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The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology
A comprehensive reference to the extraordinary tales and legends of the ancient world's most fascinating and beguiling mythologies. An authoritative A to Z of the mythical figures of two continents, with copious cross-references. Over 1,000 alphabetical entries describing the central mythical figures of each culture and their importance to the ancient civilizations of their day. Illustrated with over 1,000 images spanning fifteen centures of fine art, from the ancient world to the present day, including specially commissioned artworks. Pictorial spreads on the mythical themes and symbols central to each culture.
512 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
61 people are currently reading
2463 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Cotterell
96 books37 followersArthur Cotterell, former Principal of Kingston College in London, has spent many years combining senior educational management with historical research. He is the respected author of more than thirty books, and is now writing on the Chinese empire, from the history of which he considers one can learn as much about leadership as from Ashridge or Harvard.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
September 5, 2012
My most treasured book (^___^)
January 23, 2009
The book is oversize and has over 1,000 entries over hundreds of pages. It's bulky, but it's lavishly illustrated which makes the full size worthwhile, if you're into those kinds of things.
I think the Goodreads summary can give as good a feel as anything for this book: "An authoritative A to Z of the mythical figures of two great continents, with copious cross-references." Yeah, those "two great continents" are, you guessed it, Europe and Asia. I have to downrate this book for calling itself the Ultimate when it's so consciously narrow in scope. For a broader text, try The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols; for a deeper text of Greek myths, try Hamilton's Mythology; for a scholarly review of myths, try Joseph Campbell, such as Hero with a Thousand Faces.
That being said, the book isn't so bad and I do like it. The entries are for the general public, telling myths you may already know but with different detail or perspective. The cross referencing is useful. Also, I really like how they do give a good balance to myths throughout Eurasia, covering Celtic, Norse, Roman, Greek, Islamic, West Asian, Indian, Chinese and Japanese myths without preferential treatment. No, it's not exhaustive even for those continents, and it would take several volumes to even make a decent attempt to do that. This is for casual interest reading, to put on the coffee table or to take off the wall on slow, rainy days, or to follow up for more info after watching a cool TV show or movie.
The thing about these more or less generic, easy reading reference books is that Wikipedia is quickly approaching them on every topic if it hasn't outdone them already. They don't have the rigor, depth, or thoroughness to appeal to a specialist, and there's not much more to hold on to, unless you want to kill some time and check out the cool pictures.
I think the Goodreads summary can give as good a feel as anything for this book: "An authoritative A to Z of the mythical figures of two great continents, with copious cross-references." Yeah, those "two great continents" are, you guessed it, Europe and Asia. I have to downrate this book for calling itself the Ultimate when it's so consciously narrow in scope. For a broader text, try The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols; for a deeper text of Greek myths, try Hamilton's Mythology; for a scholarly review of myths, try Joseph Campbell, such as Hero with a Thousand Faces.
That being said, the book isn't so bad and I do like it. The entries are for the general public, telling myths you may already know but with different detail or perspective. The cross referencing is useful. Also, I really like how they do give a good balance to myths throughout Eurasia, covering Celtic, Norse, Roman, Greek, Islamic, West Asian, Indian, Chinese and Japanese myths without preferential treatment. No, it's not exhaustive even for those continents, and it would take several volumes to even make a decent attempt to do that. This is for casual interest reading, to put on the coffee table or to take off the wall on slow, rainy days, or to follow up for more info after watching a cool TV show or movie.
The thing about these more or less generic, easy reading reference books is that Wikipedia is quickly approaching them on every topic if it hasn't outdone them already. They don't have the rigor, depth, or thoroughness to appeal to a specialist, and there's not much more to hold on to, unless you want to kill some time and check out the cool pictures.
June 29, 2007
Another one of those Gold colored books you see in the discount bin at Barnes and Nobel or Borders, this book is an attempt to organize mythological/religious characters from all around the world.
What's mythology to one person is religion to the next, and this book does a fine job of demonstrating key points in each character's history.
