Folklore studies / Study of myth Books
Douglas & McIntyre Storylines: How Words Shape Our World
Book SynopsisA brilliant and timely exploration of the power of stories and songs?from both the distant past and today?s news?counters despair and disillusionment with hope and possibility. Stories are our first and last survival strategy. For tens of thousands of years, they have told humanity what we know and what we don?t know, what to wonder about and what to watch out for. We draw comfort from our great myths, and from the storytelling of our contemporaries (including members of our families). Storytelling holds us together. And sometimes it keeps us apart.From the stories we tell children, to literary works, to pop music, stories take many forms and give shape and substance to things we believe, perpetuating ideals and identities and provoke controversy and conflict. They include explanations of the origin and purpose of things, of causes and effects and sequences of events, and of our relationships to the forces that surround us. They also shape the institutions we establish, the ways in which we constitute ourselves as communities, and the covenants we enter into with secular as well as spiritual powers. Stories that celebrate growth and development and ?civilized? progress can be a hazard when we use them to destroy Indigenous homelands and heritages and the environment.Stories can also provide a form of resistance to the overpowering realities of the everyday, empowering our imaginations to create a sense of possibility. It is within storytelling, and by understanding how stories work, that we can find a way to bring sympathy and judgment back into the centre of our conversations about what we can?and what we must?do. Stories and songs, ours and those of others, can help us. They can save us.
£999.99
Equinox Publishing Ltd Myth Theorized
Book SynopsisMyth Theorized provides a survey of some key figures and topics in the modern study of myth. The first part of the book discusses the psychoanalysis of myth including a chapter on the extraordinary changes that psychoanalytic theory has undergone, and one on Otto Rank and his break with Freud which helped transform the focus of psychoanalysis, including myth, from the Oedipal stage to the pre-Oedipal one. This section finishes with a chapter which argues that Freud and Jung are more akin than opposed. The next section looks at hero myths including a detailed history of the study of hero myths, and surveys approaches to hero myths by Otto Rank, Joseph Campbell and Lord Raglan. The author then applies Rank and Raglan to the life of the first king of Israel, Saul, showing how their theories transform the figure to whom they are applied. The following part of the book considers the relationship of myth to natural science including a discussion of the range of views that have arisen over the past 150 years - those of EB Tylor, JG Frazer, Claude Levi-Strauss and Karl Popper. The next section covers myth and politics with an assessment of Bruce Lincoln's Theorizing Myth and Robert Ellwood's The Politics of Myth. The final chapter in this section argues that the theories of Frazer, Rene Girard and Walter Burkert all make violence in religion natural rather than unnatural. The final part of the book discusses the Jungian concept of synchronicity, uses DW Winnicott's idea of make-believe to support the argument that Hollywood stars and their treatment as gods can be said to being divinity back to the world, and asks whether James Lovelock has brought myth back to the world through the Gaia theory.Table of ContentsIntroduction Ch. 1: Tylor versus Blumenberg Ch. 2: Max Müller on Religion and Myth Ch. 3: Frazer on Adonis Ch. 4: Frazer on Osiris Ch. 5: Frazer and Campbell on Myth Ch. 6: Campbell’s Non-Jungian Approach to Myth Ch. 7: Are There Modern Myths for Eliade? Ch. 8: Eliade on Myth and Science Ch. 9: Dubuisson’s TWENTIETH CENTURY MYTHOLOGIES Ch. 10: Myth and Literature Ch. 11: Hell and Paradise for Milton Ch. 12: Must Mythic Heroes Be Male? Ch. 13: Does Synchronicity Bring Myth Back to the World? Ch. 14: The Bible as Myth, Science, Religion, and Philosophy
£23.70
Open Book Publishers Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of
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£18.95
Open Book Publishers Long Narrative Songs from the Mongghul of
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£999.99
Open Book Publishers Neo-Aramaic and Kurdish Folklore from Northern
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£35.10
University of Exeter Press The Folklore of Devon
Book SynopsisDevon has a long and rich folkloric heritage which has been extensively collected over many years. This book consolidates more than a century of research by eminent Devon folklorists into one valuable study and builds on the vital work that was undertaken by the Devonshire Association, providing insightful analysis of the subject matter and drawing comparisons with folklore traditions beyond the county. The first major work on Devon's folklore since Ralph Whitlock’s short book published by the Folklore Society in the 1970s, this volume brings the subject into the twenty-first century with consideration of internet memes and modern lore, demonstrating that ‘folklore’ does not equate to ‘old rural practice’. With chapters covering the history of Devon's folklore collecting, tales from the moors, the annual cycle, farming and the weather, the devil, fairies, hauntings, black dogs, witchcraft and modern lore, this will remain the standard work for many years to come.Trade ReviewWhat joy! ...It is a treat to have West Country tales, legends, and traditions comprehensively covered, and be shown distinctive ways in which folklore can be contextualised, made relevant and retold. -- Helen Cornish, Fortean TimesA feast of old tales, customs, superstitions, rhymes and songs. -- John Foxen * What’s Afoot *A most enjoyable ramble through Deb’n folklore. -- Jo Gibson * Northern Earth *Although this is a scholarly book, it is not a tough academic tome. It is a lively, easily readable, often humorous account of a living world of story and belief... Hugely recommended to every Fortean! -- Richard Samuels * Magonia Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Folklore Collection in Devon 2. Stories from the Moors 3. The Calendar Year 4. Farming and the Weather 5. The Devil in Devon 6. Fairies in Devon 7. Some Devon Hauntings 8. The Black Dog 9. Witchcraft 10. Modern Folklore Notes Bibliography Index
£42.75
Flame Tree Publishing The Conjure Woman (new edition)
Book SynopsisFeaturing a new introduction for this new edition, The Conjure Woman is probably Chesnutt's most powerful work, a collection of stories set in post-war North Carolina. The main character is Uncle Julius, a former slave, who entertains a white couple from the North with fantastic tales of antebellum plantation life. Julius tells of supernatural phenomenon, hauntings, transfiguration, and conjuring, which were typical of Southern African-American folk tales at the time. Uncle Julius tells the stories in a way that speaks beyond his immediate audience, offering stories of slavery and inequality that are, to the enlightened reader, obviously wrong. The tales are fabulistic, like those of Uncle Remus or Aesop, with carefully crafted allegories on the psychological and social effects of slavery and racial injustice. FLAME TREE 451: From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and myth, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and robots, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales, ancient and modern gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic. The Foundations titles also explore the roots of modern fiction and brings together neglected works which deserve a wider readership as part of a series of classic, essential books.
