The most authoritative illustrated guide to the world of Greek mythology
From the first millennium BC onwards, Greek myths have been repeated in an inexhaustible series of variations and reinterpretations. Nowadays they can be found in film, television and computer games. This book combines a retelling of Greek myths with a comprehensive account of the world in which they developed.
Throughout, the author draws upon the latest research into ancient Greek story-telling, presenting the material in an attractive, accessible and authoritative style. With its lavish illustrations, detailed genealogical tables of gods and heroes, box features and specially commissioned maps, this is the one essential resource on these classic stories that lie at the heart of western civilization.
Author(s): Richard Buxton
Publisher: Thames and Hudson
Year: 2004
Language: English
Pages: 256
City: London
Epigraph
Title Page
About the author
Other titles of interest
Contents
Introduction: Myths in Context
Chronology of Greek Myth-telling
I Contexts, Sources, Meanings
General Characteristics of Greek Myths
Sources of Evidence
Contexts for Myth-telling
II Myths of Origin
Cosmogony
Origins of Humanity
Local Origins
Bringers of Culture
Colonies
III The Olympians: Power, Honour, Sexuality
Powers and Spheres of Influence
Honour and Boundaries
Divine Sexuality
IV Heroic Exploits
Perseus
Meleager, Atalanta and the Kalydonian Boar
Jason, the Argonauts and Medea
Herakles
Theseus and the Heroic Athenian Past
The Trojan War
V Family Sagas
The House of Pelops
Tereus, Prokne and Philomela
Antiope and Her Sons
Danaos and His Kin
Proitos, Stheneboia and Bellerophon
The House of Laios
Strong Bonds: Love Between Spouses
Same-Sex Eroticism
VI A Landscape of Myths
Mountains
Caves
Rivers and Springs
The Sea
Crete
Troy
The Underworld
VII Greek Myths after the Greeks
How Rome Re-imagined Greece
The Middle Ages
From the Renaissance to the 20th Century
Present and Future
Further Reading
Sources of Quotations
Illustration Credits
Acknowledgments
Index
Copyright Page
