Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies

Treasury of Folklore

by Willow Winsham, Joe McLaren (Illustrator)

Following the hugely popular Treasury of Seas and Rivers and Woodlands and Forests comes Treasury of Stars and Skies , an exploration of the mysteries of the stars, skies, and heavens above.

People have gazed up at the same stars for millennia, trading stories about them, conjuring gods and goddesses, mapping the constellations, and navigating the complex human world below. The tales, traditions, and myths included here traverse countries and continents and have been chosen to highlight how humans are linked through time and place, with shared dreams, fears, and ways of rationalizing the unknown.

Under the Stars and Heavens section Willow delves into rosy fingered dawn and the hubris of Icarus, the Greek myths surrounding the constellations and the omen of meteors, the trials of the Hawaiian goddess Hina and the legend of the rabbit in the moon. In Skies we are introduced to winged Pegasus and the trials of the Firebird, the Witch of Westray and stories of storms, the mysteries of the Northern Lights and unexplained UFOs.

Treasury of Stars and Skies is a fascinating portal into a rich history of myths surrounding the sky, an aspect of the natural world that continues to fascinate and confound.

Genres: Mythology, Folklore, Nonfiction, Fairy Tales

192 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

Willow Winsham brings readers regular tales of witches and witchcraft at her blog, The Witch, the Weird and the Wonderful. Combining a passion for research and history with a love of storytelling, she dedicates her time to investigating some of the most intriguing stories from the history of the British Isles.

Reviews

[Kiki✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5^

✨Beautifully written
✨A story book, an index of information - this book has it all
✨Lovely range of myths
✨The layout of the book and the focus of the chapters allows the author to switch up between myths that keeps the book engaging
✨Well narrated, the writer had personality but didn’t overtake the myths being taught

🪄 My only qualm with this otherwise fantastic book would be on the Flying Cryptids section before the books close. It had nothing to do with the stars or sky so I’m really not sure why it was there. It felt shoe horned in and an odd note to fall on right before the conclusion. I would give this book 5 stars but this inconsistency lowered it to 4.5 for me.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like these short collections focusing on an area of the natural world and then delving into the myths and stories that are connected to that area from around the world. I enjoy that the book includes a huge array of myths from across the world. Often mentioning which locations have the same or a similar story to then explore somewhere that has a completely different view. The book does not dive into depth with all of the myths but that allows the shear amount to be highlighted. It was brilliantly written, and painted a picture of each myth along with the beautiful pictures throughout the book.

[Jules · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐: 3

Lots of different stories but it doesn't really go into much detail on a lot of them. I would've preferred the author cut down the amount of myths and do a longer explanation as opposed to try to cram as many mentions of myths possible into one book. The chosen method reduced some myths to one sentence which I don't think does them justice.

Lesson learnt, flip through the book in the store, don't just check the description and table of contents.

[Aspen Lake · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish this, purely because I just don't feel like folklore is for me. I think that it reminds me too much of religious text in place of gods are just the sun and stars and skies etc. I think I firmly prefer non-fiction text. And perhaps folklore connected to a heritage sight of something may interest me. However I just found all of this quite vague and a little annoying to read for me personally. Again just for me!!! Maybe, its just better written elsewhere? I think I'll give it a break for now.

[Juliette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series. Each book explores such interesting tales and stories. I truly enjoyed reading it and can't wait for the next one.

Love the fact that at the end of the book you have the references. That way you can explore these tales more if you so wish 😍

[Ferenc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of myths and tales from all around the world about gods and goddesses of the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, weather witches, superstitions and creatures living in the skies. So many interesting stories and characters I haven't heard about at all. Also the illustrations are gorgeous. I wish there was even more in it but the book length doesn't allow to get deeper into the topics.

[Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much...I really hope there will be more!

[Frances Fogel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enchanting… “it is… Folklore that binds us together, far more than it divides us, if only - as ever - we choose to listen”. 160

[Adventure Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable and informative! Much like the others in the series, a lovely bookshelf keeper and nice reference book

[Hollie Darling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this! Gorgeous collection of folklore from around the world! Some really interesting facts (:

[Georgie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful book physically, but I’d hoped for more content wise. Very scattered and not much depth on anything.

[Stefan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, and I don't understand why more people haven't read it. I bought it befcause I liked the cover, then smashed it out in a few hours because it isn't that long. Come on people, you must be looking for easy wins for your reading challenge right? Read this!