Myth & Symbol I
Symbolic Phenomena in Ancient Greek Culture

Edited By Synnove Des Bouvrie
December 2002
Paul Astroms Forlag
ISBN: 82-91626-21-9
332 pages, Illustrated, 7" x 9 1/2"
$68.50 Paper Original

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The present volume is the result of a joint effort of a group of scholars who felt the need to discuss the nature of what is commonly labeled "myth," all being actively engaged in the interpretation of concrete expressions of ancient, mostly Greek, culture. Despite the fact that two centuries of scholarly debate have passed and wonderful progress has been made in interpreting specific manifestations of "myth" during the last 25 or so years, there still exists a palpable reluctance to define "myth" in a clear and concise way. A recently held congress on the theme of ancient myth did not address the problem at all. It is within this situation we felt the necessity to address the crucial question of definition within a comparative framework. The result was a symposium held at the University of Tromso in the midnight sun of 1998. It was not our aim to endorse once more some ethnocentric belief in the universal existence of a category of tales, "myths," but on the contrary, to discuss the problem and examine the various assumptions and questions that have dominated the study of "Greek myths."

Ancient History
Papers from the Norwegian Institute at Athens No. 5

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