Folklore studies / Study of myth Books

Book SynopsisWinner of the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year 'a beguiling mixture of poetry, moving prose and magical realism' - Stephen McGinty, The Sunday Times Jeda is a girl on the cusp of adulthood, living in Edinburgh; with a white father and a black mother, she feels self-conscious and out of place. Her feelings of alienation allow the stories of the shapeshifting Shadowman, who embodies all that is negative, to feed on her doubts and insecurities. The death of her mother, Rahami, gives the Shadowman an opportunity to control Jeda through her grief and his lies, but her mother’s last gift to her daughter was a box of stories. When the box is flung open, the stories escape, setting in motion an incredible journey. Jeda learns more about her African ancestry through tales of slavery, cruelty and colonisation, but she also discovers pride and love and sacrifice, ultimately embracing her dual heritage and her unique place in the world. Filled with tragedy, wonder and magic, Blood and Gold explores the themes of loss and oppression, while asking us to examine our own identities, attitudes, and humanity.Trade Review'A beautifully weighted set of nested stories for contemporary times' -- Thom Dibdin * The Stage *'An exquisite piece of storytelling' * The Guardian *'[This] melding of myth, magic and history will spark new conversation about race ... An incredible, epic journey through the pain and persecution of her [Jeda’s] ancestors, before finding sacrifice, pride, love, empowerment and ultimately belonging' * Sunday Post *'a beguiling mixture of poetry, moving prose and magical realism' -- Stephen McGinty * The Sunday Times *'spellbinding… Menzies takes us on a fantastical journey through the eyes of a teenage girl growing up black in a white world' -- Janet Christie * The Scotsman *'Menzies’ great achievement here is to tap into the subtle power of allegory to make us consider familiar subjects with fresh eyes. [She] simply invites us to consider the universal concepts of justice and injustice, greed and selflessness' -- Roger Cox * Scotland on Sunday *'Blood and Gold explores hard-hitting issues such as the legacy of colonialism, slavery and the challenges of growing up in two cultures, through an unconventional mix of fantasy, legends and stories inspired by personal experiences' -- Nadia Vidinova * Dundee Courier *'My goodness... the power of illustration from Eri Griffin, the cover… just as a product... just the quality of it... your publishers have really, really outdone themselves' -- Tendai Huchu'A box of stories, a world of escape that takes Jeda on a fantastical journey where she learns about her African ancestry, the complex cruelty of colonisation and ultimately acceptance of her own unique identity … it reminds people of the importance of the oral tradition, of passing stories on…there’s a wonderful connection there' -- Cathy Macdonald * BBC Radio Scotland *'Menzies' lyrical prose is rich in allegory, as she draws upon her own dual heritage… Blood and Gold is a testament to the power of words' -- Nicole Gemine * Press and Journal *'The clever, magical realist blend of narrative devices allows legend and myth to hold inescapable truths in their kernel. It is a story that needs to be told in its entirety, retrieving the past to bolster the present and build an enduring future...this is a tour de force that is captivating and magical' -- Bashabi Fraser * Writers Mosaic *

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Book SynopsisThe sky forms fifty percent of our visual world and has a voice across cultures. This complex sky-voice contains great diversity and is informed by human images, dreams, and aspirations. The inherent nature of this sky-voice is transmitted from one generation to another through text, image, oral tradition, physical mapping, and painted description. This volume is written by some of the most noted scholars in their fields of British history, history of art, social anthropology, Greek horoscopes and narratology, globe cartography, comets and Irish mythology, western astronomy, Australian aboriginal sky astronomy and mythology, and cultural astronomy and astrology. These scholars acknowledge the presence of such a voice, in the sky's movement mirrored in the archoeastronomy of British prehistory, the apocalyptic myths of comets and meteors, the sky cartography reflected in European globes and frescoes, the Australian aboriginal sky myths, the issue of disappearing dark skies, and in contemporary reflections on the sky. It recognises that sky imagery has persisted in similar forms since its potential roots in the Palaeolithic period.These eleven essays offer critical engagement in understanding the sky in human imagination and culture and contribute to the new fields of cultural astronomy and skyscapes, the role and importance of the sky in the interpretation of cultures, emerging within the academy.Table of Contents1. Introduction Darrelyn Gunzburg (University of Bristol, UK and University of Wales Trinity Saint David) 2. 'The Strange History of British Archaeoastronomy' Ronald Hutton (University of Bristol, UK) 3. 'Comets And Meteors: The Ignored Explanations For Myths And Apocalypse'Patrick McCafferty (Universitat Leipzig / Philologische Fakultat, Leipzig)4. 'Imagery and Narrative in an Ancient Horoscope: P.Lond. 130 (Greek Horoscopes No. 81)' Roger Beck (Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, Canada) 5. 'Reflections on the Farnese Atlas: exploring the scientific, literary and pictorial antecedents of the constellations on a Graeco-Roman globe' Kristen Lippincott (The Exhibitions Team, UK) 6. 'Giotto's sky: the fresco paintings of the first floor Salone of the Palazzo della Ragione, Padua, Italy'Darrelyn Gunzburg (University of Bristol, UK and University of Wales Trinity Saint David) 7. 'Astrology as Sociology: The 'Children of Planets', 1400-1600'Geoffrey Shamos (Redline, Denver, CO, USA)8. 'Mapping the Heavens: The Ceiling of the Sala Bologna in the Vatican Palace' Emily Urban (Independent scholar)9. 'Cosmos, culture and landscape: Documenting, learning and sharing Australian Aboriginal astronomical knowledge in contemporary society' John Goldsmith (Curtin University and The University of Western Australia/ The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research)10. 'At Night's End'Tyler Nordgren (University of Redlands, USA)11. 'Reach For The Stars! - Light, Vision And The Atmosphere' Tim Ingold (University of Aberdeen, UK)12. 'Images in the Heavens: a cultural landscape' Bernadette Brady (University of Wales Trinity Saint David)