£6.99
Flame Tree Publishing The Decameron
Book SynopsisWith a new foreword. Written in the fourteenth century by Italian author, poet and scholar Giovanni Boccaccio, the Decameron contains stories told by ten young Florentines who have fled the city to escape the Plague. Presented within the sophisticated structure of a surrounding frame story, the one hundred allegorical tales are shared through the voices of these people as they spend their nights regaling the company with tales intended to guide and comfort, from the erotic, sensual, and bawdy to the intellectual, philosophical and tragic. The work’s fundamental purpose is one of ethical instruction through the means of beautiful and entertaining prose, touching on themes of morality, fortune, human will, wit, virtue, female agency, and love won and lost. This is Boccaccio's masterpiece and is generally viewed as the work that confirmed his reputation as the founder of Italian prose literature. It is also one of the world's great literary masterpieces. Flame Tree Gothic Fantasy, Classic Stories and Epic Tales collections bring together the entire range of myth, folklore, epic literature and modern short fiction. Highlighting the roots of suspense, supernatural, science fiction and mystery stories, the books in Flame Tree Collections series are beautifully presented, perfect as a gift and offer a lifetime of reading pleasure.
£17.00
University of Wales Press Unsettling Narratives
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£76.00
Andrews UK Limited 101 Amazing Mythical Beasts: and Legendary
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£8.21
Amber Books Ltd King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
Book SynopsisHere lies entombed the renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon. – Inscription found at Glastonbury in the late 12th century King Arthur most probably never existed and – even if he did – we know precious little about him, and yet he is one of the most famous Britons, while Excalibur and Camelot are perhaps the world’s best known sword and castle. So, what’s the truth behind King Arthur? How did the legends take hold? And why have they endured for so long? Long before the Marvel Universe there was the universe of Arthurian romance, and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table examines the fact and the fiction behind Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Guinevere, Galahad, among others, as well as the quest for the Holy Grail. Beginning in the 12th century, the book explores what factual basis there is for the tales and how the characters, stories and motifs developed through histories, epic poems and prose tellings. The book also charts the revived interest in Arthurian romance in the 19th century and considers how the tales still hold the popular imagination today. Illustrated with more than 180 colour and black-and-white artworks and photographs and maps, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table is an expertly written account of where literature, mythology and history meet.Table of ContentsMyth and Legend Chapter One The Real King Arthur Chapter Two The Early Legends Chapter Three The Romances Chapter Four The Grail Quest Chapter Five Le Morte d’Arthur Chapter Six Arthurian Romance Today Index
£16.99
The History Press Ltd Meath Folk Tales
Book SynopsisMeath, the ‘Royal County’, has a rich heritage of myths and legends which is uniquely captured in this collection of traditional tales from across the county. Here you will find tales of the first occupation of Ireland and the exploits of St Patrick and Colmcille along with stories of witches, hags, ghosts and fairies. As well as the legends of the Hill of Tara, the ancient political capital and enduring spiritual heartland of Ireland. In a vivid journey through Meath’s varied landscape, local storyteller Richard Marsh takes the reader to places where legend and landscape are inseparably linked.
£12.34
O'Brien Press Ltd Legendary Ireland: Myths and Legends of Ireland
Book SynopsisThis beautiful book visits twenty-eight richly atmospheric sites and tells the mythological stories associated with them. Illustrated with evocative photographs and older etchings and prints, it draws the reader back into history and myth.
£19.36
Chiron Publications Psyche's Stories, Volume 1: Modern Jungian
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£52.00
Luath Press Ltd Tales of Loch Ness
Book SynopsisThis book helps you explore the myths and legends surrounding one of Scotland's most famous locations. The home of the fabled Loch Ness monster, or Nessie as she is affectionately known, is a favourite tourist spot. Every year thousands flock to her shores hoping for a glimpse of the mysterious creature. But hers is not the only story Loch Ness has to offer. It is home to a wide range of tales that reflect the dramatic history of the Scottish Highlands. Here memories are long and some stories have survived for well over a thousand years. From Irish priests and Pictish kings to tales of clan feuds and great love, faithful warriors and real heroes, Tales of Loch Ness will bring the legends of Scotland to life.Trade Review.
£5.99
Bradwell Books Legends & Folklore The Peak District
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£6.23
DC Thomson & Co. Ltd. Supernatural Scotland
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£8.54
For Beginners Greek Mythology for Beginners
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£13.29
Adventures Unlimited Press International Legend Tripping: Adventure Outside
Book SynopsisEnter the exciting world of myth and monsters, the paranormal, UFOs and extraterrestrials, lost treasures and mysterious places. Robert Robinson presents this epic guide to the stranger sites around the world and gives you some valuable pointers on legend tripping around the planet. There are large hairy creatures roaming all parts of the world like the Yeti, the yeren, the Alma, and the wildman to name few. England might be the most haunted country in the world but there are haunted places in every part of the world to include castles, old prisons and hotels. Visit places that have a reputation for not only being haunted, but cursed as well. Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) are not just seen in the US, but is a worldwide phenomenon, with people from all over, looking toward the skies. There are still hundreds of lost treasures in the world, just waiting to be discovered, and who might the one to find them. The world is full of mysteries of the unexplained and this book will show you not only where to go, but what to take with you. If you a thirst for adventure and the unexplained, then legend tripping is for you.
£15.75
Alicia Editions Mythologie grecque et romaine: Introduction
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£15.99
Springer Nature Switzerland AG The Palgrave Handbook of African Oral Traditions and Folklore
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£151.99
Hansebooks Das Graubartslied (Harbardslied), Loki's
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£23.28
Alpha Edition The Golf Courses of the British Isles
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£17.41
Double 9 Books Idylls Of The King
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£16.19
Double 9 Books The Mabinogion
Book SynopsisThe Mabinogion is a group of Welsh ancient testimonies that had been translated and prepare with the help of Lady Charlotte Guest inside the 1800s. One of the most crucial cycles of Celtic folklore is advised in those legends and folktales. When Lady Guest's version came out within the middle of the 1800s, it brought the ones memories to loads greater English-talking people. There are mythological memories, heroic memories, and Arthurian memories on this series. Some of the characters are Pwyll, Branwen, and Culhwch. The Four Branches of the Mabinogi, which follows the lives of various characters and looks into magic, the future, and how the human and supernatural realms have interaction with every other, is at the coronary heart of the meeting. The translation by using Lady Charlotte Guest is praised for being both nicely-written and easy to understand. Victorian readers were added to the wealthy tapestry of Welsh legend through her art work. This sparked a brand new hobby in Celtic folklore and had an impact on later writers, together with J.R.R. Tolkien. Reading The Mabinogion is like searching into the cultural and mythical history of Wales inside the Middle Ages. Lady Guest's translation has made a big distinction in how an awful lot people understand and admire Celtic literature. It has additionally made positive that these recollections will stay on within the large literary lifestyle.
