MYTHOLOGY

[Anonymous No.8536283]

Hey /lit/, I want to read Homer and think I need a grasp on myth, so I was wondering what would you recommend I read?

OPTIONS
Mythology by Edith Hamilton - Seems like it'd be an easy read, could probably breeze through it, covers Norse and Roman myth too which is a plus since I have no time to read Ovid right now or whatever the Norse stuff is, but it's not really from the horse's mouth so much... still seems like it could be an easy way to emulate what a proper education is, where you have a good grasp of mythology

APOLLODORUS AND HESIOD
I could also read these guys, but they're important works in and of themselves and I'm not sure if I would be better served reading them after Iliad + Odyssey, as I understand the homeric poems to be the culmination of a long tradition of spoken poetry, and the fact that the Greeks' knowledge of myth would mostly have been colloquial, and the fact that I'm interested in getting into Homer ASAP and this stuff would presumably be harder to understand and I want to do them justice

What would you recommend /lit/

[Anonymous No.8536304]

Read the Tain (Irish myth). Go with the Kinsella translation because it's better.

[Anonymous No.8536591]

>>8536283
Looks like you've done a bit of research, and you're on the right track.

Hamilton is fine for prepping for Homer. For your first read of Homer you really only need to know basic mythology, like the personalities of the gods (especially Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite) and stuff like the story of the judgment of Paris. The gods obviously don't play human roles in the Homeric epics, but literarily are on nearly the same level as humans, i.e., the gods are not the main focus of either epic, and while they obviously contribute to the story and move it forward, you don't need too much background. (If you're interested later, check out the Homeric Hymns, in which the roles are reversed, i.e., the poems are about the gods, with humans largely involved only for the gods to bounce off of, and to contrast between the splendor of divinity and the misery of humanity). Also the section on Norse mythology is like 15 pages, just so you know.

You're right about reading Hesiod for his own sake, but with him, just as with Homer, don't sweat too much over "doing him justice." Quite simply there's no way to be a novice to the style/era/culture and to read poets like these guys and understand their significance right away. As you (presumably) go on to read more Greek content, you'll see how much thought they influence, often being referenced and even quoted directly, and you can revisit them when you're more immersed in the culture. Also Homer and especially Hesiod are super short, so you can (and should) reread them.

As for Apollodorus, you're right that he's important, but historically rather than literarily, in that his "library" is basically an encyclopedic collection of mythology, is in no way stylized or poetic, is super dry, and reads like death. Almost a reference book for mythology. Have no qualms with reading him before Homer or whenever you want or even never. The scope of his myths is beyond what you need for Homer, and frankly the ~150 pages of Apollodorus took me longer than did both Homeric epics; he's just super boring (if admittedly useful for less common information).

[Anonymous No.8536703]

>>8536591
do i need to read the 80 page introduction?

[Anonymous No.8536714]

>>8536703
To Homer? Read each intro after you've read the actual text. Try to get a feel for the text without being pointed in certain directions based on whatever the intro said.