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating collection investigates the origins of our most intriguing superstitions, many of which we still observe today.Hundreds of the beliefs passed down through the generations have their foundations in our ancestors' efforts to ward off evil, which they blamed for hardship, illness and injustice in times when life was, as often as not, 'nasty, brutish and short'. Black Cats and Evil Eyes sets these superstitions in their historical and social context, explaining how fear of the Devil, demons, evil spirits and witchcraft drove people to arm themselves with rituals and talismans to repel dark forces and allow them to live long and healthy lives.In examining many of our common superstitions, this book illuminates the customs, beliefs and practices that link us to an ancient, and often darker, human past.Trade ReviewAuthor Chloe Rhodes has delved into the strange history behind a host of superstitions * The Sun *

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Book SynopsisRobin Hood is England's greatest folk hero. Everyone knows the story of the outlaw who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. Nick Rennison's highly entertaining book begins with the search for the historical Robin. Was there ever a real Robin Hood? Rennison looks at the candidates who have been proposed over the years, from petty thieves to Knights Templar, before moving on to examine the many ways in which Robin Hood has been portrayed in literature and on the screen. He began as the hero of dozens and dozens of late medieval ballads. He appeared in plays by contemporaries of Shakespeare. In the Romantic era Robin was reinvented by Walter Scott as a Saxon champion in the struggle against the Normans. During the nineteenth century, he emerged as a hero in children's literature. More recently he has been portrayed as everything from proto-socialist man of the people to anarchist thug. In the cinema he put in an appearance as early as 1908 and Douglas Fairbanks and then Errol Flynn turned him into the typical hero of Hollywood swashbucklers. In the last twenty years, Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe have provided their own very different interpretations of the character. On the small screen, Robin has been the hero of half-a-dozen TV shows from the 1950s series starring Richard Greene, which used many writers blacklisted by Hollywood, via the well-remembered Robin of Sherwood in the 1980s to the recent BBC series. As the twenty-first century marches through its second decade, Robin Hood is still very much with us. He is the subject of graphic novels and computer games. New films are in the offing. Robin is an archetypal hero who, it seems, can never die. This engaging book charts his life so far.Trade ReviewIf you know nothing about the story of Robin Hood or want to know more about how the story has evolved over the centuries, this book is for you -- Paul Begg * welovethisbook.com *

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Book SynopsisThe Abode of Fancy tells the story of a young Dublin man, Simeon Collins – lonely and desperate for love – whose friendships with a loosely associated group of elderly, alcoholic men yield a grim picture of his own probable future life. It also tells the story of the Mad Monk, a mythical god-man, who returns to Ireland, eager to find his long-dead brother Elijah. And then there’s the lovesick hare, the ghostly skeletal bull, and the barmy banshee Maggie Nutmeg Devlin. As the stories progress, the two worlds draw closer and closer, interweaving to fuse reality and fantasy in an exhilarating extravaganza that explores the nature of loneliness, the impossibility of love, and the possible consolations of friendship. This is an elaborate literary novel, sure to garner a cult following, drawing together Irish traditions of linguistic whimsy and ironic fantasy, with a modern hysterical realist style. Coll has an unmistakably distinctive voice, and with unrivalled linguistic flair he expertly combines the tenderness and simplicity of a child with the cynicism and gloom of an old man. The Abode of Fancy is an auspicious debut and a hilarious, heartbreaking and jaw-dropping read. Extracts from the novel have been featured in Granta and The Stinging FlyTrade Review‘Wildly talented … a huge, mad gem.’—Donal Ryan ‘Marvellously strange’ —Sara Baume

