Handbook of Classical Mythology (Handbooks of World Mythology)

1. Introduction -- Basic concepts -- How classical mythology came into being -- A mix of traditions -- The archaic period -- The classical period -- The Hellenistic and Imperial periods -- Interpretatio Romana -- Classical mythology after antiquity -- How do we know about classical mythology today? -- The mythological worlds : places -- Earth -- Sky -- Death realm -- Tartaros -- Physical model versus biological model -- The mythological world : characters -- The principal Gods -- The nature of Gods and humans -- Nature spirits -- The relationship of Gods and humans -- Peculiarities of mythological narrative -- Supernaturalism -- Personification and reification -- Binatural beings versus composite beings -- Reversible and irreversible changes.;An introduction to the mythological world of the Greeks and the Romans, combined with a chronology of myths and a dictionary of key characters, objects, and events. 1. Introduction -- Basic concepts -- How classical mythology came into being -- A mix of traditions -- The archaic period -- The classical period -- The Hellenistic and Imperial periods -- Interpretatio Romana -- Classical mythology after antiquity -- How do we know about classical mythology today? -- The mythological worlds : places -- Earth -- Sky -- Death realm -- Tartaros -- Physical model versus biological model -- The mythological world : characters -- The principal Gods -- The nature of Gods and humans -- Nature spirits -- The relationship of Gods and humans -- Peculiarities of mythological narrative -- Supernaturalism -- Personification and reification -- Binatural beings versus composite beings -- Reversible and irreversible changes. 2. Time : what happens in classical mythology -- Divine time and human time -- What happens in classical mythology -- From Chaos to cosmos -- Two cosmic families -- The cosmic house -- The succession of world rulers -- The first humans -- The division of meat -- The theft of fire -- The loss of paradise -- The great deluge -- The origin of nations -- The Gods establish their cults -- The mating of Gods and humans -- The heroic age -- The family of the heroic age : the Pelopids -- Antecedents to the Trojan War -- The Trojan War -- The returns -- The end of the heroic age -- What does classical mythology say? -- The nature of the physical world -- The nature of the Gods -- The nature of humans -- The heroes, or demigods -- Behavior options. 3. Deities, themes, and concepts -- Absent deity -- Adamant -- Aeolus (Greek Aiolos) -- Aetiology (also Etiology) -- Aineias (Latinized form Aeneas) -- Aloads (Greek Aloadai or Aloeidai) -- Ambrosia -- Anthropogony -- Aphrodité (Roman Venus) -- Apollon (Latinized form Apollo) -- Ares (Roman Mars) -- Argonauts (Greek Argonautai) -- Artemis (Roman Diana) -- Asklepios (Latinized form Aesculapius) -- Athena (also Athené and Athenaia) (Roman Minerva) -- Atlas -- Bellerophon (also Bellerophontes) -- Biographical pattern -- Catasterism (Greek Katasterismos) -- Centaurs and Hippocentaurs (Greek Kentauroi and Hippokentauroi) -- Charon -- Combat myth and legend -- Cosmogony (Greek Kosmogonia) -- Culture hero -- Cyclopes (Greek Kyklopes) -- Demeter (Roman Ceres) -- Dionysos (Roman Bacchus and Liber Pater) -- Divine guilds -- Eileithyia -- Elysion Field (Latinized form Elysium) and Isles of the Blessed -- Epithet -- Eponymy -- Erebos (Latinized form Erebus) -- Fabulous peoples and places -- Flood myth and legend -- Folk etymology -- Genealogy -- Giants (Greek Gigantes) -- Hades (also Aidoneus) (Roman Dis and Orcus) -- Hephaistos (Roman Vulcan) -- Hera (Roman Juno) -- Herakles (Latinized form Hercules) -- Hermes (Roman Mercury) -- Hero (Greek Heros) -- Hestia (also Histia) -- Honor (Greek Timé) -- Hubris -- Hunters -- Ichor -- Iris -- Jason (Greek Iason) -- Kadmos (Latinized form Cadmus) -- Ker (or Keres) -- Kouretes (Latinized form Curetes) -- Kronos (Roman Saturn) -- Labyrinth (Greek Labyrinthos) -- Luminaries -- Maenads (Greek Mainades) -- Meleager (Greek Meleagros) -- Midas -- Monsters -- Mountains -- Myth of the ages -- Nectar (Greek Nektar) -- Nymphs (Greek Nymphai) -- Odysseus -- Oedipus (Greek Oidipous) -- Olympians (Greek Olympioi) -- Oracles -- Orpheus -- Pan -- Pandora -- Persephoné (Latinized form Proserpina also Koré) -- Perseus -- Personified abstractions -- Poseidon (Roman Neptune) -- Promotion and demotion -- Romantic narratives -- Satyrs (Greek Satyroi) and Silens (Greek Silenoi) -- Seers -- Sex-changers -- Sexual myths and legends -- Special rules and properties -- Succession myth -- Tartaros (Latinized form Tartarus) -- Tasks -- Theban Wars -- Theseus -- Titans (Greek Titanes) -- Transformation -- Translation -- Triads -- Trickster -- Trojan War -- Waters -- Winds -- Wondrous animals -- Wondrous objects -- Zeus (Roman Jupiter, also Jove). 4. Annotated print and nonprint resources -- Print resources -- Ancient sources -- Reference works -- Classical mythology and the arts -- Surveys and studies on particular subjects -- Nonprint resources -- Abbreviations and selected reference list -- Glossary.

