Haunted Greece

by tomkinson john l.

IN "HAUNTED GREECE" JOHN L. TOMKINSON TAKES YOU ON A JOURNEY INTO THE DARK REGIONS OF THE HELLENIC FOLK MEMORY. HERE YOU WILL MEET THE FEARFUL STRANGLES, WHO MURDER INFANTS IN THEIR COTS; BEAUTIFUL NYMPHS WHO ENTICE YOUNG MEN INTO THE DEAD WHO CLIMB OUT OF THEIR GRAVES TO PREY UPON THEIR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES; THE MISCHIEVOUS DEMONS WHO EMERGE FROM THE UNDERWORLD DURING THE TWELVE NIGHTS OF CHRISTMAS; AX-HEATED SERPENTS WHICH HAUNT CHURCHES AND FORETELL DEATH; THE RAINBOW-PLUMAGED BIRD WHOSE FLIGHT SIGNALS IMMINENT CATASTROPHE; AND MANY EVEN MORE TERRIBLE CREATURES. SOME OF THESE MAY HAVE HAUNTED THE IMAGINATION OF THIS MOST INVENTIVE PEOPLE FOR MORE THAN THREE MILLENNIA.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2004

Reviews

[Katrin]

This is probably the best book I have read on this topic. Tomkinson is here the rather neutral spectator, recounting many tales and sightings. He must have spent a lot of time gathering those and I respect his enthusiasm and patience here!! There are so many interesting tales, many of which I would love to research myself, if I had time! I'll surely reread this book when I'm retired to look all those up hahahaha!! What a fantastic book really. It covers everything, the roots, the transition with Christian influence and the merging of myth with religion. Awesome book, really enjoyed it immensely.

[David Piwinski]

I picked this up at a bookstore in Greece, mostly because I was getting kind of sick of ruins and museums and such but still wanted something to read that was related to the country. It's basically just a quick overview of various folktales and myths, concentrating on the creepier stuff - ghosts, vampires, demons, etc.

I enjoyed reading it, but that may have been mostly due to the fact that I was sitting on the beach in the Aegean while doing so. I can't really recommended it unless you are specifically interested in Greek folklore - I'm sure there are better collections of "haunted" folk stories out there that don't have such a narrow focus.