The Oxford Companion to World Mythology

by David A. Leeming

Cave paintings at Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain, fraught with expression thousands of years later; point to an early human desire to form a cultural identity. In the Oxford Companion to World Mythology, David Leeming explores the role of mythology, or myth-logic, in history and determines that the dreams of specific cultures add up to a larger collective story of humanity. Stopping short of attempting to be all-inclusive, this fascinating volume will nonetheless be comprehensive, opening with an introduction exploring the nature and dimensions of myth and proposing a definition as a universal language. Briefly dipping into the ways our understanding of myth has changed from Aristotle and Plato to modern scholars such as Joseph Campbell, the introduction loosely places the concept in its present context and precedes articles on influential mythologists and mythological approaches that appear later in the Companion. The main body of Leeming's work consists of A-Z entries covering all aspects of mythology, including substantial essays on the world's major mythological traditions (Greek, Native American, Indian, Japanese, Sumerian, Egyptian), mythological types and motifs (Descent to the Underworld, the Hero, the Trickster, Creation, the Quest), mythological figures (Odysseus, Zeus, Osiris, Spider Woman, and Inanna) as well as numerous interrelated subjects such as fairly tales and legends. The Companion also locates myth in our lives today, relating it to language patterns, psychology, religion, politics, art, and gender attitudes. Many of the better-known and more significant myths are vividly retold in this volume that will be illustrated with maps, more than 70 black and white images, and eight pages of color highlighting the central role art has often played in the transmission and perpetuation of myth. Following the entries, a rich section of appendices will include family trees of the major pantheons, equivalency charts for the gods of Greece and Rome, Babylon and Sumer, as well as other traditions, an extensive bibliography, and an index.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Reference, History, Religion, Research, Spirituality

507 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 17, 2005

About the author

aka David Adams Leeming

Reviews

[Christopher Tang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading an entry here and there. This is a fantastic reference source but it's got a clear European bias and even on top of that British bias. There is as much information on King Arthur as on any other mythology and far more on that then for instance Native American mythology, which constitutes more individual cultures than all of Europe combined and yet is given short shrift.

Overall I like though it is clearly just a short reference to give a general idea about things and not an indepth guide.

[Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the greatest books on mythology-- and one of the easiest to read, and most comprehensive-- I've ever picked up. I can't recommend this book enough.

[Joe Lawrence]

This encyclopedic text redefined my idea of mythology and religion. The forward was especially helpful. I read it twice.


The entries are complex, often inconclusive. They indicate when the ancient texts were clear, and also when they were conflicting. The characters of the mythologies are defined, not generalized. Admittedly, sometimes the information cut short of my expectations (as in Hades. Which basically said what I already knew) but sometimes the information was expansive and overwhelming (as in Jason and the Argonauts, Perseus, and Achilles.)

This text referenced many other texts-- many of which I am interested in reading. Some of them include:
-"Telemachia", the prelude to The Odyssey.
-"The Illiad"- Achilles battling in Troy
-"Prometheus Bound"
-"Timaeus"-- Plato's account of Atlantis
-"The Hesiod"-- the geneology of Greek Mythology
-"Jason and the Argonauts"- A man's adventure to reclaim the throne

[Possibly Gauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, it's one of the few books on mythology that is easy to read, unbiased, helpful, and insightful: one problem many dictionaries (it's a dictionary btw) have is they just state very generic facts, rather than providing insightful information about a topic. What I mean is the book isn't just a catalogue of "this god, who was the child of this god and this god, and who did this and this"; it instead discusses themes and gives insights that allow the reader to understand the topic more fully.
Also, each entry is concise enough to allow the reader to get a good idea of what it is they want to know about without reading pages upon pages (although in my opinion some entries could have been lengthened a bit).
The dictionary form is also extremely helpful, as it allows to refer to whatever topic you want whenever you want. One feature I particularly like is the section at the front which orders all the entries by the mythology they're from. This really allows you to get a really good understanding of what the book contains at a glance.

I do have a few criticisms though:
Though there was a bibliography, most entries didn't have anything in the little further reading bracket at the end. This would have been helpful for those wanting to look further into a subject.
There also weren't any sort of citations or anything, which is unusual for a book like this; they would have been helpful to understand where the information presented is coming from.
Also, the family tree charts are a bit too small to really be helpful, plus there could have been more of them, rather than just Greek, Norse, Egyptian, and the usual.

However, on the whole, I'd highly recommend this book: it's easy to read and helpful, and is much more accessible than many books on mythology.

[Sabra Kadabra · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible collection of mythological characters, terminology, religious sects, mythological writers, etc. I am using this book as a reference book for my "fierce feminine oracle" deck. This book has an eclectic and vast mix of different mythological women and Goddesses to draw from. I've also learned so much more about other cultures and belief systems across the world. Incredible!

[NevaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent quick reference for world mythology and folklore. A good jumping off point for research.

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indispensable.

[Alexander Monzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally awesome and extremely helpful when starting up the brainstorming process of creating a fantasy book

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough and interesting encyclopedia of every mythology in history.

[Mykola H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Одна наявність цієї книги в руках - це уже щось неймовірне. Одна з найвдаліших покупок за останній час!

[Liselotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected this to be a book that would explain mythology to me, but this is more a dictionary of mythology!

[Micaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extensive information on folklore from pretty much every culture, from stories to theories on the evolution of these stories and concepts. The only problem I have with this is the large quantity of typos.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering the topic, it's just not BIG enough. But it's still a handy reference.

[Ang~la · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great resource