£13.49
Vamzzz Publishing The Book of Halloween
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£16.30
Independently Published The Creation of the World, the Deluge, and other
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£8.44
Independently Published Awesome Animal Stories: Folk Tales and Legends
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£7.57
Broadview Press Ltd The Dreamer Awakes
Book SynopsisThe late Alice Kane was born in Ireland in 1908. Moving with her parents to Canada in 1921, she was educated in New Brunswick and at McGill University in Montreal before beginning a career with the Toronto Public Library, where she had a major interest in fairy tales. After her retirement in 1973, she taught Children’s Literature at the University of New Brunswick, then began a second career as a professional storyteller in association with the Storytellers School of Toronto. She was a featured performer at many storytelling events, including the American Storytelling Festival at Jonesborough, Tennessee. Her rich oral heritage is remembered in Songs and Sayings of and Ulster Childhood, edited by Edith Fowke (1983).Trade Review“Alice Kane is the best storyteller I have heard, and her stories not only entertain but raise our hearts as if by magic. Now we can read them, an that is the next best thing to hearing them.” — Edith Fowke“Her Voice rises off the page as if she were telling the story beside us. It’s a tone that is oral in its cadences, yet at the same time unobtrusively literary — The voice of an enduring classic.” — Dennis Lee“Alice Kane is the kind of artist who in countries like Japan would become a national treasure. She has taken the art of storytelling from children’s libraries and made it an art for everyone. She has become a one-woman elder for story lovers across Canada.” — Toronto StarTable of ContentsIntroduction by Robert Bringhurst To Seek a FortuneIvon TortikThe Tale of the Tsar Saltan and Prince GuidonThe Golden Apples of Lough ErneBewitchmentThe Woman of the SeaThe Seven Wild GeeseThe KorriganTo Lose a WorldGreen WillowThe Golden FlyThe Peach-Blossom ForestWives and HusbandsThe Good WifeThe Clever WifeThe Lazy Barber’s WifeRebirth and ReturnThe Blue Faience HippopotamusThe Silver Sauver and the Transparent AppleChilde RowlandTattercoatsThe Girl Who Took a Snake for a HusbandEpilogue: A Sword of Power, a Mother’s BlessingNotes by Sean KaneAcknowledgments
£32.36
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Assassin Legends: Myths of the Isma'ilis
Book SynopsisFor hundreds of years Westerners have been fascinated by stories of the Assassins, their mysterious leader and their remote mountain stronghold at Alamut in Northern Iran. The legends first emerged in the 12th and 13th centuries, when Crusaders in Syria came into contact with the Nazari Isma'ilis, one of the communities of Shi'ite Islam who, at the behest of their leader Hassan Sabaa (mythologized as the "Old Man of the Mountain"), engaged in dangerous missions to kill their enemies. Elaborated over the years, the tales culminated in Marco Polo's claim that the "Old Man" controlled the behaviour of his self-sacrificing devotees through the use of hashish and a secret garden of paradise. So influential were these tales that the word "assassin" entered European languages as a common noun meaning "murderer". Daftary traces the origins and early development of the legends - as well as investigating the historical context in which they were fabricated and transmitted. As such, this book reveals an extraordinary programme of propaganda rooted in the medieval Muslim world and medieval Europe's ignorance of this world. This book also provides the first English translation of French orientalist Silvestre de Sacy's famous 19th-century "Memoir" on the Assassins.Trade ReviewMuslim News: "masterfully destroys [the Assassin] myth" "scholarly...easy-to-read" Journal of Semitics Studies: "Daftary's work combines factual history with the history of a fiction in a fascinating manner."Table of ContentsThe Isma'ilis in history and in medieval Muslim writings; medieval Muslim perceptions of Islam and the Isma'ilis; origins and early formation of the legends.
£21.99
Birlinn General Skye: The Island and Its Legends
Book SynopsisThis is a fabulous treasury of legend and wonder; tales of monsters who dwell in lakes, of small people who trap humans in earthen mounds where time stands still; of dark, shape- shifting spirits whose cloak of human form is betrayed by the sand and shells which fall from their hair. In the absence of a written tradition, for generations of Skianachs, these tales, handed down orally, contained the very warp and weft of Hebridean history. They take us far beyond Christian times, to the edge of the Iron Age, and interweave with threads from the wider Atlantic tradition of Gaelic heroic myth and legend.
