Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems

Experienced author & poet Paul Kiritsis is back with "Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems". A look at the ancient world, filled with the history and legends of how these ancient traditions came into being, and the mourning that due to certain circumstances, some of these ancient traditions and literature are lost. A deftly composed and compiled collection, "Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems" is a top pick for literature readers in general, and for community library collections catering to them. Teardrop: I hid your essence, that small bundle of boy, As the vowel in a harmonic minor, And floated it along the scale/ of my silent consonants-//Seducing midnight/with folk songs/Of love found/And love lost.//Warming her heart/with bittersweet words/That delivered us/As a teardrop/From her eye.

Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (4/08) "Hermetica" is a captivating literary collection of myths, legends and poems. In the preface to the book, the author, Paul Kiritsis explains to us the differences among three different classes of folklore. First, there are myths which often take place far, far in the past and are generally accepted as true. Second, we have legends which "are set in a remembered or historical time and presented as undisputed truth, often being more secular than religious." (p. xiv) Lastly, there are folktales which are fictional stories. Kiritsis gives us a history lesson on the origin of folklore which started in Ancient Egypt. He then describes to us one of the greatest myths of all time, and also the first love story, which is about Osiris and Isis. Throughout this literary collection Kiritsis seeks to expand on this ancient myth with his own renditions of the events that occurred. The title of the book, "Hermetica," was derived "not only from the fact that it was influenced by Hermetic literature but also because it concerns itself with alchemy, primarily the alchemy of love." (p. xvii) The book is divided into two different sections which are poems and verse drama. The poetry section consists of six different subsections: alchemica, astrologica, mythologica, philosophica, musica, and erotica. The second section, containing verse drama, is composed of seven different short stories including the author's prequel to the known myth of Osiris and Isis. Kiritsis is a very creative and talented writer. He obviously is wonderfully educated in the subjects he writes of and this definitely shines through in his stories. Not unlike ancient oral and written literature, Kiritsis' stories also have lessons to teach. His words will whisk you back to a time long ago and keep you there until the last page is turned. Although I enjoyed both parts of the book I would have to say that I enjoyed the second part with the myths and legends the most. Once I started reading that section it was hard for me to put the book down until I saw how everything played out. I think anyone who enjoys poetry, myths, legends or just a general escape from books set in modern day, would enjoy this unique literary collection - "Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems."

It's great to see this up and coming author produce a second collection of writing, "Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems" which builds on his first published work, "Origin". Paul Kiritsis has more-than-ably managed to surge forward in his exploration of ancient tales and myths and clearly knows his stuff. The first section of this current work is a mix of poetry that draws on his own personal experiences and life, finely interwoven with mythical language and themes. This is finely complimented with a series of verse-drama, drawn from ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology, respun on Kiritsis' literary spinning wheel. He imbues these myths with his own creative twists and the imaginative retellings will no doubt delight any who love myth as much as Kiritsis clearly does. This is a must read for anyone into the esoteric, hermetics or myth more generally.

Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (2/08) This book had a strange effect on me. I found as I began reading it that I was mesmerized by the poems and stories. It engaged me from the beginning to the end and I had a hard time putting it down. I applaud the author's style of combining both collections of poetry and his own interpretations of myths and legends. In the introduction, the author describes the contents of the book "'Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems' is a collection of both poetry and my own renditions of epic myths and legends. Its title comes not only from the fact that was influenced by Hermetic literature but also because it concerns itself with alchemy, primarily the alchemy of love." (page xvii) "He has complete faith that true love does exist and writes as elusive as it may be, true love does exist and anyone can find it present in their life if they are really open to such." (page xvii) The poems and stories that follow captured my attention and took me on many adventures. The first section on poetics contains poetry that includes alchemy, magic, astrology, myths, wisdom, music and erotica. The second section contains seven mythical stories that deliver messages to the reader. The author pays tribute to the love story of Osiris and Isis and the events leading up to Osiris' death and through his resurrection. Several other stories are included including a popular one from the Middle Ages, "The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor." Throughout time oral and written stories have been used to teach people morals and lessons. Even the Bible is full of the parables taught by Jesus using examples to teach people new ideas and lessons. In "Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems," the author does a great job with intertwining ancient stories with today's themes. As a former resident of the Hawaiian Islands, I especially enjoyed the poems about the islands and the volcano goddess Pele. If you enjoy myths, legends and poetry, then this book is for you.