father’s kingdom. Armed with his father’s gifts to him (a sword, a golden hilt, and sandals), Theseus travels the dangerous roads to Athens and joyfully reunites with his father. Theseus learns that every year, Athens must sacrifice 14 children to the horrible monster of Crete, the Minotaur, and he volunteers to try to slay the beast. After journeying to Crete, Theseus finds an ally in King Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, who helps him locate the Minotaur’s labyrinth and outsmart the monster and its maze. Theseus returns home, triumphant, and becomes the new king of Athens.

“The Pygmies” adapts the story of the one-eyed giant Antaeus, who lives happily in Africa with his tiny friends, the Pygmies. These six-inch-tall people farm the land and occasionally fight their enemies, the cranes, with the help of their large friend. When the Greek hero Hercules arrives in the territory, however, the situation turns disastrous: Antaeus challenges him to a fight and, though much smaller, Hercules wins handily, killing Antaeus. The Pygmies are outraged and attack Hercules, who graciously apologizes and leaves them in peace.

In “The Dragon’s Teeth,” the sons of King Agenor are distraught when a white bull carries their young sister, Europa, off into the ocean. The king instructs them to search for her everywhere and not to return until they’ve found her. Along with their mother and friend, the sons (Phoenix, Cadmus, and Cilix) venture to distant lands, searching for their sister for years. Over time, they tire of the search, and each man settles in a different place and becomes its leader. Eventually, Cadmus is on his own and consults the oracle at Delphi about his future. Listening to her instructions, he follows a cow until it lies down, and then founds a city in that spot. When a dragon attacks him, he quickly slays the beast, planting its teeth as a voice tells him to. The teeth produce warriors and trumpeters, and Cadmus tells them to build him a city, where he goes on to rule with his queen, Harmonia.

“Circe’s Palace” tells of when Ulysses and his sailors seek shelter from storms in a cove of a small island. Hungry and tired, they search the island for food, noticing a grand palace. Ulysses instructs half of his sailors to investigate the palace and ask for help, feeling wary of the dangers that may lurk on the island. Once there, the gluttonous men are thrilled when a beautiful woman named Circe offers them a delicious banquet, and they greedily eat it. However, Eurylochus, the most cautious of the men, watches in horror as the beautiful host puts a spell on the others, turning them into hogs. When he tells Ulysses the bad news, the leader returns on his own, using a magical flower to ward off the dark magic and forcing Circe to turn the hogs back into his men. Having defeated the enchantress and restored the island, Ulysses and his men rest at the palace before sailing on to Ithaca.

In “The Pomegranate Seeds,” Ceres tends to crops around the world while her daughter, Proserpina, plays. However, Proserpina’s interest in a beautiful flower soon turns disastrous as Pluto rides out of a hole, captures her, and takes her to his palace in the underworld. Desperate to return to her mother, Proserpina refuses to forget Ceres and vows not to eat any of Pluto’s offerings. Meanwhile, Ceres searches desperately for her daughter, asking Hecate and Phoebus for help. Overcome with grief, Ceres refuses to nurture the world’s crops until her daughter is returned, and a famine begins. Quicksilver, the god of communication, asks Pluto to return Proserpina, and he agrees. However, by this time, the young girl has eaten six pomegranate seeds. While Proserpina enjoys a joyful reunion with her mother, she must spend six months of every year in the underworld with Pluto because she accepted food from him.

“The Golden Fleece” tells the story of Jason, who is raised in a cave by the wise centaur teacher, Chiron. When he comes of age, Jason learns that he’s the heir to the throne of Iolchos, a kingdom that the wicked King Pelias has claimed. Eager to regain his family’s throne, Jason leaves Chiron and journeys to Iolchos. On the way, he meets a strange woman who begs for help crossing a river. He obliges her, losing a sandal in the process. When he arrives in Iolchos, King Pelias is terrified: The Speaking Oak’s prophecy foretold that a one-sandaled man would take his kingdom from him. Hoping to get rid of Jason, he sends him on an impossible task to find the Golden Fleece, a ram’s woolen coat that is made of gold. Jason agrees and gathers 49 of the bravest Greek warriors. They set sail on a massive, 50-oar ship to Colchis, where the Golden Fleece hangs from a tree and is guarded by a dragon. After the king of Colchis betrays Jason, he receives help from his daughter, the enchantress Medea, who puts the dragon to sleep, allowing Jason to steal the fleece. He runs back to his ship and sails away with his companions, having completed the impossible quest and earned his right to become the king of Iolchos.