Classical Mythology

by Morford, Mark P. O.; Lenardon, Robert J.

• ISBN13: 9780195308051
• ISBN10: 0195308050
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Building on the best-selling tradition of previous editions, Classical Mythology, Eighth Edition, is the most comprehensive survey of classical mythology available in one volume. Featuring the authors' clear and extensive translations of original sources, it brings to life the myths andlegends of Greece and Rome in a lucid and engaging style. The text contains a wide variety of faithfully translated passages from Greek and Latin sources, including Homer, Hesiod, all the Homeric Hymns, Pindar, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Plato, Lucian, Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, andSeneca. The authors incorporate a dynamic combination of poetic narratives and enlightening commentary to make the myths come alive for students. Offering historical and cultural background on the myths--including evidence from art and archaeology--they also provide ample interpretative material andexamine the enduring survival of classical mythology and its influence in the fields of art, literature, music, dance, and film. Classical Mythology, Eighth Edition, enables students to explore the fascinating nature of Greek and Roman gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, and to appreciate the most significant ancient sources of classical myths and legends. The book is beautifully enhanced by 22 color plates and 160 blackand white illustrations with lucid explanatory captions, as well as maps, a glossary, a companion website, and an instructor's manual. Classical Mythology, Eighth Edition, has been updated and revised to reflect recent scholarship, featuring:ulliThe most recent results of excavations at TroyliExpanded discussions of Asclepius, Antigone, and OrestesliMany new text boxes including those on Homer, Hesiod, and the worship of Artemisat BrauronliA new chapter (25) on Ovid's treatment of classical mythologyliIncorporation of local legends--for example, the myth of Bellerophon--in relevant myths and sagas (these legends, located in the former Chapter 25 in the previous edition, have now been distributed throughout the book wherethey best fit)liAn improved art program, with new images, better-quality reproductions, and improved mapsliNumbering of lines for all translations, for easy referenceliImproved indexes and updated bibliographiesliAn improved and updated companion website, including images and mapsliAn instructor'smanual and test bank (available for the first time)/ul

Author Biography

Mark P. O. Morford is Professor of Classics Emeritus at the University of Virginia Robert J. Lenardon is Professor of Classics Emeritus at The Ohio State University

Table of Contents

Plates, Maps, and Figures	p. ix
Preface	p. xv
About the Authors	p. xviii
About the Website	p. xix
The Myths of Creation: The Gods
Interpretation and Definition of Classical Mythology	p. 3
Appendix to Chapter 1: Sources for Classical Mythology	p. 26
Historical Background of Greek Mythology	p. 40
Myths of Creation	p. 55
Zeus' Rise to Power: The Creation of Mortals	p. 78
Additional Reading: Parallels in Myths of Greece and the Ancient Near East	p. 102
The Twelve Olympians: Zeus, Hera, and Their Children	p. 113
The Nature of the Gods	p. 135
Poseidon, Sea Deities, Group Divinities, and Monsters	p. 154
Athena	p. 165
Aphrodite and Eros	p. 179
Artemis	p. 210
Additional Reading: Selections from Euripides' Hippolytus	p. 224
Apollo	p. 238
Additional Reading: The Homeric Hymn to Pythian Apollo	p. 259
Hermes	p. 272
Dionysus, Pan, Echo, and Narcissus	p. 292
Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries	p. 327
Views of the Afterlife: The Realm of Hades	p. 349
Orpheus and Orphism: Mystery Religions in Roman Times	p. 377
The Greek Sagas
Introduction	p. 394
The Theban Saga	p. 401
The Mycenaean Saga	p. 433
Additional Reading: Orestes and the Three Electras	p. 446
The Trojan Saga and the Iliad	p. 466
Appendix to Chapter 19: Meleager and the Calydonian Boar Hunt	p. 513
The Returns and the Odyssey	p. 522
Perseus and the Legends of Argos	p. 547
Appendix to Chapter 21: Bellerophon	p. 560
Heracles	p. 564
Theseus and the Legends of Attica	p. 593
Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts	p. 621
Additional Reading: Jason and Medea in Euripides	p. 637
Greek and Roman Legends in Ovid's Poetry	p. 651
The Nature of Roman Mythology
Roman Mythology and Saga	p. 663
The Survival of Classical Mythology
Classical Mythology in Literature and Art	p. 707
Classical Mythology in Music, Dance, and Film	p. 748
Glossary of Mythological Words and Phrases in English	p. 805
The Greek Spelling of Names	p. 818
Indexes
Index of Authors, Composers, and Titles	p. I-1
Glossary/Index of Mythological and Historical Persons, Places, and Subjects	p. I-12
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