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Mythology Questions

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 4:52 pm
by Thenerdyjew
Hello everyone,

I am trying to get really good at Mythology, and I was wondering if anybody knew of a good family-tree or something like that for Mythology, or anything that would really just help me see everybody's families in the mythology systems. I know that this is kind of a big question, especially considering that Mythology is such a broad topic.

Anyways, thanks in advance!

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:06 pm
by Mewto55555
When I was younger, I ripped out the family trees in the back of my copy of Hamilton, dipped them in coffee and let them dry to make them appear old, and then hung them up on my wall, right next to my similarly doctored Lord of the Rings family trees.

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:58 pm
by Urech hydantoin synthesis
The back of Edith Hamilton's Mythology contains family trees of most of the characters in Greek mythology. The book itself is also an excellent guide to Greek myth.

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 6:54 pm
by Skepticism and Animal Feed
I found that making my own family trees was an excellent way to learn mythology. I would write down the names of gods and their function/role underneath them.

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:46 pm
by DumbJaques
I guess that will work out really well if people keep writing those tossups that are just laundry lists of various familial associations, but I wish people would stop doing that (the disparity in who various sources will identify as relations/plethora of figures who may or may not share someone's name can really make them agonizing to play on). If you actually like mythology, I'd just read through the myths - there's really good stuff in there, and myth is somewhat unique among qb categories in that some of the most scholarly stuff out there tends to frequently be filled with buzzable information.

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:37 pm
by Harpie's Feather Duster
Reading the Hamilton book previously mentioned, The Illiad, The Oddysey, and the Eddas are all recommended to get good at Mythology, since Greco-Roman and Norse are the two most popular branches of Mythology in Quizbowl.

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:24 pm
by No Electricity Required
I would recommend The Greek Myths by Robert Graves. This would presumable fall under the category of good, helpful scholarly stuff that Chris mentioned.I've also heard good things about reading Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:48 pm
by 1992 in spaceflight
No Electricity Required wrote:I would recommend The Greek Myths by Robert Graves. This would presumable fall under the category of good, helpful scholarly stuff that Chris mentioned.I've also heard good things about reading Ovid's Metamorphoses.
Ovid's Metamorphoses has a lot of stories I heard as a kid (like Apollo and Daphne, for example). It's a great resource for that and if you want to look at a source that served as an inspiration for Shakespeare.

Re: Mythology Questions

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:01 pm
by unleashmayhem
Sources for Learning Mythology

Books:
The Aeneid by Vergil - Considered one of the greatest works of Roman literature and is
therefore often a topic of a quiz bowl question by itself. The people encountered by Aeneas are
popular topics, and the epic also provides us with the end of the Trojan War, including the
story of the Trojan Horse.
Bulfinch's Mythology - Has actual translations of many ancient authors sqch as Ovid. Mainly
focuses on Greco-Roman myth but also has large sections for Arthurian legend, other British
mythology, and folklore from Charlemagne's reign. Also touches on Egyptian, Norse, and
Eastern myth.
Encyclopedia of World Mythology - Covers thematic elements of different mythologies as well
as relating individual myths. Goes into more detail than Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology.
The Greek Myths by Robert Graves - Has more detail and description of individual myths than
nearly any other source.
Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology (published by DK) - Touches on nearly every major culture
throughout the world. Has some great historical pictures but only offers a general overview of
some of the more extensive mythologies.
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton - Often used as a text in
high school or college. An easy to read guide that covers nearly all major aspects of Greek,
Roman, and Norse mythology ..
Myths of the Norsemen and Myths of Northern Lands by H. A. Guerber - Great job of both
telling the stories of Norse myth and describing the many gods and heroes

Websites:
Encyclopedia Mythica - www.pantheon.org: Comprehensive encyclopedia covering mythology
and folklore of 26 different regions. Also includes helpful charts and pictures.
Greek Mythology Link - www.maicar.com/GMU: A very detailed site on Greek myth. Includes
different interpretations of myths as well as some incredibly detailed maps and charts.
Greek Gods Family Tree - www.ludios.org/greekgods: A family tree showing the connections
between most of the Greek gods. Clicking a name links to Wikipedia.
InfopleaseAlmanac- http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0197622.html: A good general reference
for quiz bowl, but this specific URL will link you to a dictionary of Greek and Roman
mythological characters. Clicking a name will bring you to a short article with more information
about it.