Treasury of Folklore, Seas and Rivers: Sirens, Selkies And Ghost Ships

Treasury of Folklore

by Dee Dee Chainey, Willow Winsham

Enthralling tales of the sea, rivers and lakes from around the globe.

Folklore of the seas and rivers has a resonance in cultures all over the world. Watery hopes, fears and dreams are shared by all peoples where rivers flow and waves crash. This fascinating book covers English sailor superstitions and shape-shifting pink dolphins of the Amazon, Scylla and Charybdis, the many guises of Mami Wata, the tale of the Yoruba River spirit, the water horses of the Scottish lochs, the infamous mystery of the Bermuda Triangle, and much more.

Accompanied by stunning woodcut illustrations, popular authors Dee Dee Chainey and Willow Winsham explore the deep history and enduring significance of water folklore the world over, from mermaids, selkies and sirens to ghostly ships and the fountains of youth.

With this book, Folklore Thursday aims to encourage a sense of belonging across all cultures by showing how much we all have in common.

Genres: Nonfiction, Folklore, Mythology, Adult, Fairy Tales, Summer, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2021

About the author

Dee Dee Chainey is author of 'A Treasury of British Folklore: Maypoles, Mandrakes and Mistletoe' from National Trust Books, and co-founder of the digital folklore project, #FolkloreThursday.com.

Reviews

[Salman Ansari · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover is beautiful. The premise is exciting—folklore from across the seas. Unfortunately, the format is disappointing.

Instead of telling the tales, the author summarizes and describes them in Wikipedia-like fashion. There is also very little narrative voice in those descriptions.

As a result, it’s very hard to connect with the book in any way.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always thought it strange that the element that we need to live, water is also the one that can kill us really easily. We are fortunate enough to be able to get clean fresh water from the tap, but years ago finding sources of this life-sustaining liquid was a challenge. This is probably why many cultures have treated rivers and pools with reverence and awe.

This need also became had a ritual side, hence why ancient artefacts are frequently found in rivers and pools; offerings to a water deity that is almost totally forgotten. Except some of those stories can still be found in the folklore that has been passed down to us today.

In this book, Chainey and Winsham have drawn these stories from all over the world. So we can learn about the Legend of Cristalda and Pizzomunno of the coast of Puglia, Italy, fables from islands all over the world, and tales from the seven seas. There are short essays on the hidden rivers of London and the last river that some people would cross on the way to the other side, Acheron.

I was surprised how many stories had common themes, something that the authors point out in the short book. I liked this and thought that it was a good introduction to all things watery and folklore related. If you are expecting the actual stories then you might be disappointed, rather you should think of this as a springboard to use the comprehensive bibliography to read wider. It is a beautiful book too, with glorious gold detailing on the cover. I loved the artwork by Joe McLaren that is used liberally throughout the book.

[Just Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

🔸 3.75 stars 🔸

You can buy this book just for the anesthetic alone. Seriously.
I 100% fell in love with the stunning shiny cover. Yes, I am that shallow. And it was a pretty cute shop I bought it in. All magical.

I truly enjoyed this book. It held a great deal of diversity and made me so curious about lore from other countries than the typical ones (like Greek&Norse). (Please note this is lesser known for ME, not that the lore is any less well known.)
I had no idea how many gods and goddess of the Sea we have tales about besides Poseidon. So that really sparked my interest.
It was not all strictly tales, and there were parts that were not as captivating to me.

I really liked how we travelled from one end of the world to the other. That we heard tales from Brazil, to China, to England to Scandinavia. And that all this lore had similarities, yet were different. (Like mermaids).
It’s in some way our history. A way to teach us and our children to not go to close to the ocean (because of the dangers). But also that it holds great healing and cleansing powers in other stories.

Read: 14/06/2022
1st rating: 3.75 stars
Genre/tropes: Mythology/Lore/Folklore
Cover: 5 stars
Will I recommend: Yes

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be biased because any dark clouds can be cleared from my head by staring at a large body of water, and I was starting to get withdrawal after not reading anything mythology related for a whole month, BUT this was cute!

It is a very easy, low effort, read in the afternoon while having a picnic with a friend and chatting occasionally type of read. It brings together cultures from all over the world, including the often overlooked African and Australian mythologies, and does a really nice job of highlighting the similarities without beating you over the head with the fact that there are parallels. It is not a storyland-esque telling of these stories, and I understand why people who go in are expecting that, but it doesn't purport to be comprehensive guide to worldwide mythologies regarding the ocean. it is just a way to dip your toe in the water (pun intended) of a whole bunch, and if you, like me, will pick up any book that alludes to being based on some kind of myth, it does bring together absolutely everything. From the rivers of Hades to the Orisha to Scheherezade to good ol' Nessie.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The low rating is likely due to my expectations more than anything else. I expected this to be a collection of tales when in fact it only retells a couple myths and is mainly an overview of the various myths available. That said the authors have collected a brilliant collection across the world and history and the bibliography provides a good source to do further digging if any of their synopsis' take your fancy. It is well written and also appreciated that there is occasional intrusion to reflect how the myths would be seen today and if there has been any racism, sexism or other issue regarding it's telling or adoption by other cultures. It's certainly a fantastic starting point and good overall look at watery myths but if you're looking for the actual stories, this isn't it.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm rarely critical of non-fiction. It is always a journey and I always learn.

