BCORE 104G: Red Riding Hood on the Rapid Ride: Folklore, Fairy Tale, and Fantastical Stories (Spiegler): Background sources

Mythologies offers illuminating examples of the workings of myth in the structure of societies past and present—how we create, use, and are guided by systems of myth to answer fundamental questions about ourselves and our world. Almost all of Mythologies, originally published as a two-volume cloth set, is now available in four paperback volumes. These volumes reproduce the articles, introductory essays, and illustrations as they appeared in the full Mythologies set, and each includes a new Preface by Wendy Doniger. This volume gathers eighty articles on mythologies from around the world. A section on the Americas and the South Pacific covers myths of native Americans, from the Inuit to the Mesoamericans, about such topics as the cosmos, fire, and the creation of the world. Essays on African mythology range from the 266 basic signs of West Africa to themes such as twins, the placenta, and masks. The final section, covering Celtic, Norse, and Slavic traditions opens with an overview of the Indo-Europeans and concludes with an essay on the religion and myths of Armenia.

In Animal Life in Nature, Myth and Dreams, Elizabeth Caspari connects the world of real, living animals with the symbolic world of animal images in human thought, both conscious and unconscious. She gives the reader an opportunity to make this connection on his or her own personal journey of discovery. This book is a study of animals--their natural history, mythology, folklore, and religious significance around the world as well as their role in our lives, dreams, and everyday language. It examines the symbolic impact animals have on our collective culture, particularly on our own personal and interior lives. From Albatross to Zebra, each animal is pictured in color and factual context is given about its behavior in the natural world. Information is included about habitat, distribution, weight, size, longevity, and classification. By drawing on a process of amplification developed by C. G. Jung, in which an image is related to a previous historical, mythological, religious, or ethnological context, Elizabeth Caspari discusses the meaning of the animal in a dream, amplifying the reader's understanding of that animal. Intended for anyone interested in the actual behavior and nature of animals and the world we live in, Animal Life presents a good deal of ethological and mythological material. By contemplating the significance of our fellow creatures, and how everything in our universe is connected, Animal Life offers a more whole, and more healing, view of the world.

These 130 articles explore mythologies in societies from India to Japan. Among the many topics are Buddhist and Hindu symbolic systems, myth in pre-Islamic Iran, Indonesian rites of passage, Chinese cosmology and demons, and Japanese conceptions of the afterlife and the "vital spirit." The mythological traditions of Turkey, Korea, Tibet, and Mongolia are also included. "The almost 100 contributors combine, with characteristic precision and élan, the arts of science and poetry, of analysis and translation. The result is a treasury of information, brilliant guesswork, witty asides, and revealing digressions. This is a work of genuine and enduring excitement."--Thomas D'Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor

Creation and destruction. Death and rebirth. Gods and heroes. Humanity and nature. Every human society has grappled with universal concepts through myths. What are the patterns in human mythology? How do myths differ from culture to culture? And how are they expressed through art and literature? Handbooks of World Mythology explore mythologies in depth, offering insights into the complex interaction of myth, history, and culture.Written for general readers and students, each illustrated handbook offers: -- A lengthy overview that introduces the reader to the evolution of the culture's belief system -- A chronology that clarifies the working and purpose of time and mythic time within the culture -- A-to-Z entries that address major deities, characters, themes, rituals, and beliefs of the society in cultural context -- Annotated bibliographies of introductory and scholarly publications, websites, fiction and poetry, and film -- Glossary of cultural and mythological terms -- Thorough subject index for fast and easy access to contentCritically acclaimed introduction of broad scope to the myths of Mesoamerica from ancient times to the present. -- Provides overview of broad themes running through the tradition, including the interweaving of mythology and Christianity -- Covers myths normally receiving cursory treatment in wider-reaching texts -- Features an introduction placing mythology in social and historical context, with print/nonprint bibliography -- Includes discussion of time and how it functions historically and in mythology