Great Classical Myths
Table of Contents

Edited with an introduction by F.R.B. Godolphin

I CREATION, THE GODS, AND THE UNDERWORLD

Creation and the early Gods / HESIOD, Theogony, 116-222

The Ages of Man / HESIOD, Works and Days, 109-201

The Flood / OVID, Metamorphoses, I. 285-418

The Gods of Delphi / AESCHYLUS, Eumenides, 1-19

Zeus / HOMER, Iliad, 16. 384-393

Zeus / AESCHYLUS, Agamemnon, 160-183

Zeus, Hera and Hephaestus / HOMER, Iliad, I. 533-611

Poseidon, Zeus and Hades / HOMER, Iliad, 15. 187-195

Poseidon / HOMER, Iliad, 13. 17-58

Apollo / Homeric Hymns, 1-178

Artemis / Homeric Hymns 1-20

Athene / Homeric Hymns, 1-17

Hermes / Homeric Hymns, 1-578

Demeter / Homeric Hymns, 1-495

Hephaestus / HOMER, Iliad, 18. 368-405

Aphrodite / Homeric Hymns, 1-292

Ares / HOMER, Iliad, 5. 825-898

Dionysus / Homeric Hymns, 1-21

Dionysus and the Sailors / Homeric Hymns, 1-59

Dionysus / EURIPIDES, Bacchae, 1-54

Prometheus / HESIOD, Works and Days, 49-82

Prometheus / AESCHYLUS, Prometheus, 199-243; 436-506

The Golden Bough / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 6. 125-148 J.

The Island of the Blessed / PINDAR, Olympian, 2. 61-83

The Underworld / HOMER, Odyssey, 11. 568-600

Ixion / PINDAR, Pythian, 2. 21-48

The Danaids / HORACE, Odes, 3.11. 13-52

II EARLY HEROES AND HEROINES

Heracles / Homeric Hymns, 1-8

Labors of Heracles / EURIPIDES, Heracles, 348-429

Labors of Heracles / APOLLODORUS, The Library, II. 5.5-6 

Heracles and Cerberus / HOMER, Odyssey, 11. 601-626

Incidental Labors of Heracles / HYGINUS, Myths, 31

Heracles and Hylas / THEOCRITUS, Idylls, 13. 36-67

Hercules and Cacus / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 8. 193-267

Jason / PINDAR, Pythian, 4.66-255

Jason and Medea / EURIPIDES, Medea, 1-43; 1323-1343; 1377-1388

Theseus / PLUTARCH, Lives, "Theseus" (with omissions)

Theseus, Ariadne and Dionysus / Catullus, 64.246-264

Meleager / HOMER, Iliad, 9. 529-599

Meleager / OVID, Metamorphoses, 8. 273-532 (with omissions)

Perseus / OVID, Metamorphoses, 4. 610-803

Oedipus / AESCHYLUS, Seven against Thebes, 742-784

Jocasta / EURIPIDES, Phoenissae, 10-87

Antigone / SOPHOCLES, Antigone, 891-928 R. (revised)

Tiresias / SOPHOCLES, Oedipus the King, 447-462 (revised)

The Seven against Thebes / SOPHOCLES, Oedipus at Colonus, 1309-1329

The Heroines / HOMER, Odyssey, 11. 235-327

III THE HOMERIC HEROES

1. The story of Achilles; Greeks and Trojans

The design of the Iliad / HOMER, Iliad, I. 1-7

The birth of Achilles / PINDAR, Isthmian, 8.27-59

Achilles' version of the quarrel / HOMER, Iliad, I. 366-412

Achilles' threat / HOMER, Iliad, I. 225-244

The Embassy / HOMER, Iliad, 9.622-668

Achilles sends Patroclus to inquire about a wounded Greek / HOMER, Iliad, 11.     596-615