£8.99
Indiana University Press To Die for Germany Heroes in the Nazi Pantheon
Book SynopsisA study of Nazi heroic mythology that focuses on the dark, death-enthralled underpinnings of the German political and cultural psyche during the years 1918-45.Trade Review"In this chilling study of Nazi heroic mythology, Baird sheds a bright light on the dark, death-enthralled underpinnings of the German political and cultural psyche during the years 1918-45." Booklist "Baird blends first-rate historical reconstruction with expert cultural analysis." American Historical Review "Baird's fascinating account of Nazi heroism provides real understanding of the Nazi employment of aesthetics as politics and will be welcomed by students of twentieth-century German and European culture." The HistorianTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionI. The Myth of LangemarckII. The Maryrdom of Albert Leo SchlageterIII. Sacrifice at the Feldherrnhalle: The Nazi Immortals of 9 November 1923IV. Goebbels, Horst Wessel, and the Myth of Resurrection and ReturnV. The Death and Transfiguration of Hitler Youth Herbert NorkusVI. Gerhard Schumann: Elitist Poet of the Volk CommunityVII. Hans Baumann: Troubadour of the Hitler YouthVIII. Karl Ritter and the Heroic Nazi CinemaIX. Hitler, Heroes, and Heldentod: The Myth of Death in World War IIEpilogueAbbreviationsNotesBibliographyIndex
£18.04
University of Notre Dame Press Coire Sois The Cauldron of Knowledge A Companion
Book SynopsisOffers thirty-one previously published essays by Tomás Ó Cathasaigh, which together constitute a magisterial survey of early Irish narrative literature in the vernacular.Trade Review“Tomás Ó Cathasaigh is that rare scholar in Celtic studies whose work has much to say not only to advanced scholars in the field but also to specialists dealing with other literatures, comparative mythologists, and undergraduates. Our understanding of medieval Irish epic and saga is immeasurably enriched by his elegant writing style, his erudition, and his wide-ranging critical eye. It is indeed a bounteous blessing, then, to have collected in this volume Ó Cathasaigh’s best, most representative, and most useful work." —Joseph Nagy, University of California, Los Angeles"A turning-point in Celtic studies occurred in 1981 when Tomás Ó Cathasaigh began a series of thematic studies of Irish sagas, starting with ‘The Theme of Lommrad.’ Now, three decades later, his ground-breaking collection of essays has been gathered together in a book. The student experience has been transformed. No essay or article on Irish sagas can be written without consulting Professor Ó Cathasaigh’s close readings. We are all in debt to him, Matthieu Boyd, and the University of Notre Dame Press." —Patrick Sims-Williams, Aberystwyth University, Wales"Tomás Ó Cathasaigh has long been known for his sensitive and superbly nuanced readings of early Irish literature. This impeccably edited collection brings together his most important articles of the past thirty years, many of which appeared originally in anthologies and periodicals not always easy to find outside Ireland. Ó Cathasaigh's deep learning and profound insights are evident on every page. This is truly a 'must-have' book both for specialists in Celtic and for all medievalists interested in vernacular culture and the intersection of native and Latin traditions." —Robin Stacey, University of Washington"To read Tomás Ó Cathasaigh’s essays gathered and ordered in this splendid volume is to explore the web of early Irish literature with a learned and witty guide. Each chapter stops at a particular point in the early Irish literary record, but the light that Ó Cathasaigh sheds on each text or theme illumines the entirety of the landscape. His close attention to the nuances of language and his finely tuned sense of social relationships in medieval Ireland are but two of the qualities that make Ó Cathasaigh perhaps the most skilled reader that early Irish literature has ever had. Coire Sois will be an indispensable vade mecum for generations of students and scholars to come." —Catherine McKenna, Margaret Brooks Robinson Professor of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University“This book is a credit to its editor, publisher, and (above all) to its author, whose perceptive interpretations and civilized discussions lead the reader to an appreciation of the breadth of early Irish saga literature. It is a book that can and should be read by all those who seek insight into the literature and culture of medieval Ireland.” —breac: A Digital Journal of Irish Studies“This is a book that should be acquired by anyone who is concerned with the study of early Irish literature . . . . This is a very special book, indeed, its sum greater than its already outstanding parts.” —Parergon“This collection of essays, originally published between 1976 and 2011, reflects the life’s work of one of the most perceptive and subtle readers of early Irish literature of the last fifty years . . . . Ó Cathasaigh’s expository style, his close reading of a wide range of texts, and the enduring authority of these essays certainly does provide the reader with a lucid guide to some of the most important debates and texts in the field.” —SHARP News“Ó Cathasaigh’s work combines aspects of the traditional philological and etymological studies of early Irish myth and saga with interpretations of these works as literary works in their own right. Ó Cathasaigh is an excellent guide through the complexities of early Irish literature, whether it be on general issues such as he addresses his essays on The Semantics of síd, The Concept of the Hero in Early Irish Literature, and Early Irish Literature and Law, or more specific themes, such as ‘Cath Maige Tuired’ as Exemplary Myth, Mythology in ‘Táin Bó Cúailgne’, and The Rhetoric of ‘Fingal Rónáin’.” —Fabula
£35.10
Princeton University Press Nart Sagas
Book SynopsisThe sagas of the ancient Narts are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilization. This book presents, for the first time in the West, a wide selection of these fascinating myths preserved among four related peoples whose ancient cultures today survive by a thread. In ninety-two straightforward tales populated by extraordinary charTrade Review"An excellent translation of a rare standard of Eurasian mythology, the work blends annotation and commentary to demystify the complex philosophical text."--Library Journal "A new, important resource for those with a general interest in the lore of the North Caucasus, in comparative mythology, and in linguistics... Colarusso's familiarity with the Indo-European traditions is seen in the copious commentaries and notes accompanying the sagas. Meticulous and at times very detailed, they not only serve as a guide to a better understanding of the sagas themselves, but provide an introduction to the vast field of Eurasian myth... Colarusso is to be congratulated for this splendid contribution to the field, for his scholarship, for his devotion to the subject, and for bringing this collection of Nart sagas to us."