Star Lore: Myths, Legends, and Facts

by William Tyler Olcott

Excerpt from Star Lore of All Ages: A Collection of Myths, Legends, and Facts, Concerning the Constellations of the Northern Hemisphere ... With 50 illustrations in the text and 64 full-page illustrations.

There are many persons who are familiar with the bright stars and constellations of these northern latitudes who are unaware of the beautiful myths and legends that time and fancy have woven about them.

Genres: Mythology, History, Science, Astronomy, Nonfiction, Reference, Space

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

William Tyler Olcott (1873–1936) was an American lawyer and amateur astronomer.

In 1909, after attending a lecture by Edward Charles Pickering, he developed an interest in observing variable stars. In 1911, he founded the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO). Olcott also published several books to popularize the field of amateur astronomy.

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read. In concert with a new telescope and a trip to our local observatory in Flagstaff this book has brought the skies to life for me in a way I never dreamed possible.

If you are a fan of myth, history, science or the stars this is really a must read.

Unfortunately, the author didn't feel compelled to offer us any references for the origins of his many fascinating and outrageous claims about the origin and beliefs surrounding the different constellations, so as good as the book is, it suffers as a true reference guide. But as a popular read on the subject, and as a goad for further reasearch, I found this book indispensible.

[Paige McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book to get the mythological tales behind the constellations. Written in 1903 it covers the constellations of the Greco-Roman world and Greco-Roman mythology. A good source for this as this is how most astronomy buffs divide up the sky. Good intro text. Of course, the Greeks weren't the only ones to connect the dots of stars in the sky into constellations. A good archeo-astronomy text will have these quite different constellations of other cultures. I recommend "Exploring Ancient Skies" for treatments of other cultures. This book however is a charming old-school starter though.

[Scott Kardel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Olcott's Star Lore (first published in 1911) is a classic, but while it does offer some excellent information on the myths behind the constellations it suffers from an antiquated and somewhat disjointed writing style. It certainly works better as reference than as a book that is to be read straight through.

[Rachel Dorminy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really wonderful aid for myself as my children are learning about the constellations. It doesn’t share the actual folklore stories but references which populations held which beliefs. There are lots of rabbit trails to be followed!

[Layo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-have for those interested in the myths of the stars and constellations.

[Kadri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, informative and gives quite a lot to think about.

[Sherrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The science is really outdated, but the mythology and literature references were quite interesting. Ancient people were bat crap crazy in thinking they saw all these figures in the stars.