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Book SynopsisAs dusk fell on a misty evening in 1521, Martin Luther - hiding from his enemies at Wartburg Castle - found himself seemingly tormented by demons hurling walnuts at his bedroom window. In a fit of rage, the great reformer threw at the Devil the inkwell from which he was preparing his colossal translation of the Bible. A belief - like Luther's - in the supernatural, and in black magic, has been central to European cultural life for 3000 years. From the Salem witch trials to the macabre novels of Dennis Wheatley; from the sadistic persecution of eccentric village women to the seductive sorceresses of TV's Charmed; and from Derek Jarman's punk film Jubilee to Ken Russell's The Devils, John Callow brings the twilight world of the witch, mage and necromancer to vivid and fascinating life. He takes us into a shadowy landscape where, in an age before modern drugs, the onset of sudden illness was readily explained by malevolent spellcasting. And where dark, winding country lanes could terrify by night, as the hoot of an owl or shriek of a fox became the desolate cries of unseen spirits.Witchcraft has profoundly shaped the western imagination, and endures in the forms of modern-day Wicca and paganism. Embracing the Darkness is an enthralling account of this fascinating aspect of the western cultural experience.Trade ReviewIts eccentric breadth and listless weirdness will appeal to any curious reader. * Times Literary Supplement *Wide-ranging, well-researched and highly persuasive. * Revenant *Table of ContentsIntroduction The Figure of the Witch Out of the Shadows From Delusion to Demonic Pact Patterns of Belief 1: The Hedge-witch, the Healer and the Cunning Man Patterns of Belief 2: The Alchemist, the Necromancer and the Mage The Witch Hunters Women and Witchcraft The Nightmare Given Form ‘A Thing Grown Most Common’: Crisis and Conformity The Decline of Belief? The Witch and the Children The Witch as Muse Old Magic in the New World Conclusion: The Freedom to Dream Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAs the home of the famous Blarney Stone it is perhaps not surprising that the stories of County Cork could fill many libraries. Among its vast archive of myth and legend are tales of the Goddess Cliona, The Hag of Beara and the Giant Mac Mahon and the epic story of St Finbarr who bashed Louie, a fiery serpent, from the lake at Goughan Barra, its wriggling tail forming the course of the River Lee. These tales and more, drawn from historical sources and newly recorded local reminiscences, have been brought to life here by professional storyteller and Cork native Kate Corkery. This collection is a heady mix of bloodthirsty, funny, passionate and moving stories. It will take you into a remarkable world where you can let your imagination run wild.

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Book SynopsisLongford Folk Tales is a treasure trove of wonderful stories of saints and deities, fairies and devils, kings and ghosts, shoemakers and other engaging characters. Read about The Blake Millions, butter stealing, the Wooing of Étaín, and ‘The Walking Gallows’, Hempenstall – all your favourite legends and many more.This selection of tales and stories from every corner of the county of Longford reflects the wisdom of the countryside and its people. Legends, folk customs and local lore from earliest times up to the county’s more recent past are expertly told by storyteller Philip Byrne.

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Book SynopsisHave you heard the story of ‘Bang Bang’ Dudley, who roamed the streets of Dublin shooting anyone who caught his eye? Or of ‘Lugs’ Brannigan, the city’s most famous detective? Do you know who the real Molly Malone was, or the story of Marsh’s Library, or how the devil himself came to the Hellfire Club? These and many more accounts of Dubliners and Dublin City fill this book, as told by Brendan Nolan, a professional storyteller who has been recording these tales for decades. These are the stories of real Dublin, the stories that are passed from generation to generation and which give this city its unique character. To know Dublin is to know these characters, these stories, and the legends which have grown up around them.

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Book SynopsisCounty Down, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea, has a rich heritage of myths and legends which is uniquely captured in this collection of tales by local storyteller Steve Lally. Discover the trails were the outlaw Redmond O’Halon was said to once roam, the road where you might come across the Ghost Girl of Ballymullan, and the cliffs from which a young girl called Maggie once made a desperate and death-defying leap. Along with the tales of the changeling of Glascar, the Giant of Lisburn and the visit old Auld Nick once paid to an old woman in Downpatrick. These stores, illustrated with twenty-five line drawings, bring alive the counties dramatic landscape and is sure to appeal to both residents and tourists alike.

