The Friendly Guide to Mythology: A Mortal's Companion to the Fantastical Realm of Gods Goddesses Monsters Heroes

by Nancy Hathaway

How was the world as we know it created? What does it mean to be a hero? Where do we go when we die? Why are flood myths so ubiquitous? Anyone who has pondered these and other questions about humanity's ancient beliefs will be fascinated by "The Friendly Guide to Mythology." Focusing on Greek and Roman mythology but including myths from Africa, Asia, Australia, northern Europe, and the Americas, "The Friendly Guide to Mythology" is filled with compelling stories of gods, goddesses, mortals, and monsters. Beautifully ornamented with photos, line drawings, and quotes, this entertaining guide also includes an A-to-Z listing of the world's most captivating goddesses; profiles of famous writers, collectors, and interpreters of myths; and engaging sidebars. Featuring myths of love, wisdom, and adventure as well as those of violence, jealousy, and pure folly, this accessible collection offers fascinating insight into the human psyche and brings our rich mythological heritage delightfully into focus.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Reference, School, Religion

612 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Valentina Markasović · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also known as Greek Mythology and 3 other stories I stumbled upon

[Lindsey Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this for a mythology paper I had to write in college. I love it because it doesn't just focus in on Greek and Roman mythology, but myths from all over the world. It's not a boring read...it's kind of like Mythology Chic-Lit, light and airy. The goddess on the cover even has red stilettos. It doesn't go into huge detail on any one type of myth, but kind of flits around so that the reader gets a true sampling of world mythology.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because if you're looking for an in-depth look at a specific type of mythology, you're not going to find it here. It truly is just a sampling. It would be good for someone who didn't know a lot about mythology to begin with and just wanted to delve into the genre. Mythology snobs would probably turn up their nose at it because of the cover alone. If you're obsessed with mythology like I am, none of that is going to matter. I already knew most of the information on Greek and Roman myth, but I did gain some insight into mythology of other cultures that I hadn't really explored before.

[Adonis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the mother load of all myths fit into one book. i pick this book up after reading my last greek mythology book, and i saw that this book had some greek myths in it along with many other culutures myth, so i hgave it a shot and i was hooked right away. It was really intresting to see how so many religions were so similiar, they all had similar storys, similar characters and similar powers which i found intresting and scarry. I was really thinking while reading this book, what if christianity or any of the other major beliefs in our modern society will belook back upon as myths many years from now. I found the Roman and Greek myths to be the most intresting out of all, mainly because they were like dramas and it was more entertaining, and i could see how people were trying to explain all the natural disasters and how things worked through the story. great book!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an easy-to-read summary of an assortment of mythological figures, themes, and associated stories drawing from a few different cultures. The style is informal and conversational. I personally find its scope a little confusing, as it's not clear why the particular blend of myths was chosen and it never goes in particular depth on any of them, which combined with the format, makes it feel a bit arbitrary.

[Melinda Wingate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love mythology, so I had to check out this book. I read it over a holiday weekend and it was lovely! I love how it included bits from many different mythological traditions and cultures. If you ever wanted to know about specific topics in mythology and how different cultures compare and contrast, this is a good resource. It is written in a way that is really easy for the average (read: not professional researcher or academic) reader to enjoy. I recommend it!

[Megan]

DNS 7/16/2021

[Angelia Fransisca Rusli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book as it tells us myths from all over the world. Starting from how the world was created, how men were created to the ragnarok itself. Plus, we got some explanation about major & minor goddesses and also major heroes from all myths.

Written in a story-form-like, this book is really a friendly guide to those who're new to mythology. As a newbie myself, I found this book to be very useful.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my textbook in my "Myths and Meanings" English class my first semester in college and it was excellent. So many different mythologies are detailed, with little helpful profiles of gods, goddesses and creatures. Completely fantastic, fun read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a class, and I the assigned reading wasn't cover to cover, but I did end up reading most of it at some point. It's well written and has a ton of myths in it, and well it does focus on the Greek Pantheon a bit much for my taste, I still really enjoyed it.

[Tristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic reference book written with a wonderful sense of humor.

[Alec Rigdon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was disappointing to discover that this book wasn't as easy to read as I'd hoped. The terminology and timelines were well laid but everything tended to spin in circles. Perhaps that's how it goes with mythology. The section regarding female deities was especially interesting. I think I would have cared for equally bite sized versions of all stories instead of pages upon pages on the gods everyone already knows followed by a lot of theory and criticism.