Mythology

“Classical mythology” is a modern conceit that presents as a unified and relatively coherent whole what for the ancients themselves were Greek and Roman multiform traditions, which often (especially in Greece) had no unity, but rather many local variations. Indeed, “mythology” itself is an ambiguous term, since it designates both the collection of myths of a certain culture and the scholarly study of those myths. In addition, there is no definition of myth that is universally accepted by scholars and capable of encompassing all cases of known myths. Furthermore, the mythology of Greece and Rome is closely connected with Greek and Roman religion, since the gods and heroes who populate myths were also celebrated in religious rituals. Some scholarly approaches even postulate an intimate connection between myth and ritual (see Myth and Ritual). Hence, important works on Greek and Roman religion need to be consulted also by the student of classical mythology. (“Classical” in this connection is used to mean “Greek and Roman.”) The present bibliography offers some guidance to the reader in the field of mythology. Priority has been given to works that are either recent or of historical importance or enduring value. The bibliography treats all aspects of myth, from the concept of myth itself to studies of individual gods and heroes, from the relationship between myth and ritual to the reception of myth in the modern era. The headings are designed to facilitate consultation on individual subjects and do not represent a particular theoretical view.