What are good sources to introduce people to mythology. My favorite book about greek mythology is the ancient greek hero in 24. Greek mythologysources wikibooks, open books for an. The author teaches greek and latin, so i expect there was a lot of attention to source material, absolutely. Timeless tales of gods and heroes is a book written by edith hamilton, published in 1942 by little, brown and company.
If you havent already read the iliad,the odyssey, and hesiodstheogony, those are essentials for greek mythology. Check out these ghastly greek myths from the time of the ancient greeks. David wiles observes that modern conceptions about greek tragedy can be misleading. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for smart. Examines the sources and stories of greek mythology, recounting the tale. Greek mythology archaeological excavations in greece. Based on classical grecoroman art, its sources range from book illustrations to line drawings and paintings. Instead, the earliest greek myths were part of an oral tradition that began in the bronze age, and their plots and themes unfolded gradually in the written literature of the archaic and classical periods. The most significant category among these sources is without a doubt the literature concerning mythological and historical subjects written in the old norse continue reading sources. The key source of our information about greek mythology is the poem called esiodou theogonia, hesiods theogony. The arachne is a creature from greek mythology, whose name was later used for words like arachnid and arachnophobia. It is difficult to know when greek mythology started, as it is believed to have stemmed from centuries of oral tradition. Although her name is the only one on the cover, edith hamilton is not really the author of all the tales in mythology. This book combines a retelling of greek myths with a comprehensive account of the world in.
Laius, the childless king of thebes, decided to consult the oracle at delphi to learn if he and his wife would ever have. Greek mythology isnt even related to egyptian mythology. Gods and heroes of ancient greece by gustav schwab. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical greeks, such as the philosopher plato in the 5th4th century bce. Contexts, sources, meanings describes the main literary and artistic sources for greek myths, and their contexts, such as ritual and theater. The library of greek mythology oxford worlds classics. The odyssey by homer, the song of achilles by madeline miller, the iliad by homer, bulfinchs mythology by thomas bulfinch, d.
It retells stories of greek, roman, and norse mythology drawn from a variety sources. Internet resources this guide was created for professor mcbrines classical mythology course. Greek mythology is the set of stories about the gods, goddesses, heroes and rituals of ancient greeks. Arguably the most famous primary source for the ancient greek myths, the iliad is one of the few surviving epic poems from antiquity. Plato, aristotle, tragedy and comedy, the byzantine fathers, modern greek poets, the new testament, the greek old testament septuagint and a new web site. Best books for kids and adults interested in greek mythology. Greek mythology is among the most famous and well known of the ancient mythologies. The personal element that graves imbues into the greek myths, in his hypthesises and conclusions, makes for entertaining read, and an easy way to get an overview of the core myths of ancient greece. Curiously, for a people so religiously minded, the greeks had no word for religion itself. The primary sources for mythwebs greek mythology are homers iliad, homers odyssey and the library of apollodorus. Theoi greek mythology exploring mythology in classical.
Greek myths famous stories, myths and legends of ancient. Mythology resources guide useful books, websites and references. If you love greek mythology youll want to read more in these recommended books and resources for adults and kids. It stretches back millennia and has intrigued man with its fantastical stories and unusual beasts. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for. A new translation of an important text for greek mythology used as a source book by classicists from antiquity to robert graves, the library of greek mythology is a complete summary of early greek myth, telling the story of each of the great families of heroic mythology, and the various adventures associated with the main heroes and heroines. Our current knowledge of the prechristian mythology and religion of the norse and other germanic peoples has been painstakingly pieced together from a large assortment of sources over the past few centuries. As it often happens in greek mythology and, who knows, maybe in life as well the story of oedipus starts sometime before his own birth. Greek mythology is an enormous field of study and a brief guide is a daunting task for any writer. Classical archaeologists unlike archaeologists working in many other areas have many written sources and unwritten stories they can use to help them understand the way ancient people thought and acted.
If you are looking for ancient sources on mythology, i highly recommend the library by pseudoapollodoros of athens, an ancient greek mythographic composition written in around the second century ad or thereabouts. Hallo an emeritus yale professor generally considered the dean of american assyriologists has claimed that the epic is also noteworthy for its proverbial inserts hallo 617. Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient greeks and a genre of ancient greek folklore. The introduction gives a detailed account of the librarys sources and situates it within the fascinating narrative traditions of greek mythology. The tragedians of the era could draw inspiration from greek mythology, a body of traditional storylines which concerned gods and heroes. In greek mythology, there is no single original text like the christian bible or the hindu vedas that introduces all of the myths characters and stories. In general, however, in the popular piety of the greeks. Nonfiction commentary and books about greek mythology. Factual a selection of fantastically factual mythology books sources the original ancient texts fiction a selection of mythology related novels websites websites which we have found worthy other miscellaneous mythology. Greek mythology and the mythology 1154 words 5 pages.
As a primary source for greek myth, as a reference work, and as an indication of how the greeks themselves viewed their mythical traditions, the. In our national geographic kids greek mythology primary resource sheets, pupils will learn about zeus and other gods of ancient greece. Greek mythology history and mythology help explain the world of antiquity, the world the classical archaeologist seeks to illuminate. The term mythos was also used for the source material of greek tragedy.
Mlastyle documentation of your primary source sometimes features author and page parenthetically, but may feature chapter and verse as with the bible or book and line numbers as with the iliad. Its difficult to find accurate sources to tell the true story of greek mythology and the family of myths passed down for thousands of yearsweve collected the best. Along with sophocles and euripedes, one of the three great tragic poets of greece. Mythology by edith hamilton 1942 myths of the ancient greeks by richard p. The poet homers 8thcentury bc epics the iliad and the odyssey, for example, tell the story of the mythical. The library of greek mythology by apollodorus, translated by robin hard. Favorite greek myths the darkness of night was a serpent, slain by their sungods arrows. Hers is a cautionary tale about pride that we can all learn from.
These timeless images will add elegance, grace, and dignity to any graphics project. The best books on greek myths, as recommended by author lucy coats. Well give you the dish on their personal lives and all the dramatic pickles. Later greek writers and artists used and elaborated upon these sources in their own work. Encylopedia mythica this is an awardwinning internet encyclopedia of mythology, folklore and religion. Apollodorus library has been used as a source book by classicists from the time of its compilation in the 1st2nd century bc to the present, influencing writers from antiquity to robert graves. The only work of its kind to survive from classical antiquity, the library of apollodorus is a unique guide to greek mythology, from the origins of the universe to the trojan war. Set during the ten year trojan war, the events told in the iliad relate only to a period of a few weeks, but the characters in homers work allude to. Students of anthropology, folklore, and religion study myths in different ways, distinguishing them from various other forms of popular, often orally transmitted, literature. These books and websites are all interesting, so dont worry about choosing the wrong one.
Graf offers a chronological account of the principal greek myths that appear in the surviving literary and artistic sources, and concurrently documents the history of interpretation of greek mythology from the seventeenth century to the present. First published in 1955, the greek myths is a compendium of myths from ancient greece interpreted by graves. It concentrates on greek and roman myths that have influenced the literature, art, and speech of western civilization. The introduction includes commentary on the major classical poets used as.
What is the correct mla citation for edith hamiltons. If youre still fascinated with greek mythology books, or looking for percy jackson or circe readalikes, youll find the best of them here for adults, teens, and kids alike. Jul 22, 2019 greek mythology books retellings, translations, and commentary continue to be some of my favorite reads. Greek mythology norse mythology egyptian mythology. Our mythology guides let you pry into the online profiles, inboxes, and diaries of the gods. Ovid recounts his conflict with medea and the minotaur in the seventh and the eighth book of his metamorphoses. Some of them settled in the land we now call greece, taking with them their quaint stories of the sky and the clouds, of father dyaus. This book will serve as a detailed reference to all things in greek mythology, including a bestiary of greek mythological creatures such as the centaur and nymph.
Greek mythology wikibooks, open books for an open world. They will also discover famous tales from greek mythology including the stories of medusa, the minotaur and the hydra. Pdf the complete world of greek mythology download full. The library of greek mythology by apollodorus ebook. Greek mythology was part of the religion in ancient greece. Greek mythology greek mythology is an enormous field of study and a brief guide is a daunting task for any writer. Myths of origin includes stories about the beginning of the cosmos, the origins of the gods, the first humans, and the founding of communities. Mentioned in both the iliad and the odyssey, theseus is an important character in euripides play hippolytus. From the origins of the labyrinth to the realities of the trojan war and the role of women, these are some of the best nonfiction commentaries on greek mythology. The most famous work by this author was his magnificent. Greek religion is not the same as greek mythology, which is concerned with traditional tales, though the two are closely interlinked. Mythology book project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Favorite greek myths classic books for children at.
As such, its long been one of the main ancient sources that scholars have used to piece together greek mythology. Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient greeks. Could you recommend a good book on greek mythology. Near eastern motifs in greek mythology this is one departure from what we get in gilgamesh, where william w. What is the correct mla citation for edith hamiltons mythology im confused because. If you havent already read the iliad, the odyssey, and hesiods theogony, those are essentials for greek mythology. The aim of the project is to provide a comprehensive, free reference guide to the gods theoi, spirits daimones, fabulous creatures theres and heroes of ancient greek mythology and religion. Classics unveiled is a great source of information for classical studies incorporating various aspects of greek mythology, roman history, roman life, and latin vocabulary and derivatives. Myths were also intricately connected to religion in the greek world and explained the origin and lives of the gods, where humanity had come from and where it was.
