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Egyptian Mythology: A Traveller's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria
Join Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw on an entertaining tour up the Nile, through a beautiful and fascinating landscape populated with a rich mythology: the stories of Horus, Isis, Osiris, and their enemies and allies in tales of vengeance, tragedy, and fantastic metamorphoses. Shaw retells these stories with his characteristic wit, and reconnects them to the temples and monuments that still stand today, offering a fresh look at the most visited sites of Egypt.
The myths of ancient Egypt have survived in fragments of ancient hymns and paintings on the walls of tombs and temples, spells inked across coffins, and stories scrawled upon scrolls. Illustrations throughout bring to life the creation of the world and the nebulous netherworld; the complicated relationships between fickle gods, powerful magicians, and pharaohs; and eternal battles on a cosmic scale.
Shaw’s evocative descriptions of the ancient ruins will transport readers to another landscape—including the magnificent sites of Dendera, Tell el-Amarna, Edfu, and Thebes. At each site, they will discover which gods or goddesses were worshipped there, as well as the myths and stories that formed the backdrop to the rituals and customs of everyday life. Each chapter ends with a potted history of the site, as well as tips for visiting the ruins today. Egyptian Mythology is the perfect companion to the myths of Egypt and the gods and goddesses that shaped its ancient landscape.
The myths of ancient Egypt have survived in fragments of ancient hymns and paintings on the walls of tombs and temples, spells inked across coffins, and stories scrawled upon scrolls. Illustrations throughout bring to life the creation of the world and the nebulous netherworld; the complicated relationships between fickle gods, powerful magicians, and pharaohs; and eternal battles on a cosmic scale.
Shaw’s evocative descriptions of the ancient ruins will transport readers to another landscape—including the magnificent sites of Dendera, Tell el-Amarna, Edfu, and Thebes. At each site, they will discover which gods or goddesses were worshipped there, as well as the myths and stories that formed the backdrop to the rituals and customs of everyday life. Each chapter ends with a potted history of the site, as well as tips for visiting the ruins today. Egyptian Mythology is the perfect companion to the myths of Egypt and the gods and goddesses that shaped its ancient landscape.
270 pages, Hardcover
Published October 26, 2021
85 people are currently reading
799 people want to read
About the author
Garry J. Shaw
11 books41 followersGarry J Shaw is an author and journalist, writing about archaeology, history, and travel. He studied archaeology and Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, and afterwards moved to Egypt to teach for the American University in Cairo. He has lectured in the UK, Egypt, and Canada, appeared in documentaries, and taught an online introduction to ancient Egypt for Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 24, 2021
And now I have about 50 more places I want to visit when I return to Egypt! Great book.
September 23, 2021
You can find this review on my blog!
I was provided a hardback edition of this book by Thames and Hudson.
Egyptian Mythology: A Travelers Guide from Aswan to Alexandria by Egyptologist Garry Shaw takes you on a journey up the Nile as if on a tour of Egypt’s most historically rich and important sites. This tour up the Nile transports you to Ancient Egypt with evocative imagery and descriptions of what the landscape once looked like. Shaw has gone to great lengths to synthesise the fragments of texts, the wall paintings, and the surviving archaeology to present the gods, goddesses, myths and legends of each of the main sites on his tour. This includes different versions myths, the layout of building and temples long since ruined and how these deities were worshipped and praised. At the end of each chapter, after delving into the mythological history and the way it shaped the lives of the sites population, Shaw provides a quick overview of the history of the site, and what you can expect to find today. This section gives tips on what to see when visiting the ruins today.
All the best tales are fluid, reshaped again and again by storytellers for their readers or listeners.
As with every single non fiction book I read, it took me a bit to get into the flow of it, but once I got used to it, I was hooked. Shaw has completed a monumental task, and he has done a superb job of it. He begins the book with the section titled Preparing for a Journey Along the Nile, in which he proceeds not only to describe the journey you are about to take, but takes you through terminology and chronology that you will help in your reading journey. Written as if you are about to truly set sail down the Nile River, Shaw’s poignant writing style truly makes you feel as if you’re about to embark on a great adventure through Egypt’s long history.
