The complete odes Book

I became interested in Pindar mainly because he is cited as an influence on Plato by various scholars. He is also a source for Greek mythology. It seemed to be an appropriate time to read him given that I am studying the latter right now and had already gone through Plato a number of times in the past.

That Pindar was an influence on Plato seems entirely plausible. It seems that Pindar had been influenced by Pythagoreanism. The odes indicate that it was the belief in an afterlife and a divine judgment on one's deeds that show the greatest Pythagorean influence and the most likely influence on Plato. Plato, of course, could have picked this up straight from Pythagorean sources, but that Pindar was the medium in which he found certain ideas (e.g. Rhadamanthus' role as judge) seems very plausible.

Most of these odes were composed for victors in various contests. Pindar has a tendency to recount mythological tales when he is lauding some victor. In some cases, it's in order to warn against hubris and pride. Some of Pindar's comments almost seem to echo biblical ideas. Whether that was simply an intentional attempt by the translator to make the Greek conform to such, or whether the ideas were inherent to Pindar's thought, is difficult to gauge. It is interesting though regardless.

Very interesting work; both as a possible influence on Plato and as a source for Greek myth. Obviously, if one is interested in such topics, this would qualify as an essential source.