a good source of mythological information for someone to build great ideas on
927933
Growing up near (and sometimes in) the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, it is safe to say that I have had a fascination with the Jersey Devil all my life.  First, it started as a natural childhood monster fascination (the same thing that had me watching Godzilla movies and being unable to fall asleep with the lights out), and over time it simply became an interest in how ideas survive through the ages, as well as how they morph and change from person to person.

This book is a great collection of the multitudinous versions of the Jersey Devil myth, along with connected legends and stories of sightings to document the wide variations that have occured over time.  Even the shape and form of the Devil himself is in contention--from something serpentine to humanoid.  The authors set down the wide array of variations with an almost anthropological removal.  Rather than going for cheap conclusions or pale insinuations of a real monster out there in the pines, the authors relish in the array of tales that are out there as a kind of history of New Jersey storytelling.  Their proper tone keeps the evidence convincing, and I became impressed with their thorough work and had no doubt that their research was authentic.

In the end, though, I did leave wanting some kind of summation of things beyond the information provided.  Obviously, this was not the point of the book itself, but I do hope that it has been (or will be) the fodder of some analysis of Jersey folklore that looks at the drive behind the legend--what truths about New Jersey can be found in the proliferation of the Devil myth?  McCloy and Miller have done great work laying down the foundation.  I am waiting for someone to build the spires atop of it.
4586608
There's definately a DEARTH of good narratives and good writers on the subject of Indian mythology and specially the lesser known stories and symbols, Dr Patnaik has magically appeared on the Indian Non Fiction Mythology scene as a saviour! Kudos to the writer for creating a crisp and to the point concise writeup(yes! Its that crisp!) about the lesser known nitty gritty's of the Ramayan and the Mahabharata, with some snatches also from the Bhagvad Gita,The Skanda Purana and The Linga Purana.. I totally recommend it to you even if you do not read mythology regularly/don't know much about..Give this a go and you'll be hooked on to it...and hey, a little extra knowledge never hurt anyone ;) It may just give you a little extra brownie points in front of the elders!
2273755
Borrows and mingles Ancient Greek, Persian, Egyptian and Roman traditions and mythology with interesting enough takes that doesn't make their use too predictable.  I'm looking forward to reading the other books that are to come out in the series
1341180
This is, indeed, a concise guide to the ancient Egyptian beliefs and their mythology; the book can be read in about an hour. Though an overview, it outlines their mainstream orthodox belief system and tells the stories of how their gods were created, or born.  There are a few errors, however, such as the author stating that the Nile River flows from the North, rather than correctly from the South.  Conversely, there is a lot of good information on the priest hierarchy and how they fit into daily life, including the roles played by the pharaohs and nobility.  The book left a lot of questions in my mind, ones that would delve more deeply and specifically into their gods and mythology and flesh out the details.  However, this book is a good beginning point for anyone who is interested in the basics of their belief system.
4773288
Robert Graves' "Greek Myths" is an innovative review of Greek Mythology. The book provides compiled summaries for each main Greek hero and deity. Graves then provides his own evaluation as to the anthropological origins of the myths in the context of early Greek civilization. His focus is primarily on Minoan and pre-Mycenean civilizations.

Through etymology and historical analysis, Graves contends that Greek mythology is a compilation of two distinct religious practices that were later merged. Graves argues that cults for female godesses such Hera, Diane, Athena, Hecate, etc., were the product of early Greek matriarchal/amazonian societies. Graves argues that myths such as the castration of Kronos and the labors of Herakles refer to the practice of mock-kings who were used for ceremony in fertility rituals. Such mock-kings, Graves recites, were sacrificed at the end of the ritual by the Amazon Queen. Graves suggests that the traditional patriarchal triad of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon was introduced later when the Myceneans invaded Greece and conquered these matriarchies.

Overall, the book offers a direction of study that would be useful in corroborating a facinating theory about societies in Ancient Greece and how their evolution was presented through mythology. Unfortunately, as is usual with virtually an myth, the reason events usually become mythical is because there were few hard facts left behind to corroborate the truth that lies behind them.
109786
Recently I had to buy a gift for a young nephew, and I became aware of a new series called Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan.  Being interested in Norse mythology and viking culture myself, I decided to buy the first couple as a gift with hopes my nephew would become interested as well.  I soon realized that the books were not too historical/thorough, not that I expected them to be, so I went looking for books about the culture itself, and came across this book.  I bought it and am pleasantly surprised at its readability and depth.  The Unofficial Companion talks a lot about Norse/Viking culture as a whole before getting into the actual myths, and it paints it in a really positive light.  It is clear the author has a deep respect for, and interest in, this ancient culture, and it's refreshing to hear about Vikings without reference to pillaging, looting, and all that other nasty stuff.  After introducing the culture Aperlo goes on to include a collection of Norse myths and an encyclopedia of heroes, gods, and monsters.  Each myth is well presented, includes illustrations, and is nicely laid out.  The encyclopedia is also well displayed, and it's easy to follow and find who you are looking for, and how they relate to the mythology and culture as a whole.  I'm going to have a hard time giving this book to my nephew, but I know he will enjoy it and gain a deeper understanding of Viking culture and myths in the process.
727010
It has some interesting stories however, it contained a lot of information about other cultures ancient myths that I'd heard before.
2082175
There is some valuable knowledge contained within this one for a Pagan who is pursuing information about the Horned God/Herne/Cernunnos; but due to the authors style, the reader must be able to synthesis/deduce meaning from paragraphs which are often disjointed and used as nonsequitorial analogy.
2639143
I find Greek Mythology and the stories that have arisen from them fascinating. It's certainly not an easy path for Hercules as he is hated by Hera, Queen of the Gods. She of course want's him dead. Does she succeed? Well yes and no. You'll have to read it yourself to understand what my words mean. Like I have stated before, if you look hard enough, you will be able to see where some of our present day words have come from - Such as Hydro.
1103550
This book reminds me of Joseph Campbell's great, "Primitive Mythology."  Corliss admits in the preface some of his material may be controversial in regard to sources and authenticity. So, keeping your grain of salt handy, jump in and enjoy the journey. Heck, if only half of it is true it would still be an important look at the ancient people's inventions and myths and sciences and arts. We forget sometimes [at least I do] that the ancients were often very intelligent and creative, this book helps us see the truth of that. It's a big book, over 700 pages, with many different items and categories. There are a lot of drawings and some photographs.

