Greek Myth's 1 and 2 by Robert Graves

[RedHawk]

I'm reading Greek Myth's vol 1 by Robert Graves, yeah the same one that did the White Goddess, and I want to know has anyone read it and what did you think about it. I've read nearly half of vol 1 and I found it a really good source of information.

Opinions would be great.

[Caroline]

I'm reading Greek Myth's vol 1 by Robert Graves, yeah the same one that did the White Goddess, and I want to know has anyone read it and what did you think about it. I've read nearly half of vol 1 and I found it a really good source of information.

Opinions would be great.

 
Graves was commissioned to write the books, aimed at a general audience. The original material is diverse, complex and often fragmented, and Graves often combined elements from various sources into one narrative, and if there were gaps, filled them as he pleased to insure some sort of continuity, which is highly problematic. His commentaries are inventive and the sources listed don't come close to meeting academic standards, but then this product was more about accessibility and less about accuracy.

So basically, enjoy the read (the man had narrative and poetic skillz) but don't assume that everything in there comes from ancient sources.

[Nyktelios]

I'm reading Greek Myth's vol 1 by Robert Graves, yeah the same one that did the White Goddess, and I want to know has anyone read it and what did you think about it. I've read nearly half of vol 1 and I found it a really good source of information.

Opinions would be great.

 
I like his Greek Myths, but take what he says with a grain of salt. I think his versions of the actual myths are decent, but his interpretations of them can be pretty... interesting. He's into that whole idea of a pre-historic matriarchy where women were the dominant sex and men were "her frightened victim," which is very controversial these days. I do think he has some good things to say, and it was his work that made me interested in Aphrodite.

[RedHawk]

I like his Greek Myths, but take what he says with a grain of salt. I think his versions of the actual myths are decent, but his interpretations of them can be pretty... interesting. He's into that whole idea of a pre-historic matriarchy where women were the dominant sex and men were "her frightened victim," which is very controversial these days. I do think he has some good things to say, and it was his work that made me interested in Aphrodite.

 
Interesting and thanks for your input. I take most of what Graves says with a grain of salt. I can't wait to get to Greek Religion, another book that I checked out from the Library because I can't afford it right now. I'm hoping that will change next month when I finally get to work. I did request two Roman books and I can't wait to go to the Library and check them out.

[Astani]

Interesting and thanks for your input. I take most of what Graves says with a grain of salt. I can't wait to get to Greek Religion, another book that I checked out from the Library because I can't afford it right now. I'm hoping that will change next month when I finally get to work. I did request two Roman books and I can't wait to go to the Library and check them out.

 
You're going to love Greek Religion (assuming by Walter Burkert right?). It has some very interesting facts about ancient practices. I'm on the part of sacrifice and how they needed the consent of the animal before it would be killed. I jump around every now and then. His stuff on the deities are great, too. He examines the origins of the Olympians and explains how they were imported (in the case of Aphrodite) to Greece.