Greek Mythology

Fülszöveg

Greek Mythology
The Greek myths are among the best known of the world. Yet their origins were extremely diverse. Some enshrined rituals, others had a quasi-scientific meaning; some myths can be traced to ancient native religions, still others are explicable in psychological or anthropological terms.
Whatever their inspiration, the tales of Zeus, Hera, Athena and the other residents of Mount Olympus, as well as the deeds of Heracles, Theseus, Oedipus and the heroes of the Trojan War have proved a fertile source for artists and poets for 2500 years. In this book John Pinsent tells familiar and unfamiliar stories of the Greek gods and heroes, and traces the development of particular myths from their most primitive forms to their most sophisticated versions. He explains Greek mythology as the dynamic product of Greek history, Greek society and Greek religion.
LIBRARY OF THE WORLD'S MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Myths and legends are found the world over, and their origin and purpose form a... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Greek Mythology
The Greek myths are among the best known of the world. Yet their origins were extremely diverse. Some enshrined rituals, others had a quasi-scientific meaning; some myths can be traced to ancient native religions, still others are explicable in psychological or anthropological terms.
Whatever their inspiration, the tales of Zeus, Hera, Athena and the other residents of Mount Olympus, as well as the deeds of Heracles, Theseus, Oedipus and the heroes of the Trojan War have proved a fertile source for artists and poets for 2500 years. In this book John Pinsent tells familiar and unfamiliar stories of the Greek gods and heroes, and traces the development of particular myths from their most primitive forms to their most sophisticated versions. He explains Greek mythology as the dynamic product of Greek history, Greek society and Greek religion.
LIBRARY OF THE WORLD'S MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Myths and legends are found the world over, and their origin and purpose form a special part of the story of the development of man. Some of these myths embody man's early explanations of the world he lived in, the forces governing his life and the need to provide some account for the good and evil that befell him. Many of these forces were personified - given names and personalities - the first step to the formalisation of belief in ritual and in religion. A galaxy of gods, devils, heroes and monsters emerged, as varied as the societies from which they sprang and the appeal of their actions. Mythology has served as the foundation of man's loftiest and most abstract thought in art and religion - of Milton's Paradise Lost and the Hindu Bhagavad Gita\ equally the legends of the lesser spirits have been retained in folk tales familiar to us all in fairy tales.
The Library of the World's Myths and Legends is an authoritative series on the major mythologies of the world's history. Written by a team of well-known scholars, including archaeologists, linguists and students of comparative religion, each book in the library combines an attractive recital of the myths of a culture with the worid-picture that these stories reveal and the art-forms they have inspired. The text is fully illustrated with artefacts and paintings related to the myths, and, where appropriate, ethnological material showing the role of myth in everyday life.
See back flap for full list of titles in the Library
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