Prefatory notes were written by Hamilton; the introduction was written by Cairns. See Edith Hamilton and Huntington Cairns, ed. (1961). The Collected Dialogues of Plato, Including the Letters. Bollingen Series. Vol.LXXI. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. (Second printing, with corrections, March 1963; third printing, October 1964; fourth printing, October 1966; fifth printing, March 1969; sixth printing, May 1971. Robert Kanigel (1998). Vintage Reading: From Plato to Bradbury. Bancroft Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-9631246-7-8. Hercules: Considered the greatest Greek hero (and certainly the strongest), Hercules kills his children when Hera puts him under a spell. To purify himself, he embarks on incredible challenges and succeeds. Many scholars note that the story of Persephone captures the important spirit of the natural process. As the descent and return of the goddess bring about the seasons, so too does her transition resemble the birth-and-death cycle of all living things. One of the most innocent characters in Greek mythology, Persephone shows that youth must eventually grow old and die. The Greek creation story begins with only Chaos, Night, and Death. Next comes Love, and with it Heaven and Earth, and then monsters and the godlike Titans. The gods, who are children of the Titan Cronus, overthrow their father (led by Zeus) and rule the universe. They then create humans, who populate the earth along with other supernatural creatures. Hades is the land of the dead.

In the fall of 1895 the Hamilton sisters departed for Germany, [20] where Alice intended to continue her studies in pathology at the University of Leipzig and Edith planned to study the classics and attend lectures. [21] At that time, most North American women, including Edith and Alice, registered as auditors for their classes. [22] [23] When the sisters arrived in Leipzig, they found a fair number of foreign women studying at the university. They were informed that women could attend lectures, but they were expected to remain "invisible" and would not be allowed to participate in discussions. [23]Early life and education [ edit ] Childhood and family [ edit ] The Hamilton sisters: Edith, Alice, Margaret and Norah Many of the facts in The Greek Way (1930) have surprised modern readers. One reviewer in Australia explained Hamilton's view "that the spirit of our age is a Greek discovery, and that the Greeks were really the first Westerners, and the first intellectualists." The same reviewer also credited the book with noting that modern concepts of play and sport were actually common activities to the Greeks, who engaged in exercise and athletic events, including games, races, and music, dancing, and wrestling competitions, among others. [49] The son of King Aegeus of Athens and a quintessential Athenian hero. Theseus is the model citizen: a kind leader, good to his friends and countrymen. Theseus does have his shortcomings, however: he abandons Ariadne, and later doubts his own son, which leads to his tragic demise. Jason Fearsome one-eyed giants, of whom Polyphemus is the most famous. In some myths they are the children of Heaven and Earth; in others they are the sons of Poseidon. They forge the thunderbolts of Zeus, who favors them. Polyphemus

She lives happily with him, never seeing him, until one day he tells her that her sisters have been crying for her. She begs to see them, but her husband replies that it would not be wise to do so. Psyche insists that they visit, and when they do, they become extremely jealous of Psyche's beautiful mansion and lush quarters. They deduce that Psyche has never seen her husband, and they convince her that she must sneak a look. Confused and conflicted, Psyche turns on a lamp one night as her husband lies next to her. The counterpart of Zeus in Norse mythology. Odin is a quiet, brooding figure. He trades one of his eyes and suffers for nine nights to attain the insights of the Well of Wisdom, which he passes on to men along with the mystical powers of the runes and poetry. Odin rewards fallen warriors with a place in Valhalla, the Hall of the Slain. He bears the burden of delaying Ragnarok, the day of doom for both the gods and mortals, as long as possible. Hela In 1884 Edith began two years of study at Miss Porter's Finishing School for Young Ladies (now known as Miss Porter's School) in Farmington, Connecticut, where attendance was a family tradition for the Hamilton women. [1] Three of Hamilton's aunts, three cousins, and her three sisters attended the school. [17]