--Patricia Arant, Slavic and East European JournalTable of ContentsPreface xiii Introduction to the Paperback Edition xix Symbols and Abbreviations xxv Maps xxx Introduction 1 A Selection of the Circassian Nart Corpus 9 1. If Our Lives Be Short, Let Our Fame Be Great 11 2. The Tale of How Warzameg and Yimis Came to Be 12 3. How Warzameg, Son of Meghazash, Won the Damsel Psatina 17 4. Setenaya and Argwana 34 5. The Blossom of Lady Setenaya 48 6. Why the Sun Pauses on the Horizon at Sunset 49 7. Lady Setenaya and the Magic Apple 50 8. Lady Setenaya and the Shepherd: The Birth of Sawseruquo 52 9. How Setenaya Was Led Astray 55 10. The Childhood of Shebatinuquo 56 11. How Far-Seeing Setenaya Rescued Warzameg 67 12. The Ballad of Warzamegyuquo Shebatinuquo 79 13. Setenaya and the Great Nart Warzameg 85 14. Nart Wazarmeg and His Friends Decide What to Do about a Black Fox 87 15. The Old Age of the Great Nart 91 16. How They Made Tlepsh Fashion the First Sickle 96 17. Tlepsh and Lady Tree 99 18. The One Who Committed One Hundred Sins 104 19. The Lament for Nagura Tlepshuquo 106 20. How Nart Tlepsh Killed Bearded Yamina with the Avenging Sword 107 21. Tlepsh's Gold Cellar 107 22. The Story of Nart Totaresh and the Chinta Leader 109 23. Two Fragments of the Ballad of Sawseruquo 112 24. The Ballad of Sawseruquo 125 25. How the Horse of Setenayuquo Sawseruquo Was Killed 129 26. Lady Nart Sana 129 27. Adif 131 28. Wardana and Chwindizh Dwell in the White-Haired Forest 134 29. Warzamegyuquo Yasheruquo's Search for Courage 138 30. How the Nart Khimish Married and How He Was Killed 139 31. The Ballad of Khimishuquo Pataraz 143 32. How the Narts Sought to Reach the Sky 153 33. How Khimishuquo Pataraz Won the Three Magical Whetstones 154 34. How Pataraz Freed Bearded Nasran, Who Was Chained to the High Mountain 158 35. Bound Nasran 168 36. An Old Man Chained to Elbruz 169 37. A Cyclops Bound atop Wash'hamakhwa 170 38. How Bearded Nasran Visited Ashamaz 171 39. The Ballad of Ashamaz 172 40. Lashyn's Satirical Couplets about the Nart Men 175 41. Hymn to T'haghalej 176 42. The Shiblawuj, a Round Dance to the God of Lightning 177 The Abaza Nart Corpus 179 43. The Time of the Narts 181 44. The Burial Ground of the Narts 182 45. The Golden Apple Tree of the Narts 183 46. Satanaya 184 47. How Sosruquo Was Born 185 48. Satanaya and Bataraz 188 49. Satanaya and Tlepshw 190 50. Sosruquo's Sword 192 51. How Sosruquo Attended the Council of the Narts 196 52. How Sosruquo Brought Fire to His Troops 200 53. How Sosruquo Brought Back the Seeds of the Millet 202 54. Shardan 215 55. How Sosruquo Brought Sana to the Narts 216 56. Sosruquo and the Blind Ayniwzh 219 57. Sosruquo and the Inquisitive Ayniwzh 222 58. Sosruquo and the Giant's Skull 227 59. Sosruquo and Six Men 228 60. Sosruquo and Sotrash 236 61. Sosruquo and Sosranpa 244 62. Qaydukh of the Narts 249 63. Qaydukh Fortress 257 64. The Doom of Sosruquo 259 65. Sosran of the Narts 267 66. The Nanny Goat of the Narts 269 67. Badan and Badanoquo of the Narts 270 68. Badanoquo of the Narts 275 69. How the Barrel of the Narts Was Set to Boiling 277 70. The Dream of Ayniwzh, Nana's Son 279 71. Tataruquo Shaway 281 72. Chwadlazhwiya's Tale 290 73. Nasran and Shamaz 296 74. Khmish and Bataraz of the Narts 302 A Selection of the Abkhaz Corpus 321 75. The Mother of Heroes 323 76. The Birth of the Valiant Sasruquo 329 77. How Sasruquo Plucked Down a Star 335 78. The Ayirgs' Sister, the Sister-in-Law of the Narts 344 79. Sasruquo's Sorrow 352 80. The Light-Giving Little Finger 356 81. How Sasruquo Tamed the Wild Stallion 360 82. How the Narts Cultivated Fruit 361 83. Khozhorpas 364 84. Narjkhyaw 366 85. An Account of the Narts 379 The Ubykh Nart Corpus 385 86. The Birth of Soseruquo 387 87. Another Birth of Soseruquo 397 88. The Death of Soseruquo 399 89. Yarichkhaw 401 90. Three Brothers, Their Sister, and a Nart 406 91. The Adventure of Marchan Shaghy 409 92. A Marvelous Sword 411 Appendix: Specimen Texts 415 A. Kabardian East Circassian 417 B. Bzhedukh West Circassian (Adyghey) 455 C. Ubykh 490 D. Abaza (Tapanta Dialect) ("Northern Abkhaz") 500 E. Bzyb Abkhaz 526 Bibliography 543
£17.09
Princeton University Press The Amazons Lives and Legends of Warrior Women
Book SynopsisAmazons--fierce warrior women dwelling on the fringes of the known world--were the mythic archenemies of the ancient Greeks. Heracles and Achilles displayed their valor in duels with Amazon queens, and the Athenians reveled in their victory over a powerful Amazon army. In historical times, Cyrus of Persia, Alexander the Great, and the Roman generalTrade ReviewWinner of the 2016 Sarasvati Award for Best Nonfiction Book in Women and Mythology, Association for the Study of Women & Mythology 2015 Silver Medal Winner in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, World History category Selected for The New York Times Book Review's "The Year in Reading" 2016 Shortlisted for the 2014 London Hellenic Prize One of Foreign Affairs' Best Military, Scientific, and Technological Books of 2015 Selected for American Scientist's Science Book Gift Guide 2014 "In her quest to separate reality from mythology, Mayor left few stones unturned, even examining the graves of women with war wounds and mummified tattoos. She skillfully presents her findings with wit and conviction in this superbly illustrated book"--Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affiars "Fluidly written and exhaustively researched, this fascinating book lit up my mind and my sense of humanity, not just with women in it, but under it, above it, flinging out constellations and atoms; carving out grand canyons hand-in-hand with men and beasts and glaciers, too."--Neko Case, singer-songwriter, New York Times Book Review "The Amazons is elegantly written, nicely illustrated and will no doubt excite a lot of attention."--Simon Goldhill, Times Literary Supplement "Mayor specializes in connecting artifacts--paintings, sculptures, coins, bones, weapons, clothing, fossils--with the more diffuse evidence found in literature, lore and legend ... in order to illuminate the lives of the ancient warrior women... Impressive investigative work ... fascinating."--James Romm, London Review of Books "[A] fascinatingly detailed account."--Emily Wilson, Wall Street Journal "Mayor (The Poison King) looks at ancient writings and archeological evidence to argue that yes, 'Amazons' were based on real nomadic women, though much different from the way ancient Greeks or contemporary audiences imagine them... Mayor speculates on the origin of such misconceptions in ancient writings and art, smartly suggesting that, though Amazons are usually depicted heroically in Greek art and mythology, the male-centric Greeks perhaps struggled to understand a society based on equality between the sexes... Her expertise shines throughout."--Publishers Weekly "An encyclopedic study of the barbarian warrior women of Western Asia, revealing how new archaeological discoveries uphold the long-held myths and legends. The famed female archers on horseback from the lands the ancient Greeks called Scythia appeared throughout Greek and Roman legend. Mayor tailors her scholarly work to lay readers, providing a fascinating exploration into the factual identity underpinning the fanciful legends surrounding these wondrous Amazons... Mayor clears away much of the man-hating myths around these redoubtable warriors. Thanks to Mayor's scholarship, these fearsome fighters are attaining their historical respectability."--Kirkus Reviews "A must-read for anyone interested in either Amazonian myth or history."--Fred Poling, Library Journal "No one before has ever marshalled the full sweep of evidence as Mayor does here... The result is a book as erudite as it riveting, one that is surely destined to serve as the definitive work on the subject."--Tom Holland, Literary Review "There are myriad myths surrounding the Amazons, but which are based on truth? ... This is the question which Adrienne Mayor seeks to answer in her hugely informative and entertaining Encyclopaedia Amazonica."--Natalie Haynes, Independent "[A] lively and engaging exploration ... vivid, compelling and detailed ... a rich compendium."