An introduction to the mythological world of the Greeks and the Romans, combined with a chronology of myths and a dictionary of key characters, objects, and events.

Library Journal

Hansen (classical studies & folklore, Indiana Univ.) attempts an "ethnography of the imagination," exploring both the stories of classical mythology and the social and geographical contexts that gave rise to them. To this end, he offers a 51-page introduction dealing with origins, places, and characters (including valuable and cogent comparisons of the nature of humans and the gods), as well as a discussion of what makes mythological storytelling different from other narrative forms such as folklore and fable. Part 2 is essentially a time line using the language of myth, and Part 3 covers the major deities as well as themes and ideas such as the culture hero, hubris, and anthropogony. Each entry is followed by suggested readings, and most have See also references. An annotated bibliography, a good index, and a glossary make information easy to locate. The black-and-white illustrations are captioned but not attributed. Containing some unique features and perspectives, this volume will be a good supplement to mythology collections in school and public libraries.-Katherine K. Koenig, Ellis Sch., Pittsburgh Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

An introduction to the mythological world of the Greeks and the Romans, combined with a chronology of myths and a dictionary of key characters, objects, and events.Handbook of Classical Mythology offers newcomers and long-time enthusiasts new ways to navigate the world of Greek and Roman myths. Written by a foremost mythologist, the book begins by exploring the sources and landscapes from which the myths emerged. It then provides a richly detailed timeline of mythic episodes from the creation of the cosmos to the end of the Heroic Age—plus an illustrated mythological dictionary listing every significant character, place, event, and object.Whether exploring the world that gave rise to ancient mythology or researching a specific piece of the whole, the handbook is the best introduction available to the extraordinary cast of these tales (gods, nymphs, satyrs, monsters, heroes) and the natural and supernatural stages upon which their fates are played out. "Handbook of Classical Mythology" offers newcomers and long-time enthusiasts new ways to navigate the world of Greek and Roman myths. Written by a foremost mythologist, the book begins by exploring the sources and landscapes from which the myths emerged. It then provides a richly detailed timeline of mythic episodes from the creation of the cosmos to the end of the Heroic Age--"plus" an illustrated mythological dictionary listing every significant character, place, event, and object. Whether exploring the world that gave rise to ancient mythology or researching a specific piece of the whole, the handbook is the best introduction available to the extraordinary cast of these tales (gods, nymphs, satyrs, monsters, heroes) and the natural and supernatural stages upon which their fates are played out. Handbook of Classical Mythology offers newcomers and long-time enthusiasts new ways to navigate the world of Greek and Roman myths. Written by a foremost mythologist, the book begins by exploring the sources and landscapes from which the myths emerged. It then provides a richly detailed timeline of mythic episodes from the creation of the cosmos to the end of the Heroic Ageoplus an illustrated mythological dictionary listing every significant character, place, event, and object.Whether exploring the world that gave rise to ancient mythology or researching a specific piece of the whole, the handbook is the best introduction available to the extraordinary cast of these tales (gods, nymphs, satyrs, monsters, heroes and the natural and supernatural stages upon which their fates are played out. An introduction to the mythological world of the Greeks and the Romans, combined with a chronology of myths and a dictionary of key characters, objects, and events. Which came first: Zeus disguised as a swan, Trojans disguised as a horse, or Odysseus disguised as any number of things? These and other classical myths are usually encountered separately. But together they make up a coherent multigenerational saga of epic battles, bizarre metamorphoses, immortal heroes, and all-too-human gods, a fantastic world recognizably real to its audience A note on the use of ancient texts Introduction Time : what happens in classical mythology Deities, themes, and concepts Annotated print and nonprint resources Glossary About the author