PERSEUS – GODS AND HEROES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD pdf

Perseus – Gods and Heroes of The Ancient World

PERSEUS – GODS AND HEROES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

The son of Zeus, Perseus belongs in the first rank of Greek heroes. Indeed, to some, he was a greater hero even than Heracles.

With the help of Hermes and Athena he slew the Gorgon Medusa, conquered a mighty sea monster and won the hand of the beautiful princess Andromeda.

This volume tells of his enduring myth, its rendering in art and literature, and its reception through the Roman period and up to the modern day.

This is the first scholarly book in English devoted to Perseus’ myth in its entirety for over a century. With information drawn from a diverse range of sources as well as varied illustrations, the volume illuminates the importance of the Perseus myth throughout the ages.

WHY GODS AND HEROES?

The gods and heroes of classical antiquity are part of our culture. Many functions as sources of creative inspiration for poets, novelists, artists, composers, filmmakers, and designers. Greek tragedy’s

enduring appeal has ensured an ongoing familiarity with its protagonists’ experiences and sufferings, while the choice of Minerva as the logo of one of the newest British universities, the University of Lincoln, demonstrates the ancient gods’ continued emblematic

potential. Even the world of management has used them as representatives of different styles: Zeus and the ‘club’ culture for example, and Apollo and the ‘role’ culture: see C. ffandy, The Gods of Management: Who they are, how they work and why they fail, London, 1978.

This series is concerned with how and why these figures continue to fascinate and intrigue. But it has another aim too, namely to explore their strangeness.

The familiarity of the gods and heroes’ risks obscuring a vital difference between modern meanings and ancient functions and purpose.

With certain exceptions, people today do not worship them, yet to the Greeks and Romans they were