Sjömansbiblioteket

The Greek god Hermes descends from Olympus in search of an invisible nymph. He sees a snake who speaks with the voice of a woman named Lamia. She tells Hermes, that her spirit is trapped in this snake's body. She offers Hermes to help him find the nymph if he uses his divine powers to turn her into a human again. Lamia herself is searching for a charming young man named Lycius.

Who is the nymph that Hermes is looking for? Why is she so special to him? Why is Lamia trapped into the snake’s body? Will Hermes agree to the deal and restore Lamia’s normal human appearance? Will she find the attractive Lycius?

Find all the answers in John Keats’ poem "Lamia", published in 1820.


John Keats (1795 - 1821) was an English poet. Besides his writing passion, he was a medical student at Guy’s Hospital. During his short life, John devoted himself to the development of poetry by focusing on the vivid imagery and expressing philosophy through verse. Some of his most popular works are "Sleep and Poetry", "Ode to a Nightingale" and "On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer", which is his most famous sonnet.

B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere.