The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology, 2nd Edition (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

Cover......Page 1
About the Authors......Page 4
Copyright page......Page 6
Contents at a Glance......Page 7
Contents......Page 11
Foreword......Page 21
Introduction......Page 23
Relax! They're Only Stories......Page 24
How This Book Is Organized......Page 25
Extras......Page 26
Special Thanks to the Technical Reviewer......Page 27
Trademarks......Page 28
Part 1: The Beginning of All Things......Page 29
1 Tell Me a Story......Page 31
Stories That Mean Something......Page 32
Why Does The Rain Fall from Up Above? (Why Do Fools Fall in Love?)......Page 33
Which Came First: The Chicken or the Egg?......Page 35
The Sacred and the Profane (And the Heroic)......Page 36
The Big Eight......Page 37
A Dash of Heroism, a Handful of Fate......Page 39
The Least You Need to Know......Page 40
2 O Brave New World......Page 41
What a Mess!......Page 42
All You Need Is Love......Page 43
Mama Laid an Egg......Page 45
Golden Years......Page 46
Hi-Ho Silver......Page 47
Quest for Fire......Page 48
Where's the Beef?......Page 49
Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice? Not Quite!......Page 50
The Least You Need to Know......Page 52
3 Hey, I've Heard That Before! The Roots of Classical Myth......Page 53
In the Beginning.........Page 54
Clash of the Titans......Page 55
Recipe for Creation: Take One Divine Body, Break It in Two.........Page 57
I Need a Hero: Gilgamesh......Page 58
Gods' Gift......Page 59
The Goddess of (Unrequited) Love: Ishtar......Page 60
The Secret of Life......Page 61
A Hero in the Classical Mold......Page 63
A Goddess by Any Other Name......Page 64
A Hell of a Journey......Page 65
The Least You Need to Know......Page 66
4 Author, Author......Page 67
The Poet As Performance Artist......Page 68
Homer, Sweet Homer......Page 69
Never Refuse a Muse: Hesiod......Page 70
Chorus Lines......Page 71
The Dramatist As War Hero: Aeschylus......Page 73
The Dramatist As Civic Leader: Sophocles......Page 74
The Dramatist As Realist: Euripides......Page 75
Poetic License......Page 76
The Myths of History, Biography, and Geography......Page 77
The Grandeur That Was Rome......Page 78
The Poet As Propagandist: Vergil......Page 79
When in Rome.........Page 80
The Least You Need to Know......Page 82
Part 2: Welcome to the Pantheon – The Greek Gods......Page 83
Raise the Titanic!......Page 85
Not-So-Fatherly Love......Page 86
No Womb to Move......Page 87
Mother's Little Helper......Page 88
A Tale That's Hard to Swallow......Page 89
Three Hundred Helping Hands......Page 91
To Hell with the Titans......Page 92
The Least You Need to Know......Page 94
6 The Reign of Thunder and Lightning: Olympus Under Zeus......Page 95
King of Gods, God of Kings......Page 96
The First Sex Addict?......Page 98
Cuckoo for Love......Page 100
Hades Hath No Fury Like a Goddess Scorned......Page 101
Beastly Couplings, Beastly Children......Page 103
The Prince of Darkness......Page 105
Home Is Where the Hearth Is......Page 106
Earth Angel......Page 107
The Least You Need to Know......Page 108
7 The A Team: Olympians All......Page 109
A Surefire Cure for a Migraine: Athena's Birth......Page 110
A Not-So-Immaculate Conception......Page 111
The Heavenly Castoff : Hephaestus......Page 112
First of the Red-Hot Lovers: Aphrodite......Page 114
A Fine Romance?......Page 115
Love Child......Page 116
Night of the Hunters: Artemis and Apollo......Page 117
Wild Queendom: Artemis......Page 118
The Temperamental Musician: Apollo......Page 120
The Little Rascal: Hermes......Page 122
The Least You Need to Know......Page 124
8 Friends, Fairies, and Fairy Tale Monsters......Page 125
Here Comes the Sun King......Page 126
From Dusk to Dawn: The Sisters of Helius......Page 127
Dark Goddesses: Hecate and Styx......Page 128
The Good-Time God: Pan......Page 130
Hemi-Demi-Semi-Deities......Page 131
Big Trouble on Olympus: The War with the Giants......Page 132
