The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology

by Evans Lansing Smith, Nathan Robert Brown

Make no myth-take —this book is indispensable.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to World Mythology explores the gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, monsters and angels of the myths from every corner of the globe. Additionally, it explores the parallels between every culture and the striking similarities in mythic figures and the structure, action, wording, and result of the stories themselves.

• Covers Egyptian, Celtic, Teutonic, Norse, Japanese, Mexican, Native American, and other myths
• Features information on The Hero’s Journey—the cycle of myth according to Jung, Campbell, and others
• Appendixes include a glossary of terms and both a general and a subject Index

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2005

Reviews

[Daze · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to get through this book since I took careful notes of most of the creatures described in this book. From cursed humans and heroes to Gods and monsters, you will sift through a plethora of information. The only thing I found problematic were the headings of each section. I would have preferred simpler headings, like an alphabetical glossary, of every creature. Maybe even in bullet points. It is a good starting reference, however, if you are looking to learn about obscure and similar creature/archetypes.

[Michael Romeo Talks Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have long been fond of the For Dummies series. They are informative and entertaining. The book is my introduction to the Idiots series. I found it stilted and rushed and heavily on the dry side.

[Ama Ina · Rating 2 out of 5]

good

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book for a quick reference to myths from around the world. It could lose the last chapter on pop culture myths. I would also benefit from a phonetic pronunciation guide for Gaelic and Asian pronunciations.