The Everything Classical Mythology Book

by Bolton, Lesley

• ISBN13: 9781580626538
• ISBN10: 158062653X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-01
• Publisher: Everything

Summary

Full of action, romance, betrayal, passion, violence, and tragedy, the timeless ancient Greek and Roman myths make great reading. With a cast of unique characters and unbelievable story lines, classical mythology explains phenomena such as creation, weather, nature, and the universe with unparalleled drama. The Everything Classical Mythology Book is an entertaining and educational guide that explains all the great myths and explores how they have influenced language, art, music, psychology, and even today's popular culture. The book tells the fascinating stories of the gods' rise to power on Mount Olympus and of their frequent clashes with larger-than-life heroes. Rounded out with a helpful glossary, an index of characters, and many reading resources, this action-packed new addition to the Everything series brings classical mythology to life! Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
The Myth and Its Function	1	(16)
What Is a Myth?	2	(2)
The Sacred Myth	4	(2)
Mystery Solved	6	(2)
Establishing Order	8	(3)
Emotion Overload	11	(1)
The Ideal	12	(3)
Entertaining the Masses	15	(2)
Sources of Classical Mythology	17	(16)
Homer	18	(2)
Hesiod	20	(2)
Aeschylus	22	(1)
Sophocles	23	(2)
Euripides	25	(2)
Virgil	27	(2)
Ovid	29	(1)
Last but Certainly Not Least	30	(3)
Creation: A Chaotic Theory	33	(10)
In the Beginning There Was Chaos	34	(1)
Giving Personality to Nature	35	(2)
And Then There Was Man	37	(1)
The Gift of Fire	37	(1)
Welcoming the Woman	38	(1)
Pandora's Box	39	(1)
Other Deities Affecting the Universe	40	(2)
Giving Definition to Life	42	(1)
The Children of Mother Earth	43	(12)
Children by Pontus	44	(2)
Need a Hand?	46	(1)
One-Eyed Wonders	47	(1)
The Imperials	48	(1)
Uranus Loses a Limb	49	(1)
Cronus Crowned as Ruler	50	(1)
Like Father, Like Son	51	(1)
Zeus's Childhood	52	(1)
War with the Titans	52	(2)
First Acts as Supreme Ruler	54	(1)
Introducing the Olympians	55	(16)
The Original Six	56	(2)
A Dozen Distinguished Deities	58	(4)
Mount Olympus	62	(1)
Law and Order Under the Olympians	63	(1)
Mutiny on Mount Olympus	64	(2)
War with the Giants	66	(1)
The Scariest Monster of All	67	(3)
This Is Just the Beginning	70	(1)
A Marriage Made in the Heavens	71	(14)
The Seventh Lover	72	(2)
A Grand Wedding	74	(2)
The Children of Zeus and Hera	76	(2)
Zeus's Love Affairs	78	(5)
The Wrath of Hera	83	(1)
A Lover's Spat	84	(1)
Sovereign of the Sea	85	(12)
The Power of Poseidon	86	(1)
The Fight for City Patronage	87	(2)
In Need of a Queen	89	(2)
The Paternal Poseidon	91	(4)
Poseidon and the Trojans	95	(1)
On the Rare Flip Side	96	(1)
The Dark Prince	97	(12)
A Private God	98	(1)
The Abduction of Persephone	98	(1)
The Houese of Hades	99	(3)
The Cell Blocks	102	(1)
The Judges and the Judged	103	(2)
Escaping Death	105	(3)
The Underworld Spawns Religious Rites	108	(1)
Home Is Where the Heart Is	109	(12)
Demeter's Sphere of Influence	110	(2)
The Love Affairs of Demeter	112	(1)
Wandering the Countryside	113	(2)
Eleusinian Mysteries	115	(1)
Hestia Honored	116	(1)
The Vestal Virgins	117	(3)
Hestia's Unsuitable Suitors	120	(1)
The Art of War	121	(12)
A Detestable Deity	122	(1)
God of War in Love	123	(4)
Amazon Warriors	127	(2)
Battles with Athena	129	(1)
Tried for Murder	130	(1)
Ares Imprisoned	131	(2)
The Peaceful Warrior	133	(10)
The Birth of Athena	134	(1)
The Almighty Athena	135	(1)
Athenian Cult	136	(1)
Athena the Inventor	137	(1)
An Adventurer's Best Friend	138	(4)
Highlights of Athena in Myth	142	(1)
The Thrill of the Hunt	143	(10)
Lady of the Wild	144	(1)
An Overprotective Daughter	145	(1)
Artemis Takes Offense	146	(3)
Protecting Her Virginity	149	(1)
The Many Deaths of Orion	150	(1)
Wild But Loyal	151	(2)
The Master Marksman	153	(12)
Tall, Dark, and Handsome	154	(1)
God of Music	155	(1)
The Playboy	156	(1)
Unlucky in Love	157	(3)
Free Love	160	(1)
A Mortal's Slave	161	(2)
Delphi	163	(2)
Swift as the Wind	165	(10)
A Child's First Prank	166	(2)
The Messenger Boy	168	(2)
Reconciling with Hera	170	(1)
More Than a Mere Messenger	170	(2)
Bad Boy Attraction	172	(2)
Hermes Wins the Prize	174	(1)
Adultery Abounds	175	(10)
The Queen of Hearts	176	(1)
A Master Craftsman	177	(1)
Beauty and the Beast	178	(2)
A Woman in Love	180	(2)
Love's Helping Hand	182	(3)
The Lord of Libation	185	(10)
The Twice-Born God	186	(1)
Dionysus Driven Mad	187	(1)
The Rites of Dionysus	188	(1)
Dionysus Takes a Wife	189	(1)
Madness Unleashed	190	(2)
Not-So-Random Acts of Kindness	192	(2)
Joining the Olympians	194	(1)
The Lesser Gods	195	(12)
The Muses	196	(1)
The Charites	197	(1)
The Satyrs	198	(1)
The Nymphs	199	(1)
Pan	200	(1)
Hecate	201	(2)
Triton	203	(1)
Lesser, But Not Least	204	(3)
Monster Madness	207	(12)
Chimaera	208	(1)
Scylla	209	(2)
Minotaur	211	(2)
Sphinx	213	(1)
Cacus	214	(1)
Centaurs	215	(1)
More Mythological Monsters	216	(3)
A Hero's Tale	219	(16)
Heracles	220	(3)
Theseus	223	(3)
Perseus	226	(3)
Jason	229	(2)
Odysseus	231	(4)
The Trojan War	235	(10)
Causes of the War	236	(2)
The Olympians Enter the War	238	(1)
Heroes of the War	239	(1)
The Tenth Year	240	(2)
The Fall of Troy	242	(1)
The Deities Are Disgusted	243	(2)
When in Rome	245	(12)
Greek Versus Roman	246	(1)
The Journey to Italy	246	(3)
Founding of the Roman Race	249	(1)
Peace Disrupted	250	(1)
Founding Rome	251	(2)
The Age of Kings	253	(4)
Thank the Gods and Goddesses!	257	(10)
The Myth in Everyday Language	258	(1)
The Myth in Literature	259	(2)
The Myth in Art	261	(2)
The Myth in Movies	263	(1)
The Myth in Cartoons	264	(1)
The Myth in Television	265	(2)
Appendix A Cast of Characters	267	(10)
Appendix B Resources	277	(2)
Classic Sources	277	(1)
Books on Mythology	278	(1)
Web Sites on Classical Mythology	278	(1)
Index	279