#mythanswers

[shiiimmer]

where do i start with greek mythology? like, what do i read/look at to learn as much as possible?

I’m really not the right person to ask about this, because basically all my knowledge comes from a year of Classical Studies I took in high school. You could try asking mythaelogy, mytholgy, or facinaoris. 

I’d suggest starting with some of the basic source texts, the stories that the Ancient Greeks themselves told and heard. Get a copy with a good index of gods, people and creatures in the back (including aliases), or you might be confused. I recommend: 

Theogony by Hesiod describes the creation of the world and the gods.

Metamorphoses by Ovid is actually about the Roman mythology (there are some differences, as I explained here), but it’s a pretty classic work that I personally recommend.

The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer are also widely accepted as some of the great classics. I didn’t personally enjoy The Odyssey, but it’s definitely a centerpiece in ancient literature, and has affected story-telling up until our time. You can also read The Song of Achilles, a re-writing of The Iliad with focus on Achilles’ and Patroclus’ relationship by a Classics teacher. 

The tragedies of Euripides (including Medea) are also fundamental.

You could also look into some of the ancient philosophers to get a better understanding of the world surrounding these stories, and read up on the history.

Most of these are available for free online (copyright wasn’t invented back in the B.C.s, lucky you!) 

Here is a recommended reading list for Greek Mythology

Here is a Greek Mythology introduction

If someone reading this has any recommendations/links to other guides, send an ask and I’ll add it in the post (:

[shiiimmer]

what are some big similarities and differences between Greek and Roman mythology?

Okay, so I’m in no way educated to make an in-depth analysis, but I’ve looked around the internet and thought back to that one ancient history class I took. If you want a more in-depth answer, I’d forward you to mythaelogy or maybe some of the members of fyeahmyths.

Most of the similarities come from the fact that the Romans “borrowed” a lot from the Greeks - whether their architectural or literate styles or their gods. Most of the Roman gods are Greek gods with different names and sometimes slightly different traits (fx Aphrodite became Venus), which is where most of the similarities come from. However, the main works of each mythology came about 1.000 years apart, which is why they also differ a lot. Here’s some of what I’ve found:

 Main writers: In Greek mythology, the myths are chronicled by Homer in the Iliad. In Roman mythology, the main work was the Aenid by Vergil.

Myth of origin: In Greek mythology as well as philosophy, there existed an idea that universe (and therefore the earth and humanity) came from a prehistoric chaos consisting of nothingness (this is showed in the Theogony). I don’t quite remember if Vergil touches upon myths of origin (I couldn’t find anything about it), but in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the earth and the universe came from chaos consisting of all the universe’s elements existing muddled together without boundaries - much like the black hole at the beginning of time in Hawking’s Big Bang theory. 

Physical life vs. afterlife: In Greek mythology, the mortals (especially the heroes) hold equal importance to the gods. There is focus on what you do in life, your contributions to society, rather than what happens after death. In Roman mythology, it was the deeds of the gods, not the mortals, that fascinated the readers. Mortals strove to be rewarded in the afterlife, and perhaps be given a place amongst the gods. 

Actions and traits: Greek mythology was more individualistic than Roman mythology, with focus on the deeds of the individual rather than the group. The Greeks revered intelligence and creativity, and poets were beloved. In Roman mythology, action was put over thought and words. The warrior was sacred. 

The gods: In Greek mythology, the gods had human traits. They were described as beautiful and handsome, usually very fit, basically the personifications of physical as well as intellectual traits that were seen as ideal by society. The gods were more “human”, and were named after human traits that they embodied, such as Dignity, Honor and Love, or the role that they held (i.e. Zeus meaning “sky” or “weather”). In Roman mythology, the gods were removed from the physical world. They became more gods than entertainment and were named after objects, such as the planets, rather than their traits. They were genderless and did not have a physical appearance.

I hope this helped!! If anyone sees anything I did wrong, or want to add something, please send me an ask or reblog this where you add whatever you want to say, and I’ll put it in the original post (: 

[shiiimmer]

Hi! Sorry for the delayed response! The post I was talking about was the one about the "utilegumenn" :)

No need to apologize! This is actually a question that I’m happy to answer, because the útilegumenn are so fascinating to me. 

My interest sprung from Á Sprengisandi which is the song that I used for the edit. It’s a song that my mom sang to me a lot during my childhood, and for me it captures the “feeling” of the myth really well. The way I imagine it in my head is female accapella, but it is a folk song and this is the best I could find. 

The first thing that’s important to know is that the útilegumenn did, in fact, exist. The name translates to “outlaws” (úti = outside of; legu = laws; menn = men), and mostly they were men and women who had broken the law and fled their villages. There is a general agreement that there was a sense community among the útilegumenn, and that they formed bands. The most famous outlaw was Fjalla-Eyvindur, who fled with his wife to the mountains sometime in the 1700s. Not much else is known of the útilegumenn outside of lore and fiction, however it is believed that poets from further back in history took, as Jóhann Sigurjónsson did with Fjalla-Eyvindur, actual útileigumenn and crafted stories and songs about them. Just as with the rest of the Icelandic folklore, the stories about the útilegumenn are generally believed to be based on truth.

The útilegumenn, as mentioned, fled from their communities after having broken the law. They lived closer to the centre of Iceland in the mountains, which is almost inhabitable and where they had privacy. Most of the stories and songs written about them have either a very romantic or a very negative view of them - in romantic stories, they are free men who live in close companionship with fairies and trolls in fertile valleys and close to hot springs. In the more realistic, negative view, they are thieves and murderers and are associated with lost and stolen treasures that people misplace when they pass the mountains (especially at night). In these stories, they are still sometimes associated with magic, fairies and nature, such as in Á Sprengisandi. These stories encourage you to never travel through the mountains at night, especially not alone. 

I hope this answered your question. In case you want to know more, here are some resources: 

Icelandic Review Online answers a question about the Icelandic outlaws 

The Icelandic Web of Science answers: Did the outlaws live alone or in bands? 

Bernarc Hirsch of The University of Nottingham, The Life of an Icelandic Outlaw (comparative analysis of Gislá Saga and Grettis Saga) 

Grettis Saga on Wikipedia 

You can also come to me with more questions, but this is all I know from the top of my head, so I’d have to do research (and I swear to god, when I google útilegumenn, it’s just my post showing over and over again).

Good luck once more with your book!