Each chapter begins with a snapshot into the site as it is today, with beautiful descriptive language describing what you would hear, smell and feel if you were standing at the site right now. Shaw then delves into the history of the site, Pharaoh’s who ruled, and the main gods venerated. He explores the multitudes of myths associated with the site as well as the main gods and goddesses venerated at the site. He doesn’t settle with just the main myth, no. Shaw goes on to describe fragments of myths, variations of well known tales and ways in which the central deities of this site were viewed, worshipped and developed throughout the history of the site, and Egypt. Of course, many myths and sites overlap, and notes in the text linking the stories to other chapters makes it easy to cross between the two sections. At the end of each chapter not only is each site looked at in history and today with a whistlestop rundown of the overall history of the site, but Shaw gives you handy tips for visiting the site today. This includes things to see, how long it takes to get places and things to look out for. On top of all of that, there is also a handy table at the end of each chapter which highlights the key dates and remains of the site.
Every stone, hill, temple and town that you pass as you fly over the land has a meaning, tied to the actions of divine forces.
I absolutely loved reading this book. Not only is it incredibly in depth with it’s stories of myths and tales from each site, but Shaw has written it in such an accessible and intriguing way. As you read it, you get hilarious comments from Shaw as if he were giving you a tour of the site, or telling you the myth in person. It makes the book all the more enjoyable, and a bunch of times his commentary was exactly what I was thinking! Egyptian Mythology is far less structured than that of Greece or Rome, gods turn into other gods, and they change and develop throughout time. Shaw has made Egyptian Mythology incredibly digestible, whilst linking it all to present-day Egypt in a unique and entertaining way. Any lover of Egyptian Mythology or travel (or both if you’re like me) needs to get their hands on this book. Not to mention it’s absolutely beautiful with both the dust cover and naked (and the paper is really good quality which might seem like a weird thing to add, but honestly, I love when the paper is think and good quality).
I was provided a hardback edition of this book by Thames and Hudson.
Egyptian Mythology: A Travelers Guide from Aswan to Alexandria by Egyptologist Garry Shaw takes you on a journey up the Nile as if on a tour of Egypt’s most historically rich and important sites. This tour up the Nile transports you to Ancient Egypt with evocative imagery and descriptions of what the landscape once looked like. Shaw has gone to great lengths to synthesise the fragments of texts, the wall paintings, and the surviving archaeology to present the gods, goddesses, myths and legends of each of the main sites on his tour. This includes different versions myths, the layout of building and temples long since ruined and how these deities were worshipped and praised. At the end of each chapter, after delving into the mythological history and the way it shaped the lives of the sites population, Shaw provides a quick overview of the history of the site, and what you can expect to find today. This section gives tips on what to see when visiting the ruins today.
All the best tales are fluid, reshaped again and again by storytellers for their readers or listeners.
As with every single non fiction book I read, it took me a bit to get into the flow of it, but once I got used to it, I was hooked. Shaw has completed a monumental task, and he has done a superb job of it. He begins the book with the section titled Preparing for a Journey Along the Nile, in which he proceeds not only to describe the journey you are about to take, but takes you through terminology and chronology that you will help in your reading journey. Written as if you are about to truly set sail down the Nile River, Shaw’s poignant writing style truly makes you feel as if you’re about to embark on a great adventure through Egypt’s long history.
Each chapter begins with a snapshot into the site as it is today, with beautiful descriptive language describing what you would hear, smell and feel if you were standing at the site right now. Shaw then delves into the history of the site, Pharaoh’s who ruled, and the main gods venerated. He explores the multitudes of myths associated with the site as well as the main gods and goddesses venerated at the site. He doesn’t settle with just the main myth, no. Shaw goes on to describe fragments of myths, variations of well known tales and ways in which the central deities of this site were viewed, worshipped and developed throughout the history of the site, and Egypt. Of course, many myths and sites overlap, and notes in the text linking the stories to other chapters makes it easy to cross between the two sections. At the end of each chapter not only is each site looked at in history and today with a whistlestop rundown of the overall history of the site, but Shaw gives you handy tips for visiting the site today. This includes things to see, how long it takes to get places and things to look out for. On top of all of that, there is also a handy table at the end of each chapter which highlights the key dates and remains of the site.
Every stone, hill, temple and town that you pass as you fly over the land has a meaning, tied to the actions of divine forces.
