Legendary battles between gods and gods, between gods and humans, between humans and fabled beasts, and between humans and humans have fascinated readers for centuries. Sometimes crossing the border into real historical conflicts, the tales, heroes, and villains recorded in ancient texts throughout the world provide a glimpse into the culture, morals, spirituality, and social mores of the distant past, all still at play in the modern world. At times surprisingly universal in theme, the stories that have spun out of epic conflicts have been revisited again and again in art, drama, music, and literature, and continue to prove fertile ground for discussion among scholars and in the classroom.

These volumes focus on famous clashes and renowned heroes and heroines in folklore and mythology. These struggles chronicled suffering, bravery, and patriotism as well as indifference, cowardice, and duplicity. People throughout the ages have often compared these mythological wars to the real ones they have been forced to live through.