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Book SynopsisDo you know where the ‘twice-richest mountain in Ireland’ is? Or what mysterious creature is said to lurk in the waters of Glenade Lake? Or why you should never cheer on a fairy footballer? Discover the answers to these and more in this collection of tales from across the county. Leitrim is the place where, legend has it, Cormac Riabhac, The Irish ‘Samson’, performed his amazing feats of strength; where Fionn Mac Cumhaill, great warrior of the Fianna, is said to lie buried; and where the wrongful execution of Jack Bircall led to a miraculous cure. It is also said to be the home of a plethora of strange and magical creatures and stories abound of encounters fairies, mermen, enchanted cows and even supernatural salmon. These stories, beautifully illustrated by Tracey Jean Yappa, bring to life the county’s varied landscape, from its lofty mountains to its bogs and loughs, and along the mighty Shannon River, whose twisting path was said to have been carved out by the antics of the giant serpent, the ‘Great Ollphéist’.

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Book SynopsisDo you know what lurks in the waters of Cullaun Lake? Or why a Clare woman should never, ever, be disturbed while she is knitting? These questions and more will be answered in this unique collection of traditional tales from across the county, which explores Clare’s rich heritage of myths and legends. We will hear the tales of well-known figures, including Cúchulainn, Brian Boru and Clare wise-woman Biddy Early, as well as lesser-known characters such as Grian, Daughter of the Sun, and the Hag of Bealaha. Also featured are fantastic stories of mythical creatures and underwater worlds, including the Newhall mermaid, the fairies of Glandree, and the sunken city of Kilstiofeen. Clare’s varied and vivid landscape, from its ancient oak woodlands and soft drumlin country in the east, to its rugged and windswept Atlantic coastline in the west, is reflected in this tantalising selection of tales collected and retold by local storyteller Ruth Marshall.

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Book SynopsisWicklow is full of stories, from the farmer returned from market to find he was dead and buried, to the mysterious bird who turned into a beautiful wife long missing from the glens. In this rich collection of tales from the county, you may find the cure for baldness, or learn if it is wise to leave a sleeping army lie in Rathdrum. You will find smugglers in Bray, and a maiden who set her cap at a saint in the making in Glendalough. Wicklow has as many stories as there are people travelling its roads, and a wealth of them are gathered together here in this unique volume.

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Book SynopsisCounty Tipperary, the second largest county in Ireland, has a rich and colourful history that has inspired many myths and legends. A selection of the best are retold here, collected and reworked by professional storyteller Aideen McBride. Within these pages you will discover how the first settlers came to Ireland, what might happen if you join in the singing of the fairies of Knockgrafton and where treasure is said to be buried; you will learn how Lough Derg, the ‘lake of the bloody eye’, and Slievenamon Mountain, ‘the mountain of the women’, got their names; you will meet legendary Irish poets, pipers and shoemakers and the first King of Cashel, Conall Corc; and be told the stories of the legendary Battle of Widow McCormack’s Cabbage Patch. From age-old legends and fantastical myths to amusing anecdotes and cautionary tales, this collection is a heady mix of bloodthirsty, funny, passionate and moving stories. It will take you into a remarkable world where you can let your imagination run wild.

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Book SynopsisFrom miracle-working saints and shape-shifting witches to silent ghosts and wailing banshees, County Laois is teeming with folk tales and a selection of the best, drawn from historical sources and interviews, have been brought to life here by storyteller by Nuala Hayes. This book will take you on a journey through the county’s varied landscape, from the rugged Slieve Bloom Mountains to its fertile plains, with tales of talking cats, bewitched butter, fairy changelings and holy fish. On the way you will meet characters like the great warrior Conall Cearnach, from whom the people of Laois are said to be descended; Moll Anthony, the wisewoman of the Red Hills; and the White Lady said to haunt Durrow Castle. Richly illustrated by internationally renowned artist Rita Duffy, these enchanting stories can be enjoyed and shared time and again.