I absolutely loved reading this book. Not only is it incredibly in depth with it’s stories of myths and tales from each site, but Shaw has written it in such an accessible and intriguing way. As you read it, you get hilarious comments from Shaw as if he were giving you a tour of the site, or telling you the myth in person. It makes the book all the more enjoyable, and a bunch of times his commentary was exactly what I was thinking! Egyptian Mythology is far less structured than that of Greece or Rome, gods turn into other gods, and they change and develop throughout time. Shaw has made Egyptian Mythology incredibly digestible, whilst linking it all to present-day Egypt in a unique and entertaining way. Any lover of Egyptian Mythology or travel (or both if you’re like me) needs to get their hands on this book. Not to mention it’s absolutely beautiful with both the dust cover and naked (and the paper is really good quality which might seem like a weird thing to add, but honestly, I love when the paper is think and good quality).
September 6, 2022
Simple, elegant, sometimes humorous, mostly informative.
October 22, 2022
This book will be a beautiful memory of my trip to Egypt that I will always cherish.
Thank you for taking me back and inspiring me to visit the country again this time to discover more places.
Thank you for taking me back and inspiring me to visit the country again this time to discover more places.
June 5, 2023
An enjoyable light read that takes you to all the hotspots of ancient Egypt! I’d reckon this would be a great book for anyone who will be travelling to Egypt and needs a crash course on the famous sites they’ll be visiting. Shaw does an excellent job of highlighting the local deities and brief but useful stories of the mythology behind these deities. The publication of this book is excellent; the papers are thick and the illustrations are really complimentary, overall a good, solid book. I only knock off a star just because I didn’t learn something new and all the contents in this book was already something I know. But besides that, a really solid, enjoyable read. I would probably take this or re read again should I travel to Egypt as a great refresher.
March 19, 2023
I enjoyed the premise of this book - sharing the mythology of different archeological sites in Egypt. The fact that there were so many gods and goddesses with different names for the same deity made tracking some of the stories difficult. I read this in preparation for a trip to Egypt and am glad I did. I will likely revisit this book as my trip approaches. A chart or family tree outlining the various deities might have been helpful, but given that so often a mother or father had a child by their own offspring, it may not have worked!
October 4, 2025
About the Genre –
This book is a mythological mapping of deities, their temples, and history. If you are interested in Ancient Egyptian Mythology, this is a strong book to read.
What I Think Worked –
One of the things I really enjoyed that Shaw did getting the readers to explore and travel through Egypt. Part of the title of this book is “A Traveler’s Guide,” and it feels exactly like that. Shaw takes the readers from Upper Egypt, from the furthest locations myth and temples existed, and slowly moves down to lower Egypt. The reader moves from city to city, learning their own versions of deities and their stories.
The book is extremely formative on the myth of multiple deities. A reader can learn a lot from this book about the rich and not so unified concepts each deity had. This ununified concept comes from the reality that many cities had autonomy and deities they prayed to. Any influence from other cities meant some changes. It is fascinating to learn these stories and the differences between the view of gods depending on the location.
Another great thing I enjoyed is inclusion of some quotes from different archeological finds at the beginning of each chapter and some images that emphasized the information Shaw provided.
What I Wished the Author Did –
Honestly, I couldn’t find anything I wished Shaw did differently. I enjoyed learning everything written in the book. I didn’t feel anything was missing or dissatisfying.
Overall –
The book is intriguing journey through Egyptian ancient history. Shaw clearly set a lot of research and love into writing this book. If you are (even) mildly interested in learning more, this book will feed you hunger for knowledge.
This book is a mythological mapping of deities, their temples, and history. If you are interested in Ancient Egyptian Mythology, this is a strong book to read.
What I Think Worked –
One of the things I really enjoyed that Shaw did getting the readers to explore and travel through Egypt. Part of the title of this book is “A Traveler’s Guide,” and it feels exactly like that. Shaw takes the readers from Upper Egypt, from the furthest locations myth and temples existed, and slowly moves down to lower Egypt. The reader moves from city to city, learning their own versions of deities and their stories.
The book is extremely formative on the myth of multiple deities. A reader can learn a lot from this book about the rich and not so unified concepts each deity had. This ununified concept comes from the reality that many cities had autonomy and deities they prayed to. Any influence from other cities meant some changes. It is fascinating to learn these stories and the differences between the view of gods depending on the location.
Another great thing I enjoyed is inclusion of some quotes from different archeological finds at the beginning of each chapter and some images that emphasized the information Shaw provided.
What I Wished the Author Did –
Honestly, I couldn’t find anything I wished Shaw did differently. I enjoyed learning everything written in the book. I didn’t feel anything was missing or dissatisfying.
Overall –
The book is intriguing journey through Egyptian ancient history. Shaw clearly set a lot of research and love into writing this book. If you are (even) mildly interested in learning more, this book will feed you hunger for knowledge.