Finding this book now may be a trial, especially under the current ISBN, however, a search of the authors Arthur Cotterell & Rachel Storm return a new book entitled: Encyclopedia of World Mythology (ISBN: 0754814882).
This new title may be more appropriate for their 2005 publication as the Ultimate Encyclopedia is missing some key mythological figures of various beliefs. Considering the cost of the book at purchase, I was happy enough with the 500 or more oversized pages. These oversized books produced by Hermes House with Arthur and Rachel are definitely worth their value, and far superior to any one of a hundred so called "mythological encyclopedias" I've seen on the market.
Though I have yet to read the new publication entitled "Encyclopedia of World Mythology", from my experience with this book alone I suggest purchasing that one should you find it as I do believe it is meant to replace this older edition.
What's mythology to one person is religion to the next, and this book does a fine job of demonstrating key points in each character's history.
Finding this book now may be a trial, especially under the current ISBN, however, a search of the authors Arthur Cotterell & Rachel Storm return a new book entitled: Encyclopedia of World Mythology (ISBN: 0754814882).
This new title may be more appropriate for their 2005 publication as the Ultimate Encyclopedia is missing some key mythological figures of various beliefs. Considering the cost of the book at purchase, I was happy enough with the 500 or more oversized pages. These oversized books produced by Hermes House with Arthur and Rachel are definitely worth their value, and far superior to any one of a hundred so called "mythological encyclopedias" I've seen on the market.
Though I have yet to read the new publication entitled "Encyclopedia of World Mythology", from my experience with this book alone I suggest purchasing that one should you find it as I do believe it is meant to replace this older edition.
Currently reading
January 6, 2013As with most encyclopedias, this is not the sort of book which one reads from cover to cover.
AS with a dictionary one either goes straight to the topic needed or one browses and cross references....and Time flies.
I have been doing BOTH since late March when I began a Ten Week series of lectures "LIVING MYTHS" at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) scattered through March, April, May and June 2012.
Alas,only two lectures remain.
Lecture notes, an intermission of chat with tea/coffee and superior biscuits and wine and guava juice at lecture's end...all help to digest
the Mythical World which resounds in our own.
For more information on the substance of each lecture visit:
www.artgallery.nsw.gov,au/members/events
and look for: For God's Sake II: Living Myths
AS with a dictionary one either goes straight to the topic needed or one browses and cross references....and Time flies.
I have been doing BOTH since late March when I began a Ten Week series of lectures "LIVING MYTHS" at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) scattered through March, April, May and June 2012.
Alas,only two lectures remain.
Lecture notes, an intermission of chat with tea/coffee and superior biscuits and wine and guava juice at lecture's end...all help to digest
the Mythical World which resounds in our own.
For more information on the substance of each lecture visit:
www.artgallery.nsw.gov,au/members/events
and look for: For God's Sake II: Living Myths
November 14, 2015
This is a great reference book. It contains a lot of mythological characters and is detailed (although sometimes I wish it contained a bit more). I recommend this to all myth lovers. Myths covered: Greek/Roman, Celtic, Nordic, South and Central Asia, Egypt and West Asia, East Asia.
July 10, 2019
This collection may have missed some legends, but overall a great book.
Some of the myths and legends are known, but many I never heard before. I enjoyed doing more research into some of the myths and legends. It is a great reference book, and one every lover of mythology should include in their library.
The illustrations, photographs of actual art works, and more are beautiful and add to the wonder of this large book.
I actual read this book from cover to cover, which I did over a few weeks. I will go back to this book over and over again.
Some of the myths and legends are known, but many I never heard before. I enjoyed doing more research into some of the myths and legends. It is a great reference book, and one every lover of mythology should include in their library.
The illustrations, photographs of actual art works, and more are beautiful and add to the wonder of this large book.
I actual read this book from cover to cover, which I did over a few weeks. I will go back to this book over and over again.
November 26, 2018
The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology is an excellent resource for those who are interested in the subject of mythology. I write fantasy fiction, so this book has provided a resource to either help create mythologies for other worlds or draw various elements from various places.