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Book SynopsisMyths and fairytales are our rich heritage; a veritable feast of ancient wisdom passed down through the ages in the memorable form of stories. While almost any story will have deep meaning to some individuals, some of the time, this book presents a collection of stories that these maestros of dramatherapy have found to have a powerful effect almost without fail. These are the 'golden' stories of Sesame.The authors introduce the Sesame approach and describe the advantages of using myth and fairy tale as a central theme in a therapy session. The Sesame approach has been found to produce striking results with myriad client groups, including individuals with learning difficulties, offenders in psychiatric settings and children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and adults in mental health care. Dramatherapy with Myth and Fairytale provides a treasure trove of timeless stories that can be adapted and applied to the needs of different client groups and the style of each therapist. It also includes introductory exercises, warm-ups and scene setting suggestions.The book will be an invaluable source of inspiration for dramatherapists and dramatherapy students, creative arts therapists, storytellers, psychotherapists, Jungian psychoanalysts, teachers and play therapists.Trade ReviewI found each chapter very readable, stimulating and I was left enthused and inspired to try some of these ideas... But the heart of the book are the stories themselves and they are a treasure chest of wonderful tales, rich in therapeutic metaphor. Presented in alphabetical order there are creation myths from all over the globe, a good smattering of Grimm's and other classic fairy tales, myths aplenty and some original stories. Many of the stories will be familiar to storytellers but there were plenty that were new to me also... All in all, this is a lovely book and an excellent resource for all those who work with stories therapeutically. -- F & F (Facts & Fiction)Your great aunts offer you their collected favoured recipes, a locked treasure. "Open," they say, "it is yours now" - and that exactly is this book. With the magic word "Sesame" these three women offer secrets of a uniquely compassionate culture, a form of drama and therapy, melded and seasoned in England over three decades. It is now yours. -- Craig San Roque, Jungian analyst, Northern Territory, AustraliaAn inspirational guide to the art of bringing myth alive through drama. Written with passionate feeling and lucid simplicity, this book is indispensable for professionals, and indeed anyone who loves stories and longs to explore them with others and dream them onwards together. -- Jules Cashford, Jungian analyst and mythologist, LondonA luminous, hospitable welcome to the many years of the work of the Sesame Institute…how fortunate for therapists, teachers, storytellers, and all who seek and cherish the drama of authentic healing. -- Nancy Mellon MA, Psychotherapist and author, USAA magnificent resource of key myths and fairy tales. The authors generously impart their prodigious knowledge about the value and meanings of these ancient tales. The book is packed full of ideas and suggestions about how the stories can be taken into movement, voice, and enactment. Along with this the authors give their versions of the tales that have been most important in their work. A collection that is worth its weight in gold. -- Sally Pomme Clayton, performance storyteller and writer, UKThis book is a tribute of love, an indispensable handbook for therapists, and a treasury full of the archetypal wisdom of the human soul. Love shines through the whole volume - firstly for a deeply-missed mentor and therapist of rare talent, who pioneered a unique way of working therapeutically with myth and story. There is love too for the work itself, and for that company of the soul, the band of Sesame-trained practitioners that has formed over the years. Finally there is the love of story and myth, which make up the book's exquisite treasure. Just whisper the Open Sesame, and you will be greatly blessed with what pours forth from this dazzling source. The healing power of story is laid before us with a largesse that is the legacy of Sesame. -- Jim Fitzgerald, Jungian analyst, LondonThis is a remarkable book. It is written in a mindful way and is accessible to the reader. At the same time it is underpinned by a sound academic foundation. This is an important book not just for therapists but for teachers, researchers and ordinary folk who are inspired to go on a journey that will change their lives. -- Sue Jennings, dramatherapist, play therapist and author, UKThis book draws on a wealth of experience in understanding the way the mind works and will change those who read it through the wisdom both of the writers and of the subject. -- Lesley Murdin, psychoanalytic psychotherapist and writer, FPCThe book is packed full of ideas and suggestions about how the stories can be taken into movement, voice and enactment. Along with this the authors give their versions of tales that have been most important in their work. A collection that is worth its weight in gold. -- London Storytelling NewsHere is an invaluable resource book for generations of dramatherapists to come. A treasure trove of stories excavated by three remarkable guides to the unconscious. -- James Roose-Evans, theatre director and author, LondonIf you ever wanted proof about the power of stories and how they can change lives what you have before you are experienced guides, many pathways and remarkable homecomings. -- Ashley Ramsden, founding director of the International School of Storytelling, UKI have great pleasure in endorsing this book of story making in the Sesame Approach. I recommend it to all those interested in dramatherapy. -- Marian R. Lindkvist, drama and movement therapist, founder of the Sesame Institute, LondonA great resource and welcome contribution to the revival of story and myth in psychotherapy. -- Richard Hougham, principal lecturer, Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, LondonTable of ContentsForeword by Alida Gersie. Introduction by Jenny Pearson. Part I. Working with Myth and Fairytale. 1. Getting into a Myth Session: Warming up and Bridging in. 2. Entering the World of Stories. 3. Entering and Leaving the Place of Myth. 4. Making Space for Soul Talk: Recent Research. Part II. The Stories. Abu Kasem's Slippers, Iraq. Akinidi and the Coming of Happiness, Siberia. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Medieval Arabic, Arabian Nights. Amaterasu the Sun Goddess, Japan. Ash, Native American. The Bad People, Sesame Original. Beauty and the Beast, French Fairytale, Perrault. The Boy who Lived with Bears, Native American. Cap-o'-Rushes, English Fairytale. Chiron the Wounded Healer, Greek Myth. Coyote and the Land of the Dead, Native American. Creation Myth, The Mayans. Demeter and Persephone, Ancient Greek Myth. Elidore, Wales. Eurynome and the Egg of the Cosmos, Greek Creation Myth. The Flowering Tree, Native American. Forever-Mountain, Japan. The Great White Bird, Bushmen, South Africa. The Handles Maiden, German Fairytale, Grimm. The Healing Herb, Sesame Original. The Holy Grail, British Legend. The Hymn of the Pearl, Gnostic Story, Middle East. In the Beginning, Native Australian. Inanna in the Underworld, Ancient Sumer. Iron Hans, German Fairytales, Grimm. Jumping Mouse, Native American. Kaang, Bushmen, South Africa. King Laurin, Austria. Korozuka, Japan. The Lion, the Young Man and the Black Storm Tree, Bushmen, South Africa. The Little Earth Cow, Fairytale from Alsace. Loki and Baldur, Norse Myth. The Magic Drum, Canada, Inuit. Mella, African Story. The Mysteries of Orpheus, Greek Myth. The Myth of Er, Greece, Plato. Prince Ring, German Fairytale, Grimm. Psyche and Eros, Greek Myth. The Queen Bee, German Fairytale, Grimm. Rapunzel, German Fairytale, Grimm. The Sacred Gift of Song, Dance and Festivity, Inuit Legend. The Seal Wife, Scotland. The Snow Queen, Denmark, Hans Christian Anderson. The Star Woman, Bushmen, South Africa. Stone Soup, European Folk Tale. The Story Bag, Korean Folk Tale. The Tengu, Japan. A Thorn in the King's Foot, Scotland, The Travelling People. Thousandfurs. German Fairytale, Grimm. The Three Feathers, German Fairytale, Grimm. The Three Little Pigs, English Fairytale. Tiddalik the Frog, Native Australian. The Twin Warrior Heroes, Native American. Water Jar Bar, Childhood of the Human Hero, Pueblo Indian. Whisky Jack, Native Canadian. The White Snake, German Fairytale, Grimm. Appendix. References. Further Reading. Index of Stories. Index.

