GUIDE TO GREEK MYTHOLOGY

An overview of ancient Greek gods, heroes, monsters, and storytellers.

Distilling a set of alphabetically arranged rosters sprinkled with paraphrased exploits into an accessible overview, Nardo offers a general picture of the classical era’s teeming mythical storyscape—Heracles’ labors are cut to two, for example; Charybdis earns a nod but not Scylla; and though Odysseus’ faithful old dog, Argus, gets a full entry, his wife, Penelope, rates nary a mention. The author’s observations about how these myths have enduring value as “universal comments on the human condition” are well taken (though calling them “somewhat equivalent to the tales in the biblical Old Testament” may ruffle a few feathers). So is a rare chapter on specific ancient literary sources from Homer (treated as a single historical author) and Hesiod to Pseudo-Apollodorus. Aside from a reference to the “strange coupling” of a bull with King Minos’ wife, Pasiphae, that resulted in the Minotaur, the originals’ abundant sexual and romantic exploits are largely left between the lines. Considering the preponderance of strong female figures that, unlike Penelope and Ariadne, do make the cut, a claim that most of the women in this mythological tradition were presented as “subservient and largely powerless” may confuse readers. Text boxes scattered throughout introduce the Greek roots of a number of English words.

A simplified account for reluctant readers; richer pickings exist.