Myths and Legends: An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins and Meanings

By Philip Wilkinson

Book Overview

Myths and legends are deeply rooted in the world's literature, language, and history. But what does the phrase "Achilles heel" refer to, and what did Oedipus or Beowulf actually do?

Gather round for enthralling stories of gods, danger, heroes, and great cosmic events. With over 1000 illustrations, Myths and Legends explores epic global stories, bringing to life the greatest creation myths of all time, such as that of Brahma and Vishnu, and the Inca god Viracocha. It brings you monstrous creatures and terrifying people including the witch Baba Yaga, as well as epic adventures such as King Arthur's search for the Holy Grail and Jason's capture of the Golden Fleece.

It tells how the Masai first got their cattle, or how the Greeks discovered fire and shares legends that explain death, including the story of the Maori god Tane.

Originally passed down from one generation to the next, these sagas from all over the world are part of our heritage and touch our hearts. Myths and Legends provides context and meaning to each one, and is a treasure trove for everyone interested in their cultural legacy.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0756643090
• ISBN13: 9780756643096
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 7.7" x 9.5"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Good introduction to myths and legends around the world

The world of myths and legends gets the DK treatment as stories from many cultures are described and illustrated. This book can only be a smattering (or it would be 100,000 pages) but it is broken into regions on every occupied continent. Variations on the stories are covered, since some of them have more than one version. Creation myths are nearly everywhere, and there is a surprising number of great flood and underworld stories around the globe. Comparisons with stories covered in other places in the book are indexed at the bottom of most pages. The text can become difficult to read at times, as the font switches between large and small on the pages. But otherwise a good effort.