This book covers Classical, Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, Biblical, Middle Eastern and Islamic, South Asian and East Asian mythologies. This book, however, does not have any information on Polynesian mythology or that of the Americas and this seemed to be a glaring error.
I appreciate that the book contains photography of various pieces of art. This helps illustrate the various figures and see how each culture depicted them.
I recommend that the reader use this book as a tool and go back to the original sources in order to get a fuller idea about the various figures and stories that are detailed in each article.
If the reader is interested in writing a paper about the subject of mythology, there are other scholarly works that I recommend. With that said, it has its place and rather exhaustive.
This book covers Classical, Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, Biblical, Middle Eastern and Islamic, South Asian and East Asian mythologies. This book, however, does not have any information on Polynesian mythology or that of the Americas and this seemed to be a glaring error.
I appreciate that the book contains photography of various pieces of art. This helps illustrate the various figures and see how each culture depicted them.
I recommend that the reader use this book as a tool and go back to the original sources in order to get a fuller idea about the various figures and stories that are detailed in each article.
If the reader is interested in writing a paper about the subject of mythology, there are other scholarly works that I recommend. With that said, it has its place and rather exhaustive.
December 16, 2022
Lost Opportunity to Teach Religion as Mythology
This book is a lost opportunity to teach religion as myth. Hypatia of Alexandria identified the difficulty in overcoming false beliefs taught from authority. To wit: “Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fantasies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing. The child mind accepts and believes them, and only through great pain and perhaps tragedy can he be in after years relieved of them.” Further from Hypatia: “All formal dogmatic religions are fallacious and must never be accepted by self-respecting persons as final.”
As with any book of mythology, what is missing is a full treatment of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as pure mythology. For example, I would have like to have seen a chapter titled, ‘Monotheistic Mythology’. Judaism, Christianity and Islam should be treated in the same manner as Egyptian, Greek, Norse, etc. mythology. This would provide the reader with a new perspective on these religions as pure mythology populated with mostly fictional characters. The three monotheistic religions are really a fascinating example of how ancient mythologies have survived into the modern world. This is implied in the text with passing references to Biblical characters such as Yahuwah, Jesus and, Muhammed, etc.
The outstanding color and detailed illustrations make this book a must have as a visual reference guide. The text is informative and well written but the print font is so small as to make reading painful without the use of a magnifying glass. This no doubt is the result of packing the book with so many wonderful and helpful illustrations.
This book is a lost opportunity to teach religion as myth. Hypatia of Alexandria identified the difficulty in overcoming false beliefs taught from authority. To wit: “Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fantasies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing. The child mind accepts and believes them, and only through great pain and perhaps tragedy can he be in after years relieved of them.” Further from Hypatia: “All formal dogmatic religions are fallacious and must never be accepted by self-respecting persons as final.”
As with any book of mythology, what is missing is a full treatment of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as pure mythology. For example, I would have like to have seen a chapter titled, ‘Monotheistic Mythology’. Judaism, Christianity and Islam should be treated in the same manner as Egyptian, Greek, Norse, etc. mythology. This would provide the reader with a new perspective on these religions as pure mythology populated with mostly fictional characters. The three monotheistic religions are really a fascinating example of how ancient mythologies have survived into the modern world. This is implied in the text with passing references to Biblical characters such as Yahuwah, Jesus and, Muhammed, etc.
The outstanding color and detailed illustrations make this book a must have as a visual reference guide. The text is informative and well written but the print font is so small as to make reading painful without the use of a magnifying glass. This no doubt is the result of packing the book with so many wonderful and helpful illustrations.
