Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual"Tantalizingly rich . . . this is a splendid book."--Greece and Rome "Burken relegates his learned documentation to the notes and writes in a lively and fluent style. The book is recommended as a major contribution to the interpretation of ancient Greek myth and ritual. The breadth alone of Burkert's learning renders his book indispensable."--Classical Outlook "Impressive. . . founded on a striking knowledge of the complex evidence (literary, epigraphical, archaeological, comparative) for this extensive subject. Burkert offers a rare combination of exact scholarship with imagination and even humor. A brilliant book, in which . . .the reader can see at every point what is going on in the author's mind--and that is never uninteresting, and rarely unimportant."--Times Literary Supplement "Burkert's work is of such magnitude and depth that it may even contribute to that most difficult of tasks, defining myth, ritual, and religion. . [He] locates his work in the context of culture and the historv of ideas, and he is not hesitant to draw on sociology and biology. Consequently his work is of significance for philosophers, historians, and even theologians, as well as for classicists and historians of Greek culture. His hypotheses are courageous and his conclusions are bold; both establish standards for methodology as well as results. "--Religious Studies Review |
Contents
THE ORGANIZATION OF MYTH | 1 |
THE PERSISTENCE OF RITUAL | 35 |
The Demonstrative and the AsIf Element in Ritual | 45 |
FirstFruits Offerings | 52 |
TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE SCAPEGOAT | 59 |
Polycrite The Virgins of Leuctra and Tarpeia | 72 |
HERACLES AND THE MASTER OF ANIMALS | 78 |
THE GREAT GODDESS ADONIS AND HIPPOLYTUS | 99 |
The Woods the Tree and the Sacrifice | 136 |
Notes to Chapter I | 143 |
Notes to Chapter II | 158 |
Notes to Chapter III | 168 |
Notes to Chapter IV | 176 |
Notes to Chapter V | 187 |
Notes to Chapter VI | 203 |
| 211 | |
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Common terms and phrases
action pattern Adonis altar ancient ANET anxiety Aphrodite Apollo Artemis Athens attested Attis basic Baudissin 1911 behavior Berlin Boeotia Brommer Bronze Age bull Burkert called Callim cattle cave chariot classical cult death Demeter Diod Dorian dragon Dumuzi Dundes evidence fact festival FGrHist function Galloi Geryon girl goddess gods Greece Greek mythology Helck Hera Heracles Hermes Hippolytus historical Hittite Homeric horse human hunting hymn Inanna Indo-European interpretation killed king Kirk Kubaba language Leipzig Lévi-Strauss libation lion London Mannhardt master of animals means Meter Meuli mother motif motifemes Munich Mycenaean myth and ritual mythical Mythos Nilsson Paris Paus Persephone Phigalia Pind Plut Polycrite Poseidon primitive Propp's Pylos reference religion Rome sacrifice sanctuary scapegoat Schefold Schol seems Semitic sequence shaman stone story Strab Sumerian symbolic tale structure Tammuz Tarpeia Telepinus temple tion tradition transformed tree Troezen Wilamowitz Zeus