--Lloyd Llewellyn Jones, Times Higher Education "A beautiful book... The Amazons by Adrienne Mayor is required reading."--Anna Meldolesi, Corriere della Sera "Driven by a detective's curiosity, Mayor unearths long-buried evidence and sifts fact from fiction to show how flesh-and-blood women of the Eurasian steppes were mythologized as Amazons, the equals of men. The result is likely to become a classic."--Peter Konieczny, History of the Ancient World blog "Mayor writes elegant, jargon free, frequently witty prose."--Barry Baldwin, Fortean Times "If Adrienne Mayor had merely applied her rigorous scholarship and poetic charm to documenting the shifting image of Amazons in classical, medieval and post-Renaissance European culture, she would have written an important contribution to ancient history. But she has achieved much more. By painstaking research ... she has broken down the often impenetrable walls dividing western cultural history from its eastern equivalents... Mayor opens up new horizons in world storytelling and feminist iconography... There may not be Amazon dolls in today's toyshops, but a good substitute would be to read this wonderful book with your children and show them its pictures."--Edith Hall, New Statesman "For anyone who thinks Amazons were as mythical as centaurs or sphinxes, this pleasurable book proves that misconception is wondrously wrong... Mayor's beautifully illustrated book, truly encyclopedic on all things Amazonian, reclaims the historic image of these dauntless figures in the heroic frame they deserve."--Fran Willing, Bust.com "Mayor's book is popular history at its best. Much of her archaeological evidence is new -- such as her descriptions of 'Scythian' female graves with horses and weapons. She chooses wonderful illustrations which makes the book enjoyable and easy to read."--Zenobia blog "Clearly, with this clever, systematic and engaging work by Mayor, Amazons got their classic book. And it is a riveting read, too."--Ephraim Nissan, Fabula "Mayor's fascinatingly readable book convincingly argues that many of their characteristics may have derived from real nomadic womenwarriors of antiquity... It represents a remarkable scholarly breakthrough: no one will ever be able to discuss the Amazon myths again without taking into account the historical evidence she provides."--Tassos A. Kaplanis, Journal of Historical Geography "Adrienne Mayor has written an ambitious 'Encyclopedia Amazonica' as she calls her book, a kind of compendium of information about the Amazons... Her charming and seamless style can certainly provoke a reader's interest in the still distant and unknown terra incognita of the Black Sea and Caucasus regions and their nomadic life."--Eleni Boliaki, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "I can't ... begin to say how great it is to have a book like this, because it's exactly the kind of book I like. Not one that just dismisses old stories as being too tall or made up, but really gives them the benefit of the doubt and tries to correlate and reconcile them with hard evidence. This is brilliantly achieved in Amazons... This in many ways is an exhaustive study, every facet that could be thought of has been included, and very little left out."--Adventures in Historyland "Mayor writes well, and not without dry humour, and although hardly given to the sensational, the sheer depth and breadth of her research and discoveries carry you along. You won't devour this in a sitting, just as you wouldn't eat a whole gooey gateau at once, but each slice of book is appetising enough to keep you coming back for more."--Lynn Picknett, Magonia Review of BooksTable of ContentsIllustrations ix Acknowledgments xiii Prologue: Atalanta, the Greek Amazon 1 Part 1 Who Were the Amazons? 1 Ancient Puzzles and Modern Myths 17 2 Scythia, Amazon Homeland 34 3 Sarmatians, a Love Story 52 Part 2 Historical Women Warriors and Classical Traditions 4 Bones: Archaeology of Amazons 63 5 Breasts: One or Two? 84 6 Skin: Tattooed Amazons 95 7 Naked Amazons 117 8 Sex and Love 129 9 Drugs, Dance, and Music 142 10 The Amazon Way 155 11 Horses, Dogs, and Eagles 170 12 Who Invented Trousers? 191 13 Armed and Dangerous: Weapons and Warfare 209 14 Amazon Languages and Names 234 Part 3 Amazons in Greek and Roman Myth, Legend, and History 15 Hippolyte and Heracles 249 16 Antiope and Theseus 259 17 Battle for Athens 271 18 Penthesilea and Achilles at Troy 287 19 Amazons at Sea 305 20 Thalestris and Alexander the Great 319 21 Hypsicratea, King Mithradates, and Pompey's Amazons 339 Part 4 Beyond the Greek World 22 Caucasia, Crossroads of Eurasia 357 23 Persia, Egypt, North Africa, Arabia 377 24 Amazonistan: Central Asia 395 25 China 411 Appendix: Names of Amazons and Warrior Women in Ancient Literature and Art from the Mediterranean to China 431 Notes 439 Bibliography 485 Index 503
£15.19
Princeton University Press Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Mayor’s cabinet of curiosities conveys admirably her sense of the wonder, complexity, and engrossing strangeness of the ancient Greco-Roman world, as well as the richness and diversity of the many ages that followed."---James Romm, Wall Street Journal"Covering much more than just myths and monsters, this book also contains information about ancient science and mirages, and everything from tourism to tattoos. . . . This book has a little something for everyone." * Library Journal *"This is an eminently informative book, for readers of all ages. . . . Mayor is able to give a sense of wonder to her inquiries and, without losing rigor, she brings it back to the academic world. In this sense, the book more than fulfils its objectives: we have found pleasure in reading it." * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *"An interesting gallimaufry of 50 short essays that seek to extract nuggets of truth from mythology, legends, and folklore." * Choice Reviews *"A good bedstand book, for dipping into at will for a bite-sized diversion."---Janet Brennan Croft, Mythlore"In this hugely entertaining new anthology of historical curiosities we reap the benefits of Mayor’s willingness to burrow into the dusty corners of history and to pick up on myths and stories other historians tend to slide past without stopping."---Terry Potter, Letterpress Project"This delightful collection of 50 mini-essays by Stanford University research scholar Adrienne Mayor answers some of the most fascinating questions readers wouldn’t otherwise have thought to ask themselves about classical folklore and the history of science. . . . Mayor’s inquisitive spirit animates the answers she provides." * Christian Century *"Mayor has a vast store of knowledge and is a masterful storyteller. Her latest work is a delightful feast for curious minds."---Diana Bentley, Minerva Magazine"Informative and vastly entertaining."---Anita Guerrini, History Today"A delightful compendium that will provoke fresh scholarship and draw new readers to the study of folklore, myth, and culture."---Timothy J. Burbery, Folklore
£15.29
Cornell University Press Singers Heroes and Gods in the Odyssey
Book SynopsisOne of the special charms of the Odyssey, according to Charles Segal, is the way it transports readers to fascinating places. Yet despite the appeal of its narrative, the Odyssey is fully understood only when its style, design, and mythical patterns...Trade ReviewCharles Segal offers an insightful and literate commentary that will enable readers to enjoy a fresh and informed appreciation for this classic Hellenic adventure tale.... A welcome addition to the growing body of erudite commentary on the enduringly popular epic poetry of Homer. * The Bookwatch *The essays in this book furnish very astute, unswervingly literary interpretations of key themes in the Odyssey.... Refreshingly straightforward criticism of a consistently high order. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review *
