Routledge Revivals Interpretations of Greek Mythology Interpretations of Greek Mythology, first published in1987, builds on the innovative work of Walter Burkert and the ‘Paris school’ of Jean-Pierre Vernant, and represents a renewal of interpretation of Greek mythol­ ogy. The contributors to this volume present a variety of approaches to the Greek myths, all of which eschew a monolithic or exclusively structuralist hermeneutic method. Specifically, the notion that mythology can simply be read as a primitive mode of narrative history is rejected, with emphasis instead being placed on the relationships between mythology and history, ritual and political genealogy. The essays concentrate on some of the best known characters and themes — Oedipus, Orpheus, Narcissus — reflecting the complexity and fascination of the Greek imagination. The volume will long remain an indispensable tool for the study of Greek mythology, and it is of great interest to anyone interested in the development of Greek culture and civilisation and the nature of myth. This page intentionally left blank Interpretations of Greek Mythology Edited by Jan Bremmer Routledge Taylor & Francis Croup First published in 1987 by Croom Helm Ltd This edition first published in 2014 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1987 Jan Bremmer The right of the Editor Jan Bremmer to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. D isclaim er The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and welcomes correspondence from those they have been unable to contact. A Library of Congress record exists under LC control number: 88672272 ISBN 13: 978-0-415-74451-5 (hbk) ISBN 13: 978-1-315-81300-4 (ebk) INTERPRETATIONS OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY Edited by Jan Bremmer II ROUTLEDGE First published in 1987 by Croom Helm Ltd First published in paperback in 1988 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Interpretation of Greek mythology. 1. Mythology, Greek I. Bremmer, Jan 292 M3 BL782 ISBN 0415-03451-5 Filmset in Baskerville by Pat and Anne Murphy, HighclifTe-on-Sea, Dorset Printed and bound in Great Britain by Billing & Sons Limited, Worcester. Contents List of Figures and Table Abbreviations Preface 1. What is a Greek Myth? 1 Jan Bremmer 2. Oriental and Greek Mythology: The Meeting of Parallels 10 Walter Burkert 3. Oedipus and the Greek Oedipus Complex 41 Jan Bremmer 4. Wolves and Werewolves in Greek Thought 60 Richard Buxton 5. Orpheus: A Poet Among Men 80 Fritz Graf 6. Reflections, Echoes and Amorous Reciprocity: On Reading the Narcissus Story 107 Ezio Pellizer 7. Greek Myth and Ritual: The Case of Kronos 121 H. S. Versnel 8. Spartan Genealogies: The Mythological Representation of a Spatial Organisation 153 Claude Calame 9. Myths of Early Athens 187 Robert Parker 10. Myth as History: The Previous Owners of the Delphic Oracle 215 Christiane Sourvinou-Inwood 11. Three Approaches to Greek Mythography 242 Albert Henrichs 12. Greek Mythology: A Select Bibliography (1965 - 1989) 278 Jan Bremmer Notes on Contributors 284 Index 287 Figures and Table Figures 2.1 Seal Impression from Nuzi: Death of Humbaba 30 2.2 Shield Strap from Olympia: Perseus and Gorgo 31 2.3 Seal from Cyprus: Hero Fighting Monster 31 2.4 Seal from Assur: Death of Humbaba 32 2.5 Clay Plaque from Gortyn: Death of Agamemnon 32 2.6 Seal from Tell Keisan: Death of Humbaba? 33 2.7 Seal from Nimrud: God Fighting the Snake 33 2.8 Corinthian Amphora: Perseus and the ketos 34 8.1 The Aegean World 157 8.2 The Peloponnese and Central Greece 167 8.3 The Genealogy of the First Kings of Sparta 181 Table 11.1 Variants of the Kallisto Myth 2 5 6 -2 5 7 Abbreviations ABV J. D. Beazley, Attic Black-Figure Vase Painters (Oxford, 1956) Add L. Burn and R. Glynn (eds), Beazley Addenda. Additional References to ABV, A R V & Paralipo- mena (Oxford, 1982) AJA American Journal of Archaeology ANEP J. B. Pritchard, The Ancient Near East in Pictures Relating to the Old Testament (Princeton, 1954 (Supplement 1968)) ANET J. B. Pritchard (ed.) Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3rd edn (Prince­ ton, 1969) ARV J. D. Beazley, Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters, 2nd edn (Oxford, 1963) BCH Bulletin de Correspondance Hellenique BICS Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies at the University of London Burkert, GR W. Burkert, Greek Religion. Archaic and Classical (Oxford, 1985) -------- HN -------- Homo Necans. The Anthropology of Ancient Greek Sacrificial Ritual and Myth (Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, 1983) OE Die orientalisierende Epoche in der griechi- schen Religion und Literatur, SB Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, Philos.