Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets

By E.C. Krupp

Book Overview

In his classic study The Masks of God, Joseph Campbell conducted us on a fascinating global tour, showing how the seeds of myth grew in a similar fashion throughout the history of civilization. Before Campbell there was Sir James George Frazier who, in The Golden Bough--his pioneering study of magic, relgion, and folk custom--demonstrated how world mythologies exhibit "the effect of similar causes acting alike on the similar constitution of the human mind in different countries and under different skies." Now, in Beyond the Blue Horizon, eminent astronomer E.C. Krupp guides us expertly through a bewildering maze of cultures and civilizations--from the stone age to the present day--making clear that while the skies of these diverse peoples may vary, they speak nearly the same language.
Beyond the Blue Horizon is a treasure trove of myths, legends, and stories in which people have, through the ages, attempted to understand the cosmos and its meaning for humankind. Collecting an astonishing amount of lore between the covers of a single book, Krupp explains why our ancestors were so intrigued by the heavens, and what their celestial stories meant. Readers will learn, for example, that many cultures saw a rabbit--rather than a man--in the moon, and that this moon-rabbit, as a symbol of sacrifice and rebirth, is a cousin of our own Easter Bunny; that to our ancestors, an eclipse challenged the stability and integrity of heaven and thus threatened order and life on earth; that the magical sleighride and chimney antics of Santa Claus echo the ancient journeys of shamans and witch doctors; that our "dog days" of July and August originated in Roman times with the summer appearance of Sirius, the Dog Star; and that the contemporary stories of UFOs reveal the mystery and meaning the sky still holds for us as we approach the twenty-first century. Of course, there is much, much more that will delight and intrigue; even readers familiar with world mythology will find plenty that is new and strange in Krupp's rich panorama.
An epic, authoritative, and cross-cultural exploration with over 150 illustrations, Beyond the Blue Horizon tells how all civilizations searched the sky to understand to universe--and our own place in it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195078004
• ISBN13: 9780195078008
• Release Date: November 1992
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 2.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.1" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Great resource for oral storytellers!

My Astronomy 101 instructor introduced this book to me for the purpose of getting ideas for structuring a family event called Look Up! The StarryTelling Festival in Takoma Park MD. Unfortunately, today's audience members no longer use the path of the sun, the phases of the moon, or the north star to tell time, plan a calendar of events, or guide them across the globe. We have watches, calendars and GPS for that. We don't make the natural and social connections that would be obvious to listeners of old. It's time to revive storytelling to put audiences in touch with the ancient stories which reflected the celestial order in the social order. It's time to use storytelling to introduce scientific subjects in the normal school curriculum to make them more fascinating to the students. It's time to re-enchant children and young adults so that we encourage them to be passionate planet hunters, avid astronauts and astounding astrophysicists. This book will help educators, parents, and storytellers who do not have a planetarium background to put the stars back in the listeners' eyes! Thank you, Dr, Krupp! You are a godsend from some constellation or other!

Extensive

Krupp has written a book that is comparable to Frazer's Golden Bough and Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces. He traces the evolution of sky myths from cultures around the globe. Krupp does an excellent job of capturing the meaning and beauty of these stories, and pieces them together in a well-crafted narrative.

Really Facinating Book...

Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets, is a very interesting and amazing read-- it confronts many possibilities of the place outside our blue sky, and gives the reader something to think about for long after the last page is read. Not only is this book worth reading for the pure fun of it, but it teachs you things that may come in handy at dinner table conversation. Facinating is the word that comes to mind... the myths about the stars and planets can sometimes be good bedtime stories, and over all, this book keeps you wanting more.