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Mythology is defined by Merriam-Webster arsenic an “allegorical narrative,” a “body of myths,” and “myths dealing with gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a peculiar people.” When we deliberation of mythology books for adults, we thin to conscionable deliberation of fantastical stories, epic poetry, and folktales, but astir of these stories began their lives arsenic spiritual narratives oregon mythologized history. The enactment betwixt religion and mythology is rather thin. Myths helped make the ground for immoderate spiritual rituals and practices, and assistance walk down taste individuality and spiritual teachings to the aboriginal generations of its culture.
Although each country of the satellite produced its ain folklore and mythology to assistance explicate the satellite astir them, mythologize important humanities events oregon figures, oregon usage arsenic foundational elements of religion, Greek mythology tends to beryllium the lone mythology taught successful occidental nationalist schools. I tin personally attest to this, and it was existent each the mode done college. I was an English major, and a Mythology people was required for the degree. I was genuinely excited, due to the fact that I thought that a assemblage mythology people would screen the mythological tales of a wide array of cultures. I was incorrect: the full people centered connected Greek mythology.
This database of mythology books for adults volition instrumentality you beyond Greek mythology and supply you with a starting constituent for delving into Hindu, Indigenous, Japanese, Hawaiian, Egyptian, Norse, and Mesoamerican mythology, on with providing a antithetic position connected the Greek mythology you whitethorn already beryllium acquainted with.
Myth = Mithya: Decoding Hindu Mythology by Devdutt Pattanaik
Mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik created an fantabulous primer connected Hindu mythology, implicit with tables and charts for Hindu gods and goddesses, and encourages the scholar unfamiliar with Hindu mythology to situation their ain ideas of what mythology is based connected the occidental presumption of myths; to alternatively presumption mythology arsenic “subjective information expressed successful stories, symbols, and rituals, that signifier all cultures.” This in-depth investigation is besides geared toward Hindus who privation to summation a deeper knowing of Hindu customized and tradition.
American Indian Myths and Legends by Alfonso Ortiz and Richard Erdoes
Native American taste anthropologist Alfonso Ortiz of the Pueblo people and writer Richard Erdoes compiled 166 legends spanning crossed 80 First Nation tribes into this unthinkable postulation of Native American myths and legends. The stories are categorized by theme: quality creation, satellite creation, celestial beings, heroic tales, war, love, trickster tales, animals, the tone world, and extremity times.
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The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore by Michael Dylan Foster and Shinonome Kijin
Academic and folklorist Michael Dylan Foster dives heavy into implicit 50 yōkai, Japanese mythology’s spirits and supernatural entities. He puts each yōkai into the discourse of Japanese civilization and history, tracing backmost to their origins and however they’ve influenced creativity, storytelling, and adjacent tradition. This usher besides features archetypal illustrations of each yōkai by creator Shinonome Kijin.
Pandora’s Jar: Women successful the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes
Classicist Natalie Haynes is precise alert that the tellers of tales successful Greek story tended to beryllium men, and they had precise circumstantial ways of portraying women successful these mythological tales. Vengeful. Monstrous. Victims. Haynes looks astatine these aforesaid stories from the lens of the women successful them, chronicling the origins of these celebrated mythical women specified arsenic Pandora, Jocasta (Oedipus’s mother), Helen of Troy, Medusa, and more.
The Legends and Myths of Hawaii by King David Kalākaua
This compilation of Hawaiian myths and legends was enactment unneurotic by King David Kalākaua, the past king of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, successful 1888; conscionable a fewer years earlier his death. In summation to collecting these tales of Hawaiian folklore, legends, and heroes, the king besides chronicles the past of his radical from past times, each the mode done European interaction and beyond. His immense publication to the preservation of Hawaiian mythology is besides a fantastic humanities and civilization source.
Legendary Ladies: 50 Goddesses to Empower and Inspire You by Ann Shen
Author and illustrator Ann Shen compiles a fantastic database of 50 goddesses from mythologies astir the world, including Japanese, Chinese, Norse, Welsh, Yoruba, Aztec, Mayan, and more. This postulation is categorized by the wide thematic elements recovered successful what each goddess represents: creativity and manifestation, love, power, protection, and reinvention. It’s a large mode to summation vulnerability to galore satellite mythologies done immoderate of their goddesses.
An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya by Mary Ellen Miller and Karl Taube
Academic Mary Ellen Miller and Mesoamericanist Karl Taube enactment unneurotic an in-depth, illustrated dictionary detailing the myths, beliefs, symbols, and main gods of Ancient Mesoamerica, which included the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Maya, Teotihuacanos, Mixtecs, Toltecs, and the Aztecs. The past and religion of each civilization is woven successful with these important mythological figures and stories crossed 300 entries .
Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt by Geraldine Pinch
Egyptologist Geraldine Pinch pens a fantastic overview of the 7 stages of Egypt’s mythical history, putting Egyptian mythology into discourse with Egypt’s past spanning from 3200 BCE to 400 CE. This usher besides provides a precocious level look astatine the prevalent themes and concepts recovered wrong Egyptian mythology, and however existent beingness events shaped these celebrated stories and thematic concepts.
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Historian and classicist Edith Hamilton offers up an extended A–Z mythology postulation of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology that has stood the trial of clip since its archetypal work successful 1942. Her investigation of “classic” mythology and however Greek and Roman mythology intersects is truthful extended and good researched that Hamilton was named an honorary national of Athens by King Paul of Greece successful 1957.
To dive deeper into nonfiction mythology books for adults, cheque retired these posts:
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