List of IllustrationsPrefaceChapter 1: Stories that stayMyth as SpeechMyth and community traditionsMyth and beliefThe range of traditionRejecting mythRationalizing mythAllegorizing mythHow we get mythThe sources--a brief chronological listFurther readingChapter 2: Talking of GodsOrigin storiesHesiod’s TheogonyOther origin mythsWhere gods come fromWhat are gods good for?Further readingChapter 3: Heroic dimensionsHero: the ancient ideaHeroes in Homer and HesiodHeroinesHeroic quests and their meaningHero patternsHeraclesHero as politicianHeroine as athleteFurther readingChapter 4: Interpreting myths--symbols and societiesMyths as symbols: Greeks to RomanticsMyths as symbols: Freud, Jung, and othersMyths and society: early forerunnersMyths and society: the role of ritualMyths and society: functionalists and structuralistsFurther readingChapter 5: Myths, media, memoriesRoman reception of mythMythic media, from ancient to modernProse Poetry DramaMusicDanceVisual artFilmComics, graphic novels, video gamesFurther reading Index

"An engaging and insightful introduction that explains the character and significance of Classical mythology in the ancient world and outlines how and why it continues to matter today."- Fiona Hobden, University of Liverpool, UK"Classical Mythology: The Basics is a good first approach to the vast field of mythology ... the clear and complete nature of the book makes it accessible to a wide audience whose knowledge of the subject [may not be] extensive."- Sarah Lagrou, Universite Grenoble Alpes, France, in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review"This excellent book, by Stanford classicist Richard Martin, gives a packed yet pellucid overview of Greek and Roman mythology ... There are succinct discussions of myths of origin, especially of Hesiod’s Theogony, which Martin helpfully matches up with the Babylonian Enuma Elish. Discussed at length are hero myths, which some sticklers in folklore would rather call legends. Here Martin most helpfully distinguishes ancient conceptions of heroism from modern ones, where heroes can be ordinary rather than exceptional ... Managing in addition to find space to discuss the appearance of ancient myths in a host of modern media, Martin offers a superb presentation of classical mythology."- Robert A. Segal, University of Aberdeen, UK, in Reading Religion, a publication of the American Academy of Religion