This paper seeks to examine how africans conceive of the supreme being, divinities and spirits. The main characters in myths are usually gods or supernatural heroes. The concept of god, divinities and spirits in african traditional religious ontology has been so misunderstood by many scholars to the point of seeing africans as people who did not know the supreme being nor worship him. Instead, they used the concrete imagery and narrative form of myth to portray divinity as they saw it. In my opinion, i think the best books for mythology are norse mythology by neil gaiman, and another book simply called mythology by edith hamilton. It is a path laid out in such a way that reveals the how towards ultimate living. A myth is a sacred narrative explaining how the world and humankind came to be in their present form. Religion and mythology books 78 an encyclopedia of ancient greek and roman mythology by james hampton belton e. God, divinities and spirits in african traditional. The west african finds it quite natural to approach the gods and believes that the gods will listen and help because, with few exceptions such as the yoruba and igbo sky gods olorun and amadioha, they are believed to have once been humans or at least in familiar and close contact with humans and to have at one point inhabited the earth. It talks about the wonders of the ancient world and the gods and heroes of ancient mythology.
Aborigines placed their faith in the father of all spirits. Supreme beings nearly all ancient creation myths included some kind of supreme being. This being was not always in a clear form, but it was almost always present. Hamiltons renowned classic brings this legacy to life anew, with impeccably accurate and accessible retellings of eternally spellbinding tales. How to use myths, legends and fairy tales in your fiction. Best mythology books for kids and teens at some point during their grade school years, lots of kids go through a big mythology phase they cant get enough of stories about gods, goddesses, and other mythological creatures. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for smart. About the mythology book from early creation stories to classical hero narratives and the recurring theme of the afterlife, experience each myth and unravel the meanings behind the stories, getting to the heart of the importance of mythology to different cultures worldwide. The heros journey by joseph campbell 1990 comparative mythology. However, most of amishs fans will concur that the last book was the most disappointing. Berens orginally wrote myths and legends of ancient greece and rome to provide an interesting work on greek and roman mythology, suitable for advanced schools. Ok, this is a kids book, but its a great intro to norse mythology all the same and definitely a more cleaned up version of some of the myths. Read 32 answers by scientists with 42 recommendations from their colleagues to the question asked by dusan spasic on jan 24, 2012.
Its all introductory material, as would be expected from such a series, but the tone of some entries in the chinese and japanese volumes seems a little problematic. Buy a cheap copy of chinese mythology a to z mythology a to. At oxford he studied bar billiards, ancient greek agriculture and the care and feeding of small, temperamental japanese motorcycle engines. In norse mythology, the book obviously centers around lore of the scandinavian gods, perhaps to. I had a look at several books from this series in the reference section of my library. The term mythology can refer to a body of myths or to any traditional story. Mr roberts style, geared toward young inquiry, is thoughtful and appreciated.
In greek and japanese mythology there were many gods and goddesses. The northernmost extension of germanic mythology, norse mythology consists of tales of various deities, beings, and heroes derived from numerous sources from both before and after the. It written as the travel journal of the fictional lady hestia evans. Explore eighty of the worlds greatest myths and characters, from the gods of greek mythology to the norse heroes, retold and explained with engaging text and bold graphics. Best books for kids and adults interested in greek mythology. Mar 11, 2015 for centuries the myths and legends of ireland, scotland, wales, and england have carried down through stories told around firesides, in halls, and finally transcribed and adapted in the pages of b. Jun 02, 2015 we asked you to share your favorite modern books inspired by mythology and you answered. Gods and fighting men by lady augusta gregory 1904.
As jung has discussed, particularly in his book flying saucers, a metamorphosis of the gods occurs at the end of each astrological era and since we are now passing into aquarius, a new mythology is emerging and being articulated in apocalytptic and prophetic dreams and visions worldwide. With a fairy tale or two in mind, plus a little king arthur to spice it up, how far do you go from the original story. The information from all meshed with that i found in other sources. Elsewhere, the seach will be visibly opened after this button is selected.
Spark an interest in greek mythology with these fabulous kids books that recount the. Choose from used and new textbooks or get instant access with etextbooks and digital materials. Navigate to the global search form search landmark. Whether youre obsessed with greek myths or intrigued by japanese folklore, this list is sure to have a title or two that can offer a great introduction to these beloved stories across the world. The heroes qualified as supreme beings represent an in universe equivalent of the monotheistic god. Best books about mythology whether on mythology in general or particular branches, what are the best books you have read on the subject. The songlines by bruce chatwin 1987 greek mythology. Factually the books in the series are fine, based on the entries i read, and an. What are some mythology books which cover all the main. What are the best books about folklore and mythology.
As unique and powerful as those mythical portrayals are, they leave us wondering how the. For centuries the myths and legends of ireland, scotland, wales, and england have carried down through stories told around firesides, in halls, and finally transcribed and adapted in the pages of b. A sourcebook of greek, roman, and near eastern myths in translation 2nd. A keystone of our culture is the body of myth and legend of the ancient western worldstories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity since time immemorial.
