The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes

by J.A. Coleman

From Scandinavia to the Pacific Islands, ancient cultures around the world have developed rich mythologies to answer humans†most fundamental questions. This abridgement of Colemanâ€s sizeable reference work focuses on recurring themes, such as the significance of twins, dogs and rainbows in different belief systems. It also covers the mass of stories clustered around specific legendary figures, especially King Arthur, and events including Creation and the Trojan War.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Reference, Classics, Writing, Greek Mythology, Religion

1135 pages, Unknown Binding

First published November 12, 2007

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like with most A to Z dictionaries (or encyclopedias), The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes is of course not in ANY manner a piece of writing that one would generally (if ever) consider perusing from cover to cover, from the beginning to the actual very end (but use instead as a handy reference guide one could and would consult as needed and desired). However, from a cursory skimming of and through The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes, I do have to very much applaud author and compiler J.A. Coleman for his (or her) achievement of presenting global mythology both extensively and yes also in a delightfully diverse fashion. In other words, I have definitely massively appreciated that Coleman's world mythology details do not primarily, do not mostly focus on the well known standards of Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Norse mythology, but yes indeed that The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes also and equally extensively (albeit of course by reason of necessity not intensively) presents other traditions (from the Americas, from the Pacific Islands, from Australia and so on and so on).

But the above words of univocal praise having all been said and indeed also strongly believed, I still do have to wonder and question why in The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes, there seem to appear no characters and figures whatsoever from Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions. Because let us face the truth of the matter that while Jews, Christians and Muslims would probably and yes even quite likely not ever consider their articles of faith, their deities, prophets, heroes and angels as mythical, as something interesting but not really as totally believable, but rather and always as dogmatic articles of belief, neither in my opinion would Hindus, Buddhists etc. (in all likelihood) think of their deities, heroes, legends and the like as just mythical either (as something to which not to pay credence, as something perhaps even untrue). Therefore and indeed, we should both realise and also respect this (and in my humble opinion, a good and yes also humanitarian manner of showing this to and for me necessary sign of universal respect would be for J.A. Coleman to equally have included figures like Adam, Eve, Noah, Satan, Jesus Christ etc. and most definitely the many many angels of Judaism, Christianity and Islam in this book, in The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes), not to mention that I also do strongly believe that this book, that The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes would be considerably more of an actual learning (as well as potential teaching) resource, if J.A. Coleman were to also include a bibliographic section with suggestions for further reading and research (tomes on both mythology in general and of course also on the various traditions of the areas of the world presented in The Dictionary of Mythology: An A-Z of Themes, Legends and Heroes).

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

HUGE and very useful to have in the reference library. Set out as if a dictionary e.g.:

Erinna Greek
a 3rd C BC poetess
She was the author of Distaff and died
at the age of nineteen.


Misenus Greek
a Trojan, trumpeter to Aeneas
He was a companion of Hector who
escaped with Aeneas at the fall of Troy.
He died on the long voyage that took
the escapees to a new home in Italy.
Some say that he was drowned by one
of the Tritons who was jealous of his
prowess as a trumpeter.

Siyawush Persian
[Siyavahsh.Siyavarshan]
son of Kay Kaus and Sudabe
His stepmother made advances which
he rejected and she told her husband
that his son had tried to rape her. The
young man fled from the court but
was killed by Afrasiyab.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much on my country's mythology but still all right since it covers a lot of other culture's mythology.

[StrangeBedfellows · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a useful resource for anyone interested in mythology. Its value lies in the breadth of mythologies and pantheons included -- a nice, first-stop reference. The downside is that, naturally, in covering as broad a range as possible, the provided information is not as in-depth as one would like. Also, this is a dictionary, not an encyclopedia, so don't expect encyclopedic entries. Bonus points for how well the book covers multiple spellings of names, but points detracted for the lack of pronunciation guides. To sum up, this is a good addition to your mythology reference collection, but it can't stand alone as a resource.

[Tim Halbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is nothing short of amazing. It covers nearly every mythology I have heard of, and numerous others I haven't. It lists alternative names as well, though it does lack any information about angelology/demonology. This book has basically become my bible in regards to researching mythology, and was definitely worth the $20 I paid for it.

[Missi Inglis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I haven't read the WHOLE dictionary, but I use it more often then even I thought I would. I love it and I love learning the new things about mythology from everywhere around the world.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rare find, a dictionary of mythology that has more than just Greco-Roman information. This dictionary has information from cultures from every continent.