-hist. K l. 1984, 1. S&H Structure and History in Greek Mythology and History (Berkeley, Los Angeles, London, 1979) Calame, Choeurs C. Calame, Les Choeurs de jeunes filles en Grece archaique, 2 vols (Rome, 1977) CQ Classical Quarterly CR Classical Review Detienne, Dionysos M. Detienne, Dionysos mis a mort (Paris, 1977) Abbreviations -------- Invention --------- L* Invention de la mythologie (Paris, 1981) FGrH F. Jacoby, Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (Berlin-Leiden, 1923-58) GRBS Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies HSCP Harvard Studies in Classical Philology IG Inscriptiones Graecae J d l Jahrbuch des deutschen archdologischen Instituts JH S Journal of Hellenic Studies JN E S Journal of Near Eastern Studies LIM C Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (Zurich, 1981- ) M H Museum Helveticum Para J. D. Beazley, Paralipomena. Additions to Attic Black-Figure Vase-Painters and to Attic Red-Figure Vase-Painters (Oxford, 1971) PCG R. Kassel and C. Austin (eds), Poetae Comici Graeci (Berlin and New York, 1983- ) RE Realencyclopadie der klassischen Altertumswissenschaft SEG Supplementum epigraphicum Graecum SIG W. Dittenberger, Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum 3rd edn (Leipzig, 1915-24) SMSR Studi e materiali di storia delle religioni TGrF Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta, vol. 1, ed. B. Snell (Gottingen, 1971); vol. 3, ed. S. Radt (1985); vol. 4, ed. S. Radt (1977) ZPE Zeitschrift fiir Papyrologie und Epigraphik Preface This collection of original studies offers new interpretations of some of the best known characters and themes of Greek myth­ ology, reflecting the complexity and fascination of the Greek imagination. Following analyses of the concept of myth and the influence of the Orient on Greek mythology, the succeeding chap­ ters shed new light on the threatening appearance of wolf and werewolf and on such familiar figures as Oedipus, Orpheus and Narcissus. The puzzling relationship of myth and ritual is illum­ inated by a discussion of the ambiguities in the traditions sur­ rounding Kronos. Where does myth end and history begin? Studies of the first Spartan and Athenian kings demonstrate ways in which myth is manipulated to suit history, and an examination of the early stages of the Delphic oracle shows that some history is actually myth. Finally, an analysis of Greek mythography illus­ trates how myths were handed down in the Greek tradition before they became part and parcel of Western civilisation. The volume is concluded with a bibliography of the best mythological studies of recent decades. All chapters are based on the most recent insights and methods, and they display a great variety of approaches. The volume would never have materialised without a chance meeting with Richard Stoneman, Senior Editor at Croom Helm. I am very grateful for his most pleasant co-operation in the prepara­ tion of this book. I also owe grateful thanks to Sarah Johnston and Ken Dowden, who were willing to shoulder the difficult task of revising most of the translations. Kees Kuiphof skilfully gave cartographical assistance. Finally, a Dutch initiative in mythology would have greatly Preface surprised Friedrich Creuzer, one of the great students of Greek mythology in the nineteenth century. Having left Heidelberg in the summer of 1809 to take up a professorship at Leiden, he soon returned to Germany: for, as he put it, he could not conceive any mythological thoughts because the country was too flat.1 H olland still has no mountains, but interest in mythology abounds as we hope this book may show. J.B. Ede, Holland Note 1. Cf. F. Creuzer, Aus dem Leben eines alien Professors (Leipzig and Darmstadt, 1848): “ In Holland dann — feine Stadte, hubsche Leute — aber ich konnte keinen mythologischen Gedanken fassen in dem flachen Lande.” I owe this reference to Albert Henrichs. 1 What is a Greek Myth? Jan Bremmer What exactly is a Greek m yth?1 In the past, many solutions to this problem have been proposed, but in the course of time all have proved to be unsatisfactory.2 The most recent analyses stress that myth belongs to the more general class of traditional tales. For example, Walter Burkert, the greatest living expert on Greek religion, has stated that ‘myth is a traditional tale with secondary, partial reference to something of collective importance’.3 This definition raises three important problems that we will discuss briefly in this introduction. First, how traditional is a Greek myth? Second, to what degree does Greek myth contain matter of col­ lective importance? And finally, if myth is a traditional tale — what then is the difference between myth and other genres of traditional tales, such as the fairy-tale or the legend? 1.