Hesiod and Early Mythography

Abstract

This chapter explores the ways in which early mythography resonates with Hesiodic. In doing this, it goes beyond the question of whether certain narratives in Hesiod’s poetry (esp. the myth of the five human races) can be viewed as proto-historical accounts, a question posed by earlier scholarship. Rather, the focus lies on the discursive strategies shared by Hesiod and some of the fragmentary early mythographers. These strategies indicate a similarity in approach between Hesiod and the mythographers that can be attributed to the similar (or indeed sometimes identical) material with which they work. It is argued that Hesiod can be considered an exponent of historie who is epistemologically conscious and that he is a thinker who for the first time, as far as we know, raises questions and engages with material in a way that resonates with the intellectual developments brought about by Hecataeus and his peers.