But I cannot continue this book, it literally sucks all the joy and soul out of folklore. Telling us that the story exists and repeating its narrative in the most clinical form. Where is the magic that inspired these stories? It reads like a high schoolers essay on the subject, filled with modern anecdotes that bring nothing extra.

[Charlie Battison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, intriguing, and tremendously diverse in its tales, myths and legends.

[Jodie Scales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite a disappointment.

[Eule Luftschloss · Rating 4 out of 5]

trigger warning
mention of suicide, gore, self mutilation, abuse, mention of slavery, mention of genocide

This book lists and recounts folklore surrounding oceans, rivers, springs, wells, waterfalls and other places connected to water. This is not a short story collection, more a general introduction sorted by their connection to the main topic, and then you can go to the further reading suggestions and see where it takes you.

I liked the diversity and the point that the author doesn't shy away from atrocities that were commited. Slavery and genocide are mentioned as reason why different cultures were combined by the people to surivive. If the common name of First Nation People is to be questioned because it's a racial slur, the author mentions it and gives you the term you should rather use.

While this was not what I had expected, I had fun and learned things, which is always great.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

[milo in the woods · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this compilation of folklore, I think it is fun and well-illustrated. it's a broad introduction to the folklore of seas and rivers, lacking in detail and leading to a lot of further questions for me. i thought this fulfilled its own intentions and was successful, and it is such a gorgeous book that i will be keeping it, but it left me wanting more from its brevity.

[William Bainbridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5
A solid read that sat at a high 3 for the majority of its length, its rather touching and very well put together. The book is split into two parts, one for the sea and the other focusing on rivers and lakes. Each offers a mix if historical recountings with personalised commentary that shows personality but could definitely benefit from having more individuality in the voice to save it from at times feel rather tedious. The first book was by far my favourite, with the stories from the seas being what i found personally much more interesting. The stories and topics included have definitely been well picked and the writing is very well produced, it simply could have had a lot more about it in the way of a more personalised voice. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable read.

[Brogan Fairchilde · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely shameful that this book made it to print. That two people contributed to write such illiterate junk is quite unbelievable, let alone that an editorial team okayed it.

Shocking, embarrassing. Attempts at interpretation of tales are repetitive and cliched.

Oh but wait - the authors tell us ‘Iroquois’ is an exonym and a pejorative, and they are clearly very wise to guide the rest of us away from such racist language. Tsk, silly people!

I grudgingly give it one star as the tales themselves are interesting, but of course neither of the two people credited with this abomination composed them.

Avoid.

[Sam P · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has a beautiful cover, which is what caused me to buy it, but that (and the artwork within) really is the best thing about it. This book was... unsatisfying, providing neither enough breadth or enough depth; both too specific and too general. It just skimmed the surface. I also wasn't really a fan of the writing style.

I suppose one other thing it did well, apart from the cover, was draw open a wide range of cultures for their folklore. Now, if only said folklore got more than two sentences...

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Treasury of Folklore - Seas and Rivers" gives a rather short overview of some of the most popular myths surrounding bodies of water.

I really liked that the author used examples from all over the world and took the time to point out how some myths have been appropriated and the consequences of that.

What I didn't like was that the book was too short to give more examples. I would have loved to read more of the myths the author touches on in her book.

[Melinoë · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth the read.

[Sally the Salamander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely surface level and best as a springboard to do further research/reading on your own (for example, mermaids have about 2 - 3 pages). Notable that examples of European myths being absorbed into non-European cultures is praised as an example of the flexibility and longevity of myths, while non-European myths absorbed into European cultures is criticized as oppressive cultural appropriation.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the breadth of stories covered; however, for some reason I was expecting the language to be more academic and so I found it somewhat simplistic. It was more of a ‘popular’ read than an in-depth exploration of the stories - but for a bright, skim-the-surface look at oft-overlooked stories from around the world it was interesting.

[Ryan Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book wasn't exactly what I had expected, its more a summary of folklore giving history and context as opposed to a collection of stories, so if the latter is what you're after you might be better looking elsewhere! That being said it's a good index to use to find other stories.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book looked beautiful with some gorgeous illustrations and included some fascinating folk tales. However, ultimately for me it was a flop. It tried to include far too much, going for breadth not depth and ultimately was surface level and dull.

[Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful to look at and a great premise for a book but it was more like a rundown of story’s.
Good for reference if I ever need that.

[Erin McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, short read. Wide variety of cultures that they source the folklore from :)

[Owain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each section could have done with more depth to the stories but another great introduction to folklore

[Jordi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book was beautifully done. While it does not include many of the tales themselves, this book does a wonderful job of describing how each culture represents their beliefs tied to the sea and rivers, and how these may overlap with the stories of others. It is so thoughtful in the way it presents these beliefs, in that it prompts the reader to start a conversation about what these tales are truly depicting, whether that be love, grief or betrayal. It ties in these stories with their cultural relevancy, rather than just telling them, and so the reader is able to connect for themselves the underlying meanings of such tales, and the importance of them to the communities that tell them. It was a really insightful read, and those who mark it down for its lack of full stories are honestly doing it a disservice.

[Mags · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly my review reflects my own expectations here.

I was expecting a collection of tales and legends about the sea etc from all over the world. Only a few tales are told in full, and it's more an overview of the various legends and how they share similarities.

An interesting read, but I would have liked more depth.

[Anita Deonarine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had purchased this book on my recent trip to Scotland as a souvenir of sorts when I visited The Museum Context shop. I'm not sure if that contributed to liking this book as I did but it definitely holds some fond memories.

I loved reading about all these stories and folklore it was fascinating and I did like the summarized-like fashion that many of the stories were written. It was easy to digest as someone who mainly reads fiction.

The artwork and cover of course are stunning, I'm a sucker for gold foiling and that definitely drew me towards buying it when I was there lol.

My only real gripe with the book was the format of the way certain stories were placed. You can be reading a paragraph about one folklore and then suddenly the next is about another but no header above it to introduce you to the next. I don't know if that format is common but it kind of threw me off at times when I was reading.

In all, I learnt a lot about folklore of the seas and after reading the Scottish tales...I want to go back.

[Iza ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to preface by saying my rating would probably be more of a 3.5/3.75 if I could do that. This book is very interesting, especially if you don’t know much about folklore (I myself love it so some stuff I knew already). However, I will say sometimes it lacks detail where there is intrigue and kind of plodded on where I felt there wasn’t as much explanation necessary. But this may just be a perspective thing. The writing is really easy to digest and I could have finished it sooner if I gave it the time. Really wonderfully written. I will say though, if you aren’t a fan of repeated names, some exerts will drive you a bit mad 😆 I did really enjoy this book and have gained some wonderful new knowledge. Would recommend 🌟


“And when our ebbing and flowing journeys are over, we will rejoin with the earth once more at our end - in the same way that rivers one day meet the sea, pouring all of their magic and mystery back into the blue beyond.”

[Rivers · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is very pretty to look at and has some really nice prints inside as well, the stories themselves are a little lacking.

While the dedication to the use of language in which they tell these stories and refer to them is great, there's just not a lot of meat to each story covered.

The book tries to cover a lot of stories, and while writing all of them out in great detail would probably take way too long and make the book 10 times longer, the way they're written now as short little summaries doesn't make it the most compelling read.

In a way, this book is nice as a jumping off point in finding folklore you find interesting and then delve deeper into by doing your own research, but if you want a book that goes deep into each story covered you might want to look elsewhere.

[Kathryn Houghton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely an extensive list of all water based folklore, there were so many tales I had never heard of before. I have to say that despite it being a mass collection, it’s read in a dictionary like manner. Which is fine and serves its purpose, but I would’ve loved to read about more of the sightings of these myths and legends. I also thought that the three main tales listed on the title would have more information, but they seemed to be the shortest passages. Overall a great book for any seafarer or mythology lover, but I will be looking for more in depth stories for the tales I love.

[Adventure Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not necessarily what I expected - like other reviews have mentioned it's less a collection of stories and more a reference resource. Although a very beautifully illustrated reference resource with a cover I'm more than happy to have on my bookshelf though and a really good starting point for going off and doing further reading! Also really appreciated there was a good mix of African, Indian and east Asian mythology mixed in as well as things like this can lean quite Eurocentric so it was good to find some things I was less familiar with too.

[Pia Krolik · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book bought for its cover.
~
I have been in a real mood to read anything about The Sea, so when I discovered this gem, I was ecstatic! 😍

And it's a nice book. It provides a good overview. But I was expecting a bit more heart and soul. I've read one review calling it a Wikipedia book and I totally get what the reviewer means. For something about myths and legends, most of the descriptions are... Well, descriptions rather than stories 🤷‍♀️

I am, however, thinking of getting the other books in the series, about the sky and forests and whatnot, just because the covers are so pretty 🥰✨