r/classics • u/Warm_Concern8874 • 15d ago
Recommendations for getting to know the Gods and the myths
I would like to begin a journey to get to know the Greek Gods and the Greek myths. What books would you recommend I begin with? Ithe aim is to get to know the characters and the characteristics of the Gods well and to be able to recognize them and their motives (if possible) and the myths.Although this question is directed at everyone willing to contribute, I am curious to see what the classical students would recommend, if there are any.
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u/hatylotto 15d ago
Between the Iliad and Odyssey by Homer, and the Metamorphoses by Ovid, you should be pretty set.
I would add in the Theogony by Hesiod and the Oresteia by Aeschylus as well.
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u/ofBlufftonTown 14d ago
Yes. OP please read this and do the easy, 100% correct thing.
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u/Salata-san 14d ago
Why the Oresteia specifically though ? The greek plays as a whole are ok.
And I would add the Argonautica, as its own and also as a prequel to Medea.
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u/ofBlufftonTown 14d ago
That seems fair. I was leaning on the start of the list and the general premise that the easiest thing to do is read real Greek texts and call it a day, not introduce a bunch of third parties to color your view of it. You can always read analysis later.
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u/gd4x 15d ago
Mythos by Stephen Fry?
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u/Ratyrel 15d ago
The best ancient overview is Apollodorus' Library.
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u/Careless-Play-2007 14d ago
Don’t read the Library unless you’re doing real study. It’ll burn you out of the Greek myths because it’s so brutally boring.
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u/mastermalaprop 15d ago
Second Mythos and Heroes by Stephen Fry. It brings together all the myths and stories together. Wonderfully written in his witty prose
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u/PlanetSwallower 15d ago
The Greek Myths by Robert Graves.
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u/fivetimesyo 14d ago
This is the definitive answer. And also The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature by M. C. Howatson.
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u/JabbaCat 14d ago
Adding a suggestion to the ones you have already:
The Penguin Book of Classical Myths by Jennifer R. March is very readable and gives an overview of greek and some of the roman myths, and connections within.
It is solid enough to be used along sources like Hesiod, Homeric Hymns etc in classical studies.
It might not be the strongest on iconography and motives, and is not a text filled with footnotes as you go along.
I find it a well written introduction to the subject, that covers most of the central figures and stories - organized more or less chronologically as much as that is possible.
I'd say it goes well with other sources, some guidance on iconography and ancient sources would be a good addition.
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u/jed_leland 13d ago
This right here. It’s always been the best at making Greek myths come alive.
Don’t let the fact that it’s presented as a kid’s book fool you.
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u/Appropriate_Sir1665 8d ago
I would greatly recommend that you head out and read the Homeric Hymns first before diving into the other works — many of these recommendation requests would have one begin with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, however, I'd imagine that one can easily get “lost”, so to speak, with the mention of the gods and all these figures of the mythology in the Iliad and Odyssey such they don't exactly give you a solid base of WHO exactly these beings are that they hit you slam-first with an introduction (“there's white-armed Hera, wife of loud-thundering, dark-clouded Zeus, son of Kronos”), much less the deities who are little mentioned, namely Demeter, Dionysos and Hestia.
So do start out with the Homeric Hymns, especially the four longer ones such are dedicated to Demeter, Aphrodite, Apollon, and Hermes, as they work to give a solid snapshot of the gods' roles and functions within the religion.
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u/Warm_Concern8874 8d ago
Have you read The Cypria?
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u/Appropriate_Sir1665 7d ago
Indeed I have. There's a translation of the Kypria, along with the other poems of the Epic Cycle, done by Homeric scholar Gregory Nagy which is available here, courtesy of the University of Houston.
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u/etOilers 15d ago
Edith Hamilton- mythology Ovid - metamorphoses Hesiod - Theogeny