Preface
Abbreviations

I. Myth, Ritual and Folktale
II. Lévi-Strauss and the Structural Approach
III. The Nature of Myths in Ancient Mesopotamia
IV. Nature and Culture: Gilgamesh, Centaurs, and Cyclopes
V. The Qualities of Greek Myths
VI. Tales, Dreams, Symbols: Towards a Fuller Understanding of Myths

Index

Geoffrey Kirk (1921-2003) held the regius chair in Greek at Cambridge University from 1974 to 1982 and was a major figure in the study of the presocratic philosophers and early Greek epic poetry.

“[Kirk’s] great contribution is to bring together all the influential schools for a clear hard look and to open sensible lines for needed research into this elusive field. . . . His main point: no universal theory can explain all types of myth. . . . A most valuable and important book.”—Classical World