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Book SynopsisJohann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784-1817) was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. In 1806 he first travelled to Africa with an expedition that aimed to explore the continent''s inland. Three years later, he was in North Africa where he travelled widely disguised as an Arab. He became so fluent in Arabic dialects and customs that he was able to pass as an Arab merchant, gaining him access to Mecca in 1814, a city forbidden to non-Muslims.Arabic Proverbs was originally compiled by Sheref Addin Ibn Asad in Cairo at the beginning of the 18th century. Burckhardt translation was first published in 1830 as he believed these sayings may ''interest and gratify the Orientalist''. The work provides an intriguing insight into the mannerisms and customs of Egyptian people two-hundred years ago.

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Book Synopsis"Gardens of the Gods" reveals the symbolic language of garden design, exploring the gardens of China, with their moon gates and immortal rocks, the Zen gardens of Japan, the paradise gardens of Islam, those of Renaissance Italy with their richly mythological imagery, the landscaped parks of England, the gardens of New Harmony in the US and some striking, modern examples of symbolic gardens, including the Tarot Garden of the sculptress Niki de Saint Phalle in Italy. This illustrated book also includes a chapter with suggestions for creating a "garden of meaning" and a selected catalogue of plants with symbolic or mythological associations. Based on ten years of research, travel and curiostiy, this text is also the result of a personal quest - to reveal the mystical codes written in the astonishing worlds of gardens worldwide.Trade Review05/12/04 Independent on Sunday: "It's a relief to find a modest, intelligent work like this one, looking towards mythology and arcane history for inspiration." "a unique blend of scholarly application and subtle imagination" "wonderful" "could there be a better way to rid your lawn of Titchmarsh?" Irish Catholic: "For all who love plants and flowers, Gardens of the Gods is a most interesting read." Parish News: "As you start to plant your seedlings for the year, browse through this fascinating book about ancient gardens and sacred spaces."

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Book Synopsis'Galoshins' was a seasonal folk drama learned orally and performed, mostly by boys, in people's houses. They were rewarded with food or pennies. It took place on New Year's Eve ('Old Year's Night')or on Hallowe'en in central and southern Scotland at the very end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. The drama took the form of a fight, sometimes with 'swords', and then a 'doctor' performed a comic turn in bringing the injured party back to life. These oral reminiscences, gathered for the first time in book form, were collected in the 1970s for the School of Scottish Studies Sound Archives, University of Edinburgh.Trade Review' ... offers many glimpses of bygone entertainment.' Scots Magazine 'The book that emerges is a detailed and comprehensive account of a tradition which, if the book had not been written, would very probably have been lost altogether as memories faded and those able to give first-hand accounts were increasingly no longer with us.' Undiscovered Scotland ' ... For thae fowk wha ar fand o blethers, this is a buik whilk shud be i yer leebrarie!' Lallans '... The present book in the NMS "Flashback" series extends our knowledge of the play in the past century and, by reproducing recorded tapes verbatim, provides valuable additional material.' Scottish Local HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgements List of illustrations Foreword by Mark A. Mulhern GALOSHINS REMEMBERED Introduction Recollections from the Players and Observers Notes Bibliography Glossary