The Mother of All Monsters!......Page 134
The Least You Need to Know......Page 135
9 Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: Dionysus......Page 137
Be Careful What You Wish For......Page 138
Kids Will Be Kids—Literally......Page 139
Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: Dionysus on Tour......Page 140
The Star and His Groupies......Page 141
Don't Make Him Mad......Page 142
Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle of Wine!......Page 143
Homecoming Queen: Pentheus of Thebes......Page 144
The Kindness of Strangers......Page 145
Swing Time......Page 146
Mama's Boy......Page 147
The Least You Need to Know......Page 148
Part 3: Everyone Needs a Hero......Page 149
10 The Model Hero: Perseus......Page 151
The Golden Shower......Page 152
Something Fishy Going On......Page 153
A Little Help from My Friends......Page 154
The Gray Women: Their Sisters' Keepers......Page 155
Homeward Bound......Page 156
A Damsel in Distress: The Rescue of Andromeda......Page 157
The Marrying Kind......Page 158
Welcome Home......Page 159
The Least You Need to Know......Page 160
11 What the Hell? Adventures in the Underworld......Page 161
The Long Winter of Her Discontent......Page 162
The Renewal of Spring......Page 163
Queen of the Underworld......Page 164
All in the Family......Page 165
Cheating Death......Page 166
The Not-So-Heavenly Host: Tantalus......Page 168
Following Love to Hell and Back......Page 170
Life After Death......Page 171
The Least You Need to Know......Page 172
12 Even the Wisest Cannot See: Oedipus the King......Page 173
A House Divided: Oedipus's Ancestors......Page 174
Watch Where You're Looking: The Heirs of Cadmus......Page 175
The Sins of the Father......Page 176
Abandonment and Adoption......Page 177
At the Crossroads......Page 178
Riddle Me This......Page 179
The Blind Leading the Blind......Page 180
The Curse Becomes a Blessing......Page 182
The Least You Need to Know......Page 183
13 The Labors of Heracles......Page 185
The Labors of Alcmene......Page 186
Training a Hero......Page 187
Marriage, Madness, and Murder......Page 189
Beastly Chores: The First Four Labors......Page 190
Even More Beastly Chores: The Second Four Labors......Page 192
The Far Corners of the Earth: The Final Four Labors......Page 194
Lydia, Oh Lydia, Oh Have You Seen Lydia?......Page 197
Fatal Attraction: Deianira......Page 198
The Least You Need to Know......Page 200
14 Crimes of Passion: Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts......Page 201
The Other Shoe Drops: The Return of Jason......Page 202
Golden Fleece? What Golden Fleece?......Page 203
Help Wanted......Page 204
The Island of Women......Page 205
Surprise Attacks......Page 206
Winged Avengers and Clashing Rocks......Page 207
Witch Way to the Golden Fleece......Page 208
Am I My Brother's Keeper?......Page 210
Dry-Docked......Page 211
No Place Like Home?......Page 212
Beware of Colchians Bearing Gifts......Page 213
The Least You Need to Know......Page 214
15 Lucky in War, Unlucky in Love: Theseus......Page 215
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?......Page 216
Up a Tree......Page 217
Wanna Wrestle?......Page 218
Maternal Instinct Gone Wild......Page 219
Birth of a Beast: The Minotaur......Page 220
No Way Out: The Maze and the Minotaur......Page 221
King Theseus Wants a Wife......Page 222
Forbidden Love: Phaedra......Page 223
Midlife Crisis: The Abduction of Helen......Page 224
The Least You Need to Know......Page 226
16 All's Not Fair in Love and War: The Fall of Troy......Page 227
But She's Already Married!......Page 228
The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships......Page 229
The Long Siege of Troy Begins......Page 230
Heroes of the Battlefield......Page 231
The End of Achilles......Page 234
A Recipe for Winning the War......Page 235
Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts!......Page 236
The End of Heroes......Page 237
Welcome Home?......Page 238
The House of Blood: Agamemnon's Return......Page 239
The Least You Need to Know......Page 240
