Retelling Description of Greece
Greek
Introduction
This is the Mythopouch retelling of Description of Greece by Pausanias. It is a modern educational version for readers aged 15 and up, written in original Mythopouch wording and organised around the geographical journey of Pausanias rather than inventing a single continuous plot.
The complete retelling is 41 pages and follows all ten books of Pausanias. It focuses on the mythology, sacred places, monuments, local traditions and historical memories most useful for Mythopouch readers, while preserving Pausanias's habit of distinguishing between what he saw, what local people said and what he himself accepted or doubted.
What this retelling is
The retelling contains twenty-five chapters across the ten geographical books of Description of Greece, followed by an afterword and three reference appendices:
Book I - Attica, Chapters 1-2
Book II - Corinthia and Argolis, Chapters 3-5
Book III - Laconia, Chapters 6-8
Book IV - Messenia, Chapters 9-10
Book V - Elis I, Chapters 11-13
Book VI - Elis II, Chapters 14-15
Book VII - Achaia, Chapters 16-18
Book VIII - Arcadia, Chapters 19-20
Book IX - Boeotia, Chapters 21-23
Book X - Phocis, Chapters 24-25
It concludes with What Pausanias Preserved, a pronunciation and name guide, The Ten Books at a Glance, and themed discussion questions. The chapter structure, transitions and explanatory wording are modern Mythopouch presentation, not a translation of Pausanias or Frazer.
How to use it with the Sources page
Use Description of Greece (Sources) when you want the historical English source witness. The downloadable source is Volume I, Translation, of J. G. Frazer's 1898 Pausanias's Description of Greece, containing the complete ten-book translation.
Use this Retellings page when you want the same work presented as a shorter modern educational journey. The retelling follows Pausanias's regional order and major traditions but condenses the enormous quantity of monuments, genealogies and local details. Phrases such as 'Pausanias reports' and 'the local tradition said' are retained deliberately so readers can distinguish the ancient traveller's evidence from modern explanation.
The source and retelling should therefore be used together: the retelling provides an accessible path through the material, while the 1898 source preserves the fuller historical translation.
Summary
A modern 15+ Mythopouch retelling of Pausanias's Description of Greece, following all ten regional books through myths, sanctuaries, monuments, local traditions and sacred landscapes.
Copyright Note
Mythopouch original educational wording and layout. Copyright Mythopouch 2026. Pausanias's ancient Description of Greece and J. G. Frazer's 1898 English translation are public-domain source material. This retelling is not Frazer's translation and does not reproduce a modern copyrighted translation.
Sources & Retellings Cultural Context Notice
Mythology developed across different cultures, periods and traditions, and there is rarely one universally accepted version of a story. Mythopouch approaches these traditions with respect while remaining faithful to the complexity of the surviving material. Retellings and educational content may interpret or adapt historical sources, but are not presented as definitive accounts of any culture, religion or belief system.