Nestor addresses Patroclus / HOMER, Iliad, 11. 783-805

Zeus addresses Hera / HOMER, Iliad, 15.49-77

Patroclus urges Achilles / HOMER, Iliad, 16. 20-100

Thetis comes to Acliilles / HOMER, Iliad, 18.78-126

Reconciliation / HOMER, Iliad, 19. 55-144

Briseis' return / HOMER, Iliad, 19. 282-302

Hector and Achilles / HOMER, Iliad, 22. 131-138

The pursuit / HOMER, Iliad. 22. 188-213

Hector faces Achilles / HOMER, Iliad, 22. 239-272

Achilles and Hector fight / HOMER, Iliad, 22. 317-366

Achilles maltreats the body of Hector / HOMER, Iliad, 22. 395-409

The wild grief of Achilles / HOMER, Iliad, 23. 17-23

The shade of Patroclus / HOMER, Iliad, 23. 60-84

The gods intervene / HOMER, Iliad, 24. 31-45

Priam goes to ransom the body of Hector / HOMER, Iliad, 24. 477-533

Achilles accepts the ransom / HOMER, Iliad, 24. 572-595

Odysseus meets Achilles in the underworld / HOMER, Odyssey, 11. 471-491

Greek leaders at Troy / HOMER, Iliad, 3. 139-244

Helen / HOMER, Iliad, 6. 344-358

Helen / EURIPIDES, Helen, 18-59 (revised)

Helen and Menelaus / HOMER, Odyssey, 4. 219-289

Helen and Menclaus / HOMER, Odyssey, 4. 561-569

Iphigeneia / AESCHYLUS, Agamemnon, 183-253

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra / HOMER, Odyssey, I. 35-43

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra / HOMER, Odyssey, 3. 247-312

Agamemnon and Clytemnestra / HOMER, Odyssey, 4. 512-537

Agamemnon speaks to Odysseus / HOMER, Odyssey, 11. 387-434

Agamemnon talks to Amphimedon / HOMER, Odyssey, 24. 191-202

Aegisthus / AESCHYLUS, Agamemnon, 1583-1611 

Aias / SOPHOCLES, Ajax, 815-865

Castor and Polydeukes / PINDAR, Nemean, 10. 55-90

Philoctetes / SOPHOCLES, Philoctetes, 261-284

Diomede / HOMER, Iliad, 9. 32-49

2. The Wanderings of Odysseus

The plot of the Odyssey / ARISTOTLE, Poetics, 17.5

Odysseus' character / HOMER, Iliad, 10. 241-253

Penelope / HOMER, Odyssey, 2. 87-145

Telemachus / HOMER, Odyssey, 2. 36-74

Telemachus visits Nestor / HOMER, Odyssey, 3.65-101

The Cicones / HOMER, Odyssey, 9. 39-61

The Lotus-eaters / HOMER, Odyssey, 9. 83-102

Polyphemus, the Cyclops / APOLLODORUS, Epitome, 7. 4-9

Aeolus and the Winds / HOMER, Odyssey, 10. 1-75

Circe / HOMER, Odyssey, 10. 135-495

Elpenor / HOMER, Odyssey, 11. 51-78

The Sirens / HOMER, Odyssey, 12. 154-200

Scylla and Charybdis / HOMER, Odyssey, 12. 202-259

The Cattle of Helios / HOMER, Odyssey, 12. 127-141

Calypso / HOMER, Odyssey, 5. 75-147

Calypso / HOMER, Odyssey, 5. 202-224

Nausicaa / HOMER, Odyssey, 6. 1-331

Odysseus and Nausicaa / HOMER, Odyssey, 8. 454-468

Odysseus and Penelope / HOMER, Odyssey, 19. 559-587

Argus, the hound / HOMER, Odyssey, 17. 291-327

Telemachus speaks out / HOMER, Odyssey, 20. 299-337

The trial of the bow / HOMER, Odyssey, 21. 404-423

Death of the suitors / HOMER, Odyssey, 22. 381-389

Odysseus and Penelope: the final test / HOMER, Odyssey, 23. 153-204

The end of the Odyssey / HOMER, Odyssey, 24. 539-548

3. Aeneas and Rome

The plot of the Aeneid / VIRGIL, Aeneid, I. 1-7

Rome's destiny / VIRGIL, Aeneid, I. 257-294

Aeneas and Dido / VIRGIL, Aeneid, I. 340-368

Aeneas sees Dido / VIRGIL, Aeneid, I. 588-656

Dido in love / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 65-85

The hunt / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 151-172

Mercury warns Aeneas / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 256-276

