Greek Mythology and Poetics

Greek Mythology and Poetics Synopsis

In this new edition of Greek Mythology and Poetics, Gregory Nagy revisits the relationship between myth and ritual in ancient Greek society. His far-reaching assessment provides fresh illumination of the forces of interaction and change that transformed the Indo-European linguistic and cultural heritage into distinctly Greek social institutions between the eighth and the fifth centuries B.C.E.

Nagy's major essays on various aspects of the Hellenization of Indo-European poetics, myth and ritual, and social ideology, examine the Greek language as a reflection of society, with special attention to its function as a vehicle for transmitting mythology and poetics. His emphasis on the language of the Greeks, and on comparison with the testimony of related Indo-European languages such as Latin, Indic, and Hittite, reflects his long-standing interest in Indo-European linguistics. Altogether, the second edition of Greek Mythology and Poetics is a path-breaking application of the principles of social anthropology, comparative mythology, historical linguistics, and the study of oral traditions.