Ancient Greek Myths in Medieval Armenian Literature

Greek myths were, to some extent, familiar to medieval Armenian authors, mainly through translations of late classical and early Christian writings; they also appear in original works, but this knowledge was never profound or accurate. Both translators and Armenian authors, as well as later scribes, while translating, renarrating and copying short mythical stories, or mentioning or just alluding to them often related the stories and the familiar or unfamiliar names occurring in them correctly, but sometimes they made mistakes, chiefly corrupting names not well-known to them, and sometimes, even details of the plot.

This is the first study which brings together the references to ancient Greek myths (154 episodes) in medieval Armenian literature by including the original Armenian and Greek (if extant) text and translation. With appendices listing the occurrences of Greek gods, their Armenian equivalents, images, altars, temples, and rites, the Aesopian fables and the Trojan war.