Re: Greek Mythology
 

I've tried to get into Mythology a few times as well, unfortunately the idea of it seems to be more interesting than the fact of it in many cases. A lot of the books are full of dry facts and just not enough interesting information for my MTV brain. The Hamilton book isn't that bad but I'm not sure I've read all of it.

I've just ordered a load of Joseph Campbell books and books like the Seven Basic Plots to see if that will expand my interest and knowledge in the area without boring me.

BTW: the books I've ordered are below.
1. "Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of 50 Unforgettable Films" Stuart Voytilla;
2. "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers" Christopher Vogler;
3. "Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation" J. Campbell
4. "The Hero with a Thousand Faces " Joseph Campbell
5. "The Power of Myth" Joseph Campbell
6. "The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories" Christopher Booker
7. "Myths to Live by " Joseph Campbell

Re: Greek Mythology
 

Homer's Iliad. seriously.

Re: Greek Mythology
 

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Homer's Iliad. seriously.

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The question was "where do I start?"

The Iliad does not answer the question of who the hell are Zeus, Hera, Ares, Athene etc. Why would it? Homer's intended audience was people who already knew who the gods were, what they ruled over, their personalities and relationships to each other. None of that is covered in the Iliad. You can gather a lot from context clues, but why not start elsewhere and read Homer after learning the basics?

Re: Greek Mythology
 

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A lot of the books are full of dry facts and just not enough interesting information for my MTV brain.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your MTV brain at least had the attention span to read GRRM. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Re: Greek Mythology
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
A lot of the books are full of dry facts and just not enough interesting information for my MTV brain.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your MTV brain at least had the attention span to read GRRM. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, I think I'm expecting something like a modern fantasy epic when I read mythology and instead get something like a medical encyclopedia.

Re: Greek Mythology
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
A lot of the books are full of dry facts and just not enough interesting information for my MTV brain.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your MTV brain at least had the attention span to read GRRM. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Lisa: We're the MTV generation, we feel neither highs nor lows.
Homer: Really? Whats it like?
Lisa: eh...

Re: Greek Mythology
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Homer's Iliad. seriously.

[/ QUOTE ]

The question was "where do I start?"

The Iliad does not answer the question of who the hell are Zeus, Hera, Ares, Athene etc. Why would it? Homer's intended audience was people who already knew who the gods were, what they ruled over, their personalities and relationships to each other. None of that is covered in the Iliad. You can gather a lot from context clues, but why not start elsewhere and read Homer after learning the basics?

[/ QUOTE ]

im not even going to respond to this until you think about it a bit more.

Re: Greek Mythology
 

smokingrobot you are f'ing terrible at this thread.

Re: Greek Mythology
 

ovid has a fun roman take on greek myths

Re: Greek Mythology
 

if the question was merely: i need factual information gleaned from original sources watered down by someones opinion on the greek gods, where do i find them?

Answer: Wikipedia, or how about a children's book which is very easy to read.

Therefor - pointless question.

If the question was: I would like a more in depth understanding of where these traits came from/how they developed/what they actually mean to the greeks themselves/and perhaps more than just some text book answer

Answer: Read the iliad, it's pretty much the earliest work that contains a miriad of information on the topic. Draw your own conclusions, they will probably make more sense to you than some stuffed shirt scholars trickled down list of information, plus, you'll retain this knowledge moreso than if you just read some kind of cliff notes on the greek gods.

seriously, you're either terrible at asking questions, or you are too willing to write off building your own conclusions based upon clear evidence presented to you, or you just dont want to read the Iliad.