£24.80
University of Nebraska Press Yoruba Proverbs
Book SynopsisA collection of over five thousand Yoruban proverbs arranged according to theme. It includes an introduction, which provides a framework and description of Yoruba cultural beliefs, the proverbs are arranged by theme into five sections: the good person; the fortunate person; relationships; human nature; rights and responsibilities; and truisms.Trade Review“Obviously aimed at the specialist, it nevertheless also offers the casual reader considerable rewards. It’s not an inexpensive volume, but it’s a bargain for what it, in many respects, a monumental achievement.”—Complete Review"When it comes to the correct usage of Yoruba proverbs, Mr. Owomoyela should know."—Chronicle of Higher Education“This gigantic collection contains 5,235 Yoruba proverbs, their English translations, excellent brief annotations on usage and contexts, and a 38-page introduction! The tome also comes with a companion website . . . of even more proverbs. Readers will find in the book, preceded by two earlier proverb collections and one trickster tales compilation, a truly majestic culmination of Oyekan Owomoyela’s four-decade long labor at constructing a formidable textual archive of Yoruba oral literatures. . . . The size of this collection . . . attests to Owomoyela’s preeminence in proverb studies. The elephant of contemporary proverb scholarship has rustled the bush again, and only an incompetent liar or a malicious euphemist would report after perusing this book that he has merely ‘caught a fleeting glimpse of something’ in the forest of African proverb studies.”—Adeleke Adeeko, Research in African Literatures
£28.80
Wayne State University Press The Enchanted Boot
Book SynopsisThis comprehensive collection of Italian tales in English encourages a revisitation of the fairy-tale canon in light of some of the most fascinating material that has often been excluded from it. In the United States, we tend to associate fairy tales with children and are most familiar with the tales of the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Disney. But the first literary fairy tales appeared in Renaissance Italy, and long before the Grimms there was already a rich and sophisticated tradition that included hundreds of tales, including many of those today considered classic. The authors featured in this volume have, over the centuries, explored and interrogated the intersections between elite and popular cultures and oral and literary narratives, just as they have investigated the ways in which fairy tales have been and continue to be rewritten as expressions of both collective identities and individual sensibilities. The fairy tale in its Italian incarnations provides a st
£31.46
The University of Alabama Press Myth A Handbook
Book SynopsisA brief, accessible introduction to the role of myth historically and in popular culture.Trade ReviewA comprehensive but condensed overview defining and classifying myth, providing examples from numerous cultures, and briefly tracing the trajectory of myth scholarship. . . . A well-knit, generously illustrated, and accessible text." —Religious Studies Review"Required in almost every class I teach. Doty’s excellent introduction to myth studies is accessible and clear, comprehensive and full of excellent illustrations and bibliography (plus a glossary and advice on using Internet and other electronic resources). . . . It is a dynamite ‘soft’ advance reading for Doty’s magisterial Mythography: The Study of Myths and Rituals. But it stands on its own in terms of quality and approachable writing style. The mini-anthology of mythological texts (60 pages) is full of unusual but quite stimulating samples from a number of cultures. I cannot think of another book that accomplishes so much in such tight focus." —Ginette Paris, Mythological Studies Program, Pacifica Graduate Institute"Doty’s thorough, academic introduction to the ongoing relevance and study of myth in contemporary culture provides useful surveys of the history of scholarship and criticism of myth and also discusses recent applications of myth in modern life, such as the Big Bang, Gaia as Earth, the cults of Elvis and Madonna, and the significance of Harry Potter. In clear, elegant prose, Doty conveys competing arguments about definitions and roles of myth in society and admirably delineates crucial similarities and differences between the approaches of influential myth scholars. . . . A useful and candid summary for students and teachers. Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." —Choice
£15.26
University of Minnesota Press Noah's Arkive
Book SynopsisA timely rethinking of the archetypal story of Noah, the great flood, and who was left behind as the waters rose Most people know the story of Noah from a children’s bible or a play set with a colorful ship, bearded Noah, pairs of animals, and an uncomplicated vision of survival. Noah’s ark, however, will forever be haunted by what it leaves to the rising waters so that the world can begin again.In Noah’s Arkive, Jeffrey J. Cohen and Julian Yates examine the long history of imagining endurance against climate catastrophe—as well as alternative ways of creating refuge. They trace how the elements of the flood narrative were elaborated in medieval and early modern art, text, and music, and now shape writing and thinking during the current age of anthropogenic climate change. Arguing that the biblical ark may well be the worst possible exemplar of human behavior, the chapters draw on a range of sources, from the Epic of Gilgamesh and Ovid’s tale of Deucalion and Pyrrah, to speculative fiction, climate fiction, and stories and art dwelling with environmental catastrophe. Noah’s Arkive uncovers the startling afterlife of the Genesis narrative written from the perspective of Noah’s wife and family, the animals on the ark, and those excluded and so left behind to die. This book of recovered stories speaks eloquently to the ethical and political burdens of living through the Anthropocene.Following a climate change narrative across the millennia, Noah’s Arkive surveys the long history of dwelling with the consequences of choosing only a few to survive in order to start the world over. It is an intriguing meditation on how the story of the ark can frame how we think about environmental catastrophe and refuge, conservation and exclusion, offering hope for a better future by heeding what we know from the past.Trade Review "Noah’s Arkive is an indispensable book—one that takes on a central charismatic narrative equipped to address the shuddering socio-ecological transition within which we (a vastly differentiated “we”) find ourselves. Magisterial yet wisely irreverent, it touches upon urgent challenges, including ecofascism, decolonialization, and racial justice, while also delivering a learned, meticulously researched exhibit of historical ark narratives."—Stephanie LeMenager, University of Oregon "Aboard Noah’s Arkive you’ll experience the Flood from the perspectives of its human and animal passengers and the multitude of creatures drowning shipside, accompanied by the sanctimonious dove and the raucous raven. This beautiful, deep, funny, ardent, rageful book will float the boat of anyone interested in ecocriticism, material culture, science studies, and design."—Julia Reinhard Lupton, University of California, Irvine
