Table Of Content

‘Lord, with whom Eros the Subduer and the dark-eyed Nymphs and radiant Aphrodite play, as you roam across the high peaks of the mountains, I beg you, come to me in kindness: hear and accept my prayer.’ From an invocation to Dionysos by the poet Anakreon (6th century BC) The marble Tholos at Delphi, early 4th century BC, masterpiece of Theodoros of Phokaia. About the Author Richard G. A. Buxton is a classical scholar specialising in the study of ancient Greek mythology and literature. His many books include Imaginary Greece: the Contexts of Mythology. Other titles of interest published by Thames & Hudson include: The Greek and Roman Myths: A Guide to the Classical Stories Philip Matyszak Greek Mythology: A Traveller’s Guide from Mount Olympus to Troy David Stuttard Greek and Roman Art Susan Woodford Be the first to know about our new releases, exclusive content and author events by visiting www.thamesandhudson.com www.thamesandhudsonusa.com www.thamesandhudson.com.au 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 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 Further Reading Sources of Quotations Illustration Credits Acknowledgments Index One of the Moirai (Fates) strikes down her part-serpentine adversary. From the Battle of the Gods and Giants, north frieze, Great Altar of Zeus from Pergamon (c. 190–150 BC). Introduction: Myths in Context Few monsters overcome by Herakles are more horrifying than Kerberos, the hound of the Underworld. The serpents growing from the beast’s heads and paws intensify the terror. In this vase-painting (6th century BC) Eurystheus, who had commanded Herakles to perform his Labours, is nervously hiding in a big jar. No group of stories exhibits greater richness and depth, and certainly none has been more influential, than the set of tales which we know as ‘the Greek myths’. Narrative texts and visual images recording the exploits of the Greek gods and goddesses, and of the heroines and heroes, are already found early in the 1st millennium BC, and they have continued to be produced, in an apparently inexhaustible series of variations and reinterpretations, until the present day. The meanings which people have read into these stories have varied enormously over time, according to the contrasting perspectives from which different cultures have viewed the legacy of ancient Greece; indeed this chameleon-like capacity for adaptation has been a decisive factor in the myths’ survival. Nor does the impact of the Greek myths show any sign of diminishing: the tireless efforts of Herakles