A Companion to Greek Mythology presents a series of essays that explore the phenomenon of Greek myth from its origins in shared Indo-European story patterns and the Greeks contacts with their Eastern Mediterranean neighbours through its development as a shared language and thought-system for the Greco-Roman world.

List of Illustrations viii List of Maps xi List of Tables xii Notes on Contributors xiii To the Reader xviii Acknowledgements xxi Glossary xxii Abbreviations xxv Approaching Myth 1 1 Thinking through Myth, Thinking Myth Through 3Ken Dowden and Niall Livingstone Part I Establishing the Canon 25 2 Homer’s Use of Myth 27Françoise Létoublon 3 Telling the Mythology: From Hesiod to the Fifth Century 47Ken Dowden 4 Orphic Mythology 73Radcliffe G. Edmonds III Part II Myth Performed, Myth Believed 107 5 Singing Myth: Pindar 109Ian Rutherford 6 Instructing Myth: From Homer to the Sophists 125Niall Livingstone 7 Acting Myth: Athenian Drama 141Jean Alaux 8 Displaying Myth: The Visual Arts 157Susan Woodford 9 Platonic ‘Myths’ 179Penelope Murray 10 Myth in History 195Alan Griffiths Part III New Traditions 209 11 Myth and Hellenic Identities 211Fritz Graf 12 Names and Places: Myth in Alexandria 227Anatole Mori 13 The Myth of Rome 243Matthew Fox 14 Displaying Myth for Roman Eyes 265Zahra Newby 15 The Myth that Saves: Mysteries and Mysteriosophies 283Ken Dowden 16 Myth and Death: Roman Mythological Sarcophagi 301Zahra Newby 17 Myth in Christian Authors 319Fritz Graf Part IV Older Traditions 339 18 The Indo-European Background to Greek Mythology 341Nicholas J. Allen 19 Near Eastern Mythologies 357Alasdair Livingstone and Birgit Haskamp 20 Levantine, Egyptian, and Greek Mythological Conceptions of the Beyond 383Nanno Marinatos and Nicolas Wyatt Part V Interpretation 411 21 Interpreting Images: Mysteries, Mistakes, and Misunderstandings 413Susan Woodford 22 The Myth of History: The Case of Troy 425Dieter Hertel 23 Women and Myth 443Sian Lewis 24 Mythology of the Black Land: Greek Myths and Egyptian Origins 459Ian Rutherford 25 Psychoanalysis: The Wellspring of Myth? 471Richard H. Armstrong 26 Initiation: The Key to Myth? 487Ken Dowden 27 The Semiotics and Pragmatics of Myth 507Claude Calame, translated by Ken Dowden Part VI Conspectus 525 28 A Brief History of the Study of Greek Mythology 527Jan N. Bremmer Bibliography 549 Index of Texts Discussed 605 Index of Names 613 Index of Subjects 635

A COMPANION TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY "Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." Choice "This collection of twenty eight articles on interpreting Greco-Roman culture presents a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to examining Greek mythology within the broader context of the intellectual and cultural development of the ancient world and provides an in depth discussion of the influence of traditional stories on the development of a shared historical culture." Book News, Inc. A Companion to Greek Mythology approaches the rich diversity of Greek myth from a distinctive new angle – one that delves deeply into its origins in shared Indo-European story patterns and the Greeks' contacts with their Eastern Mediterranean neighbors. Contributions from a team of international experts trace the development of Greek myth into a shared language, heritage, and way of thinking throughout the entire Greco-Roman world. Individual essays address such topics as how myths were presented in stories, poems, dramas and all forms of visual art, as well as the role of myth in philosophy, learning, religion, mystery-cult, and Greek self-identity. Other essays explore contemporary reception of Greek myth and the potential of modern theoretical approaches. A Companion to Greek Mythology offers invaluable insights into the ancient world that will help to shape our understanding of the wide ranging appeal and influence of Greek myth across the ages.

"Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." (Choice, 1 November 2011) "This collection of twenty eight articles on interpreting Greco-Roman culture presents a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to examining Greek mythology within the broader context of the intellectual and cultural development of the ancient world and provides an in depth discussion of the influence of traditional stories on the development of a shared historical culture." (Book News, Inc., 1 August 2011)