The Greek Myths {complete}

I recommend this text for high school and college students exploring myths. It's superior to other Greek myth compilations because Graves includes a rich sourced retelling of the myth, but (and here's the kicker), he includes an explanatory section for each myth and a historical-anthropological reading of the myth — including a list of ancient sources. I feel like Graves is the antithesis to Joseph Campbell — because Graves doesn't use the archetype method to explain myths as part of a collective unconscious; instead, he relies on archaeological and evidence-based research to traces the origin of these tales.

اسم ترجمه فارسی این کتاب «جهان اسطوره‌ها» هست و من وقتی ISBN این کتاب رو توی گودریدز زدم اصل انگلیسی این کتاب رو صرفا اسطوره‌های یونانی آورد، با این حال در کتاب «جهان اسطوره‌ها» ترجمه «ابوالقاسم اسماعیل‌پور» به اسطوره‌هایی بیشتر از اسطوره‌های یونانی پرداخته شده! در این کتاب در مورد اسطوره‌های پیش از تاریخ، اسطوره‌های سومری و اکدی، اسطوره‌های فنیقی، اسطوره‌های بین‌النهرینی، منظومه آفرینش بابلی، سفر show more اینانا به دوزخ، اسطوره‌های مصر باستان، و صد البته اسطوره‌های یونان باستان می‌خونیم.
ترجمه خیلی خوبی بود، و اگر به اسطوره‌شناسی و اسطوره علاقه‌مند هستید کتاب خوبی برای شروع هست. معرفی اسطوره‌ها به شدت عالی انجام شده بود، علاقه‌مندان اسطوره‌شناسی از این کتاب راضی خواهند بود.
5/5 show less

Comprehensive, and the power of the stories is as undeniable as it is timeless, but therein lies the collection's chief failing: the stories themselves are not given enough room. Powerful language and storytelling is needed to do the material justice, but too often these take second place to a mass of genealogy and alternative versions, background in other words.

It depends on Graves' intention: was it more a work of literature or historical scholarship to him? As the editorial intro says, Graves clearly immersed himself in the sources, which gives him a great insight, but in the afterwords which follow each chapter he's keener to show off what he's read than to illuminate it. Apparently, he also adopted a pretty cavalier attitude to show more contemporary (though not classical) scholarship. He was not without theories of his own: in a second, more recent foreword, Graves details his theory that ambrosia was in fact magic mushrooms...

The second volume is certainly superior to the first, not only because it has the best mythology and characters (Hercules' labours, Troy etc) but because Graves' writing seems to pay more attention to the stories and making them vivid rather than simply relating them. Overall, this is an essential read, though more by virtue of the subject matter than the writing. show less

Review of Volume I: One down, one to go on this chore of a read. To be honest, I gave up (to a degree) on trying to keep every single thing straight. There are so many names and places, places named after mythic people, similar names (Metis and Thetis, Aglauros and Agraulos are just a few examples) 32 names beginning with 'Ae', and a 37 page index of names, just too much data for complete absorption. Not to mention the contradictory stories from other sources. There is a lot of 'Other people say...' something totally different. But, the book is also stuffed with data making analogies between the mythic stories and how they relate to the invasions and migrations of people and ideas in the pre-Classical era before the historical era that show more we know much more about. Most of the myths recall the patriarchal Dorian, Mycenaean, Aeolian and other invaders merging with pre-existing goddess cults. Hence the allusions to the mighty heroes either conquering or ritually marrying representatives of animal totems, not to mention the whole concept of a 'tanist' twin to the king, ritually sacrificed at the end of his reign. All in all, pretty confusing and convoluted stuff. Graves' work has been downgraded by the academic world, but I think there is a lot of truth to his ideas, even if a scholar could poke holes in his theory here and there, there is just too much supporting data. Not to mention similarity between mythic tales from far flung areas of Europe and West Asia. Like the Greeks claiming that the Danaids travelled to 'Hyperborea' beyond the Pillars of Heracles, and the Irish claim a mythic origin from the Tuatha de Danaan, who came from the south and ridded Eire of the Balrogs. Just an example, but is it coincidence? There are further examples of this linkage in trees representing the same 'magical' properties in both Greece and Ireland, and a matching tree magic based calendar. This topic is more the domain of The White Goddess, but the Greek Myths by Graves is presented in such a way, with a synopsis of the versions of a story followed by an analysis of what they mean applied to what I suppose you could call 'The White Goddess Theory', that these works go hand in hand, or opposite sides of the same coin, if you will.