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Book SynopsisAllan Cunningham''s Traditional Tales is a selection of folk stories steeped in the traditions and popular literature of southern Scotland and northern England. Originally published in 1822, this was one of the earliest collections of folktales ever produced in Britain. Operating within the debateable land between fact and fancy, mixing the natural and supernatural, they blur the distinction between the oral traditions of the distant past and emerging ideas of literature and modernity. Cunningham''s Traditional Tales form an essential part of folkloric history, as well as being fascinating stories in their own right.

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Book SynopsisFrom bold heroines to clan battles, standing stones to castles, there is hardly any aspect of Scotland’s heritage that does not feature in our storytelling traditions. This collection of stories from all parts of Scotland, and from all periods of our dramatic – and often truly heroic – history is both an introduction to and a journey into Scotland’s rich cultural heritage. Covering the same themes as Disney-Pixar’s new fairytale film, Brave, this book provides the next step for those wishing to delve deeper into Scotland’s culture and traditions.Trade ReviewWith its captivating and often gruesome tales of heroic warriors in battle, bold heroines, deceitful aristocracy, and supernatural creatures this is a journey into the cultural heritage of a nation. SCOTTISH REVIEW OF BOOKS Scotland the Brave exposes the beating heart of Scottish storytelling. EDINBURGH LIFE Sept/Oct 2012 Stuart McHardy’s new collection of tales beautifully renders the mythology that has flourished in the oral tradition, alongise and in response to Scotland’s awe-inspiring natural landscape. EDINBURGH LIFE Sept/Oct 2012

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Book SynopsisAn interesting compendium of the origins of familiar Christmas customs and traditions. Green speculates on such matters as the identity of the three kings, explains such mysteries as the reasoning behind the date of Christmas and the development of the Advent calendar and the Christmas cracker, and asks, in the words of Brian''s Mum: "What is myrrh anyway?" You''ll find out here.

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Book SynopsisSally Castle’s beautifully hand-lettered and illustrated edition of Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince sets the story among Reading’s parks, squares, rooflines and churches – the town that’s shaped her and her artwork and where Oscar spent an unhappy period in gaol. This enchanting combination of fairy story with concrete urban reality, a tale of sacrificial love written with a flourish and swirl, turns a simple book into a gem as precious as the large red ruby that glowed on the Prince’s sword-hilt. With an introduction by Michael Seeney, author and collector of Wilde’s work.

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Book Synopsis.Trade Review.

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Book SynopsisThe distinctive blend of emotions and responses each landscape stirs up are echoed in stories filtered through the voices of storytellers, the pens of poets and historians, and the tools of artists and crafters. We hope you will experience these too, as you journey with us through the landscape. The popular Journeys and Evocations series continues with the fourth instalment Travelling the Tweed Dales, an exploration of the Scottish Borders. Six journeys take the reader from Eildon Hills to Tweeddale, from Kelso to Gala Water, Ettrick and Teviotdale. The long history of the Borders and their unique culture is evoked through key personalities, events, stories and folklore. Complete with driving instructions and directions, the book is a travelogue, expressed through story, poetry and song, set against the landscape, in a previously unexplored way. Whether by foot, bike, bus, armchair or car, this book is your perfect travelling companion. Previous Journeys and Evocations books focused on Scotland’s capital city, exploring Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill and Edinburgh Old Town.Trade Review.

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Book SynopsisAnna is thrilled to move into a black and white house in Adam Park, confident she will thrive in Singapore, find a job, make local friends. But echoes of footsteps in the hallways make her wonder whether rumours of the house being haunted are true. Overwhelmed and lonely in a new country, Anna slowly unravels.When Salimah, single mother to a rebellious teenager, loses her job, she revisits Adam Park where her childhood was uprooted. A place with a dark history. Anna bumps into Salimah, and their lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Tensions rise as the house''s haunting presence grips both women and threatens to upset an already fragile friendship.

