Greek myths are not just narratives; they are a complex cultural phenomenon intertwined with religion, society, politics, literature, philosophy, and art. An integral part of Greek and Western culture, these myths were interpreted allegorically during the Christian Middle Ages, inspired Renaissance art, and continue to enrich the themes of literature, the visual arts, and pop culture to this day.

The handbook by Fritz Graf, one of the leading scholars of ancient religion, neither narrates nor reconstructs Greek myths; it explains the history of their study, the key interpretative approaches, and the role that myths played in the religious, social, and cultural life of the ancient Greeks.

It serves as a valid resource for teaching Greek mythology at the university level as well as for informing the discerning reading public. The Greek edition, augmented and enriched, is accompanied by a witty text from the great Polish philosopher Leszek Kolakowski, which illustrates the problematic nature of different epistemological approaches to the study of mythology.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]