£23.39
Fordham University Press The Sons of Molly Maguire: The Irish Roots of
Book SynopsisSensational tales of true-life crime, the devastation of the Irish potato famine, the upheaval of the Civil War, and the turbulent emergence of the American labor movement are connected in a captivating exploration of the roots of the Molly Maguires. A secret society of peasant assassins in Ireland that re-emerged in Pennsylvania’s hard-coal region, the Mollies organized strikes, murdered mine bosses, and fought the Civil War draft. Their shadowy twelve-year duel with all powerful coal companies marked the beginning of class warfare in America. But little has been written about the origins of this struggle and the folk culture that informed everything about the Mollies. A rare book about the birth of the secret society, The Sons of Molly Maguire delves into the lost world of peasant Ireland to uncover the astonishing links between the folk justice of the Mollies and the folk drama of the Mummers, who performed a holiday play that always ended in a mock killing. The link not only explains much about Ireland’s Molly Maguires—where the name came from, why the killers wore women’s clothing, why they struck around holidays—but also sheds new light on the Mollies’ re-emergence in Pennsylvania. The book follows the Irish to the anthracite region, which was transformed into another Ulster by ethnic, religious, political, and economic conflicts. It charts the rise there of an Irish secret society and a particularly political form of Mummery just before the Civil War, shows why Molly violence was resurrected amid wartime strikes and conscription, and explores how the cradle of the American Mollies became a bastion of later labor activism. Combining sweeping history with an intensely local focus, The Sons of Molly Maguire is the captivating story of when, where, how, and why the first of America’s labor wars began.Table of ContentsPART I Introduction: The Fountainhead | 3 1 “A Slumbering Volcano” | 10 PART II 2 The Black Pig’s Realm | 25 3 The Secret Societies | 44 4 Land and Politics | 62 5 The Molly Maguires | 77 PART III 6 Brotherly Love | 109 7 The Hibernians | 122 8 Another Ulster | 139 9 Resurrection | 166 10 “Brave Sons of Molly” | 183 11 Mars in Mahantango | 193 12 “A Damned Hard Hole” | 203 13 “A Howling Wilderness” | 221 14 Parting Shots | 235 15 The Road to Black Thursday | 254 16 Shadows of the Gunmen | 288 Notes | 319 Index | 357 Illustrations follow page 182
£16.14
Dover Publications Inc. Kirk R Secret Commonwealth of Elves Fauns and
Book Synopsis
£9.00
Little, Brown Wise Women
Book SynopsisAn unforgettable collection of retold myths and folk tales celebrating the wisdom and power of women in midlife and beyond, from the award-winning author of Hagitude''An extraordinary selection of stories ... beautifully and vividly retold'' TLS''Features an exuberant cast ... The collection is precious ... Genius'' IRISH TIMES''A fascinating collection of female myths and legends'' SARA SHERIDAN, author of The Fair BotanistsFrom early childhood, we learn about the world and its possibilities through myths and fairy tales. The heroines, though, tend to be golden-haired princesses, and the evil-doers often older women. But women today are searching for positive versions of themselves from midlife onwards, and this dazzling array of not-to-be-messed-with characters - from ungainly giantesses and sequin-strewn fairy godmothers to misunderstood witches and craggy crones - provides them. They outwit monsters, test and mentor younger heroines, embody the cycles and seasons of the earth, weave the world into being - and almost always have the last laugh.These women manifest their wisdom in different ways, and so offer us inspiration for how we too can walk boldly and live authentically in the second half of life.''Read it, absorb it, treasure it!'' SHAHRUKH HUSAIN, author of The Virago Book of Witches''Wonderful, both comforting and inspiring'' VICTORIA SMITH, author of Hags''The book I''ve been longing for'' JILL DAWSON, author of The Bewitching''I adored Wise Women - this is the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle when it comes to reframing the narrative in our culture about the role of older females'' ELEANOR MILLS, author of Much More to Come: Lessons on the mayhem and magnificence of midlife ''Reading it quenched a thirst I didn''t know I had. Oh for a world where stories of the power and joy of women''s elder years are celebrated everywhere'' DOREEN CUNNINGHAM, author of Soundings''Revisits our old stories, making them thrilling for us now'' STELLA DUFFY OBE
£14.39
Random House USA Inc Gods and Heroes of Ancient Greece
Book SynopsisFrom fire-stealing Prometheus to scene-stealing Helen of Troy, from Jason and his golden fleece to Oedipus and his mother, this collection of classic tales from Greek mythology demonstrates the inexhaustible vitality of a timeless cultural legacy. These stories of heroes and powerful gods and goddesses are set forth simply and movingly, in language that retains the power and drama of the original works by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, and Homer.Introduction by Werner JaegerWith black-and-white illustrations throughoutPart of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library
£20.70
Birlinn General The Gaelic Otherworld: John Gregorson Campbell's
Book SynopsisJohn Gregorson Campbell (1834–91) was one of the most outstanding folklorists working in Scotland during the nineteenth century. Based on materials which he had gathered in the 1850s and 1860s, his Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and Witchcraft and Second Sight in the Highlands and Islands were published posthumously in 1900 and 1902. Engagingly written in an anecdotal style, they introduce us to a galaxy of fairies, witches, ghosts and supernatural creatures, as well as general superstitions and the beliefs and rituals of the traditional calendar. Having been written as a single work, they are now reunited as one volume. In a lively introduction, Ronald Black illuminates Campbell’s work with extensive explanatory notes and a radically revised biography of the collector, supported by bibliography, maps and index.Trade Review'Amongst some of the world's finest folklore literature' * Scots Magazine *
£27.00
Penguin Books Ltd Kalevala The Epic of the Finnish People
Book Synopsis''One of the great mythic poems of Europe'' The New York TimesSharing its title with the poetic name for Finland - ''the land of heroes'' - Kalevala is the soaring epic poem of its people, a work rich in magic and myth which tells the story of a nation through the ages from the dawn of creation. Sung by rural Finns since prehistoric times, and formally compiled by Elias Lönnrot in the nineteenth century, it is a landmark of Finnish culture and played a vital role in galvanizing its national identity in the decades leading to independence. Its themes, however, reach beyond borders and search the heart of human existence.Translated with an Introduction by Eino FribergTrade ReviewA masterpiece * Spectator *One of the great mythic poems of Europe * New York Times *The Kalevala is a fabulous narrative spiced with exotic images and much hilarity -- Jennifer Cooke * Melbourne Sunday Herald *
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Discovering the Folklore of Plants
Book SynopsisCures, magic, divination and portents were all connected with the rich variety of available plant life, especially in verdant Britain.
£8.21