17 Achilles: The Angry Young Hero......Page 241
A Lover, Not a Fighter: His Father Peleus......Page 242
A Marriage Made in Heaven......Page 243
Don't Try This at Home!......Page 244
Hey, This Kid's Got Potential!......Page 245
To War!......Page 246
First Blood: The Early Battles......Page 247
Never Insult Your Greatest Warrior......Page 248
I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight......Page 249
The Least You Need to Know......Page 250
18 Take the Long Way Nome: Odysseus......Page 251
Choosing Wisely......Page 252
Draft Dodging? Try Feigning Insanity......Page 253
What Are We Doing Here?......Page 254
My, What a Big Eye You Have!......Page 255
Good Host, Bad Host......Page 256
Pigging Out......Page 257
A Ghost of a Chance......Page 258
Don't Have a Cow......Page 259
The Hard Life of a Love Slave......Page 260
Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated......Page 261
No Contest......Page 263
The Least You Need to Know......Page 264
19 Not in Our Stars: Tragic Heroes and Their Fates......Page 265
My Eyes Adored You......Page 266
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall......Page 267
Sister Act......Page 268
Dinner—And Venqeance—Is Served......Page 269
A Test of Fidelity......Page 270
The Spy Who Loved Him......Page 271
Towering Ambition......Page 272
The Shell Game......Page 273
Son of the Sun......Page 274
The Least You Need to Know......Page 275
Part 4: Friends, Romans, Countrymen......Page 277
20 When in Rome, Worship As the Romans Worship......Page 279
Greek Immigrants: The Gods of Olympus Arrive in Rome......Page 280
Pick a God, Any God......Page 281
Say a Little Prayer for Me......Page 282
The Rituals of Everyday Life......Page 283
What's in the Pantry? The Penates......Page 285
The Least You Need to Know......Page 286
21 Meet the New Boss(Es), Same As the Old Boss(Es): The Gods and Goddesses of Rome......Page 287
The Great Civilizer: Saturn......Page 288
By Jove, It's Jupiter!......Page 289
Like a Virgin: Vesta......Page 290
Eyes in the Back of His Head: Janus......Page 291
War and Peace: Mars......Page 292
Love Makes the World Go Around: Venus......Page 293
New to the Neighborhood: The Other Olympians......Page 294
Greeks in Togas: The Lesser Deities Go Roman......Page 296
Everything Old Becomes New Again: The Ancient Italian Deities......Page 298
The Least You Need to Know......Page 300
22 All Roads Lead to Rome: The Odyssey of Aeneas......Page 301
The Son Also Rises......Page 302
The Good Soldier......Page 303
A Man Without a Country......Page 304
Islands in the Storm......Page 305
Juno Acts As Matchmaker......Page 306
Passport to the Underworld......Page 308
Arrival of a Rival......Page 309
This Means War......Page 310
Friends, Romans, Countrymen......Page 311
The Least You Need to Know......Page 312
Double Visionaries: Romulus and Remus......Page 313
Dancing with Wolves......Page 314
The Lost Generation Returns......Page 315
Sibling Rivalry Is for the Birds......Page 316
Personals: SM Seeks SF x 100......Page 317
Rome Rules!......Page 319
Long Live the Kings......Page 320
I Just Can't Wait to Be King......Page 321
Et Tu, Junius Brutus?......Page 323
The Least You Need to Know......Page 324
Appendix A: Glossary of Terms......Page 325
A......Page 329
B......Page 337
C......Page 338
D......Page 343
E......Page 345
G......Page 350
H......Page 351
I......Page 355
J......Page 357
L......Page 358
M......Page 361
N......Page 365
O......Page 367
P......Page 369
R......Page 377
S......Page 378
T......Page 381
V......Page 386
Z......Page 387
Appendix C: What's in a Name? Greek and Roman Gods and Heroes......Page 389
Appendix D: Be Careful What You Wish For: The Fates of Mortals Who Slept with Gods or Goddesses......Page 391
Appendix E: Read More About It......Page 395
A......Page 397
D......Page 399
G......Page 400
H......Page 403
J......Page 405
M......Page 406
N......Page 408
O......Page 409
P......Page 410
R......Page 411
S......Page 412
T......Page 413
V......Page 414
Z......Page 415