Books on Mythology?

Overlord · May 2012

Just wondering if anyone could help recommend me some books on world mythology? I've already got ones covering Norse (Poetic/Prose Eddas) and was just looking for books that go in depth about mythology in rest of the world (Celtic, Roman, Greek, Japanese, etc)

TychoCelchuuu · May 2012

Not quite what you want but The Hero With a Thousand Faces is pretty dope.

Xagarath · May 2012

Hero with a Thousand Faces is also academically discredited, though still fun to read, and doesn't summarise various mythologies so much as it tries to mash them all up into something they aren't.
For an overview, try the Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, and Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
Beyond that, the Wordsworoth/British Folklore Society line of books (which is about ten in number) has some excellent titles
If you're going for the Eddas, I assume you're after original text, in which case the Egyptian Book of the Dead is a pretty obvious candidate, as is the Mabinogion for Celtic.

sacreandprofane · May 2012

Edith Hamilton's Mythology is a both an excellent and rich text on Greek, Norse, and Roman myth. Hamilton summarizes the myth and presents to you the highlights. It's been a classic "go-to" in academia for years.

Mad Jazz · May 2012

Ovid's Metamorphoses is pretty much all of Roman mythology (not counting the Aeneid), written by a roman poet. Obviously original text, but that's the best place to start in my experience.

Fantasma · May 2012

http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Dictionary-Classical-Myth-Religion/dp/0192802887/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Not a book, but interesting reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pishtaco
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/reviews/deathintheandes.htm

http://jewishchristianlit.com//Topics/Lilith/alphabet.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azazel

illirica · May 2012

Bulfinch's Mythology (by Thomas Bulfinch) is pretty much the gold standard for Greek and Roman these days. If you want something a little lighter / easier reading, The Gods of the Greeks by Kerenyi isn't too bad either - just Greek in there, though. Hamilton's Mythology is okay as an introduction but doesn't delve too deep into anything. I liked Hamilton a lot as a child, but once I started getting more interested in things, I wasn't finding enough of interest in Hamilton. Bulfinch does a better job with things at the adult level.

Ovid's Metamorphoses, as recommended above, is excellent. I recommend the recent translation by Allen Mandelbaum; he's a very good translator.

If you haven't read The Arabian Nights' Entertainment (May also be titled "One Thousand and One Nights" or just "The Arabian Nights" - title differs based on edition), read it - that's a great look at Arabian myths and legends.

Overlord · May 2012

Thanks for all the recommendations everybody!

You've been alot of help.

Page- · May 2012

Seconding Bulfinch's Mythology. It's also got Robin Hood, Beowulf, King Arthur, and Orlando. It doesn't really explain them, but it's a great reference.

Brainleech · May 2012

Long ago I found D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths and D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths they are pretty good explaining the stories and tales

Fairchild · May 2012

Someone up above recommended THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, to which I say, Roger That. Everything by Joseph Campbell is excellent.

Andrew Lang's FAIRY BOOK collection -- there are 12 of them, all named after colors, ie RED FAIRY BOOK, LILAC FAIRY BOOK, etc., but the entire collection in one volume can also be found-- offers a range of myths and fairy tales from all over the place; Russian, Norse, English, African, Persian. Plus the artwork is freaky. A check of Amazon shows that a Kindle edition of the entire collection can be had for .99 .

Jay Foxfire · May 2012

For Greek Mythology, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Classical Mythology is actually pretty good.

KrubixCube · May 2012

sacreandprofane wrote: »

Edith Hamilton's Mythology is a both an excellent and rich text on Greek, Norse, and Roman myth. Hamilton summarizes the myth and presents to you the highlights. It's been a classic "go-to" in academia for years.

This. It's a great book, I took a mythology class back in high school and we used this text and I kept it =D Does anyone know a good book for Norse and Japanese myths in the vein of the Mythology book mentioned above?

Witch_Hunter_84 · May 2012

I have a book called The Encyclopedia of World Mythology, edited by Arthur Cotterell. Had it for years, I think it's pretty great.

KrubixCube · May 2012

Witch_Hunter_84 wrote: »

I have a book called The Encyclopedia of World Mythology, edited by Arthur Cotterell. Had it for years, I think it's pretty great.

who's the author?

Penny Arcade

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