Thursday, November 16, 2017

The Greek Myths Volume One and Two by Robert Graves


It's been a sad week.  My little dog Breeya had to be put down.  Unlike Odie, she was not completely incapacitated, but she was so anxious and unhappy.  All night long she would run in and out of her doggy door and howl.  It wasn't typical howling.  It was a hoarse rasping.  She could not see or hear and was confused.  I finally had to decide if this ghost of the beautiful dog I once knew was worth preserving.

Derek, Breeya, Odie and me.  When we were young.


A couple of days later, I went to feed my guinea pigs to find Little Bear dead.  No sign of trauma, nothing.  He was only two years old.  I don't know why he died.

I have actually been more shocked over Little Bear than Breeya who had been sliding down the hill for the past year.  Little Bear was fine that morning when I was holding and cuddling him. When I went out to his pen in the afternoon he was lying very still in the tall grass.  We looked him over thoroughly.  There is nothing to indicate why he died.


Josh with Little Bear and Percy


Death, even with pets, is filled with sorrow.  I have been checking up on my little fatso, Percy, throughout the day, to see if he is OK.  So far, just as fat and sassy as ever.

Sorry to turn this into a lamentation for my pets.  It's been a rough year on that front.  At least there's still Percy and Hercaloo.

Hercaloo looking down at the piggies.  Trying to decide which one to nip, no doubt.




I find Paul Hindemith's Harp Sonata reflective and peaceful.  You can listen here.


The Greek MythsThe Greek Myths by Robert Graves

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Robert Graves is quite thorough in writing about the myths and at the end of each story, he provides foot notes that can be as long as the story itself.

Some of the footnotes are speculative. "This god replaced an earlier pagan god etc.". It is difficult to know these things or the origins of any of these stories. But Graves gives his educated guesses and they are worth pondering.

In Graves' version the myths are not child friendly and a lot more graphic than I remember Edith Hamilton's version. I have not read Hamilton's version in many years, so I suppose I could be wrong. She also includes stories that Graves leaves out.

Graves seems to lean heavily on saga, which I appreciated since I recently read the Iliad and the Odyssey. He also fills in the gaps those two poems leave, letting us know how the Trojan War began and what happened to some of the key players such as Achilles, who is alive in the Iliad, but already dead in the Odyssey.



Another asset to Graves' collection is that he provides a cohesive chronology which seamlessly ties the gods and their origins, and also the heroes and their adventures together.  This allows the reader to gain a greater understanding of how all the stories fit inside of each other's story.  For example Heracles and his labors overlap Jason and the Argonauts.  In Graves' version we can see each myth separately, but also how they are a part of each other's story line.
 
I do not know if Robert Graves has a certain predilection towards the salacious (his books, I, Claudius and Claudius the God were pretty lewd) or if he is simply preserving a faithful translation of the stories. He has been criticized for relying too heavily on Suetonius' histories, who is also known for creating scandals that are not as historically reliable as they should be.

Simply put, The Greek Myths Volume One and Two , are filled with violence and perversion. Every single story contains murder and rape. No Greek hero is exempt from practicing treachery, adultery, and, in one instance, necrophilia. Leaving children out for exposure was common. Many of the heroes were spared from an early death by compassionate shepherds, or even female animals who nursed them.

Women are treated savagely by men, and especially Zeus who ravaged the countryside without mercy.

These women were not only the victims of this heinous crime but they also got to be punished for it by the ever jealous Hera.

The female goddesses were not much better than the gods. Both male and female gods' sense of justice was based largely on caprice and selfish ambition. There seemed to be very little reason other than a cruel nature behind any of their actions.

Ancient Greece is known for being the intellectual epicenter of the B.C. epoch, but I have to conclude that these myths, as Robert Graves tells them, were formed during a much earlier time when the Greeks were no more than tribal barbarians steeped in pagan practice that by today's standards of morality seem demonic.


It certainly gives me a greater appreciation for our concepts of justice, mercy and humanity that we take can take for granted in our country.  These values did not always exist and sadly, do not exist in many parts of the world.



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Hand feeding Little Bear grated carrot.

14 comments:

Mudpuddle said...

I'm really very sorry to hear about Little Bear and Breeya... it's so hard when they go... we lost uncle wiggly, our 4 lb. chihuahua last year and we're still not over it... condolences...
and i'm astonished that you read the Graves Myths... i've got two separate editions of this work that i've been trying off and on to get into for over ten years... i find him, in this work anyway, difficult to read... and now that you've told me how vicious it is, i'll most likely get rid of both... i've read a lot of Graves, including his poetry and have enjoyed him quite a bit; but this collection is not for me, i guess... many tx for the hard slog and valuable review: it gave me important information...
and i have to say: Josh is my son's name and your husband looks so much like my son in law i just can't believe it; remarkable resemblance...

RTD said...

I hope your sorrow will be softened by your loving memories. I understand your sorrow; three of my best friends, furry little fellows, have become memories.

RTD said...

Unlike the U.S., the Greeks had no written record of their beginnings, so myths were essential building blocks. Always fascinating, sometimes disturbing, they’re worth knowing. Thanks for your top-notch review. I’m eager now to revisit those gods and goddesses and monsters and mortals.

Brian Joseph said...

I am so sorry to hear about Breeya and Little Bear. I love animals and I find the loss of pets very difficult to take.

Great commentary on this book. I like analysis of literature, especially Classical Literature. You raise such a good point about the morality, or lack of morality, behind these works. It can be very shocking. It is difficult to wrap one’s head around the fact that fact that these things were accepted, often without question. Our civilization, despite its flaws, has made a lot of moral progress. These works do a lot of things, one of those things is to remind us just how much morality has progressed.

I hope that you have a better week then last week. Take care.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Mudpuddle. Uncle Wiggly is such a cute name and I know why because Chihuahuas do wiggle a lot.

I have another edition of Classical Myths by mark Morford and Robert Lenardon. I'll be interested to see how they compare. And I want to read Hamilton's over again. I'm wondering if Graves was especially salacious.

That's funny about your son-in-law. Josh is such a popular name these days. I seem to know half a dozen Josh's. Interesting that they look alike...

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi R.T. I do have good memories and I also took a lot of photos. I even made a children's book of photos of my piggies for my little nieces.

Sharon Wilfong said...

R.T. When you do, I hope you will write a review about them. I look forward to reading it.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Thanks, Brian. I appreciate it.

I agree that we cannot take human rights for granted as though they will always be with us. We need to preserve them the best we can. To assume that everyone in the world values life the way we do is a mistake.

Take care and have a good weekend.

Mudpuddle said...

no, Josh doesn't, much, it's David, my daughter's husband...

Sharon Wilfong said...

Oh...I see. I read that wrong. :)

Cleo said...

My condolences, Sharon, over your loses. It's very hard to lose just one pet but two in a short time is so hard. My rabbit, Whiskers, who was about 12 years old (amazing for a rabbit) died a couple of months ago and I miss his sunny little face. As time passes I hope things get easier. Sending peaceful prayers your way!

Sharon Wilfong said...

Thanks, Cleo, I appreciate it. That's a long time for a rabbit. They seem so delicate. They're really cute, aren't they. I had a Jersey Devil once.

Have you read the Greek Myths translated by Graves or do you know of a better translation?

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry for the loss of your beloved pets. Beautiful choice of music for this post. Harp music is so relaxing. It's been a long time since I've read any Greek myths, but I've always enjoyed stories (and movies) on that subject. Take care and have a nice Thanksgiving, Sharon. p.s. great picture of you and your loved ones.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Thanks Marcia. I love harp music as well. I am now reading another translation of the myths to compare. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!