According to her biographer, Barbara Sicherman, Hamilton's life was "ruled by a passionately nonconformist vision" that was also the source of her "strength and vitality" as well as her "appeal as public figure and author." [30] However, Hamilton was not, and did not claim to be, a scholar. She did not attempt to present excessive detailed facts from the past. Instead, Hamilton focused on readability and uncovering "truths of the spirit," which she found from ancient writers. [30] Drawing from Greek, Roman, Hebrew, and early Christian writings, Hamilton put into words what ancient people were like by concentrating on what they wrote about their own lives. Using the qualities and styles of the ancient writers, she emulated their directness, strived for perfection, and did not include footnotes. [31] The Greek Way Meanwhile, Psyche and her family become worried that she will never find a husband, for although men admire her beauty, they always seem content to marry someone else. Psyche's father prays to Apollo for help, and Apollo instructs her to go to the top of a hill, where she will marry not a man but a serpent. Psyche bravely follows the instructions and falls asleep on the hill. When she wakes up, she discovers a stunning mansion. Going inside, she relaxes and enjoys fine food and luxurious treatment. At night, in the dark, she meets and falls in love with her husband. Kennedy, Robert F. "Robert F Kennedy Speeches", The Kennedy Library, Boston, 4 April 1968. Retrieved on 09 October 2018. We follow the drama of the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus. We hear the tales of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Cupid and Psyche, and mighty King Midas. We discover the origins of the names of the constellations. And we recognize reference points for countless works for art, literature and culture inquiry-from Freud's Oedipus complex to Wagner's Ring Cycle of operas to Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra Hamilton was born in 1867 to an American family living in Dresden, Germany, and grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1894, she graduated from Bryn Mawr, a women’s school in Baltimore, and was then appointed headmistress there in 1896. In 1922, she retired from her headmistress position to focus on her writing and her studies of ancient Greek and Roman civilization. Hamilton’s experiences at Bryn Mawr undoubtedly affected the perspective of Mythology, where the theme of women struggling in a male-dominated world runs throughout the text. She died in 1963, having been made an honorary citizen of Athens, an award that signified what she considered the pinnacle of her life.

Again, Hamilton is not the original author of these myths, but their compiler from a variety of classical poets from ancient Greek and Roman civilization. Greek civilization flowered first, generating the paradigms, frameworks, and myths that the Romans later adopted. The earliest poet Hamilton uses is a Greek one—Homer, who is said to have composed the Iliad and the Odyssey around 1,000 b.c.. These two works are the two oldest known Greek texts and are—with their clear and widespread influence—considered fundamental texts of Western culture and literature. Their depictions of heroism have provided models for social morals and ethics that still resonate today. Their imaginative power has achieved no less: their characters, images, and narratives have continued to fascinate generations of readers and guide multitudes of artists. Alice Hamilton became a resident of Chicago's Hull House, a settlement house that offered food, shelter, and educational classes as a charitable effort on the part of wealthy donors and scholars who volunteered their time. She later became a noted pioneer in industrial toxicology, a professor of pathology Woman's Medical School of Northwestern University, a special scientific investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Labor. In 1919 Alice became the first woman professor (assistant professor of internal medicine) at Harvard Medical School. Later in life she was a reformer, political activist, and consultant in the U.S. Division of Labor Standards. She also served as president of the National Consumers League and authored textbooks on industrial poisons and industrial toxicolory. See: Barbara Sicherman and Carol Hurd Green (1980). Notable American Women: The Modern Period, A Biographical Dictionary. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard University. pp. 303–06. ISBN 978-0-674-62732-1. The half-man, half-bull monster that terrorizes Minos’s Labyrinth. It is killed by Theseus. The Sphinx Endymion: A beautiful boy, Endymion, wins the affection of the Moon Goddess, Selene. She puts him under a spell that makes him forever asleep and continues to be lonely. Dionysus: Dionysus grew up in a verdant land and became the wine god. Like wine itself, he proves himself to be alternatively fun and harsh.Hamilton intended to remain in Munich, Germany, to earn a doctoral degree, but her plans changed after Martha Carey Thomas, president of Bryn Mawr College, persuaded Hamilton to return to the United States. In 1896 Hamilton became head administrator of Bryn Mawr School. [20] Founded in 1885 as a college preparatory school for girls in Baltimore, Maryland, Bryn Mawr School was the country's only private high school for women that prepared all of its students for collegiate coursework. The school's students were required to pass Bryn Mawr College's entrance exam as a requirement for graduation. [13] [19] Edith Hamilton, the eldest child of American parents Gertrude Pond (1840–1917) and Montgomery Hamilton (1843–1909), was born on August 12, 1867, in Dresden, Germany. Shortly after her birth, the Hamilton family returned to the United States and made their home in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where Edith's grandfather, Allen Hamilton, had settled in the early 1820s. Edith spent her youth among her extended family in Fort Wayne. [6] [7] The Cyclops Polyphemus: The evil Cyclops traps Odysseus and his men inside a cave until Odysseus blinds the monster and escapes under the bellies of Polyphemus's rams. Pygmalion: A talented artist falls in love with a sculpture he made of a woman. Just when he gives up on the futile relationship, Venus takes pity and turns the statue into a living woman.