The first book is pretty much the early creation myths, and stories about local heroes, all early stuff, along with Perseus and Theseus. The second covers Oedipus, Heracles, Jason and the Argonauts, and the mythic side of Homer, all later additions to the Greek saga.

As a concluding remark, these make a great reference and are important works of scholarship, but Edith Hamilton's 'Mythology' is a much more accessible, concise and frankly handier book on the subject, and is a easy to find Signet paperback. Her 'The Greek Way' is also a great primer on the literary history of Athens.

Review of Volume II: Boy am I glad that's over. Not a very interesting book as far as the mythic stories are concerned, but filled to overflowing with the data that makes up those stories. They just had all of the fun sucked out of them and replaced with information. Like trying to read Leviticus and all of the geneologies and laws that it contains. A great compendium, but a boring read. I have honestly never fallen asleep so many times reading any single book ever. Still, it is an impressive work that will be referred back to many times over. show less

Scholarly, academic, comprehensive retelling of the myths with copius footnotes. The comprehensive and academic slant perhaps mean that the stories themselves don't have as much room to shine through as i some other versions and translations. But definitely worth giving shelf space to for the sheer depth and breadth of the myths covered.

On the one hand, Robert Graves is an elegant writer and possesses a thorough knowledge of classical mythology. On the other, his notes are full of pseudo-scholarship derived from highly speculative notions about the development of pagan Greek religion.

The Greek myth I chose was “Dionysus’s Nature and Deeds.” With Dionysus’s birth, Hera ordered the titans to tear him to shreds, from which a pomegranate tree sprouted from his blood split. His grandmother Rhea brought him back to life, and was kept under watch by Persephone, who then took him to King Athamas of Orchomenus, and was temporality reared as a girl. Hermes then transformed Dionysus into a ram, hiding him in a cave, where until reaching manhood, was fed on honey by appointed nymphs. Once affirmed by Hera as Zeus’s son, he travelled the world with his tutor Silenus, and an army of Satyrs and Maenads. Traveling to Europe, he brought the vine, defeated the Titans and restored King Ammon to his throne. He then went off show more to India, conquering the whole country, and teaching the art of “viniculture.” Returning to Europe, he was purified for his murders by his grandmother Rhea and initiated into her mysteries. He then invaded Thrace, but met by King Lycurgus, he was the only one to escape to sea from his captured army. Rhea helped the prisoners to escape, driving Lycurgus mad, and from such phenomena, Lycurgus axed his own son, Dryus to death; from this act, all the lands of Thrace grew barren. Dionysus subsequently travelled to Boeotia, stopping in Thebes, and was arrested by King Pentheus, along with his Maenads; but King Pentheus, struck by the madness of Dionysus, shackled a bull instead. Reaching Boeotia, he was acknowledged with divinity. Arriving at Icaria, on his way to Naxos, he was captured by pirates. To escape, he made a vine grow and envelop the mast of the ship, turned their oars into serpents, became a lion, and filled the ship with “phantom beasts and the sound of flutes,” inciting the fearing pirates to leap overboard and become dolphins. Reaching Naxos, he married Ariadne, and having established his worship throughout the world, sits at the right hand of Zeus. Although a bit advanced for the younger child, the Greek Myths offer depictions of the Greek Gods, Goddesses, Monsters, tales, etc, accurately transcribed from the Greek language. The myths themselves offer a look into a world and culture lost to the winds of time, and re-living the Greek Myth is a treat everyone may diverge their consciousness into a belief structure once held true to ancient civilization. show less