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The Dictionary of World Myth
As Thomas Bulfinch stated over a century ago, knowledge of mythology is vital for the understanding and enjoyment of much of the world's great art, literature and cultural heritage. Without a thorough knowledge of mythology, much of the meaning of the world's great poems, artistic masterpieces and timeless literature is lost.
As a comprehensive, highly illustrated A-to-Z dictionary of all the major figures and places of mythology from around the world, The Dictionary of World Myth provides the key to being culturally literate. Scholarly in content, yet immensely readable, the book covers all major bodies of myth, not just the Greek and Roman. What makes this dictionary unique is its in-depth coverage of global mythology, such as Middle Eastern, Chinese, Indian, African, North American, Slavic, Japanese, South and Central American, and Southeast Asian mythic traditions, both past and present.
The entries reflect the diversity and timeless appeal of mythology. Highlighted feature panels scattered throughout the book focus on universal themes, such as afterlife, chaos, flood myths and the origins of death. Adding to the book's reference value are approximately 200 specially commissioned drawings of mythological figures and symbols, cross references, and a comprehensive index.
Mythology has provided profound interpretations of the mysteries of the world surrounding us, from the seasons to the major life cycles of birth and death, even life itself. Without a proper grounding in mythology, we are not only ignorant of much of our culture, but adrift from a sense of history that can keep us rooted to our past. The Dictionary of World Myth will serve as a useful guide both to past traditions and to the larger world around us.
As a comprehensive, highly illustrated A-to-Z dictionary of all the major figures and places of mythology from around the world, The Dictionary of World Myth provides the key to being culturally literate. Scholarly in content, yet immensely readable, the book covers all major bodies of myth, not just the Greek and Roman. What makes this dictionary unique is its in-depth coverage of global mythology, such as Middle Eastern, Chinese, Indian, African, North American, Slavic, Japanese, South and Central American, and Southeast Asian mythic traditions, both past and present.
The entries reflect the diversity and timeless appeal of mythology. Highlighted feature panels scattered throughout the book focus on universal themes, such as afterlife, chaos, flood myths and the origins of death. Adding to the book's reference value are approximately 200 specially commissioned drawings of mythological figures and symbols, cross references, and a comprehensive index.
Mythology has provided profound interpretations of the mysteries of the world surrounding us, from the seasons to the major life cycles of birth and death, even life itself. Without a proper grounding in mythology, we are not only ignorant of much of our culture, but adrift from a sense of history that can keep us rooted to our past. The Dictionary of World Myth will serve as a useful guide both to past traditions and to the larger world around us.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 5, 2015
A dictionary of mythology should be a part of any general reference library. It should, for convenience's sake, be alphabetized. The prefatory matter should spell out the plan of the book, defining the topic and the conventions of transliteration and citation to be employed. Cross-references should be noted in the text. A supplement should list any "names, pseudonyms, titles and places" not afforded separate entries. Although major subjects should be covered adequately, minor ones should not be ignored as it is precisely those more obscure topics which users are most likely to need to look up in such a book. Sources should be explicitly cited and the bibliography should allow readers to search them out. A general dictionary should, of course, cover all cultures and epochs. Such a general dictionary would, inevitably be an enormous undertaking, something like the Hastings' series of a century ago. Facts on File, "an Infobase Holding Company," has ostensibly taken on this ambitious product and has produced an extraordinarily poor product on almost all counts.
What Bently and his colleagues have produced does indeed make a show of covering all world myth, classing the stories as, variously, African, Arctic, Australian, Celtic, Central American, Chinese, Egyptian, Germanic, Greek, Indian, Japanese, Mongolian, Middle Eastern, North American, Oceanic, Roman, Slavic, South American, Southeast Asian and Tibetan. Naturally there is some confusion between regions and ethnicities here, but that may be unavoidable. Additionally, there is also an ambitious effort of thematization whereby short essays tackle major topics from cross-cultural perspectives.
Such global thematic treatments might be useful, allowing readers to test such theories and definitions of myth as various authorities such as Levi-Strauss, Freud, Jung, Campbell and Bastian--the only authorities mentioned in Roy Willis' short foreword--have adduced. But the essays are, like the topic entries, incredibly brief and inadequate. "Cosmology," a subject of some importance, is treated in three short paragraphs.
There are cross-references. There is a small bibliography of secondary sources. There is that supplement that lists topics not afforded individual entries. But the the general topic, mythology, is never defined. Transliterations are inconsistent. Obscure topics are not treated. Most importantly, there are no citations. One does not recognize, say, the beliefs of the Greeks so much as those of Edith Hamilton.
What is a myth anyway? Ironically, it seems that all cultures have always had them except for those peoples likely to buy this book. A myth is something not to be taken seriously, something beyond the pale. Hindoos have myths. The Peoples of the Book, we Jews, Moslems and Christians, do not. Krishna's antics with the gopis are myths. The antics of the sons of god with the daughters of men is, apparently, religion.
Beyond these impressive limitations what remains is virtually useless because of the lack of source references. Thus the stories associated with, say, the Kore seem to include a bit of Hesiod, a mention by Herodotus, a reference in Pausanias and a lot of Robert Graves. There are, in other words, no myths here at all except modern myths about myths.
What Bently and his colleagues have produced does indeed make a show of covering all world myth, classing the stories as, variously, African, Arctic, Australian, Celtic, Central American, Chinese, Egyptian, Germanic, Greek, Indian, Japanese, Mongolian, Middle Eastern, North American, Oceanic, Roman, Slavic, South American, Southeast Asian and Tibetan. Naturally there is some confusion between regions and ethnicities here, but that may be unavoidable. Additionally, there is also an ambitious effort of thematization whereby short essays tackle major topics from cross-cultural perspectives.
Such global thematic treatments might be useful, allowing readers to test such theories and definitions of myth as various authorities such as Levi-Strauss, Freud, Jung, Campbell and Bastian--the only authorities mentioned in Roy Willis' short foreword--have adduced. But the essays are, like the topic entries, incredibly brief and inadequate. "Cosmology," a subject of some importance, is treated in three short paragraphs.
There are cross-references. There is a small bibliography of secondary sources. There is that supplement that lists topics not afforded individual entries. But the the general topic, mythology, is never defined. Transliterations are inconsistent. Obscure topics are not treated. Most importantly, there are no citations. One does not recognize, say, the beliefs of the Greeks so much as those of Edith Hamilton.
What is a myth anyway? Ironically, it seems that all cultures have always had them except for those peoples likely to buy this book. A myth is something not to be taken seriously, something beyond the pale. Hindoos have myths. The Peoples of the Book, we Jews, Moslems and Christians, do not. Krishna's antics with the gopis are myths. The antics of the sons of god with the daughters of men is, apparently, religion.
Beyond these impressive limitations what remains is virtually useless because of the lack of source references. Thus the stories associated with, say, the Kore seem to include a bit of Hesiod, a mention by Herodotus, a reference in Pausanias and a lot of Robert Graves. There are, in other words, no myths here at all except modern myths about myths.
November 9, 2018
Should be on every bookshelf
March 29, 2025
Cool for a dictionary
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews