A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths (Brief Histories (Paperback))

Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; List of Maps; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Section 1; Section 2; 1 From Chaos and Castration to Order: The Birth of the Gods; 2 Apollo and Artemis: Music, Love and Hunting; 3 The Creation of Man and Woman; The Great Flood; Transgressors and Heroines; 4 Jason and the Argonauts; Medeia; 5 Argos and the Monster-slayers; 6 Herakles: The Greatest of the Heroes; 7 Thebes and Oidipous; 8 From Atlas to Hektor; 9 From Asopos to Akhilleus; 10 Athens: The Early Kings; 11 Theseus and the Minotaur; 12 Curses and Cannibalism: The House of Pelops; 13 The Trojan War.;The book leads the reader through these vibrant stories, from the origins of the gods through to the homecomings of the Trojan heroes. All the familiar narratives are here, along with some less familiar characters and motifs. In addition to the tales, the book explains key issues arising from the narratives, and discusses the myths and their wider relevance. This long-overdue book crystallises three key areas of interest: the nature of the tales; the stories themselves; and how they have and might be interpreted. For the first time, it brings together aspects of Greek mythology only usua. Sect. 1. Myths and mythology -- -- Sect. 2. From the primal void to a lost continent : the main Greek myths -- -- 1. From chaos and castration to order : the birth of the gods -- -- 2. Apollo and Artemis : music, love and hunting -- -- 3. The creation of man and woman; the great flood; transgressors and heroines -- -- 4. Jason and the Argonauts; Medeia -- -- 5. Argos and the monster-slayers -- -- 6. Herakles : the greatest of the heroes -- -- 7. Thebes and Oidipous -- -- 8. From Atlas to Hektor -- -- 9. From Asopos to Akhilleus -- -- 10. Athens : the early kings -- -- 11. Theseus and the Minotaur -- -- 12. Curses and cannibalism : the house of Pelops -- -- 13. The Trojan War -- -- 14. Homer's Iliad : the wrath of Akhilleus -- -- 15. The wooden horse and the sack of Troy -- -- 16. The returns of the heroes -- -- 17. The Odyssey and its sequels -- -- 18. Plato and the myth of Atlantis -- -- Sect. 3. Some approaches to Greek mythology. The book leads the reader through these vibrant stories, from the origins of the gods through to the homecomings of the Trojan heroes. All the familiar narratives are here, along with some less familiar characters and motifs. In addition to the tales, the book explains key issues arising from the narratives, and discusses the myths and their wider relevance. This long-overdue book crystallises three key areas of interest: the nature of the tales; the stories themselves; and how they have and might be interpreted. For the first time, it brings together aspects of Greek mythology only usually available in disparate forms - namely children's books and academic works. There will be much here that is interesting, surprising, and strange as well as familiar. Experts and non-experts, adults, students and schoolchildren alike will gain entertainment and insight from this fascinating and important volume. Cover Title Copyright Contents List of Maps Acknowledgements Introduction Section 1 Section 2 1 From Chaos and Castration to Order: The Birth of the Gods 2 Apollo and Artemis: Music, Love and Hunting 3 The Creation of Man and Woman The Great Flood Transgressors and Heroines 4 Jason and the Argonauts Medeia 5 Argos and the Monster-slayers 6 Herakles: The Greatest of the Heroes 7 Thebes and Oidipous 8 From Atlas to Hektor 9 From Asopos to Akhilleus 10 Athens: The Early Kings 11 Theseus and the Minotaur 12 Curses and Cannibalism: The House of Pelops 13 The Trojan War. 14 Homer's Iliad: The Wrath of Akhilleus15 The Wooden Horse and the Sack of Troy 16 The Returns of the Heroes 17 The Odyssey and its Sequels 18 Plato and the Myth of Atlantis Section 3 Notes Further Reading Index. Classical scholar Stephen Kershaw retells and explores Greek myths - both the famous as well as the long forgotten including Theseus and the Minotaur, Jason and the Argonauts and the death of Achilles - and shows how their power has resonated over the centuries from Renaissance painting to the poets of the Great War. A uniquely authoritative yet lightly handled examination of the key tales in the corpus of Greek mythology.