اساطیر مصر

by Veronica Ions, محمدحسین باجلان فرخی (Translator )

Excellent Book

Genres: Mythology, Egypt, Nonfiction, History, Religion, Egyptian Literature, Egyptology

241 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Simin Yadegar · Rating 2 out of 5]

اساطیر و خدایان مصر نه تنها از نظر تعداد و تنوع، گوناگونی بسیار دارند؛ بلکه از نظر چگونگی پیدایش، وظایف و طبقه‌بندی نیز روایات مختلفی در مورد ایشان نقل میشود.

[Ensiform · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although messily written, with misplaced sentences, non-identified references and awkward redundancies, it was an intriguing beginner's book. What I learned from the book in a nutshell is that there were a lot of Egyptian gods, existing not in set story form like Greek & Roman mythology, but as changing concepts: a war god might evolve into a fertility god, a fertility god into a solar god, or a domestic god into a death god. Also, despite the book's rejection of the idea that ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death, what I got out of the deity descriptions (which made up 98% of the text) and the (many, fascinating) pictures was that basically they were concerned with two things: fertility and the afterworld. (I realize that this book is a narrow view of the entire picture.) All in all, my curiosity was definitely whetted about Egyptian myths.

[Skrivena stranica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Izrazito zanimljiva knjiga koja je u isto vrijeme dovoljno sažeta da se najvažnije stvari shvate, a opet ne pojednostavljena da dobijemo iluziju da je egipatska mitologija nešto što je bilo nepromijenjeno kroz razdoblja. Također objašnjava izmjenu popularnosti božanstava i obrede pokapanja. Izrazito korisno.

[Granny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily the most in-depth; while understandable and succinct, book on ancient Egyptian culture and religion of any I have read in years. At last the conflicting series of mythic cycles, multiple myths and familial relationships of different deities, and the governmental/political/religious interactions make sense!

It's easy enough to say "beautifully illustrated", if you can't find glorious images of ancient Egyptian art to publish - please visit your optomologist immediately! But the choices have a distinct bearing on the details of the text and support it well.

I found myself reading relatively short sections each evening, so that I could ruminate and process the information. The maps were also a big help.

If you only buy one book on ancient Egypt this year, this one should be it!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really just a beginner's overview of Egyptian Mythology, but Ions finds a good balance between giving an overview and giving some historical significance regarding the ways Egyptian religion evolved. I find myself referring back to this one time and time again as a reference. There are lots of photos of statues and hieroglyphs, too.

[Mikey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I certainly gained an appreciation for the complexity of Egyptian Mythology through reading this, as I had no idea how inconsistent and contradictory it was. Nonetheless I felt like Ions could have written this with a greater level of clarity. She explains many concepts later in the book that should have been dealt with first which can make it really difficult to keep up. There's also a great deal of repetition in the information she presents. As the subject is quite popular I'm sure you could find a much better, much clearer book. If you happen to find it at a library (as I did) or some kind of used book sale you might as well pick it up although I would not recommend seeking it out. It is however well illustrated and ultimately does the job. I enjoyed that it didn't simplify the myths and didn't shy away from the fact that they underwent a lot of confusing changes over the years but I do feel like the book itself would have benefited from a greater level of organization.

[Bernie4444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of pictures

144 pages are packed with ancient Egyptian Mythology. There are plenty of color pictures covering Hathor, Thoth, Anubis, and other gods. Also described are the pharaohs and their ministers.

There is a section on Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) one of the earliest monotheists. See more on the pharaohs in “The Great Pharaohs of Egypt” (1997).

If you are into fringe stuff on Akenaten try Oedipus and Akhnaton (1960) by Immanuel Velikovsky

[Aly]

Since I read this book for a research report and not for pleasure, it wouldn't really be fair for me to give it any stars. But I enjoyed this book and its explanation of the mythology of Egypt.

[Chris Paluszek · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little too dry for my tastes. Sadly, it does not convey any of the usual excitement usually found in stories of gods clashing and shaping the world; the book reads like an encyclopedia.

[Katharina von Dosky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good...