It is more accurate to think of her as a collector or interpreter, as she compiled the stories in the book from the writings of various greek, roman, and icelandic authors. Theres very little to fear about the story of arachne, however. Rose 1928 the complete world of greek mythology by. Welcome to the theoi project, a site exploring greek mythology and the gods in classical literature and art. First, a myth is adaptable to many literary genres. Greek mythology sources for your essay gilgamesh to odysseus.
Apollodorus library has been used as a source book by classicists from the time of its compilation in the 1st2nd century bc to the present, influencing writers from. It is the only surviving complete mythographic work from classical antiquity written in. Fritz graf, in his book greek mythology baltimore 1993 defines myth as a traditional tale, with two characteristics that distinguishes it from a legend or a fairy tale. Its one of the main sources we have on ancient greek creation narratives, and its clear, pointbypoint structure has made it a favorite source for modern retellings. What is the best book that has a complete collection of. For over 100 years oxford worlds classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Jul 29, 2012 greek mythology, as in other ancient cultures, was used as a means to explain the environment in which humankind lived, the natural phenomena they witnessed and the passing of time through the days.
Roses classic handbook of greek mythology, and the final product remains indebted to that work in many respects, incorporating some material from it and following its general plan in parts, especially in the chapters on divine mythology. Zeus knows, no doubt, and every immortal too, which fighter is doomed to end all this in death 3. The routledge handbook of greek mythology by robin hard, 2004. Read on your computer, mac, smartphone, kindle reader, ipad, or tablet.
For those already familiar with bulfinch, the next book to pick up is timothy gantz early greek myths, although this is a 2volume reference work, rather than a book to read. This unique collection recaptures the glory of the olympian gods and the exploits of divine and mortal heroes. Greek mythology, as in other ancient cultures, was used as a means to explain the environment in which humankind lived, the natural phenomena they witnessed and the passing of time through the days, months, and seasons. List of books and articles about greek mythology online. The myths have a way of entwining one with another, and it is difficult to present a coherent story line without feeling one has omitted the best part of the story. Please do not be frightened by the amount of sources listed below. Bulfinchs mythology originally published as three volumes by thomas bulfinch 1855 mythology by edith hamilton 1942 myths of the ancient greeks by richard p. These stories concern the origin and the nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient greeks own cult and ritual practices. Well give you the dish on their personal lives and all the dramatic pickles they found themselves in. Read on, if you dare greek myths short for mythology are a series of stories about the gods and magical beings of greece. Although this is essentially a new book in its present form, i originally embarked on it with the intention of producing a revised version of h. This book presents us with the source myths of such characters, as well as pictures of greek art depicting the stories being narrated by these. Greek mythology primary resource national geographic kids.
She clearly knows her homer and associated sources. As it has come down to us it appears to have been added to here and there is the usual question about whether hesiod, defined as the author of esiodou erga kai emerai, hesiods works and days, is also the theogony. Well bet youve heard of some of the famous and infamous. Although he wrote centuries after the myths were first narrated perhaps as late as the year ad 200, apollodorus seems to have drawn faithfully on early accounts. The ancient greeks continue to captivate us, with clues that lead us into mysteries that have yet to be solved. It is likely that greek myths evolved from stories told in the minoan civilization of crete, which flourished from about 3000 to 1100 bce. Greek mythology is known today primarily from greek literature and representations on visual media dating from the geometric period from c. Greek mythologysources wikibooks, open books for an open world. In the period of the roman empire, the geography of strabo 1st century bce, the library of the pseudoapollodorus attributed to a 2ndcenturyce scholar, the antiquarian writings of the greek biographer plutarch, and the works of pausanias, a 2ndcenturyce historian, as well as the latin genealogies of hyginus, a 2ndcenturyce mythographer, have provided valuable sources in latin of later greek mythology.
Martin 2003 the penguin book of classical myths by jenny march 2008 the gods of the greeks by karoly kerenyi 1951 the heroes of the greeks by karoly kerenyi 1959 a handbook of greek mythology by h. It has been reissued since then by several publishers. Also known as the theoi project, a site exploring greek mythology and the gods in classical literature and art. Primary sources for ancient greece also look for primary sources in books under individual tabs above. A time came when many tribes of this aryan race moved on to other lands. Almost all of the tales mentioned in this lesson can be found in the macmillan book of greek gods and heroes by alice low, illustrated by arvis stewart new york.