[K VSB · Rating 1 out of 5]

-1 star for this abridgement's claim to focus on recurring themes and tropes found throughout much of mythology, religion, legends, folklore, and fairytales (specifically things such as Great Flood stories, world creation, and the first humans) but not including entries for Christianity's, Judaism's, and Islam's versions of such events. Not only is it inconvenient for someone wanting an easily accessible direct comparison, and likely inconvenient for anyone unfamiliar with the Abrahamic religions' versions searching for such information here -- the combination of the title being focused on mythology, and the various entries from other still active religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, many, many religions from Africa, and many, many religions from the Americas, etc., leads to the unfortunate implication that such beliefs are lesser than those three, in my opinion.
-1 star for poor specificity in many of the italicized source locations to the top right of the entries, such as the ones just labeled African, North American, Pacific Islands, etc. At least more specific peoples were usually mentioned in the first line of many of the definitions, but it seems to me that it would have been much less generalizing if the main culture the entry is drawing from was italicized with the entry saying something along the lines of where that culture is geographically situated and if nearby cultures have their own versions that aren't expanded on here. Seems better to me than 'in the lore of the tribes of the north-east' at least.
-1 star for lack of cited sources.
-1 star for the various grammar and spelling mistakes, (I might've been willing to overlook them in a fiction piece, editing is hard after all, but as this is more of a non-fiction resource text I feel that there were too many to ignore), and the lack of a pronunciation guide.

Nitpicks: I would have liked if the entries listed the version of events in order of development, so for example: the oldest known version of a Geek myth is explained, and then later additions and subtractions to the version are listed chronologically. I would have also liked if the more esoteric/fringe beliefs were noted for not being the norm at different times instead of a mixed in with the more general beliefs (which also could have shifted over time); I think how much and when a version was/is widely accepted is important context. This probably would've been too difficult, but it would have been nice to have a map (or maps) that showed more exactly where the various italicized cultures are originated from, and maybe even currently are for the ones that are still living.

[Ty Nyrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading this in 2016, just finished.
This book literally has everything
• Celtic
• Roman
• Greek
• Mesopotamia
• Polynesian
• Egyptian
• Native American
• Irish
• Siberian
• Phoenician
• Pacific Islands
• Arab
• British
• Persian
• African
• Japanese
• Chinese
• European
• South American
• Canaanite
• Welsh
• Arabian
• Hindu
• Buddhist
• East Indian
• Jian
• Tibetan
• Canary Islands
• Mongolian
• Hebrew
• German
• Indonesian
• Inuit
• Australian
• Danish
• Malay
• Phrygian
• Baltic
And I can’t remember the rest. It is EXTREMELY COMPREHENSIVE. Plus under each it lists if they had any other titles, there spouse and children, and the mothers who bore there children (or vice versa)
Plus myths, stories and any add on info.

I wish I had this when I did a report on Zeus

[TimetoFangirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does it feel weird to be giving a reference book 5 stars? Yeah, kind of. Is it worth it? Very much so.

I've been interested in world mythology since I was a little kid stumbling upon the "D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths." Given this interest, I'm always interested in mythological compilations and this particular encyclopedia-style compilation is awesome. Thorough, well-researched, and not boring to read despite the format. If you need a reference guide to myths and legends, or you just want to learn more on the topic, The Dictionary of Mythology is a great option.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is more of a side study complement, as it is a useful source to go when you get some doubts and know what you're looking for, hence being a dictionary. It is nice to see in some entries comparisons among the different mythologies and the legends around them.
Overall it is a really good book with interesting entries related to different mythologies beyond the more known ones.

[Skorum Music · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely essential read for any creative type.

If you are writing a song or a book, and are stuck for inspiration, this is an excellent place to start

[Carol & Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this at the library-and I think I have to own it so useful!

[Mark Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay...so this got a high rating due to the wide breadth of cultures that it at least attempts to cover. However, as is to be expected in such a broadly considered compilation it has some bad omissions within certain examples of the Myths themselves. I suspect that the next attempt will draw on this and then add to it to make an even better dictionary on the subject of Cultural-world mythos and mythology.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet again I'm a mythology buff so I couldn't resist buying it when I saw it in stores. Apparently I have a very weak will towards books.

[Alford Wayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A low priced quick reference guide for mythology and religion that I was able to pick up on sale. It is an informative introduction to the topics.

[Alford Wayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent reference! Wish it had an index for quicker reference! Got an excellent deal on this at B&N bargain rack!

[Darryl Finch-Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Been pivotal at times for research into my fantasy and horror works!

[Leigh Parker]

This book gets a few things wrong and a few myth folk are missing (Where's Lyssa?), which is a shame as it looks like the ultimate go-to book on mythology :(