The World of Classical Myth: Gods and Goddesses, Heroines and HeroesThe in-depth and well researched material in The World of Classical Myth is presented against a background of history, archaeology, social custom, religion, topography, and monuments. Part One, "Orientation," defines mythology and portrays it as an evolving pattern, constantly undergoing revision to keep pace with the evolution of the culture. Hence, mythology offers an archaeology of a people's changing sense of identity. Part Two, "Transmutations," portrays symbolic forms as eternal and archetypal, never annihilated but merely changing appearance to meet the demands of changing times. Hence, the analysis of the iconography and worship of the twelve Olympian deities paints a picture of their evolution into their Classical identities. Part Three, "The Liminal Hero," describes the two ways of telling a hero's story: either the hero steps forward to found a new world and defeat the past, or he steps back to become the fundament of his present world. Part Four, "Liminal Heroines," delineates the three versions of the heroine's identity -- maiden, mother, and witch -- and explores the portrayal of women in classical mythology. Staples and Ruck follow these themes through the course of Classical Myth, incorporating over 100 illustrations and maps integral to the presentation of the material. The book also offers new perspectives on the goddesses and heroines of classical mythology and on the role of women in antiquity. "It is indeed a cause for some alarm that so important a subject as Greek Mythology has hitherto lacked an adequate primary textbook... Ruck's book may well be the long-awaited remedy. I am impressed not only by his knowledge and organization, but also by his patent concern for student needs." -- Professor C. Robert Phillips, III, Lehigh University |
From inside the book
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... Temple , you had to walk all the way from the Propylaea on the west to the Parthenon's eastern facade . That was the custom with an Olympian temple : the doorway faced the rising sun , with its back toward the more sinis- ter direction ...
... temple at the site . Tradition recalled that earlier temples had been constructed of laurel or of beeswax - like a beehive ( en- theogen ) . For a consultation , the Pythia prepared herself by bathing in the Castalian Spring , which ...
... temple once housed , only the famous statue of Hermes with the infant Dionysos has been found , a work of the fourth - century Praxiteles , or a copy of it . The temple also once stored several notable antiques , including what was re ...
Contents
Transmutations | 17 |
A Goddess for the Age of Zeus | 49 |
Dancing the Labyrinth | 95 |
Copyright | |
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