New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology
Robert GravesNew Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology
offers a comprehensive and compact Who's Who or Who Was Who of the better known gods,
goddesses, heroes, monsters, demons, angels and saints from all over the world, including certain Moslem ones. It does not discuss philosophic theory or religious experience, and treats each cult
with the same impersonal courtesy.
Myth has two main functions. The first is to answer the sort of awkward questions that
children ask, such as: 'Who made the world? How will it end? Who was the first man? Where do
souls go after death?' The answers, necessarily graphic and positive, confer enormous power on
the various deities credited with the creation and care of souls--and incidentally on their
priesthoods.
The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and account for
traditional rites and customs.