Light and Darkness in Ancient Greek Myth and Religion

Menelaos Christopoulos is associate professor of ancient Greek literature in the Department of Philology at Patras University. Efimia D. Karakantza is a lecturer in ancient Greek literature in the Department of Philology at Patras University. Olga Levaniouk is an associate professor of Classics at the University of Washington.

• Chapter 1 PrefaceChapter 2 IntroductionPart 3 Colour SemanticsChapter 4 Chapter 1. The Significance (or Insignificance) of Blackness in Mythological NamesChapter 5 Chapter 2. Dark Skin and Dark Deeds; Danaides and Aigyptioi in a Culture of LightChapter 6 Chapter 3. Brightness and Darkness in Pindar's Pythian 3: Aigla-Coronis-Arsinoe and her Initiatory ExperienceChapter 7 Chapter 4. S-light Anomaly; Dark Brightness in Euripides' MedeaPart 8 Appearance and ConcealmentChapter 9 Chapter 5. The Light Imagery of Divine Manifestation in HomerChapter 10 Chapter 6. Trojan NightChapter 11 Chapter 7. Tithonus and Phaon. Mythical Allegories of Light and Darkness in Sappho's PoetryChapter 12 Chapter 8. Erinyes as Creatures of DarknessChapter 13 Chapter 9. Hephaistos: God of LightPart 14 Eye-sight/InsightChapter 15 Chapter 10. Blind People and Blindness in Ancient Greek MythChapter 16 Chapter 11. Blindness as PunishmentPart 17 Being and BeyondChapter 18 Chapter 12. Light and Darkness and Archaic CosmogonyChapter 19 Chapter 13. Mystic Light and Near-Death ExperienceChapter 20 Chapter 14. Dark Winged Nyx and Bright Winged Eros in Aristophanes' "Orphic" Cosmogony: The Birds, 693-703Chapter 21 Chapter 15. The Bright Cypress of the Orphic Golden Tablets: Direction and Illumination in Myths of the UnderworldChapter 22 Chapter 16. Milk on Pelinna Tomb TabletsPart 23 CultChapter 24 Chapter 17. Light and Darkness in Dionysiac Rituals as Illustrated on Attic Vase Paintings of the 5th century BCChapter 25 Chapter 18. Light and Lighting Equipment in the Eleusinian Mysteries: Symbolism and Ritual UseChapter 26 Chapter 19. Magic Lamps, Luminous Dreams: Lamps in PGM Recipes

A beautiful bunch of manifold studies, which lets us grasp the issue of light and darkness within the Greek world under several aspects and explore its very complexity.