Worthwhile.
4064676
I really found this interesting to read. I have family members who love fairies, and while I've never been a huge fan, I knew something about them. This book is a serious look at the mythology of fairies, and where they appear in culture. There are poems and definitions, and serious discussions of folklore. Reading this gave me more to talk about with my family members, and I could easily justify using it as a source for a paper on folklore. The prose is easy to follow, and more grounded than I was expecting. Very interesting, and informative read that I could see getting for family or friends with an interest in fairies or folklore.
1687083
<div id="video-block-R2B199Z714BDKA" class="a-section a-spacing-small a-spacing-top-mini video-block"></div><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/E10Oo2SQYTS.mp4" class="video-url"><input type="hidden" name="" value="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81axOjwLkJS.png" class="video-slate-img-url">&nbsp;Love this deck! Specialized for druids as it is basing it off druid lore of plants and their meanings given to them by druids. I like the images on the cards. They are clear and are not too flat or saturated. The cards are mat finished and a little bigger size.

The book is great. Gives upright and reversed meanings, botanical information, historical information and lore for each plant. The author suggests spreads too and how to work up the cards using one or more. What I like is they explain the symbolism on each card and deities that the images are coming from such as Ceridwen. Highly recommend for druids and non druids.

My only qualm was that they didn't site their sources but were going off the assumption that people using them would be familiar with druid mythology already. They did give a further reading suggestion. I'd say even so, these cards as useful to beginners and experienced alike.
1907893
Interesting book with good writing etiquette. It talks over maybe more than a hundred different types of demons or demon type monsters that have been recorded in lore and localized lores. It mentions swamp demons, kelpies, mermaids, and many many more types of monsters, including tommyknockers (which is a particular interesting thing to me for music reasons). It also explains how you can deter these things, if remedies are known anyway. And has pictures of some of them as well, assuming only if graphical representations exist. A fun read with food for the imagination and more. Its not a very heavy read either. Maybe a couple hundred pages tops with typical font and page size.
4704394
LOVE using this book with my students when we do some research on mythology. Useful and tons of great info about lots of mythology.
2101129
Not so many invocations and rituals in this book, but definitely very informative on the myth. Useful in getting to know the nature and "character" of each aspect of the goddess if you want to invoke a certain deity in rital.
2836875
As the extention of the title says, Begin Your Quest for Facts, Photos, and Fun Fit for Gods and Goddesses

What could be more exciting than reading and learning about all those amazing Mythological beings, especially illustrated in brilliant colour! This is an amazing book that fits many categories. Even this grandmother learned from it! Readers will learn mythological origins, why these origins came to be, how they evolved and changed over the years and what the main purpose of each was. What is more, we will all learn the equivalent myths from around the world, and how some myths became blended. But that is not all. There are demi-gods (half-human), deities, demons, heroes and helpful demons. Also the book will connect the mythological beings with their original geographical locations. Myths were a way of learning about the world, why nature does certain things, and how they protect us.

But mythology is ever growing. It does not stay still. As the human race progresses, so does the evolution of myths, changing with the times. I found this book to not just be informative, but to be very interesting, containing various projects for children and teens to do  and also the family trees of the earliest mythological beings and how they crossed to other races to keep the stories going. A cross-section of very old worlds and their own mythological beasts are sufficient to pique the interest of children 8 and up. Some wording may be a little difficult for younger readers due to some of the words used to describe their places in historical mythology from the Romans, Greeks, Hindi, South American, African, Wales, Australia, Asia, North American and more. Otherwise I would recommend it at any age. Author Blake Hoena and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Adrienne Mayor have done an excellent and enjoyable presentation with this book. The book I reviewed was in paperback but it also comes in hardcover and Kindle. I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The review and rating are based on my own perception.
1458620
This is a very helpful and well organized book in my opinion. This book gives me all of the information that I am looking for regarding Greek Mythology. I like that the stories are in a condensed version and fast and easy to read. The information appears to be accurate regarding the Greek Mythology. This is a well designed book and I even like the storyteller feel to the graphic on the book. I always enjoy seeing some graphics and this book did not include many, which did take some from my personal enjoyment. Pictures also make it easier for me to share the stories with young children.

Overall, I found this book easy to read, well organized, informative and entertaining.

DISCLAIMER: I purchased this book at a greatly reduced price, in exchange for a fair and honest review. I do not allow my discounted cost to influence my rating or my review of this book. My views and reviews on this book are based on my personal inspections of the book and overall insights after inspecting the book