Exploring Greek myth

212 Pages·2012·1.815 MB·English

by  Clark, Matthew

E
“There is no better guide to virtually all one needs to
Exploring
know to begin to appreciate what myth was and meant x
to the ancient Greeks. Exploring Greek Myth is the first
p
book a student should read after the myths themselves.”
grEEk
l
Eric Csapo, University of Sydney
o
“Exploring Greek Myth is an ingenious and learned approach
to a topic that is all too often treated superficially and r
even condescendingly. Matthew Clark shows the depth My th
i
of thought that myth requires of its interpreters, and his
n
book truly speaks for itself in its eloquence and insight.”
Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and g
Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University

g
Exploring Greek Myth offers a unique and extensive discussion of variant
forms of myths and many lesser-known stories, including important
r
local myths, known mostly in a particular city, and local versions of the
Panhellenic myths; both crucially reflect the rituals, social practices, E
and mythic landscape of the world in which they were told. The book
E
presents research that has accumulated over the past decades in a way
that is accessible for those who are not yet scholars in the field. In doing
k
so, it fills in the gap between introductory texts about Greek myth and
scholarly works on the subject.
M
Clark begins with a provisional definition of myth, and then moves on to
consider a range of topics, which include the sources of our knowledge
y
of Greek myth, myth and ritual in ancient Greek society, comparative
myth, myth and gender, hero cult, psychological interpretation of
t
myth, and myth and philosophy. By drawing on the work and analytical
methods of many leading scholars in the field, the book helps students h
appreciate the variety of the study of myth in one volume.
MatthEw
Matthew Clark is Associate Professor of Ancient Greek Literature and
Culture in the Department of Humanities at York University in Toronto. His C
previous publications include Out of Line: Homeric Composition Beyond the Hexameter l Clark
(1997), A Matter of Style: Writing and Technique (2002), and Narrative Structures and the a
Language of the Self (2010).
r
k
Jacket image: Amphora with representation of the myth of Bellerophon and Pegasus. ISBN 978-1-4051-9455-6
90000
© Photo Scala, Florence. Background image © iStockphoto / Schus
Jacket design by Simon Levy Associates
9 781405 194556
Clark PB aw.indd 1 12/1/12 09:38:38

EXPLORING
GREEK
MYTH
This book is dedicated to the memory
of my sister, Miranda Smith
EXPLORING
GREEK
MYTH
MATTHEW
CLARK
Thiseditionfirstpublished2012
(cid:1)2012MatthewClark
BlackwellPublishingwasacquiredbyJohnWiley&SonsinFebruary2007.Blackwell’s
publishingprogramhasbeenmergedwithWiley’sglobalScientific,Technical,andMedical
businesstoformWiley-Blackwell.
RegisteredOffice
JohnWiley&SonsLtd,TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,UK
EditorialOffices
350MainStreet,Malden,MA02148-5020,USA
9600GarsingtonRoad,Oxford,OX42DQ,UK
TheAtrium,SouthernGate,Chichester,WestSussex,PO198SQ,UK
Fordetailsofourglobaleditorialoffices,forcustomerservices,andforinformationabout
howtoapplyforpermissiontoreusethecopyrightmaterialinthisbookpleaseseeourwebsite
at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell.
TherightofMatthewClarktobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeenassertedin
accordancewiththeUKCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,or
transmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingor
otherwise,exceptaspermittedbytheUKCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,without
thepriorpermissionofthepublisher.
Wileyalsopublishesitsbooksinavarietyofelectronicformats.Somecontentthatappears
inprintmaynotbeavailableinelectronicbooks.
Designationsusedbycompaniestodistinguishtheirproductsareoftenclaimedastrademarks.
Allbrandnamesandproductnamesusedinthisbookaretradenames,servicemarks,
trademarksorregisteredtrademarksoftheirrespectiveowners.Thepublisherisnotassociated
withanyproductorvendormentionedinthisbook.Thispublicationisdesignedtoprovide
accurateandauthoritativeinformationinregardtothesubjectmattercovered.Itissoldonthe
understandingthatthepublisherisnotengagedinrenderingprofessionalservices.
Ifprofessionaladviceorotherexpertassistanceisrequired,theservicesofacompetent
professionalshouldbesought.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Clark,Matthew,1948-
ExploringGreekmyth/MatthewClark.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences(p. )andindex.
ISBN978-1-4051-9456-3(hardcover:alk.paper)–ISBN978-1-4051-9455-6(pbk.:alk.paper)
1. Mythology,Greek. I. Title.
BL783.C532012
292.1’3–dc23
2011038291
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
Thisbookispublishedinthefollowingelectronicformats:ePDFs9781444362121;
ePub9781444362138;Mobi9781444362145
Setin10/13ptMinionbyThomsonDigital,Noida,India
1 2012
Contents
ListofIllustrations vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Chapter One:The Knife Did It 1
Definitions and Characteristics fortheStudy of Myth
Chapter Two: Six Hundred Gods 15
GreekMythandGreekReligion
Chapter Three:Homer’sBeautyPageant 30
The Traditions of Myth
Chapter Four: Pelops’Shoulder 43
Sources for the Study of Myth
Chapter Five:Ikaros’ Wings, Aktaion’s Dogs 54
Myth andMeaning
Chapter Six: The Bones of Orestes 68
Heroes in Mythand Society
Chapter Seven:Born from the Earth 80
Founders of Citiesand Families
Chapter Eight: The Judgment of Paris 97
Comparative Myth
Chapter Nine: Boys in Dresses,Brideswith Beards 111
Myth andGender
Chapter Ten: Agamemnon’s Mask? 126
Myth andHistory
Chapter Eleven: OrestesonTrial 140
Myth andThought
vi CONTENTS
ChapterTwelve:Plato andthe Poets 154
Philosophy and Myth
ChapterThirteen:Conclusion 168
Notes 171
References 179
Index 187
List of Illustrations
Figure1.1 Persephone rising out of theearth from the Underworld 8
Figure1.2 Triptolemosin his winged chariot 10
Figure2.1 Rhea deceives Kronos 20
Figure3.1 The Franc¸oisVase 40
Figure5.1 Aktaionand Artemis 59
Figure7.1 Gaia handsErichthonios toAthena 82
Figure7.2 Kadmosandthe serpent 91
Figure10.1 The “Mask of Agamemnon” 136
Figure11.1 Aigisthos preparestokill Agamemnon 142
Figure12.1 The abductions of Thetis and Oreithyia 162