Although her books were successful and popular among readers, she conceded "that it was hopeless to persuade Americans to be Greeks" and that "life had become far too complex since the age of Pericles to recapture the simple directness of Greek life... the calm lucidity of the Greek mind, which convinced the great thinkers of Athens of their mastery of truth and enlightenment." [4] The Prophets of Israel Also known as Gaea or Mother Earth. She is the first being to emerge in the universe, born somehow out of the forces of Love, Light, and Day. She gives birth to Heaven, who then becomes her husband. This story is vastly different from the Christian creation myth, in which a deity exists first and then fashions the Earth. Heaven Singer, Sandra L. (2003). Adventures Abroad: North American Women at German-Speaking Universities, 1868–1915. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-09686-0. Dive into the timeless tales of gods and heroes in this bestselling A-to-Z encyclopedia detailing classic myths and legends—perfect for curious readers and academics alike. Edith Hamilton's mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek, Roman and Norse myths that are the keystone of Western culture—the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.

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a b c d e f g h i j Janice Lee Jayes, "Hamilton, Edith (1867–1963)" in Anne Commire, ed. (2002). Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Vol.6. Detroit: Yorkin Publications. p.728 . Retrieved April 19, 2017. The son of the king of Thebes. Oedipus frees Thebes from the menace of the Sphinx and marries the widowed queen, Jocasta, unaware that she is his mother. Learning the truth later, he faces fate and blinds himself as penance. More recent writers have used Hamilton's observations in contrasting the civilizations and cultures of the East with that of the West. In comparing ancient Egypt with Greece, for instance, Hamilton's writing describes the unique geography, climate, agriculture, and government. Historian James Golden cites from The Greek Way that "Egyptian society was preoccupied with death." Its pharaohs erected giant monuments to themselves to impress future generations and its priests advised the slaves to "look forward to an afterlife." [35] Golden used Hamilton's research to contrast these differences with the Greeks, especially the Athenians. Hamilton argued that individual "perfection of mind and body" dominated Greek thought and as a result, the Greeks "excelled at philosophy and sports" and that life "in all its exuberant potential" was the hallmark of Greek civilization. [35] The Roman Way The stories of mythology involve many tales about the gods and their interactions with each other and with mortals. The stories begin at the beginning of time and proceed through the first few generations of gods and goddesses until they begin to interact with humans. Doing so creates a wide variety of troubles for humans and gods alike. After retiring as an educator in 1922 and moving to New York City in 1924, Hamilton began a second career as an author of essays and best-selling books on ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. [30] She had studied Greek and Latin from her youth and it remained her lifelong interest. "I came to the Greeks early," Hamilton told an interviewer when she was ninety-one, "and I found answers in them. Greece's great men let all their acts turn on the immortality of the soul. We don't really act as if we believed in the soul's immortality and that's why we are where we are today." [4]