Table Of ContentCover Page: i
Half-Title Page: i
Title Page: iii
Copyright Page: iv
Dedication Page: v
Contents Page: vii
List of figures Page: xi
Preface Page: xiii
Abbreviations Page: xviii
1 Sources for Greek myth Page: xxii
2 First beginnings and the Age of the Titans Page: 16
First beginnings Page: 18
The marriage of Earth and Sky Page: 21
Cronos and the Titans Page: 27
Notes Page: 34
3 The three great divine families Page: 35
The families founded by the Titans, the main children of Earth and Sky Page: 36
The family of Earth and Sea Page: 48
The family of Night Page: 57
Notes Page: 62
4 The rise of Zeus and revolts against his rule Page: 65
How Zeus established himself as the supreme god Page: 66
The marriage of Zeus and the completing of the Olympian circle Page: 70
Revolts against Zeus and the Olympian order Page: 76
Notes Page: 89
5 Hades, Demeter, and the mythology of the Underworld Page: 91
Hades, Persephone, and Demeter Page: 92
The mythology of the Underworld Page: 98
Other myths of Demeter Page: 112
Notes Page: 115
6 Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon Page: 118
Hera, the wife of Zeus, and goddess of marriage Page: 119
Hestia, the virgin goddess of the hearth Page: 124
Poseidon, the lord of the seas and the earthquake Page: 124
Notes Page: 132
7 Apollo, Artemis, and Athena Page: 133
Apollo and Artemis, the twin children of Leto Page: 134
Athena, goddess of warfare and handicrafts Page: 154
Notes Page: 159
8 Dionysos, Hermes, Hephaistos, and Aphrodite Page: 162
Dionysos, the god of wine and ecstasy Page: 163
Hermes, the divine messenger and trickster Page: 172
Hephaistos, the divine blacksmith Page: 177
Aphrodite, the goddess of love Page: 180
Notes Page: 186
9 Lesser Deities and Nature-Spirits Page: 189
The Muses Page: 190
The Charites (Graces) and Horai (Seasons) Page: 193
The Nymphs Page: 195
The Satyrs and Seilenoi Page: 197
Pan and his loves Page: 199
Attis and Cybele; the Couretes and Corybantes Page: 201
Some groups of minor divinities associated with the Greek islands Page: 203
Glaucos, Priapos, and Hymenaios Page: 204
Notes Page: 207
10 The early mythical history of Argos Page: 209
The first Inachids in Argos and in Egypt and Phoenicia Page: 211
Danaos returns to Argos with his daughters, the Danaids Page: 216
Proitos and Acrisios, and the arrival of Bellerophon and Melampous Page: 220
Perseus and his immediate descendants Page: 225
Notes Page: 231
11 The life of Heracles Page: 234
The birth of Heracles and his early life at Thebes Page: 235
The twelve labours of Heracles Page: 242
Heracles’ servitude to Omphale and major campaigns Page: 258
The later life of Heracles in Central and Northern Greece Page: 264
Notes Page: 270
12 The return of the Heraclids Page: 275
Eurystheus meets his own death while trying to eliminate the Heraclids Page: 277
The return of the Heraclids is delayed until well after the Trojan War Page: 278
The Heraclids invade the Peloponnese with their Dorian allies and draw lots for the three main kingdoms Page: 279
The first Heraclid rulers of Sparta, Messenia, and Argos Page: 281
How Heraclids came to establish ruling lines in Rhodes, Corinth, and Macedonia; Theras on the island of Thera Page: 282
How the Neleids settled in Athens after being expelled from Messenia by the Heraclids, and gained leading positions there; the Ionian settlement of Asia Minor Page: 284
Notes Page: 285
13 Minos, Theseus and the myths of Crete Page: 286
Minos, the Minotaur, and the young Theseus Page: 287
The family of Minos and later kings of Crete Page: 298
Notes Page: 305
14 The kings of Athens Page: 307
The reign and adventures of Theseus Page: 308
The earlier kings of Athens Page: 318
Notes Page: 327
15 Theban mythology from Cadmos to Oedipus Page: 330
Cadmos and the founding of Thebes Page: 331
Regents and interlopers Page: 337
The tragic history of Oedipus Page: 342
Notes Page: 348
16 The Theban Wars Page: 351
The Seven against Thebes and the myth of Antigone Page: 352
The second Theban War and its consequences Page: 361
How the Theban Wars affected the dynastic history of Argos Page: 367
Notes Page: 370
17 The family of Deucalion and the hunt for the Calydonian boar Page: 372
Deucalion and his family Page: 374
Legends of Aetolia and the hunt for the Calydonian boar Page: 380
Notes Page: 389
18 Jason and the Argonauts Page: 391
The golden fleece and why Jason was sent to fetch it Page: 392
The voyage of the Argonauts Page: 399
Jason and Medeia in Greece Page: 411
Notes Page: 414
19 The early Pelopids and the family of Achilles and Ajax Page: 417
The early history of the Pelopids Page: 419
Achilles, Ajax, and the Asopid family Page: 425
Notes Page: 435
20 The royal families of Troy and Sparta, and the origin of the Trojan War Page: 438
The seven daughters of Atlas and their families Page: 439
The Trojan royal family Page: 441
The old Spartan royal family Page: 446
The origin of the Trojan War Page: 454
Notes Page: 457
21 The Trojan War Page: 459
The Greeks cross over the sea and lay siege to Troy Page: 460
The first nine years of the conflict Page: 467
Foreign allies and final confrontations Page: 472
The fall of Troy and sack of the city Page: 482
Notes Page: 489
22 The return journeys of the Greek heroes Page: 493
The returns of the Greeks Page: 495
The wanderings of Odysseus Page: 505
The murder of Agamemnon and later history of the Pelopids Page: 513
Notes Page: 520
23 Aeneas, Romulus, and the origins of Rome Page: 524
Greek legends that associated Aineias with the founding of Rome, and their chronological implausibility Page: 525
Aeneas’ travels and arrival in Latium as described by Vergil Page: 528
Aeneas’ city of Lavinium, and his death and apotheosis Page: 531
Ascanius, son of Aeneas, and the founding of Alba Longa Page: 533
The Albam dynasty of the Silvii Page: 534
The birth, exposure, and earlier life of Romulus and Remus Page: 535
The twins set off to found Rome; the contest of the auguries, and the death of Remus Page: 537
How Romulus acquired people for his new city; his conflict with the Sabines, and death and apotheosis Page: 538
Notes Page: 541
24 Legends of Arcadia and final miscellany Page: 542
Legends of Arcadia Page: 543
A final miscellany Page: 553
Notes Page: 575
Bibliographical note Page: 580
Genealogical tables Page: 582
General index Page: 603
The Great Olympian Gods Page: 623
Description:Now in its eighth edition, this magisterial work offers a comprehensive survey of the stories of Greek myth, from the Olympian gods, through the lesser gods and deities, to the heroes, adventures, and foundation myths of the ancient Greek world. The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology sets out to provide a comprehensive history of the divine order and mythical prehistory of Greece, as systematized on a genealogical basis by Hesiod and the ancient mythographers, while also taking into account the ways in which individual myths have changed and evolved over time in different genres of literature. This new edition has been extensively rewritten and reorganized to make it more accessible to readers who may have no particular knowledge of the ancient world and Greek mythology, and to ensure that information on each myth or mythical figure is easy to find within the book. This new edition of the handbook continues to offer an essential reference resource for all students of Greek mythology, and it provides an accessible and comprehensive overview of these stories for anyone with an interest in the classical world.
