Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual

"Tantalizingly rich . . . this is a splendid book."--Greece and Rome "Burken relegates his learned documentation to the notes and writes in a lively and fluent style. The book is recommended as a major contribution to the interpretation of ancient Greek myth and ritual. The breadth alone of Burkert's learning renders his book indispensable."--Classical Outlook "Impressive. . . founded on a striking knowledge of the complex evidence (literary, epigraphical, archaeological, comparative) for this extensive subject. Burkert offers a rare combination of exact scholarship with imagination and even humor. A brilliant book, in which . . .the reader can see at every point what is going on in the author's mind--and that is never uninteresting, and rarely unimportant."--Times Literary Supplement "Burkert's work is of such magnitude and depth that it may even contribute to that most difficult of tasks, defining myth, ritual, and religion. . [He] locates his work in the context of culture and the historv of ideas, and he is not hesitant to draw on sociology and biology. Consequently his work is of significance for philosophers, historians, and even theologians, as well as for classicists and historians of Greek culture. His hypotheses are courageous and his conclusions are bold; both establish standards for methodology as well as results. "--Religious Studies Review

Walter Burkert was a German scholar of Greek mythology and cult. A professor of classics at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, he taught in the UK and the US.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Preface
Abbreviations

I. THE ORGANIZATION OF MYTH
1. Tales, Texts, and Reference
2. Propp's Heritage and Illuyankas
3. The Impact of Levi-Strauss and Its Limitations
4. Programs of Action
5. Crystallizations: Kumarbi and Kronos
6. The Tale Applied
7. The Historical Dimension
8. Successive Layers and Prehistoric Beginnings

II. THE PERSISTENCE OF RITUAL
1. The Biological Approach
2. Herms, Libations, and Branches
3. The Demonstrative and the As-If Element in Ritual
4. First-Fruits Offerings
5. The Evolution of Animal Sacrifice
6. Myth and Ritual

III. TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE SCAPEGOAT
1. Erythrai, Hittites, and Devotio
2. Scapegoat and Pharmakos
3. The Dynamics of the Pattern
4. Polycrite, The Virgins of Leuctra, and Tarpeia

IV. HERACLES AND THE MASTER OF ANIMALS
1. Greek Origins?
2. The Oriental Evidence
3. Geryon
4. Cacus, Indra, and Melampus
5. Shamans and Caves
6. Hunter, Hero, Savior

V. THE GREAT GoDDESS, ADONIS, AND HIPPOLYTUS
1. The Dying God
2. Kubaba-Cybele-Meter
3. From Dumuzi to Adonis Cult
4. The Myths ofDumuzi, Adonis, and Attis
5. Hippolytus
6. The Hunters' Legacy

VI. FROM TELEPINUS TO THELPUSA: IN SEARCH OF
DEMETER
1. Telepinus
2. Phigalia and Thelpusa: Demeter's Wrath
3. The Plank and the Pectoral
4. Daidala
5. Eiresione and Daphnephoria
6. The Woods, the Tree, and the Sacrifice
7. Mother and Daughter: The Crystallization of Greek
Mythology
Notes to Chapter I
Notes to Chapter II
Notes to Chapter III
Notes to Chapter IV
Notes to Chapter V
Notes to Chapter VI
Bibliography
Selected Index