▁part ▁of ▁Western ▁her itage ▁and ▁language . ▁Po ets ▁and ▁artists ▁from ▁ancient ▁times ▁to ▁the ▁present ▁have ▁derived ▁insp iration ▁from ▁Greek ▁myth ology ▁and ▁have ▁discovered ▁contemporary ▁significance ▁and ▁relev ance ▁in ▁the ▁them es . ▁ ▁S ources ▁Greek ▁myth ology ▁is ▁known ▁today ▁primarily ▁from ▁Greek ▁literature ▁and ▁representations ▁on ▁visual ▁media ▁d ating ▁from ▁the ▁Ge ometric ▁period ▁from ▁ ▁to ▁ ▁on ward . ▁In ▁fact , ▁literary ▁and ▁arch ae ological ▁sources ▁integrate , ▁sometimes ▁mut ually ▁support ive ▁and ▁sometimes ▁in ▁conflict ; ▁however , ▁in ▁many ▁cases , ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁this ▁cor pus ▁of ▁data ▁is ▁a ▁strong ▁indic ation ▁that ▁many ▁elements ▁of ▁Greek ▁myth ology ▁have ▁strong ▁fact ual ▁and ▁historical ▁roots . ▁ ▁Liter ary ▁sources ▁M yth ical ▁narr ation ▁plays ▁an ▁important ▁role ▁in ▁nearly ▁every ▁genre ▁of ▁Greek ▁literature . ▁Nevertheless , ▁the ▁only ▁general ▁myth ographical ▁hand book ▁to ▁surv ive ▁from ▁Greek ▁anti qu ity ▁was ▁the ▁Library ▁of ▁Pse udo - Ap oll od orus . ▁This ▁work ▁attempts ▁to ▁recon cile ▁the ▁contradict ory ▁tales ▁of ▁the ▁po ets ▁and ▁provides ▁a ▁grand ▁summary ▁of ▁traditional ▁Greek ▁myth ology ▁and ▁hero ic ▁leg ends . ▁Ap oll od orus ▁of ▁Ath ens ▁lived ▁from ▁ ▁to ▁ ▁and ▁wrote ▁on ▁many ▁of ▁these ▁topics . ▁His ▁writ ings ▁may ▁have ▁formed ▁the ▁basis ▁for ▁the ▁collection ; ▁however ▁the ▁" Library " ▁discuss es ▁events ▁that ▁occurred ▁long ▁after ▁his ▁death ,