Exploring Greek Myth
Matthew Clark
Language: English
Pages: 216
ISBN: 1405194553
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Exploring Greek Myth offers an extensive discussion of variant forms of myths and lesser-known stories, including important local myths and local versions of PanHellenic myths. Clark also discusses approaches to understanding myths, allowing students to gain an appreciation of the variety in one volume.
- Guides students from an introductory understanding of myths to a wide-ranging exploration of current scholarly approaches on mythology as a social practice and as an expression of thought
- Written in an informal conversational style appealing to students by an experienced lecturer in the field
- Offers extensive discussion of variant forms of myths and many lesser known, but deserving, stories
- Investigates a variety of approaches to the study of myth including: the sources of our knowledge of Greek myth, myth and ritual in ancient Greek society, comparative myth, myth and gender, hero cult, psychological interpretation of myth, and myth and philosophy
- Includes suggestions in each chapter for essays and research projects, as well as extensive lists of books and articles for further reading
- The author draws on the work of many leading scholars in the field in his exploration of topics throughout the text
History of Religious Ideas, Volume 2: From Gautama Buddha to the Triumph of Christianity
The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales
readings suggested below demonstrate, the study of myth can be a valuable aid for understanding a deep level of ancient Greek thought. FURTHER READING The scholarship on Athenian tragedy is vast. Only those works referenced in the text are noted here; the interested student will easily find further bibliography. On the social context of Athenian drama, see Winkler and Zeitlin 1990. On mythic thought in tragedy, see Vernant 1988a and 1988b; also Hall 1997 (as well as Hall 1989 for detailed
would be fulfilled. (Apollo in this poem is Apollo Karneios, for whom the panDorian Karneian festival was held. Tradition said it had been passed on from Sparta to Thera and from Thera to Kyrene. This shared festival thus signified the links of association among these three cities.) Pindar then describes two of Battos’ actions in founding the city: building sanctuaries for the gods and roads where the ritual parades can pass. Now the parade passes by the tomb of Battos himself, so that Battos can
of Kaineus (Dowden 1989: 65–67; cf. Delcourt 1961: 4, 33–34).4 But the story of Teiresias, who was born male, became female, and then became male again, is “perhaps the Greek interpretation of the artificial androgyny of the shamans” (Delcourt 1961: 42). Many Greek myths can be interpreted as myths of boys’ initiation, including, for example, the myths of Chrysippus, Hyacinthus, Narcissus, Cyparissos, Philoctetes, Admetos, Kadmos, and Hippolytos (see Sergent 1986). Some of these seem to narrate
129; Parker 2005). 11 9 120 EX PL ORING GREEK MY TH No doubt there were more events over the three days of the festival, but what is known suggests that the festival was a ritual designed to promote fertility, According to Ovid, Adonis was the son of Cinyras, both agricultural and also human. In addition the who was in turn the grandson of Pygmalion, the festival must have served to define the status of the sculptor who made a statue so beautiful he fell in love wives of citizens and to
Siculus (Library of role in cult outside of Eleusis. History 5.68.1), by Hyginus (Fabulae 147, 277; 9 10 EX PL ORING G REEK MY TH Astronomia 2.14), and by Ovid (Met. 5.645–61). Pausanias mentions the story several times (Guide 1.14.2; 7.18.2; 8.4.1); he says that there was a shrine to Triptolemos in Eleusis (1.38.4) and he also mentions a threshing-floor and altar to Triptolemos (1.38.7). There are also many visual representations of Triptolemos with Demeter and Persephone, far more than
