9780130258397

An essential reference for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of classical mythology, this unique guide offers original source material on the social and historical background, interpretation, and commentary on major literary books on Greek mythsuch as Homer, Hesiod, the tragedians, the historians, Ovid, Vergil, and in Greek art.Written in a clear and lucid manner, the book offers fresh and original interpretations based on the latest scholarship, and comes organized into three distinct parts: I: Definitions and Interpretations (devoted to theoretical issues); II: Background (to fill in information essential to understanding myth); and III: Themes (chapters directed toward specific topics in the study of myth).For general readers of English literature and/or classical mythology.

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List of figures

ix

Preface

x

PART I Definitions and Interpretation

What Is a Myth?

1

(16)

Myth in Homer and Hesiod

2

(3)

Muthos in Pindar

5

(2)

Muthos in Plato

7

(5)

Muthos in Aristotle

12

(1)

Modern Definitions

13

(4)

The Meaning of Myth I: Ancient and Premodern Theories

17

(13)

Greek Theories

17

(2)

Physical Allegory

19

(2)

Historical Allegory: Euhemerism

21

(2)

Moral Allegory

23

(1)

Medieval and Renaissance Theories

24

(2)

Theories of the Enlightenment

26

(4)

The Meaning of Myth II: Modern Theories

30

(19)

Romantic Theories

30

(3)

Anthropological Theories

33

(2)

Linguistic Theories

35

(3)

Psychological Theories

38

(3)

Structuralist Theories

41

(2)

Contextual Approaches

43

(1)

Conclusion

44

(5)

PART II Background

The Cultural Context of Greek Myth

49

(18)

Greek Geography

49

(2)

Greek History

51

(9)

Greek Society

60

(4)

Greece and Rome

64

(3)

The Development of Classical Myth

67

(16)

Roots of Muthoi in the Bronze Age and the Ancient Near East

67

(2)

The Singers of Muthoi

69

(3)

Muthoi in the Greek Archaic Period

72

(3)

Muthoi in the Greek Classical Period

75

(3)

Myth in the Hellenistic Period

78

(2)

The Roman Appropriation of Greek Myth

80

(3)

PART III Themes

Myth and Creation: Hesiod's Theogony and Its Near Eastern Sources

83

(14)

Divine Myth

84

(2)

Hesiod's Theogony

86

(1)

The Triumph of Marduk

87

(4)

The Hittite Kingship in Heaven and the Song of Ullikummi

91

(2)

The Divine Myth of Succession in Hesiod and the Near East

93

(4)

Greek Myth and Greek Religion: Persephone, Orpheus, and Dionysus

97

(15)

Religion: General

98

(1)

Some Religious Emblems Drawn into Myth

99

(2)

Demeter and Persephone

101

(2)

The Eleusinian Mysteries

103

(2)

The Myth and Cult of Dionysus

105

(2)

The Myth and Religion of Orpheus

107

(5)

Myth and the Hero: The Legends of Heracles and Gilgamesh

112

(14)

Heroes and Heroines

112

(2)

Heracles, Son of Zeus

114

(3)

The Mesopotamian Hero Gilgamesh

117

(6)

The Way of the Hero

123

(3)

Myth and History: Crete and the Legend of the Trojan War

126

(16)

Herodotus, Father of History

126

(5)

Myth and Histoy in Thucydides

131

(3)

Heinrich Schliemann and Troy

134

(2)

Archaeology and Cretan Myth

136

(6)

Myth and Folktale: The Legend of Odysseus' Return

142

(14)

Folktale

142

(2)

The Folktale of Potiphar's Wife

144

(2)

The Greek Hero Perseus and Folktale

146

(1)

Odysseus and Folktale

147

(4)

The Folktale of the man who Returned

151

(5)

Myth and Society: The Legend of the Amazons

156

(12)

Amazons: The Women who Hated Men

156

(9)

The Meaning of the Amazons

165

(3)

Myth and Law: The Legend of Orestes

168

(12)

A House of Horrors: The Mythical Background to the Oresteia

169

(4)

Aeschylus' Agamenon

173

(2)

Aeschylus' Libation Bearers

175

(1)

Aeschylus' Eumenides

176

(1)

The Oresteia: A Parable of Progress

177

(3)

Roman Myth and Roman Religion: The Metamorphoses of Ovid

180

(13)

Roman Religion and Roman Myth-Makers

181

(3)

Ovid's Metamorphoses

184

(9)

Myth and Politics: The Myth of Theseus and the Aeneid of Vergil

193

(11)

Theseus of Athens

193

(3)

Roman Gods of the Family and State

196

(1)

The Aeneid: An Epic of National Rebirth

197

(7)

Myth And Art

204

(15)

Greek Myths From Eastern Art

204

(10)

The Greek Invention of Mythic Illustration

214

(5)

Index

219

(11)

Chart: The Greek and Roman Pantheon

230

What is included with this book?

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CLASSICAL MYTH IS A BIG TOPIC, made unruly by the richness of original sources in Greek and Latin, and sometimes in ancient Near Eastern languages. In this short book, I hope to guide the reader in understanding the origin of the conceptmythin the ancient world and to describe the plethora of interpretive approaches applied to myth, which had begun already in the ancient world almost before the concept myth had taken a firm hold. I attempt to fill in the social and historical background essential to understanding classical myth, without which literary classics hang in a void. Finally, I attempt to provide in brief compass the historical and theoretical background necessary to understand classical myth as we find it in its primary sources in Homer, Hesiod, the tragedians, the historians, Ovid, Vergil, and in Greek art. While I am always deeply indebted to earlier commentators on myth, much material is original to this book, especially observations on myth and folktale and myth and art. In studying classical myth, we are studying the roots and history of Western civilization. For this reason there is no topic more compelling or rewarding, but the topic is complex and often bewildering. I hope that this book will assist the student or general reader to find a way through the forest of classical myth.I wish to extend my thanks to the following reviewers who made invaluable suggestions for the improvement of this book: Susan Prince, University of Colorado; Rachel Kitzinger, Vassar College; Peter Struck, University of Pennsylvania; William C. West III, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; and David Engel, Penn State University. I have cited by name various translators who have provided the English translations (usually modified) of excerpts from ancient works. Either I or my colleague Herbert M. Howe translated all other passages. I would like to thank above all J. Philip Miller of Prentice-Hall, who saw the need for a book of this kind and who has stood behind me every step of the way. My wife Patricia has endured the arduous labor of assembling permissions and finding the best illustrations. Every effort has been made to contact the copyright holders, but should there be errors or omissions, the publisher will be happy to insert appropriate acknowledgment in any subsequent edition.I gratefully acknowledge these sources for permission to use figures in Chapter 15: Archaeology Receipts Fund (TAP), Athens, Figures 3, 6, 11, 13; British Museum, Figures 1, 2, 5, 7, 10; Elvehjem Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Figure 12; J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Figure 9; Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, Figures 8, 14; Superintendent of Archaeology of Basilicata, Policoro, Figure 15; Superintendent of Archaelolgy for Etruria Meridionale, Rome, Figure 4; University of Wisconsin Photo Archive, Figure 16.--B.B.P. Madison, 2001

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A Short Introduction to Classical Myth

A Short Introduction to Classical Myth

0130258393

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