May 22, 2024
My copy is a 2024 edition which I purchased at a Barnes and Noble store. Even the cover is new. One thing struck me immediately: the traditions of all world religions are listed as myth, EXCEPT the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. You see, the entire Bible is verbatim the Word of God, not myth! No, Sir! Maybe the 2124 edition (a hundred years from now) will indeed include the entire Bible as myth which is indeed what it is. This is the sort of thing that Hindus are up in arms about, in the movement called Hindutva: all the Hindu Gods are mythical beings, whereas the Biblical God and all the Old Testament Prophets, Jesus of the New Testament, the Islamic God, they all are real and not mythical. Oh, even the Buddha is listed in this book, implying that he was a mythical character. The book is a great example of British snobbery. However, the book is magnificently illustrated and is a useful reference. I have no regrets over my purchase.
The book deserves a 2 star rating for this main reason. Here's another: in the chapter "Myths of South and Central Asia," the authors state that Aryan invaders were the ones who destroyed the magnificent Indus Valley civilization. I have read extensively on that subject, and no one else makes that claim. Countless scholars have thrown the "Aryan Invasion Theory" into the trash. Anyhow, as to waiting till 2124, unfortunately, I'll have long been dead by then!!!
The book deserves a 2 star rating for this main reason. Here's another: in the chapter "Myths of South and Central Asia," the authors state that Aryan invaders were the ones who destroyed the magnificent Indus Valley civilization. I have read extensively on that subject, and no one else makes that claim. Countless scholars have thrown the "Aryan Invasion Theory" into the trash. Anyhow, as to waiting till 2124, unfortunately, I'll have long been dead by then!!!
December 15, 2018
Dugo sam je čitala jer je enciklopedija, ali daje odličan prikaz svih nekadašnjih i sadašnjih religija, šta je to što im je zajedničko i koje su teme koje se provlače svuda (kao na primjer trojstvo). Takođe, i neke prijašnje rituale ili Bogove koji su se zadržali i danas i koji se poštuju pod drugim imenima. Voljela bih da sam mogla i detaljnije izučavati ovu temu, ali to je to za sada.
Mana jeste upravo to što je enciklopedija i potrebno je dosta koncentracije da se povežu svi likovi, tako da ukoliko planirate da je čitate odvojite duži period.
Mana jeste upravo to što je enciklopedija i potrebno je dosta koncentracije da se povežu svi likovi, tako da ukoliko planirate da je čitate odvojite duži period.
May 28, 2021
A compelling and extensive encyclopedia, this is an incredible resource for mythology enthusiasts looking to expand their knowledge across a diverse range of cultures. Cotterell provides succinct and informative summaries with varying degrees of detail, coupled with an array of striking images and featured content that elevate his work beyond simple exposition.
Engaging, comprehensive, and easily digestible, this is perfect for a well-rounded introduction into the world of mythology.
Engaging, comprehensive, and easily digestible, this is perfect for a well-rounded introduction into the world of mythology.
June 7, 2023
I enjoy having this book around as I find mythology fascinating. It's very thorough and has plenty of pictures, from old paintings to photos of sculptures from museums. What I dislike, however, is how it excludes a large portion of the world (it only contains the mythology of two continents) while calling itself 'Ultimate'. I would have liked having the mythology of North and South America in there as I was writing historical fantasy about those areas in particular.
September 16, 2024
Gördüğüm en iyi mitoloji ansiklopedilerinden biri ama bir açıdan eksik. Türk, Aztek, Slav veya ne bileyim Afrika mitolojisi vs. yok. Yunan ve Roma, Kelt, İskandinav, Mısır ve Batı Asya, Güney ve Orta Asya, Doğu Asya mitleri kitapta mevcut. Elbette bu hâliyle bile çok güzel ama keşke buraya dahil edilmemiş olan milletlerin mitolojisini içeren ikinci bir cilt yayımlasalarmış. Biliyorum çok zor bir iş ve büyük emek istiyor ama yapılabilir gibi... sonuçta dünya mitolojisi bunlarla sınırlı değil 🤭
June 17, 2017
I originally bought this book for a college class, but I enjoyed it so much that I kept it instead of selling it back. Details Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse, Egyptian/West Asian, South/Central Asian, and East Asian mythologies.
February 14, 2018
Got this on a whim on a half off table outside a long since gone bookstore. I love this little book.
