My introduction to Robert Graves was from reading his novel I, Claudius. I remember very much enjoying it and I would like to revisit it. But Graves has written much more than that, including two volumes on the Greek Myths.
There are two things I like about this collection. One is that it covers a wider spectrum of Greek myths than are found in many collections. I found it quite refreshing.
Another thing is that Graves was a talented writer. Wait, Graves didn’t write the myths, he only collected and edited the, right? Before I answer that, Graves does present the myths in a very entertaining fashion.
However, if you are looking to do even semi-scholarly work on Greek myths, this is not the right resource. Graves collected whatever he could find related to a particular myth and blended it all together even if the version he presents is not found in any one text. There are different versions of many of the myths and they are not meant to be blended together.
Another problem is that after each myth, he gives his interpretation of the origin and meaning of the myth. There are some pretty wild interpretations. He often sees myths in the context of the triple moon goddesses and can find that image pretty much anywhere.
I am glad that I read the introduction by the editor, Kenneth McLeish. This statement gives you an idea of what to expect:
His comments on the stories, printed at the end of each section, are a magpie’s nest of anecdotes, other people’s half-digested ideas, bucking-bronco rides on every Gravesian hoppy-horse from magic mushrooms to goddess-fixation, and the purest fantasy.
Actually, as I was reading this collection of myths, I was reminded of some of the 19th century Jesus Mythicists that I have read. They would collect images from a wide selection of chronological and geographical sources and blend them together.
Graves, like many of the early Mythicists, was not trained as scholar in classics. That’s not to say that Graves was unintelligent. He had an obvious love for the material and was a gifted author.
Probably, Graves greatest contribution was his historical fiction. Few classicists today would turn to Graves for scholarly interpretations. But they might read him to regain the sense of wonder that these amazing stories offer.
