Source recordAncient text
Bibliotheca (Library)
Pseudo-Apollodorus · c. 1st-2nd century CE · Ancient Greek
Ancient text
Bibliotheca (Library)
Pseudo-Apollodorus
A comprehensive handbook of Greek mythology organized by genealogy. Invaluable reference for many myths not preserved elsewhere.
About this work
A comprehensive handbook of Greek mythology organized by genealogy. Invaluable reference for many myths not preserved elsewhere.
Where to start
The Bibliotheca serves as the ancient world's primary mythological reference handbook. Read Book II for Heracles and Perseus, Book I.9 for Jason and the Argonauts, and Epitome I-V for Theseus and the Trojan War cycle.
Figures in the text
Heroes and divinities who feature prominently, with where they appear.
Heroes and mortals
HeraclesBook II.4.8-II.7.8Greatest of Greek heroes whose Twelve Labors, conquests, and apotheosis are systematically cataloged
JasonBook I.9.16-28Leader of the Argonauts who wins the Golden Fleece with the aid of the sorceress Medea
TheseusEpitome I.1-24Athenian champion who clears the Isthmian road and slays the Minotaur in Knossos
OedipusBook III.5.7-9King of Thebes who solves the Sphinx's riddle and unknowingly fulfills the tragic prophecy of Laius
AchillesBook III.13.5-8, Epitome III-VSupreme Achaean warrior at Troy whose upbringing, invulnerability rites, and fatal duel with Hector are recorded
Key scenes
Turning points of the work, in reading order.
The Twelve Labors of Heracles
The definitive classical handbook record of all twelve labors imposed by Eurystheus, from the Nemean Lion to Cerberus.
Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa
Armed by Hermes and Athena with the reflective bronze shield and curved sickle, Perseus beheads the sleeping Medusa while looking only at her reflection.
Theseus in the Cretan Labyrinth
Guided through the twisting dark by Ariadne's golden thread, Theseus kills the Minotaur with his bare hands and leads the Athenian youths to safety.
Stories drawn from it
Retellings in the atlas that quote or cite this work.
The TitanomachywarThe ten-year war between the Olympian gods led by Zeus and the Titans led by Cronus, resulting in the establishment of the Olympian order.
Perseus and MedusaheroThe hero Perseus, aided by divine gifts from the gods, undertakes a perilous quest to slay the Gorgon Medusa and uses her severed head to rescue the princess Andromeda.
Theseus and the MinotaurheroThe Athenian hero Theseus volunteers as tribute to Crete, navigates the impossible Labyrinth with the help of Ariadne's thread, and slays the monstrous Minotaur.
The Trojan WarepicThe epic decade-long conflict between Greece and Troy, sparked by Paris's abduction of Helen, featuring the wrath of Achilles, the cunning of Odysseus, and the fall of the greatest city in the world.
The Twelve Labors of HerculesadventureDriven mad by Juno's curse, Hercules kills his own family. To atone, he must complete twelve impossible tasks for King Eurystheus, ultimately achieving redemption and immortality through his heroic labors.
Icarus and DaedalustragedyThe master craftsman Daedalus and his son Icarus escape imprisonment in Crete by means of wings Daedalus constructs. But Icarus, ignoring his father's warnings, flies too close to the sun with fatal consequences.
The Judgment of PariswarWhen three goddesses ask the Trojan prince Paris to judge which of them is most beautiful, his choice of Aphrodite sets in motion the events that will lead to the Trojan War.
The Abduction of PersephonemythHades carries off Persephone, daughter of Demeter, with Zeus's consent. Demeter's grief and her withholding of the harvest force the gods to bargain, but because Persephone has eaten a pomegranate seed below, she must return to the underworld for part of every year.
About this record
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Dates and authorship follow standard scholarly references; for many ancient works both are approximate or disputed.