New Heroes in Antiquity
New Heroes in Antiquity

Author: Christopher P. Jones

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 9780674035867

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Heroes and heroines in antiquity inhabited a space somewhere between gods and humans. In this detailed, yet brilliantly wide-ranging analysis, Christopher Jones starts from literary heroes such as Achilles and moves to the historical record of those exceptional men and women who were worshiped after death. He asks why and how mortals were heroized, and what exactly becoming a hero entailed in terms of religious action and belief. He proves that the growing popularity of heroizing the dead—fallen warriors, family members, magnanimous citizens—represents not a decline from earlier practice but an adaptation to new contexts and modes of thought. The most famous example of this process is Hadrian’s beloved, Antinoos, who can now be located within an ancient tradition of heroizing extraordinary youths who died prematurely. This book, wholly new and beautifully written, rescues the hero from literary metaphor and vividly restores heroism to the reality of ancient life.

New Heroes in Antiquity
New Heroes in Antiquity

Author: Christopher P. Jones

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 0674035860

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Heroes and heroines in antiquity inhabited a space somewhere between gods and humans. In this detailed, yet brilliantly wide-ranging analysis, Christopher Jones starts from literary heroes such as Achilles and moves to the historical record of those exceptional men and women who were worshiped after death. He asks why and how mortals were heroized, and what exactly becoming a hero entailed in terms of religious action and belief. He proves that the growing popularity of heroizing the dead—fallen warriors, family members, magnanimous citizens—represents not a decline from earlier practice but an adaptation to new contexts and modes of thought. The most famous example of this process is Hadrian’s beloved, Antinoos, who can now be located within an ancient tradition of heroizing extraordinary youths who died prematurely. This book, wholly new and beautifully written, rescues the hero from literary metaphor and vividly restores heroism to the reality of ancient life.

The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours
The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours

Author: Gregory Nagy

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 2020-01-10

Total Pages: 657

ISBN-13: 0674244192

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What does it mean to be a hero? The ancient Greeks who gave us Achilles and Odysseus had a very different understanding of the term than we do today. Based on the legendary Harvard course that Gregory Nagy has taught for well over thirty years, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours explores the roots of Western civilization and offers a masterclass in classical Greek literature. We meet the epic heroes of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, but Nagy also considers the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the songs of Sappho and Pindar, and the dialogues of Plato. Herodotus once said that to read Homer was to be a civilized person. To discover Nagy’s Homer is to be twice civilized. “Fascinating, often ingenious... A valuable synthesis of research finessed over thirty years.” —Times Literary Supplement “Nagy exuberantly reminds his readers that heroes—mortal strivers against fate, against monsters, and...against death itself—form the heart of Greek literature... [He brings] in every variation on the Greek hero, from the wily Theseus to the brawny Hercules to the ‘monolithic’ Achilles to the valiantly conflicted Oedipus.” —Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Monthly

Kinship Diplomacy in the Ancient World
Kinship Diplomacy in the Ancient World

Author: Christopher Prestige Jones

Publisher: Harvard University Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780674505278

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In this study of the political uses of perceived kinship from the Homeric age to Byzantium, Jones provides an unparalleled view of mythic belief in action and addresses fundamental questions about communal and national identity.

Heroes Masked and Mythic
Heroes Masked and Mythic

Author: Christopher Wood

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2021-01-04

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1476683158

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Epic battles, hideous monsters and a host of petty gods--the world of Classical mythology continues to fascinate and inspire. Heroes like Herakles, Achilles and Perseus have influenced Western art and literature for centuries, and today are reinvented in the modern superhero. What does Iron Man have to do with the Homeric hero Odysseus? How does the African warrior Memnon compare with Marvel's Black Panther? Do DC's Wonder Woman and Xena the Warrior Princess reflect the tradition of Amazon women such as Penthesileia? How does the modern superhero's journey echo that of the epic warrior? With fresh insight into ancient Greek texts and historical art, this book examines modern superhero archetypes and iconography in comics and film as the crystallization of the hero's journey in the modern imagination.

Baby and Child Heroes in Ancient Greece
Baby and Child Heroes in Ancient Greece

Author: Corinne Ondine Pache

Publisher: University of Illinois Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 558

ISBN-13: 9780252029295

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"Baby and Child Heroes in Ancient Greece is the first systematic study of the considerable number of Greek babies and children who became enduring myths, objects of worship, and the recipients of sacrifice." "Examining literary, pictorial, and numismatic representations, Pache opens up a vast territory once occupied by children such as Charila, Opheltes, Melikertes, and the children of Hercules and Medea. She argues that the stories, songs, and sanctuaries honoring these heroes express parental fears and guilt about children's death."--Jacket.

