The author, philologer and philosopher, set a task to expose the classic mythology not in a popular way, and not as a research designed for narrow specialist only. On the base of primary sources, L. made a unique method of presentation of classic mythology in its historical context; and he offered the reader to analyze sources and to interpret certain myths by himself.

The book contains three parts: an introduction, and two main parts, where the author sets problems, and analyzes certain mythological plots. In the Introduction, L. observes mythology as social and historical phenomenon. The author understands myth as a transfer of common day events into metaphysical and symbolical space. That transfer depended not only on the peculiarities of human mentality, but also on geographical, and political circumstances of the life of classic Greeks. Besides, the author classifies some historical periods for the classic mythology: the chthonic (the earliest) one with Fetishism, and Animism; the heroic one which came to decay when new myths were generated; and the final one – the mythology of the slavery society. On the specific material, and in the close connection with historical changes, the author worked out the concepts of rudiment, ferment of myth, and mythological complex.

The Part I was centred at the figure of Cretan Zeus: the author considers the terms under which the image of Zeus had been forma – L. uses linguistic and geopolitical data. He commented fundamental issues of the myth of Zeus, presents the main myths, and forms of the cult, and using the classification of various layers of mythology; he tries to reconstruct some elements of the Cretan epos – but he mentioned that his methods were limited. He comes to the conclusion about the bright matriarchal character of the mythology of Cretan Zeus.

The Part II is about Apollo, whom the author calls one the most difficult problem of the classic philology. As well as in the case of Zeus, L. tries to trace back various stages and ways of shaping and transformation of the image of Apollo; he defines his method as historical one. The part is divided into the analysis of the myth of Apollo on various stages (Archaic, Classic, Hellenistic) and some connecting mythological plots; and the analysis of classical literature where Apollo had been mentioned. In the conclusion, L. stresses the non-anthropomorphic image of the god (fetishism of Apollo), who was closely connected with the world of plants and animals. In the Classic period, his image was transformed under the development of the patriarchal society.