It might be a little difficult to get right to the info you want because of the way they have it set up, but aside from that, I love it
It might be a little difficult to get right to the info you want because of the way they have it set up, but aside from that, I love it
April 21, 2023
As far as encyclopedias go this is a pretty good one. I loved flipping through and learning about the mythology of different societies, but I'm not sure it merits much analysis beyond that. I also imagine that the audience for a physical general reference on the topic.
December 20, 2024
If you’ve read any mythology or even have access to Wikipedia, this book is bulky and not very informative even for a coffee table book. Nice illustrations, seems to be accurate but I didn’t even bother finishing it all the way through.
October 14, 2020
Panoramic! Excellent! The artwork is a nice touch too!
December 10, 2021
The collection contains a lot of quality information, I'm very satisfied with it. It's a great read for those who want to about the majority of the old world myths
December 21, 2021
One of my favorite books to open and flip through.
December 26, 2021
I loved this book.
April 7, 2022
I treasure this book. It's really good
Read
April 30, 2022 This is a good book to have in your mythology library.
See full review.
See full review.
July 14, 2022
only read about the greek gods so only actually read a few pages
September 4, 2024
I love anything mythology related and this has been one of my favorite books for years! It covers multiple countries and their myths. Always fun to pick up and thumb through it.
Read
February 15, 2025Not my cup of tea. I really tried, but I quit by the time I got to Merlin even tho I really wanted to not quit. I just don’t feel like it’s right for me to read this
January 21, 2020
A copy is always at my living room. Always sparks conversation.
March 24, 2017
Amazingly comprehensive collection of myths from around the world. The best part of this collection is that it includes impressive artwork to represent almost every entry. Wonderful reference!
February 10, 2016
I'm a sucker for these sort of coffee table books. Give me a great big bunch of trivia and slap a few pretty pictures in it, bind it all together and call it a bathroom reader and I'm captivated. This one I read ten or twelve pages at a time and it's a fine example of its kind--that is to say, the kind of book you leave lying out for people to flip through while waiting around for an appointment someplace. Of course we cover the Greek and Roman myths, but the authors also include the Norse myths, and the Celtic myths, plus Egyptian, Indian, and Japanese. So it was not just another retread of the more commonly known mythology; there was plenty of new content (well, new to me). It's laid out alphabetically in traditional encyclopedia style, and each culture gets around 80 pages devoted to it. Although each story gets only the briefest of summaries, in the chapter introductions and various inserts the authors are genuinely insightful about the typology of gods, goddesses, and other deities, as well as the structure of mythic storytelling and how it varies among different cultures.
My only complaints? This book is just too darn big to take out of the house, and too darn heavy to read on the john!
3 stars out of 5.
My only complaints? This book is just too darn big to take out of the house, and too darn heavy to read on the john!
3 stars out of 5.
March 30, 2012
This book is a good source to start your research into not just Greek mythology but also other myths from around the world: Roman, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, Persian, Indian and Far Eastern.
For the Greek mythology section, it doesn't always provide a comprehensive entry for some entities (e.g. I couldn't find anything about the Chimera in here) but the more prominent figures are all in there so, again, if you need a starting point for your research, this book will provide it.
Personally, I use it to initiate my research on the other myths that I don't know about (everything besides Greek and Roman) and I find it quite useful. The entries are more encyclopedic and not written as stories so it's probably a bit boring, but the images are quite beautiful so I personally find it fascinating instead.
* This review is part of my blog entry on the myths in the film Wrath Of The Titans.
For the Greek mythology section, it doesn't always provide a comprehensive entry for some entities (e.g. I couldn't find anything about the Chimera in here) but the more prominent figures are all in there so, again, if you need a starting point for your research, this book will provide it.
Personally, I use it to initiate my research on the other myths that I don't know about (everything besides Greek and Roman) and I find it quite useful. The entries are more encyclopedic and not written as stories so it's probably a bit boring, but the images are quite beautiful so I personally find it fascinating instead.
* This review is part of my blog entry on the myths in the film Wrath Of The Titans.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews