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Summary:
The great myths of the world create meaning out of the fundamental events of human existence: birth, death, conflict, loss, reconciliation, the cycle of the seasons. They speak to us of life itself in voices still intelligible, yet compellingly strange and distant. World Mythology offers readers an authoritative and wide-ranging guide to these enduring mythological traditions, combining the pure narrative of the myths themselves with the backtground necessary for more complete understanding. Here, noted mythology expert Roy Willis, brings together a team of nineteen leading scholars navigate a clear path through the complexities of myth as they distill the essence of each regional tradition and focus on the most significant figures and the most enthralling stories. All aspects of the world's key mythologies are covered, from tales of warring deities and demons to stories of revenge and metamorphosis; from accounts of lustful gods and star-crossed human lovers to journeys in the underworld. All are told at length and are accompanied by illuminating and readable introductory text. Also included are summaries of important theories about the origins and meaning of myth, and an examination of themes that recur across a range of civilizations. Beautifully illustrated with more than 500 color photographs, works of art, charts, and maps, World Mythology offers readers the most accessible guide yet to the heritage of the world's imagination.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Overall, Excellent
Customer Rating:
First, its strong points:
The prose was intelligent, the rich images of ancient artwork on every page added a great deal of context to the myths, and coverage of the subject matter was very comprehensive as a whole. I was impressed with the quality of the book itself. The pages were thick, high quality paper (almost like card-stock) and the full color images were beautiful. It was a pleasure to hold and read.
Second, its weak points:
In the sections on several cultures, the stories were summarized so much that at times I had trouble following them. In the myths I as familiar with from previous study, I realized part of the problem was that key details were skipped over in the telling that would have made future details (which were included) have made more sense. While the slangy tone of Mythology for Dummies was aggravating, it did a better job than this book of telling the individual stories it covered. That having been said-- this book covered much more ground than Mythology for Dummies, which was concerned largely with Greek Mythology (it dedicated half its pages to this culture alone). This book covered the mythology from many more world regions, which is doubtless why the author gave fewer details.
Good Overall Text
Customer Rating:
I have used this text in my World Mythology college classes for several years now and expect to continue for some time. I like the way it is set up, with the overview of common mythological themes, then covering each of several world myths in separate chapters. The text is easy to follow -- let's face it, today's college students are visual learners -- and has many illustrations and examples of art for the various cultures. Several students have told me they also like the text and intend to keep it. They also appreciate the reasonable price.
Great Starting Point!
Customer Rating:
This is a gret overview of major world myths. It is a good introduction for someone who has no experience with mythology. The pictures and descriptions of the art work are the best part about the book.
A Bird's eye view of Mythology
Customer Rating:
With each chapter written by an expert this book provides a grand overview of much of the World's mythology. Although it is mainly a reference work it is not so dense that it cannot be read from cover to cover. It is also beautifully illustrated. Although a one volume work on mythology cannot come even close to being exhaustive, there are still a few items that perhaps should have been included. There could have been some mention of Finnish myths, and the chapter on The Middle East could have included a little more. The one page dedicated to Persia is a bit of an insult considering that Iran has a wonderful corpus of myths and legends.
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