From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordMythos is a narrative or story, whose explanatory standing depends on the speaker.
- In StobaeusThe account traditionally transmitted under Aristotle’s name interprets the Fates through past, future, and present, treating myth as an indication of divine order.
- In this edition“Myth” is appropriate without implying either straightforward history or mere nonsense.
- A place to beginThe Fates are interpreted as expressing the ordering of time.
- English renderings
- myth; traditional story
Meaning
Mythos is a narrative or story, whose explanatory standing depends on the speaker. It can convey an account indirectly through divine figures.
Use in the book
The account traditionally transmitted under Aristotle’s name interprets the Fates through past, future, and present, treating myth as an indication of divine order. This interpretation gives the story philosophical work to do. It does not establish that every ancient account assigns the same temporal role to each Fate.
Places to read
- I.5.22bThe Fates are interpreted as expressing the ordering of time.
Translation in this edition
“Myth” is appropriate without implying either straightforward history or mere nonsense.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 83. This material belongs to the work conventionally known as On the Cosmos, transmitted under Aristotle’s name; the attribution requires that qualification.