World mythology edited by roy willis in this fascinating and authoritative encyclopedia, scholarly contributors use more than 500 color photographs, maps, and artifacts to describe the myths of egypt, the middle east, india, china, tibet, mongolia, japan, greece, rome, the celtic lands, northern and eastern europe, the arctic, north and south america, mesoamerica, africa, australia, oceania. The books offer a retelling of shaiva mythology, in a fresh new plot and easytounderstand language. Acquainted with the night by christopher dewdney 2004. The hero with a thousand faces by joseph campbell 1949 comparative mythology. Since its original publication by little, brown and company in 1942, edith hamiltons mythology has sold millions of copies throughout the world and established itself as a perennial bestseller in its various available formats. See more ideas about greek mythology, mythology and greek. The book, the supreme being, is a complete distillation of truth. Fantasy is a colourful and exciting genre, and were currently living in a golden age with all the amazing new books being released. Here you will discover zeus, god of the sky and ruler of the olympian gods, and loki, the cunning trickster with a knack for causing havoc, aided by his ability to. Theres more than just greek and roman mythology, too. The first meeting between greeks and amazons, according to mythology, was when hercules was sent by eurystheus, the king of mycenae, tiryns, and argos, on one of his celebrated twelve labours the 9th, this time to fetch the girdle of the amazon queen hippolyte. Timeless tales of gods and heroes, and the golden age of greek literature. Before she knows it, things in her life begin to get really weird, really freaking fast. Folklorist alan dundes defines myth as a sacred narrative that explains how the world and humanity evolved into their present form.
We asked you to share your favorite modern books inspired by mythology and you answered. The 10 best norse mythology books odin riding sleipnir detail from the tjangvide runestone there are so many books on norse mythology out there, especially at the beginner level, that if you were to make a pile with one copy of each it would probably reach all the way up to asgard itself. A wikipedia book is an organized collection of wikipedia articles that can be sent to a third party service for rendering electronically in pdf format, or ordering as a printed book. Greek mythology this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Suzanne collins said that the hunger games was inspired by the story of theseus and the minotaur, if that counts for it being on the list. This list is primarily, but by no means exclusively, for beginners with little or no familiarity with ancient egyptian mythology and religion. For some, the wondrous tales and their largerthanlife characters make for great.
Often times, a heroic supreme being would represent how god is good as opposed to evil. Retellings of classic stories and folklore are easy to find no matter what genre you love to read, and the possibilities are endless. These books have brought so many people into a genre that theyve come to love. Sep 26, 2016 retellings of classic stories and folklore are easy to find no matter what genre you love to read, and the possibilities are endless. To be truly familiar with greek mythology, you really should know a good portion of the allusions ovid makes. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for. Searching for books edit you can look for books either by browsing the book categories or by searching for a title or topic. Bulfinch is widely available, including online, and the stories entertain as well as explain, with the caveat that he prefers roman names like jupiter and proserpine to zeus. Worlds in collision by immanuel velikovsky 1950 comparative mythology modern disciples series by i.
Image via wikimedia commons 4 simple steps to go from tale to novel. Greek mythology books retellings, translations, and commentary continue to be some of my favorite reads. Old stories, such as myths, legends and fairy tales, can be an inexhaustible source of inspiration for new work. If you see any others, just point them out and ill remove them. Balders death by christoffer wilhelm eckersberg 1817 as far as we know, the vikings never formulated their views on the divine in the abstract, conceptual language of theology or philosophy. Whether on mythology in general or particular branches, what are the best books you have read on the subject. Dec 28, 2014 the books offer a retelling of shaiva mythology, in a fresh new plot and easytounderstand language. If one of many gods a supreme being will still be the most powerful and or important of his or her brethren who is also benevolent. Being an american any tool to maximize knowledge requires focus. Growing up in a family of monster hunters is not easy.
The book is compiled afresh each time it is retrieved by the service, so that a new upload will always reflect the latest versions of the articles. In 1957, at the age of 90, she traveled to greece for the first time, where the city of athens made her an honorary citizen. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. For adults with more advanced knowledge for those already familiar with bulfinch, the next book to pick up is timothy gantz early greek myths, although this is a 2volume reference work, rather than a book to read. Being legends and romances of atlantic discovery new york. Dundes classified a sacred narrative as a story that serves to define the fundamental worldview of a culture by explaining aspects of the natural world and delineating the psychological and social practices and ideals of a society. Best mythology books for kids and teens common sense media. Mar 04, 2019 in my opinion, i think the best books for mythology are norse mythology by neil gaiman, and another book simply called mythology by edith hamilton. Godchecker guide to ometecuhtli also known as ometeoltloque, the aztec supreme god from aztec mythology. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for smart. The 10 best egyptian mythology books egyptian mythology for. But we and this subreddit in particular are still recommending the same books as we were fivetoten years ago. Im sorry to say that youre asking the wrong question then. The girdle was given by her father ares, and the task was set by eurystheus.
Books general tips and wikiproject wikipedia books questions and assistance. Nov 22, 2015 i am in love with books based around mythology and curse of the sphinx by raye wager as it is set in this awesome modern. The book is more similar to an encyclopedia than a story. The 10 best egyptian mythology books egyptian mythology. I am in love with books based around mythology and curse of the sphinx by raye wager as it is set in this awesome modern. Having to constantly leave behind friends quickly made and teachers that she adored, ashlynne began resenting her whole ordeal. The books that are often faceout in the book shops.
Different people find greek mythology to be meaningful for different reasons. For information and help on wikipedia books in general, see help. Norse mythology is the body of myths of the north germanic peoples, stemming from norse paganism and continuing after the christianization of scandinavia, and into the scandinavian folklore of the modern period. Greek mythology this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as. Heroes that possess godlike power which they use to help the heroes. Anderson 2011 fiction based on several different mythologies australian mythology. Discover, download and read free and lowpriced ebooks on the subject of greek mythology. Nearly all ancient creation myths included some kind of supreme being. All our pretty songs by sarah mccarry american gods by neil gaiman anansi boys by neil gaiman.
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