A Companion to Greek Mythology

"Highly recommended. Upper–division undergraduates and above." ( Choice , 1 November 2011) "This collection of twenty eight articles on interpreting Greco–Roman culture presents a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to examining Greek mythology within the broader context of the intellectual and cultural development of the ancient world and provides an in depth discussion of the influence of traditional stories on the development of a shared historical culture." ( Book News, Inc. , 1 August 2011) A Companion to Greek Mythology approaches the rich diversity of Greek myth from a distinctive new angle –– one that delves deeply into its origins in shared Indo–European story patterns and the Greeks’ contacts with their Eastern Mediterranean neighbors. Contributions from a team of international experts trace the development of Greek myth into a shared language, heritage, and way of thinking throughout the entire Greco–Roman world. Individual essays address such topics as how myths were presented in stories, poems, dramas and all forms of visual art, as well as the role of myth in philosophy, learning, religion, mystery–cult, and Greek self–identity. Other essays explore contemporary reception of Greek myth and the potential of modern theoretical approaches. A Companion to Greek Mythology offers invaluable insights into the ancient world that will help to shape our understanding of the wide ranging appeal and influence of Greek myth across the ages.

List of Illustrations viii List of Maps xi List of Tables xii Notes on Contributors xiii To the Reader xviii Acknowledgements xxi Glossary xxii Abbreviations xxv Approaching Myth 1 1 Thinking through Myth, Thinking Myth Through 3 Ken Dowden and Niall Livingstone PART I Establishing the Canon 25 2 Homer′s Use of Myth 27 Françoise Létoublon 3 Telling the Mythology: From Hesiod to the Fifth Century 47 Ken Dowden 4 Orphic Mythology 73 Radcliffe G. Edmonds III PART II Myth Performed, Myth Believed 107 5 Singing Myth: Pindar 109 Ian Rutherford 6 Instructing Myth: From Homer to the Sophists 125 Niall Livingstone 7 Acting Myth: Athenian Drama 141 Jean Alaux 8 Displaying Myth: The Visual Arts 157 Susan Woodford 9 Platonic ′Myths′ 179 Penelope Murray 10 Myth in History 195 Alan Griffiths PART III New Traditions 209 11 Myth and Hellenic Identities 211 Fritz Graf 12 Names and Places: Myth in Alexandria 227 Anatole Mori 13 The Myth of Rome 243 Matthew Fox 14 Displaying Myth for Roman Eyes 265 Zahra Newby 15 The Myth that Saves: Mysteries and Mysteriosophies 283 Ken Dowden 16 Myth and Death: Roman Mythological Sarcophagi 301 Zahra Newby 17 Myth in Christian Authors 319 Fritz Graf PART IV Older Traditions 339 18 The Indo–European Background to Greek Mythology 341 Nicholas J. Allen 19 Near Eastern Mythologies 357 Alasdair Livingstone and Birgit Haskamp 20 Levantine, Egyptian, and Greek Mythological Conceptions of the Beyond 383 Nanno Marinatos and Nicolas Wyatt PART V Interpretation 411 21 Interpreting Images: Mysteries, Mistakes, and Misunderstandings 413 Susan Woodford 22 The Myth of History: The Case of Troy 425 Dieter Hertel 23 Women and Myth 443 Sian Lewis 24 Mythology of the Black Land: Greek Myths and Egyptian Origins 459 Ian Rutherford 25 Psychoanalysis: The Wellspring of Myth? 471 Richard H. Armstrong 26 Initiation: The Key to Myth? 487 Ken Dowden 27 The Semiotics and Pragmatics of Myth 507 Claude Calame, translated by Ken Dowden PART VI Conspectus 525 28 A Brief History of the Study of Greek Mythology 527 Jan N. Bremmer Bibliography 549 Index of Texts Discussed 605 Index of Names 613 Index of Subjects 635

Ken Dowden is Professor of Classics and Head of the School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham. He is the author of Uses of Greek Mythology (1992), European Paganism (2000), and Zeus (2006). Niall Livingstone is Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Birmingham. He is the author of Isocrates’ Busiris (2001) and Epigram (with G. Nisbet, 2010).

"Highly recommended. Upper–division undergraduates and above." ( Choice , 1 November 2011) "This collection of twenty eight articles on interpreting Greco–Roman culture presents a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to examining Greek mythology within the broader context of the intellectual and cultural development of the ancient world and provides an in depth discussion of the influence of traditional stories on the development of a shared historical culture." ( Book News, Inc. , 1 August 2011)