Table of Contents

Preface Part I Definitions and Background 1. The Nature of Myth 2. The Cultural Context of Classical Myth 3. The Development of Classical Myth Part II Divine Myth 4. Myths of Creation I: The Rise of Zeus 5. Myths of Creation II: The Origins of Mortals 6. Myths of Zeus, His Wife Hera, and His Brothers Poseidon and Hades 7. Myths of the Great God Apollo 8. Myths of Hermes, Pan, Hephaestus, and Ares 9. Myths of the Female Deities Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena 10. Myths of Fertility I: Demeter and Related Myths 11. Myths of Fertility II: Dionysus 12. Myths of Death: Encounters with the Underworld Part III Legends 13. Introduction to Heroic Myth: The Mesopotamian Legend of Gilgamesh 14. Perseus and Myths of the Argive Plain 15. Heracles 16. Theseus and the Myths of Athens 17. The Myths of Crete 18. Oedipus and the Myths of Thebes 19. Jason and the Myths of Iolcus and Calydon 20. The Trojan War 21. The Fall of Troy and Its Aftermath 22. The Return of Odysseus Part IV Roman Myth 23. Legends of Aeneas 24. Legends of Early Rome Part V Interpretation 25. Theories of Myth Interpretation Reference Charts Chronology of the Ancient World The Greek and Roman Pantheon Credits Index and Pronunciation Glossary

About the Author

Barry B. Powell, after graduation from Berkeley and Harvard, taught at Northern Arizona University, then took a job at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he taught for 34 years. He is a master of many languages, both ancient and modern, and for many years taught Egyptian philology and culture at Wisconsin, in addition to courses in Classics. His book Homer and the Origin of the Greek Alphabet, which advanced the thesis that one man invented the Greek alphabet in order to record the poet Homer, has become a classic and changed the way we think about the origins of Western Culture. He has written many other books, including two novels and a book of poetry. His book Classical Myth, is the best-selling book on the topic, and is now in its eighth edition. His book Homer is the best-selling study of this author. The Greeks: History, Culture, and Society (second edition, with Ian Morris) is widely used in college classrooms. He is currently preparing a translation of the Iliad and the Odyssey. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he and his wife Patricia enjoy the company of their children and grandchildren.