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Book SynopsisOver the millennia Gods and Goddesses have taken on many forms, have given great gifts and unleashed furious punishments on those who worshipped and angered them. This book introduces the main gods and goddesses of the past; their myths, rituals and how they have influenced modern popular culture. Discover the feuding goddesses of Babylon, Witness the great love affair of the Egyptian creator gods Travel with the West African goddess from the shores of Nigeria to the new world of the Americas Meet the divine forces which may still dwell in the heavens, the mountains, rivers, oceans and stars. More than a historical glimpse into ancient cultures, Gods and Goddesses is a reference guide to the divine pantheons and an insight into how these ancient people and their divine creators live on in modern stories, films, practices and beliefs.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisBringing together nearly 100 tales translated from 14 languages, this volume opens the vast narrative world of Indian folklore to readers of English. The editors include oral tales collected from tribal areas

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Book SynopsisA case study of the folklore of sexuality, this text examines the myth of the droit de cuissage and how for seven hundred years each era used the mythical custom to its own ends in an insight into popular misconceptions of the Middle Ages. Studies

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisDescribes how the myths of Greece and Rome were transmitted from antiquity to the Renaissance. This study reveals how philosophers employed allegory and how it enabled myth to take on a number of different interpretive systems throughout the centuries: moral, physical, psychological, political, and even metaphysical.Trade Review"A compressed overview with moments of great insight.... Its strengths lie in the details Brisson is able to work into this brief treatment." - Peter Struck, Journal of Religion "This wonderful book confirms Brisson's status as one of the major authorities in the field of classical antiquity. Overall, and with this excellent translation, the book is invaluable." - Choice"

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Book SynopsisIs it right for children to believe in myths? By encouraging such myths, are parents lying to children? This text explores how children themselves see characters such as Santa, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy, and discusses the possible effects that belief in such figures has on children.

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Book SynopsisHindu and Greek mythologies teem with stories of women and men who are doubled, this text recounts and compares a vast range of these tales from ancient Greece and India. The comparisons show that differences in gender are more significant than differences in culture.

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Book SynopsisThis anthology of regional folklore displays the abundance, humor, and continuing vigor of the American oral tradition. The collection explores rich and distinctive lore of Maine Down-Easters, Pennsylvania Dutchmen, Southern mountaineers, Louisiana Cajuns, Illinois Egyptians, Southwest Mexicans, and Utah Mormons. Their tales, songs, riddles, proverbs, games, superstitions, and customs provide a wealth of living folklore presented here as it was recorded in the field. And this unvarnished folklore factretains the spicy flavor of authentic narrative, told in the vernacular of the skillful folk storyteller.

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Book SynopsisCarrying his story into the twentieth century, the author mounts an argument for freeing fairy tales from their bland contemporary forms, and reinvigorating your belief that we still can find new, powerfully transformative ways of telling these stories.Trade Review"A wonderfully original work. Maggi's analysis is erudite but adventurous, and he is an exacting, inquisitive, and often brilliant reader. He combines and links the macroscopic-the consideration of major questions in literary and cultural history-and the microscopic-extended close readings-in exemplary fashion. This is a book about fairy tales, but it is also an extended reflection on the fundamental human activity of narration itself-why and how we tell tales and how these tales transform over time." (Nancy L. Canepa, Dartmouth College)

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Book SynopsisWith this text, Leszek Kolakowski demonstrates that no matter how hard man strives for purely rational thought, there has always been - and always will be - a resevoir of mythical images that lend being and consciousness a specifically human meaning.

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Book SynopsisIn this wide-ranging work, Claude Levi-Strauss examines the mythology of American Indians and seeks to illustrate how contact with Europeans have altered these tales.

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Book SynopsisOn August 4, 1578, in an ill-conceived attempt to wrest Morocco back from the hands of the infidel Moors, King Sebastian of Portugal led his troops to slaughter and was himself slain. Sixteen years later, King Sebastian rose again. The author recalls this conspiracy, marked both by scheming and absurdity, and the legal inquest that followed.Trade Review"Ruth MacKay draws upon a wealth of new materials culled from various archives, both Spanish and Portuguese, together with an array of printed primary sources-chronicles, spiritual treatises, ambassadorial reports, etc.-to offer new insights into the gripping tale of the pastelero de Madrigal. Her account of the young King Sebastian and his 1578 death in Morocco at the fabled 'Battle of the Three Kings' is by far the best I have ever read. The Baker Who Pretended to Be King of Portugal is beautifully crafted and a true delight to read." -Richard L. Kagan, Johns Hopkins University"

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Book SynopsisOther People's Myths celebrates the universal art of storytelling, and the rich diversity of stories that people live by. Drawing on Biblical parables, Greek myths, Hindu epics, and the modern mythologies of Woody Allen and soap operas, Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty encourages us to feel anew the force of myth and tradition in our lives, and in the lives of other cultures. She shows how the stories of mythology--whether of Greek gods, Chinese sages, or Polish rabbis--enable all cultures to define themselves. She raises critical questions about the way we interpret mythical stories, especially the way different cultures make use of central texts and traditions. And she offers a sophisticated way of looking at the roles myths play in all cultures.

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