World Mythology in Bite-sized Chunks

by Mark Daniels

A masterful introduction to world mythology, shedding light on the impact it has had on cultures past and present and untangling the complex web of deities, monsters and myths.

From the signs of the zodiac to literature and art, the influence of world mythology can still be seen in everyday life.

With a stunning array of fascinating tales, World Mythology in Bite-sized Chunks gets to grips with the ancient stories of Aboriginal, Sumerian, Egyptian, Mesoamerican, Maori, Greek, Roman, Indian, Norse and Japanese cultures, encompassing legends from the most diverse societies and the most ancient cultures from across the globe.

Learn about why Odin, the Father of the Gods in Norse mythology, was so keen to lose an eye, the importance of the Osiris myth of Ancient Egypt, and much more besides.

Entertaining, authoritative and incisive, this is an enlightening journey into the fascinating world of mythology.

• ISBN10: 1782435751
• ISBN13: 9781782435754
• Publish Date: 7 January 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Michael O'Mara Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

From the title, it's abundantly clear that the goal of the book is to present a brief overview of mythology from around the world. In that regard, that's precisely what this book is. However, individual myths were summarised in extremely broad strokes, generalising to the point that reading this book felt redundant. Despite acknowledging that the native tribes of America as well as Australia were a multitude, their mythology was flattened on an even plain, barely referring to the tribes from whom each myth was taken. Details obviously didn't matter, even as some errors made it to the page.

Not a book I'd recommend for starters but if you're familiar with these tales, they might be useful for jogging your memory. They might also lead some readers to explore mythology beyond the ones they're already familiar with. In those regards, it could be a useful book. Otherwise, maybe search for a more exhaustive primer.