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Mythology, Myths, and Legends
Mythology of the Inuit
During the long cold winter nights, Inuit families snuggled together in their winter houses and listened to tales about a time when unbelievable things could happen. These adventurers broke up the long hours of winter darkness and gave the listeners a cultural and traditional heritage. Each chapter is followed by a Question and Answer section which covers themes, symbols, and characters; and an Expert Commentary section, which makes for great discussion. This book is developed from INUIT MYTHOLOGY to allow republication of the original text into ebook, paperback, and trade editions.
96 pages, ebook
First published July 1, 2001
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 19, 2021
আমার কাছে যেই বইটা আছে, সেটা অর্ধেক অর্ধেক স্টাইলের। অর্ধেকটা ইনুইট মিথলজি বাকি অর্ধেক মায়ান ও আ্যজটেক মিথলজি।
দুইটার তুলনা করলে বরং ইনুইট মিথলজি অংশটাই ভালো লেগেছে। মায়ান ও আ্যজটেকের অংশটা একটু কেমন (খাপছাড়া আবার ঠিক খাপছাড়াও না) লেগেছে। মনে হচ্ছিল আরেকটু ভালো করে গুছিয়ে বইটায় দেয়া যেতো।
কে জানে! হয়তো মূল বইটাই এমন। নাকি না 🐸
দুইটার তুলনা করলে বরং ইনুইট মিথলজি অংশটাই ভালো লেগেছে। মায়ান ও আ্যজটেকের অংশটা একটু কেমন (খাপছাড়া আবার ঠিক খাপছাড়াও না) লেগেছে। মনে হচ্ছিল আরেকটু ভালো করে গুছিয়ে বইটায় দেয়া যেতো।
কে জানে! হয়তো মূল বইটাই এমন। নাকি না 🐸
October 26, 2020
به حدی ایرادهای تایپی داشت که تمام نقاط قوت کتاب را تحتالشعاع قرار داد. نشر هیرمند گویا یک نمونهخوان هم ندارد.
رغبتی ندارم که از نقاط قوت کتاب بگویم.
رغبتی ندارم که از نقاط قوت کتاب بگویم.
March 31, 2020
This was an easy-to-read, interesting book relating inuit myths. I didn't know much about the inuit, and I would say this book is perfect for beginners such as myself. Preceding each myth is some information about the inuit tribe the myths stems from, and how they lived. After each myths there is "expert information" which is relating information from scientific sources.
The myths themselves are really different from what I'm used too, which was a lot of fun. A lot of them felt rather unsatisfying to me, which is probably mostly because I'm not used to these kinds of stories. They also felt quite violent, but then again, so do most myths.
The myths themselves are really different from what I'm used too, which was a lot of fun. A lot of them felt rather unsatisfying to me, which is probably mostly because I'm not used to these kinds of stories. They also felt quite violent, but then again, so do most myths.
May 7, 2020
Very interesting because Eskimo culture is a hunter/hunter-gatherer culture and so their culture and myths are quite different (or are they?) from our usual "diet". The myths themselves are all violent and they present a morality different from our usual notion of it. Interesting read and very short too, I recommend this for everyone because of the uniqueness of the culture.
By the way, only the Canadian Eskimos find the word "Eskimo" derogatory, and so, they are the only ones that you can call "Inuit". The Eskimos of Alaska and Greenland from what I have gathered from the internet, conversely, find the word "Inuit" offensive and prefer to be called Eskimo. I guess one can opt for either word then.
I enjoy this series because each myth is really short and light. I intend to read the other books in the series some time in the future.
P.S one interesting observation is that often we have a predisposition to think of hunter-gatherers as, frankly, stupid and without any kind of sophistication. This book taught me that they were extremely sophisticated in some instances.
By the way, only the Canadian Eskimos find the word "Eskimo" derogatory, and so, they are the only ones that you can call "Inuit". The Eskimos of Alaska and Greenland from what I have gathered from the internet, conversely, find the word "Inuit" offensive and prefer to be called Eskimo. I guess one can opt for either word then.
I enjoy this series because each myth is really short and light. I intend to read the other books in the series some time in the future.
P.S one interesting observation is that often we have a predisposition to think of hunter-gatherers as, frankly, stupid and without any kind of sophistication. This book taught me that they were extremely sophisticated in some instances.
January 25, 2025
এস্কিমোদের যে ইনুইট বলা হয় সেটা আগে জানতাম না আমি। অনেক আগে একটা ডকুমেন্টারি দেখেছিলাম কিভাবে ইনুইটরা ইগলুতে বাস করে, সিল মাছ শিকার ও সংরক্ষণ করে। এখানে প্রতিটা গল্পের আগে ছোট্ট করে প্রেক্ষাপটের বর্ণনা গল্পটা বুঝতে সহজ করেছে।
শুরুতে ম্যাপ আর ইনুইট, অ্যালিউটদের নিয়ে সংক্ষিপ্ত বর্ণনা আমার কাছে ভালো লেগেছে।
এই মিথলজিতে দেবদেবীর উপস্থিতি নেই বললেই চলে। প্রকৃতি আর এর অপার দানই এখানে মূখ্য।
এক কথায় বললে মজা পেয়েছি পড়ে অনেক।
শুরুতে ম্যাপ আর ইনুইট, অ্যালিউটদের নিয়ে সংক্ষিপ্ত বর্ণনা আমার কাছে ভালো লেগেছে।
এই মিথলজিতে দেবদেবীর উপস্থিতি নেই বললেই চলে। প্রকৃতি আর এর অপার দানই এখানে মূখ্য।
এক কথায় বললে মজা পেয়েছি পড়ে অনেক।
September 4, 2025
feels like a gross misrepresentation of these stories, but I'll put my trust in the native american expert from massachusetts
February 1, 2017
Sidling closer to the glow of the seal blubber lamp, families in the Arctic regions would pass the long hours of cold darkness by telling stories. These stories, which have been preserved through retelling over the ages and, when that fails, anthropologists
The Mythology of the Inuit serves as a nice primer for readers wishing to learn more about the stories different tribes of Inuit and Aleutian people told, and how those stories reflect their culture. The author Evelyn Wolfson prefaces the myths with information on Inuit and Aleut life during the period of the preserved stories. This introduction helps ground the myths which follow. For the anthology, Wolfson compiled six myths, each from a different region or tribe.
