Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
London : Thames & Hudson, 2004.
Description
Publisher description: 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.
User reviews
LibraryThing member cyderry
I have started reading the Percy Jackson series so I thought I should brush up on my mythology before I got too far along in the Riodan series, so I picked up this book at the library.
I was surprised with very detailed lists of major and minor Greek gods as well as indications of their spheres of
Two things surprised me the most - 1) Apollo was the only God who didn't get his name changed when the Roman Gods were identified and 2) many of the myths both Greek and Roman have been used through the ages for a cultural basis - i.e. in Literature there is the Divine Comedy, Iliad and the Odyssey, art has Rembrandt's Rape of Ganymede, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and of course, there are sculptures galore.
A few other items that interested me were 1) I never realized that Poseidon was Zeus' brother 2) Zeus was so promiscuous ( had had over 25 different partners both mortal and immortal and a great number of children) and 3) many of the gods were patterned on the Egyptians' deities.
Overall, it was a very enlightening book and I'm glad that I happened upon it at the library.
I was surprised with very detailed lists of major and minor Greek gods as well as indications of their spheres of
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influence. The book included charts of the genealogy of the Gods (who begat who), details of ancient myths, and pictures of beautiful sculptures and art work from centuries ago I was, however, disappointed that there was not a detailed listing of the constellations and their connections to Greek Mythology.Two things surprised me the most - 1) Apollo was the only God who didn't get his name changed when the Roman Gods were identified and 2) many of the myths both Greek and Roman have been used through the ages for a cultural basis - i.e. in Literature there is the Divine Comedy, Iliad and the Odyssey, art has Rembrandt's Rape of Ganymede, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and of course, there are sculptures galore.
A few other items that interested me were 1) I never realized that Poseidon was Zeus' brother 2) Zeus was so promiscuous ( had had over 25 different partners both mortal and immortal and a great number of children) and 3) many of the gods were patterned on the Egyptians' deities.
Overall, it was a very enlightening book and I'm glad that I happened upon it at the library.
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Subjects
Language
Physical description
256 p.; 26.1 cm
ISBN
9780500251218
Copy notes
Contents: 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 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 -- Maps -- General map of the Greek world -- The voyage of the Argo -- The Labours of Herakles -- Theseus' exploits en route for Athens -- Greek contingents at Troy -- Mountains -- Rivers.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-249) and index.
Black pictorial dust jacket over black cloth-covered boards, blind embossed on front board, gilt on spine, white endbands, brick red endpapers.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-249) and index.
Black pictorial dust jacket over black cloth-covered boards, blind embossed on front board, gilt on spine, white endbands, brick red endpapers.