Dido addresses Aeneas / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 305-387

Mercury again warns Aeneas / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 554-570

Dido sees the ships leaving the harbor / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 584-624

Dido's last words / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 642-665

The death of Dido / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4. 693-705

Myths of early Rome / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 4.693-705

The death of Pallas / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 10.453-509

The death of Turnus / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 12. 924-952

IV INDIVIDUAL MYTHS

Bellerophon / PINDAR, Olympian, 13. 60-90

Bellerophon / HOMER, Iliad, 6. 152-202

Cadmus / OVID, Metamorphoses, 3. 1-137

Daedalus / OVID, Metamorphoses, 8. 153-235

Io / BACCHYLIDES, Complete Poems, 19

Niobe / HOMER, Iliad, 24. 602-617

Procne / OVID, Metamorphoses, 6. 422-673

Phaethon / OVID, Metmorphoses, 2.1-331 (with omissions)

Asklepios / PINDAR, Pythian, 3. 1-68

Proteus / VIRGIL, Georgics, 4. 387-414 S.

Midas / OVID, Metamorphoses, n. 101-193

Hippolytus / VIRGIL, Aeneid, 7. 761-782

V LOVERS, IMMORTAL AND MORTAL

Zeus and Hera / HOMER, Iliad, 14. 153-353

Europa / MOSCHUS, Idyl, 2. 1-166 (with omissions)

Apollo and Daphne / OVID, Metamorphoses, i. 452-567

Hyacmthus / OVID, Metamorphoses, 10. 162-219

Aphrodite and Ares / HOMER, Odyssey, 8. 266-366

Venus and Adonis / OVID, Metamorphoses, 10. 519-559; 706-739

Pan and Syrinx / OVID. Metamorphoses, I. 689-712

Orpheus and Eurydice / VIRGIL, Georgics, 4. 454-527

Arethusa / OVID, Metamorphoses, 5. 572-641

Atalanta / OVID, Metamorphoses, 10. 560-707

Boreas and Orithyia / OVID, Metamorphoses, 6. 677-721

Cephalus and Procris / OVID, Metamorphoses, 7. 694-862

Ceyx and Alcyone / OVID, Metamorphoses, 11.410-748 (with omissions)

Echo and Narcissus /OVID, Metamorphoses, 3. 339-509

Salmacis and Hermaphroditus / OVID, Metamorphoses, 4. 285-388

Pygmalion / OVID, Metamorphoses, 10. 243-297

Scylla and Minos / OVID, Metamorphoses, 8. 6-151 (with omissions)

Alcestis and Admetus / PLATO, Symposium, 179B,C

Laodamia and Protesilaus / CATULLUS, 68, 73-108 (with omissions)

Protesilaus and Laodamia / HYGINUS, Myths, 103, 104

Pyramus and Thisbe / OVID, Metamorphoses, 4. 55-166

Cyclops and Galatea / THEOCRITUS, Idylls, 11. 19-66

Hero and Leander / VIRGIL, Georgics, 3. 258-263

Baucis and Philemon / OVID, Metamorphoses, 8. 620-724

APPENDIX

1. The Cyclic Epics

PROCLUS, Chrestomathy, i-ii

The Cypria                      

The Aethiopis

The Little Iliad

The Sack of Ilium

The Returns

The Telegony

2. Poetical history in Herodotus

Solon and Croesus / HERODOTUS, I. 50-33

Arion / HERODOTUS, I. 24

Gyges and Candaules / HERODOTUS, I. 8-12

Polycrates / HERODOTUS, 3. 40-43

3. Philosophic use of Myth in Plato

The Soul / PLATO, Phaedrus, 253D-254E

Man's nature / PLATO, Symposium, 189C-191D

The Allegory of the Cave / PLATO, Republic, 7. 514-517

The Apocalypse of Er / PLATO, Republic, 10. 614-621B

4. Cupid and Psyche

APULEIUS, The Golden Ass, 4.28-6.24 (compressed)

Capitalization and spellings are as they appear in the text.

Thanks to the contributor:
John Peterson

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