The Tyrants of Corinth is the first monograph in English devoted to the archaic tyranny of Corinth and the engaging legends of Cypselus and Periander, which embrace such themes as hidden babies, animal helpers, arbitrary violence, necrophilia and vengeful ghosts.
This detailed study of the ancient sources for the Corinthian tyrants analyses the tales associated with them comprehensively from the perspective of folklore and traditional narrative, including the miraculous birth and deliverance of Cypselus, Periander’s consultation of the ghost of his wife, Melissa, at the Acheron Oracle of the Dead and the saving of the bard Arion from the sea by a dolphin. Any lingering notions that the tales retain historical content are dispelled; Ogden’s radical approach considers all the major episodes associated with both men to be entirely fictive. This allows for reinterpretation of individual details in the tales and for the recovery of lost storylines and symbolism lurking beneath the narrative that our ancient sources preserve for us. All the major sources are supplied in new translations in a convenient appendix, and brief consideration is also given to the tales’ modern reception.
The Tyrants of Corinth is suitable for scholars working on Greek tyranny, Greek history and mythology more broadly, and folklore, while also speaking accessibly to undergraduates encountering the history of Archaic Greece for the first time.
Table of Contents:
Introduction; 1. The birth of Cypselus: The 'birth-of-the-hero' story-type; 2. The birth of Cypselus: The sterility story-type; 3. Periander and Melissa: ‘the grateful dead’ and ‘the lost deposit’; 4. Periander, Melissa and Arion: Nekyomanteion Tales; 5. Periander, Crateia, Thrasybulus and Lycophron: how Periander became a sage; Conclusion; Appendix A: The Cypselids: repertorium of sources in translation; Appendix B: Family Trees of the Cypselids; Appendix C: Four Afterlives of Periander: Tracy, Weguelin, Opperman and Hermans.
About the Author :
Daniel Ogden is Professor of Ancient History in the University of Exeter, UK. His recent books include The Legend of Seleucus, The Dragon in the West, The Werewolf in the Ancient World, The Strix-Witch and (as editor) The Cambridge Companion to Alexander the Great.
Review :
"It is easy to recommend this work. Ogden’s breadth of research is impressive; while the core of his work focuses on a variety of legends from the Hellenistic world, an analysis of late antique and early modern myths is included to demonstrate the consistency and longevity of the myth-formula represented by Periander and Cypselus. The alignment of these varied and complex sources is demonstrated in a manner that is both clear and accessible—in particular Ogden’s matrices comparing the legends of the tyrants with other mytho-historic figures are convincingly illustrative of the author’s arguments." - Classical Journal
