Mythology: Introduction to Classical Mythology Summary & Analysis

Hamilton first draws attention to the mistaken view that the humans of mythological times were innocent creatures in harmony with nature and their own creative imaginations. Hamilton reminds us that what we actually know about early humans is that they lived in constant fear and hardship, and that their gods were monsters who often demanded human sacrifice.

Hamilton then holds up the ancient Greeks as a beacon of light in this dark world – she sees them as having suddenly advanced far beyond other primitive, violent peoples. By the time Homer wrote the first major Greek epic, the Iliad, Greek civilization was already refined and advanced. Hamilton states that learning about how ancient Greeks thought is important to Americans of today, as we are their artistic, intellectual, and political descendants.

Of the “Greek miracle” – the sudden flower of civilization and art that occurred in ancient Greece – Hamilton emphasizes the importance of how the Greeks put humanity at the center of their universe. They made their gods in their own image, unlike the Egyptian or Mesopotamian part-animal deities. This suddenly made the world seem more rational, as the Greeks could understand their gods.

The Greek gods not only looked human, but they acted like humans as well, even exhibiting the full range of human flaws. The gods are physically beautiful, but often characters of comedy or spitefulness, like Zeus constantly trying to hide his love affairs from the jealous Hera.

The Greeks also made their religion accessible by making Mount Olympus, where the gods dwelt, a comfortable place that even had a physical location in Greece. All the tales of the epic heroes took place in real cities as well, so a familiar location made the myths seem more real. The goddess Aphrodite was born from the foam in a physical location that anyone could visit, and the mythical Hercules lived in the real city of Thebes.

Because the gods seemed so familiar, Hamilton argues that the Greeks changed the idea of the “magical” to a human kind of magic, and made the world a beautiful place with a human beauty, which was no longer terrifying. There was less strange and horrible magic in the Greek myths than in most other civilizations, and though the gods often acted irrationally, the universe itself seemed relatively rational and benign.

Hamilton then reminds us of the negatives that still remained in Greek mythology. The gods themselves often acted more despicably than most humans, getting angry and jealous and inflicting terrible vengeances against the slightest provocation.

The Greeks had also not totally purged themselves of their more “barbaric” past, and elements of it remained in their mythology, like the satyrs, who were half-goat, half man, or horrible monsters like Gorgons or chimaeras (though the Greek heroes always defeat these monsters in the end). There are also hints of earlier practices of human sacrifice, though Hamilton emphasizes that what is important is how few instances of human sacrifice there are as compared with the early mythologies of other nations.

Hamilton then reminds us that though Greek mythology consists of stories of gods and goddesses, it is not an account of a religious system – it is not a “Greek bible.” The myths are meant to explain something in nature, like why the Great Bear constellation never dips below the horizon. Many of the other myths are purely for entertainment, and are basically the earliest form of literature.

Hamilton says that later Greek myths do seem to grow more “religious” in nature, particularly regarding the god Zeus. He probably began as a rain god, and then progressed into a jealous, moody thunderbolt-wielder, but by the time of the Odyssey he is more powerful and compassionate, a protector of suppliants and orphans. Later Zeus is accompanied by the figure of Justice, and Hamilton implies that he ultimately evolves into a concept similar to the Judeo-Christian God – a benevolent, all-powerful creator and father.

Hamilton then describes the literary record of mythology, and the sources she uses for her book. The Roman poet Ovid is one of the most important and exhaustive sources of stories, but Hamilton tried to avoid using his versions of myths, as Ovid came so much later in history that he treated mythology as unbelievable tales rather than important religious stories.

Homer is the earliest known Greek epic poet, whose tales the Iliad and the Odyssey were written sometime around 1000 B.C. Next came Hesiod, who was a poor farmer, and his mythology reflects his religious piety and humble lifestyle. Hesiod was also the first poet to wonder about the origins of the universe and the gods.

The Homeric Hymns came next chronologically, though Hamilton rarely uses them. Pindar came next, and Hamilton calls him the greatest lyric poet of Greece. Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were tragic playwrights from the sixth and fifth centuries B.C., and their plays are one of Hamilton’s most important sources.

Next came Aristophanes, the writer of comedy, and then Apollonius of Rhodes, who wrote about Jason and the Quest of the Golden Fleece. Apollonius wrote around 250 B.C., when Greek’s literary capitol had moved to Alexandria, Egypt. By the time Lucian wrote about the gods, they had become subjects of satire rather than piety. Apollodorus wrote extensively about mythology, but Hamilton describes him as “very dull.”

Of the Roman writers, Hamilton emphasizes Virgil as the most important. Like Ovid, he did not believe in the myths he described, but he did treat them seriously and found the humanity in the gods and heroes.