January 10, 2023
✨Review time✨ - Egyptian Mythology: A Traveller's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria
After a long while I'm dipping into myth again, mythology is one of my favourite subjects and this ties both that and history together. I didn't know too much beyond the superficial about Egypt in history or its myths and this, I think, was an amazing starting point.
As the title implies you'll be looking at 14 chapters each covering a city, starting in Aswan all the way to Alexandria. Each chapter usually focuses on one god, with some minor deities thrown around.
All chapters, bar one, are of equal quality, the one chapter that isn't seemed to me like filler, only rewriting what we already knew from previous chapters. But aside from that the book keeps being interesting throughout.
The author tries to add a lot of his input into stories, which is sometimes funny and cute, and sometimes it feels very out of place. Imagine a news reporter talk about a murder and only saying 'yikes', that's the kind of vibe I get sometimes. It can be a bit too forced but it's mostly okay and I'd rather have this then nothing.
I don't have much to say, it's written well and is engaging but the thing I'm here for is learning about history and culture so judging the authors work, when most of what I'm interested in is only reported not created, feels weird. And the reporting is done respectfully from what I can tell, and it was very nice to read. The book is great and if anyone is even mildly interested in this topic, you can go ahead and pick it up.
After a long while I'm dipping into myth again, mythology is one of my favourite subjects and this ties both that and history together. I didn't know too much beyond the superficial about Egypt in history or its myths and this, I think, was an amazing starting point.
As the title implies you'll be looking at 14 chapters each covering a city, starting in Aswan all the way to Alexandria. Each chapter usually focuses on one god, with some minor deities thrown around.
All chapters, bar one, are of equal quality, the one chapter that isn't seemed to me like filler, only rewriting what we already knew from previous chapters. But aside from that the book keeps being interesting throughout.
The author tries to add a lot of his input into stories, which is sometimes funny and cute, and sometimes it feels very out of place. Imagine a news reporter talk about a murder and only saying 'yikes', that's the kind of vibe I get sometimes. It can be a bit too forced but it's mostly okay and I'd rather have this then nothing.
I don't have much to say, it's written well and is engaging but the thing I'm here for is learning about history and culture so judging the authors work, when most of what I'm interested in is only reported not created, feels weird. And the reporting is done respectfully from what I can tell, and it was very nice to read. The book is great and if anyone is even mildly interested in this topic, you can go ahead and pick it up.
July 15, 2023
Usually, when I pick up mythology books, I aim to pick up straightforward guides. This, on the other hand, is a travel guide featuring mythology. Starting at Aswan, the author goes up the Nile, major site by site, to show off the ruins and the mythological significance of the places. You get to find out what stories take place at these locations, as well as stories about the gods of the temples you’d find.
This really does feel a bit like a travel guide. It certainly makes ME want to go on a tour up the Nile. At the end of every chapter there’s a timeline with the major events there, and a list of places a tourist might want to visit. And not all of those sites are ancient Egyptian! Some are Coptic Christian, or from after the Arab Conquest. There are some references and jokes about what you’ll find there in modern day too.
There are bits of humor throughout, so it isn’t dry reading. The out-of-orderness of it (because it’s going by sites, rather than any chronological, historical, or obvious mythological order) can be a bit disorienting, I guess, but I think it’s overall a pretty good mythological handbook, and if you’re interested in world mythologies, you’ll find stuff to like here.
This really does feel a bit like a travel guide. It certainly makes ME want to go on a tour up the Nile. At the end of every chapter there’s a timeline with the major events there, and a list of places a tourist might want to visit. And not all of those sites are ancient Egyptian! Some are Coptic Christian, or from after the Arab Conquest. There are some references and jokes about what you’ll find there in modern day too.
There are bits of humor throughout, so it isn’t dry reading. The out-of-orderness of it (because it’s going by sites, rather than any chronological, historical, or obvious mythological order) can be a bit disorienting, I guess, but I think it’s overall a pretty good mythological handbook, and if you’re interested in world mythologies, you’ll find stuff to like here.
July 29, 2024
Garry J. Shaw is an in-depth and descriptive writer who adds a lot of spunk to his prose. However, Egyptian Mythology: A Traveller's Guide from Aswan to Alexandria wasn't really for me—much more for a research book for aspiring archeologists, or tourists looking to learn more about Egyptology. This is at no fault of the writer but at fault of the reader. I knew what I was getting into and I tried it, but was often lost along the way.