In one story, a clever man protected by his parents' ermine amulet outsmarts witches and beasts to return home to his family. In another, a man's arrogance leads to his death by the hands of a well-meaning giant. A third story follows the fate of a lazy village whose members rely on a single hunter. Wolfson does not focus solely on parables however;, she also tells the tale of one of the most important deities, Sedna, who became a "maleficent" goddess after her cowardly father sacrificed her to a spirit. Each story often has magical qualities and a strong moral meant to guide
Taken together these myths reveal the importance of cooperation, diligence and resilience in an unforgiving land. Following each myth is some comprehension questions and an expert analysis from one of three anthropologists who lived in the region. Some one better versed in Inuit culture and the work of these anthropologists might be better suited than me to comment on the accuracy of the analysis, but I usually found them helpful and interesting. Perhaps my only complaint is I wish it was a bit longer, especially the conclusions, which interwove anthropological analyses, at the end of each story.
The Mythology of the Inuit serves as a nice primer for readers wishing to learn more about the stories different tribes of Inuit and Aleutian people told, and how those stories reflect their culture. The author Evelyn Wolfson prefaces the myths with information on Inuit and Aleut life during the period of the preserved stories. This introduction helps ground the myths which follow. For the anthology, Wolfson compiled six myths, each from a different region or tribe.
In one story, a clever man protected by his parents' ermine amulet outsmarts witches and beasts to return home to his family. In another, a man's arrogance leads to his death by the hands of a well-meaning giant. A third story follows the fate of a lazy village whose members rely on a single hunter. Wolfson does not focus solely on parables however;, she also tells the tale of one of the most important deities, Sedna, who became a "maleficent" goddess after her cowardly father sacrificed her to a spirit. Each story often has magical qualities and a strong moral meant to guide
Taken together these myths reveal the importance of cooperation, diligence and resilience in an unforgiving land. Following each myth is some comprehension questions and an expert analysis from one of three anthropologists who lived in the region. Some one better versed in Inuit culture and the work of these anthropologists might be better suited than me to comment on the accuracy of the analysis, but I usually found them helpful and interesting. Perhaps my only complaint is I wish it was a bit longer, especially the conclusions, which interwove anthropological analyses, at the end of each story.
September 23, 2020
ভালো লেগেছে। লেখিকা গল্প বলার সাথে সাথে ইনুইট জীবনযাত্রার সাথে পরিচয় করিয়ে দেবার চেষ্টা করেছেন, যেটা অন্য মাত্রা যোগ করেছে। বিশেষভাবে বলতে হয় অনুবাদের কথা, ঝরঝরে অনুবাদে গল্পগুলো পড়ে আরো বেশী উপভোগ করেছি। মিথলজির অনুবাদ এমনটাই পড়তে ভালো লাগে, অনুবাদককে অনেক অনেক ধন্যবাদ।
March 25, 2019
(3.5)
This is without doubt a good book not only because of the myths that it tells but also because of the introduction and analisis about them, giving us the chance to learn about inuit culutre throughout the years and at the same time to know the differences between the inuits of Greenland, Canada, The islands, Russia, etcetera.
I enjoyed every myth with vigour and it made me love more the inuit culture than before. Simply excellent.
The main problem that I have with this book is that will like the book to have more myths and articles but... I think that's a good thing.
This is without doubt a good book not only because of the myths that it tells but also because of the introduction and analisis about them, giving us the chance to learn about inuit culutre throughout the years and at the same time to know the differences between the inuits of Greenland, Canada, The islands, Russia, etcetera.
I enjoyed every myth with vigour and it made me love more the inuit culture than before. Simply excellent.
The main problem that I have with this book is that will like the book to have more myths and articles but... I think that's a good thing.
September 6, 2020
me decide a leerlo como parte de research para un dibujo en el que estoy trabajando — sí, el dibujo es de atla, lmao — y es increíble ver el contraste entre la mitología de los inuit comparada a la tan repetida mitología grecoromana, el mensaje que dejan los relatos y los componentes de los mismos.
fave tales: the adventures of kivioq, oogoon's adventures & the hill giant
fave tales: the adventures of kivioq, oogoon's adventures & the hill giant
September 3, 2020
I found these stories really cute and adorable. A real good read indeed.
November 29, 2014
Inuit mythology is divided into two categories: ancient and recent. Ancient stories tell of fantastic things: encounters with animals in human form, witches, and sea goddesses. Recent tales include adventures of hunters, and adventures that test man’s character. Wolfson includes expert commentary by noted scholars and mythology specialists with each story, as well as a Question and Answer section which highlights themes, symbols, and characters. Students will find this volume a valuable introduction to Inuit culture, tradition, and heritage.The unique content of this book is sure to fill gaps in many library collections.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews