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***References and Links***

Original Sources | Books and Links for Kids | Secondary Sources I've Used | Links to the Artists Found on This Site

Original Sources
The best thing you can do if you want to learn more is to actually read the myths in their original contexts. The following is a list of books and links to help you do just that. I have noted the best translations where possible. Everything in this list is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

  • Theoi Greek Mythology: Exploring Mythology & the Greek Gods in Classical Literature & Art, by Aaron Atsma.
    • Fills his encyclopedia of ancient characters with collections of quotations from original sources.
  • Perseus Project, by Tufts University.
    • An incredible collection of hundreds of Classical texts and their translations by noted scholars.
  • Harris, Stephen L. and Gloria Platzer. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 4th edition; New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2003
    • Okay, this is actually a complete textbook, but it has 700 pages of original sources, so it's worth the investment.
  • Lefkowitz, Mary and Maureen Fant. Women's Life in Greece and Rome: A Source Book in Translation. Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005
    • You're at this site because of the women, right? Well here's the best way possible to understand them better: reading quotations about women from original sources (with commentary, of course).
  • Euripides. Ten Plays Trans. Moses Hadas. USA: Bantam, 1983
    • Of course, all the plays of the great playwrights are worth reading, but Euripides does fascinating things with gender and sexuality.
  • The Homeric Hymns. Trans. Apostolos N. Athanassakis. Maryland: John Hopkins University Press, 1976
    • The Homeric Hymns are a fantastic way to begin reading the ancient myths. Beautiful and totally comprehensive.
  • Ovid. Metamorphoses. Trans. Charles Martin. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005
    • An award winning translation of one of the coolest ancient collections of myth.
  • Homer. The Iliad. Trans. W. H. D. Rouse. New York: Mentor Books, 1938
  • Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. W. H. D. Rouse. New York: Mentor Books, 1937
  • Apollodorus' Library and Hyginus' Fabulae: Two Handbooks of Greek Mythology. Trans. R. Scott Smith & Stephen M. Trzaskoma. Hackett Pub Co Inc, 2007
  • Apollonius. Jason and the Golden Fleece. Trans. Richard Hunter. USA: Oxford University Press, 1998
  • Hesiod. Theogony, Works and Days. Trans. M. L. West. USA: Oxford University Press, 1999

Books and Links for Kids
There's a lot of great introductions to Greek mythology. Here's a couple of them to grow on!

  • Classical Mythology
  • Bulfinch, Thomas. Bulfinch's Mythology. Ed. Richard P. Martin. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991
  • D'Aulaire, Ingri and Edgar Parin. D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths. New York: Doubleday, 1962
    • Illustrations on every page, there's a reason this book is still in print. I grew up on it and I love it.
  • Evslin, Bernard and Dorothy and Ned Hoopes. The Greek Gods. New York: Scholastic Inc, 1966
  • Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Boston: Mentor Books, 1953
  • Kravitz, David. Who's Who in Greek and Roman Mythology. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1975
  • Osborn, Kevin and Dana L. Burgess. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology. New York: Alpha Books, 1998
    • Not just for kids, but totally digestable. VERY informative. I HIGHLY recommend.

Secondary Sources I Have Used
I've been making this site since 1996, so some of the links I used have expired. But the books I use are still available. I make note of my favorites.

Books
  • Bell, Robert E. Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991
    • Much of the info, the good info anyway, on this site comes from this book. I love it. Love, love, love. He's got a sense of humor, too.
  • Blundell, Sue. Women in Ancient Greece. Harvard University Press: 1995.
    • Read in college and it's GREAT. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  • Downing, Christine. The Goddess: Mythological Images of the Feminine. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1984
    • More about today's interpretations of the goddess, it's one I grew up reading and part of why I love Greek goddesses!
  • Harris, Stephen L. and Gloria Platzer. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 4th edition; New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2003
    • If you have only one myth book on your shelf, this is the one you should own. It has everything. It is well-researched. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  • Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore Mythology and Legend Ed. Maria Leach. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1949
    • Great book, but way more than just Greek. Lots of value, even though its seriously old school (and problematic).
  • Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths. England: Penguin Books, 1992
    • Pretty much discredited as an actual resource by academics (and, now, me), his exploration of Greek myths is fascinating and big on women, mysticism, and fraught with suggestions of a matriarchal prehistory.
  • Guerber, H. A. Greece and Rome: Myths and Legend. London: Bracken Books, 1986
  • Kerenyi, Carl. Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1967
    • One day, when I write books, I want them to be like this. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  • Lefkowitz, Mary R. Women in Greek Myth. Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007
    • I hadn't read this when I started the site, but I wish I had. A very interesting argument about the role of women as portrayed through interpretations of various myths. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  • * Mackenzie, Donald A. Crete and Pre-Hellenic Europe. London: Senate, 1995
  • Ormand, Kirk. Controlling Desires: Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2008.
    • HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! This book is great for beginners and experts. It is SUPER readable without lots of notes or citations, but helps you understand the subject at a truly advanced level. And let me tell you, this is a juicy juicy topic that will also help you speak intelligently about sexuality today! Also, I reviewed it in my blog. (Full disclosure: He was my professor.)
  • Osborn, Kevin and Dana L. Burgess. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology. New York: Alpha Books, 1998
    • Not just for idiots, but totally digestable. VERY informative. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  • Oxford Classical Dictionary: Second Edition. ed. N. G. L. Hammond and H. H. Scullard. London: Oxford University Press, 1970
  • Penglase, Charles. Greek Myths and Mesopotamia: Parallels and Influence in the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod. New York: Routledge, 1997
  • Pomeroy, Sarah et al. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social and Cultural History. USA: Oxford University Press, 2007.
    • A balanced and complete overview of ancient Greece. Read it in college. If you want history, start here.
  • Pomeroy, Sarah. Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. Schoken: 1995
    • Not just myth, but still fantastic. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  • Sissa, Giulia and Marcel Detienne. The Daily Life of the Greek Gods. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2000
  • Tyrrell, Wm. Blake. Amazons: A Study in Athenian Mythmaking. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984
Links
  • Diotima: Women & Gender in the Ancient World.
    • A collection of essays - not for the faint of heart! HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
  • Enfolded in the Sea: Ancient Greeks Gave First Devotion to Ocean Goddesses and Gods. by Miriam Harline
  • Mythography Message Board
  • Greek Mythology Link by Carlos Parada, created September 17, 1997
  • The Eleusian Mysteries
  • The Book of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Other Characters in Mythology by P. J. Criss, created on 21 August 1996
    • This site inspired me to make my own. I am sad that it is gone. All the sites that are crossed out have disappeared from the connection of tubes we call teh interwebs, but I may have gotten information from them before they did. Obviously, these days, I try to verify all my info in original sources, but I've been at this a long time.
  • Of Gods and Men: The A-Z of Mythology and Legend
  • History of the Amazons
  • Part 1 and Part 2 of the Matthew Probert Encyclopedia
  • The Artists of the Beautiful Artwork Featured on this Site


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    Last Updated July 29, 2009