Herakles
Herakles

Author: Emma Stafford

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-06-17

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 1136519270

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There is more material available on Herakles than any other Greek god or hero. His story has many more episodes than those of other heroes, concerning his life and death as well as his battles with myriad monsters and other opponents. In literature, he appears in our earliest Greek epic and lyric poetry, is reinvented for the tragic and comic stage, and later finds his way into such unlikely areas as philosophical writing and love poetry. In art, his exploits are amongst the earliest identifiable mythological scenes, and his easily-recognisable figure with lionskin and club was a familiar sight throughout antiquity in sculpture, vase-painting and other media. He was held up as an ancestor and role-model for both Greek and Roman rulers, and widely worshipped as a god, his unusual status as a hero-god being reinforced by the story of his apotheosis. Often referred to by his Roman name Hercules, he has continued to fascinate writers and artists right up to the present day. In Herakles, Emma Stafford has successfully tackled the ‘Herculean task’ of surveying both the ancient sources and the extensive modern scholarship in order to present a hugely accessible account of this important mythical figure. Covering both Greek and Roman material, the book highlights areas of consensus and dissent, indicating avenues for further study on both details and broader issues. Easy to read, Herakles is perfectly suited to students of classics and related disciplines, and of interest to anyone looking for an insight into ancient Greece’s most popular hero.

Heroes
Heroes

Author: Michael John Anderson

Publisher: Walters Art Gallery

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13:

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"This volume investigates the integral role of heroes in ancient Greek art and culture. More than a hundred statues, reliefs, vases, bronzes, coins, and gems drawn from European and American collections, illustrate the ways in which heroes were represented, why they were important in Greek culture, and what encouraged individuals to seek them out." --Book Jacket.

Crafting Characters
Crafting Characters

Author: Koen De Temmerman

Publisher:

Published: 2014-02

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 0199686149

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Analyzes the characterization of the protagonists in the five extant, so-called 'ideal' Greek novels of the first few centuries C.E., using the conceptual couples of typification/individuation, idealistic/realistic characterization, and static/dynamic character to show their complexity.

Heroes
Heroes

Author: Stephen Fry

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 2018-11-01

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 1405940387

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IMAGINE SANDALS ON YOUR FEET, A SWORD IN YOUR HAND, HOT SUN BEATING DOWN ON YOUR BRONZE HELMET . . . ENTER THE WORLD OF STEPHEN FRY'S SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, HEROES 'An odyssey through Greek mythology. Brilliant . . . all hail Stephen Fry' DAIL MAIL _________ Few mere mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heart-stirring adventures, overcome myriad monstrous perils, or outwitted scheming vengeful gods, quite as stylishly and triumphantly as Greek heroes. In this companion to his bestselling Mythos, Stephen Fry brilliantly retells these dramatic, funny, tragic and timeless tales. Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quests for the Golden Fleece. See Atalanta - who was raised by bears - outrun any man before being tricked with golden apples. Witness wily Oedipus solve the riddle of the Sphinx and discover how Bellerophon captures the winged horse Pegasus to help him slay the monster Chimera. Filled with white-knuckle chases and battles, impossible puzzles and riddles, acts of base cowardice and real bravery, not to mention murders and selfless sacrifices, Heroes is the story of what we mortals are truly capable of - at our worst and our very best. _________ If you loved HEROES, discover Stephen Fry's bewitching retelling of the most legendary story ever told in TROY 'A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' THE TIMES 'Assured and engaging. The pace is lively, the jokes are genuinely funny' GUARDIAN 'An Olympian feat. The gods seem to be smiling on Fry - his myths are definitely a hit' EVENING STANDARD 'Just as delightful and difficult to put down as the first. Heroes makes the stories relatable without skimping on the gory details, or sacrificing the truths of the myth. It's rich, it's funny and you'll feel like you've learned a lot' HERALD PRAISE FOR MYTHOS: 'Ebullient and funny' THE TIMES 'Entertaining and edifying' DAILY TELEGRAPH 'A rollicking good read' INDEPENDENT 'The Greek gods of the past become relatable as pop culture, modern literature and music are woven throughout. Joyfully informal yet full of the literary legacy' GUARDIAN