The book is dedicated to the ways in which Greek and Roman poets and scientists collected, systematized and presented myths. Its central part talks about one of these methods - the plot; it is based on those objective principles of any coherent and complete narrative, which Aristotle speaks of in “Poetics” and which later began to be called “unity of action”. The appendix to the book contains the treatise of the False Plutarch “On Rivers” (original text, translation and commentary), a rare example of a kind of “science fiction” for antiquity, using, along with others, the principles of plot mythography.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION

Mythology and mythography. ...................5History of mythography in the ΧΙΧ-ΧΧ centuries... 11The words “mythographer” and “mythography” in ancient Greek language......................... 15 “Mythography” in the modern sense.. 20 Limitation of the subject.................. .......... 22Menander of Laodicea and myths in hymns ..25

TYPES OF MYTHOGRAPHY ....................... ...............31

GENEALOGICAL MYTHOGRAPHY............32Genealogical epic ........... ............35Classics of prose genealogy......47Heirs of classical genealogy: chronography and commentary on Homer.... 60

CHOROGRAPHIC MYTHOGRAPHY .......... 70

“EPIC KICKLE” ........................... .......90

EUHEMERISM AND SCHWINDELLITERATUR .... 94Herodorus of Heraclea ........................... ....95 Euhemerus ................................................. ..97 Dionysius Scytobrachion ..................... 103 “Post-euhemerism” ........................... 119

FABUL MYTHOGRAPHY......... ............... 124

ARISTOTLE: “MYTH” AND UNITY OF ACTION................... ......................... I26

ARGUMENTS FOR TRAGEDIES AND TRAGEDUMES.. 131Types and construction of arguments for tragedies.. 134Asclepiades from Tragilos.............................. 144Demaratus..................... ........................ 145

“MYTHS” OF HYGINA .............. ....................... 148

FABULA AND TRAGEDY; LOGIC OF THE FABULA ..163 “Mythopoeia”: the origin of the division into plots ..................................... .. 164Fabula and arguments of specific tragedies............................................... 180Desis (commencement) and lysis (denouement) in plots with tragic mythopoeia..... 192Desis and lysis in plots with non-tragic mythopeia........................................ 204Types of lysis...... ............................... 212

FABULA AND CATALOG ........ ........................ 224 Catalog of titles - the result of the plot mythography.................................. ................. 227Types of catalogs.................................... ... 232Collection of plots - a common catalog of titles ..................................... 240

FABULA LOGIC IN OTHER MYTHOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS........... 242Narrationes: Parthenius and Conon........ 242Metamorphoses and catasterisms............... 249

FABULA AND FABLE ..................................... 254

< p>LIMITATIONS OF FABULAR MYTHOGRAPHY ..................................................... 259

FABUL MYTHOGRAPHY IN THE MIDDLE AGES................................................... 260< /p>

FABULAR “FALSE MYTHOGRAPHY”

“ON THE RIVERS” OF THE FALSE PLUTARCH...................... 263Basic information about the treatise..... ......... 263Dating.................................... .. 267 “Pseudo-scientific apparatus”.................................... 268 The idea of the treatise: the mythological past in the wonderful present............ .......... 276Logic of the plot in False Plutarch.............. 283Types of lysis in False Plutarch: “synthetic lysis” ............... ......... 287 “Main plot” ............................. 289

CONCLUSION .......................................... 291< /p>

Appendices

ARISTOPHANES' ARGUMENTS........ 300Aeschylus's Eumenides............... ........................... 301 “Prometheus” by Aeschylus.................................. .......... 301 “Antigone” by Sophocles................................ 302 "Bacchae" Euripides......................................... 303 “Orestes” by Euripides ............. ....................... 303 “The Phoenicians” by Euripides................................. ..... 304 “Medea” by Euripides ................................... 304 “Alcestes” Euripides................................... 305 “Res” [Euripides.......... ........................... 305

FALSE PLUTARCH. ABOUT RIVERS........................... 307 Hydasp................... .................................... 311Yemen ............. ........................................ 315 Gebr........ ................................................... 318Ganges ........................................................ ....... 321Fasis.................................... ............. 323Arar.................................... .................... 327Pactol......................................................... ... 329 Liquor ................................................... ...... 333Meander ............................................... ....... 335Marsyas .................................... ............ 338Strimon.................................... ............. 341Sagaris .................................. ................ 344Scamander................................ ................ 346Tanais................................... ..................... 348Fermodont................................. .................. 351Neil ............................. .......................... 351Eurot..................... ........................... 355Inach ................... ........................................... 357Alpheus ........................................................ .... 364Euphrates................................................. ....... 366Kaik.................................... .............. 369Aheloy ................................. .................. 373Araks................................... ........................ 375Tiger........................ ................................ 378Ind ................. ........................................ 381Some dates ........ .................................. 384Index locorum.................. .................................. 389 Subject index .................. .................. 401Name index .................................. ........ 406Some editions and translations ..................... 417Abbreviations............... ................................... 422