That being said when Shaw dove into the mythology and folklore I was very intrigued. His writing heavily reflects verbal storytelling of old with a modern twist. I sped through these parts of the chapter with ease, always craving more.
While this book wasn't entirely for me I would still recommend it for those who are more used to the genre.
That being said when Shaw dove into the mythology and folklore I was very intrigued. His writing heavily reflects verbal storytelling of old with a modern twist. I sped through these parts of the chapter with ease, always craving more.
While this book wasn't entirely for me I would still recommend it for those who are more used to the genre.
April 14, 2023
I picked this book up at the airport bookstore on the way to Egypt, and I will say it does the job- a perfect traveler’s guide to Egypt! The myths were interwoven beautifully with most of the top places to visit, and really gave context to my travels. I only docked a star for the unoriginal descriptions of crowds/ locations which are worth skimming, especially when you can experience these things for yourself. Also, what the book does not prepare you for is the actual current culture of Egypt ( esp for women travelers) and just keeps it to tourist gossip/observations. Overall, excellent stories and insight into Ancient Egypt! Glad I found this one.
March 25, 2024
I did not expect to love this book as much as I do. The way that the myths are laid out geographically, giving both a little historical/geographical context to each story is surprisingly digestible and actually made me (& my ADHD) be able to understand and grasp them more fully. Even though the breadth of Egyptian mythology could fill tomes (and there's always a little conjecture here and there), this book gives them an accessible and fascinating spotlight that gives me just enough to consume and learn without being lost to a historian-level commitment (baby steps).
Also, this cover and its dust jacket are more stunning in person and I am so glad I own the physical copy.
Also, this cover and its dust jacket are more stunning in person and I am so glad I own the physical copy.
December 28, 2022
I really enjoyed this; in my experience, it's a very unique way to tell history (framed as a travellogue). Moving downriver along the Nile and stopping at all ancient Egypt's major sites along the way dovetailed very well with piecing together the history and mythology, and it helped me frame everything in my mind. A very enjoyable read!
February 24, 2023
The illustrations in this are gorgeous. In terms of writing, it's engaging and well rounded, though gets a bit repetitive after a while. I found it easier to follow/remember as I followed along during my trip to Upper Egypt. I would have also preferred a little more history in between the myths, but then, it would have been a very different book.
January 10, 2023
Fun to read before, during, and after a trip to Egypt. The tales take on such more significance after seeing the temples and tombs. I enjoyed the format and how each section was an area on his own trip to Egypt. My complaint is it felt a little slow at times and lost my attention in those spots.
June 24, 2023
I wish I read it before visiting Egypt!
It covers all the significant mythological charecters, stories related to them, their relative importance over time and in different cities starting from Aswan in the South to Alexendria in the North. Liked the way it was written with all the interesting notes and much needed humor in such a serious topic.
It covers all the significant mythological charecters, stories related to them, their relative importance over time and in different cities starting from Aswan in the South to Alexendria in the North. Liked the way it was written with all the interesting notes and much needed humor in such a serious topic.
November 5, 2025
Oh no it wasn't very good. Sorry! Had... some interesting chapters here and there, but the format of infodumping didn't really work for me. I would have liked more cohesion and a general worldbuilding introduction first
December 12, 2025
This is my first formal intro to Egyptian mythology! This is probably not the best choice in terms of an intro guide, as I was confused half of the time because of the unclear plot line and character names. However, it was mostly interesting, though I would appreciate a clearer storyline.
November 3, 2023
Perfect collection of mythological stories, in an interesting way that made me not want to stop reading.
May 17, 2024
An excellent overview of Egyptian mythology that connects the gods and myths to places within ancient Egypt.
January 3, 2025
The book was fun and interesting to read!
August 12, 2025
Very well organized and easy to read! This is a must have guide for any lover of ancient Egypt.
September 29, 2025
God this was chore to get through
November 17, 2025
As an Egyptologist I must say the book is truthful, interesting offers myths, stories. Great for no professionals.
July 1, 2023
A book that caught my eye in the gift shop of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, this is part travel guide and part anthology of mythical tales, where Shaw deftly brings the stories of Horus, Isis, Osiris, and more to life, connecting them to the temples and monuments that still stand today. From Dendera to Thebes, his evocative descriptions transported me to these ancient sites and depicted cosmic battles and divine relationships, while also highlighting the regional diversity of gods and goddesses.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews