<p>Cave paintings at Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain, full of expression millennia later, point to an early human desire to form a cultural identity. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology explores the role of mythology in history &amp; determines that the dreams of specific cultures add up to a larger collective story of humanity. Stopping short of attempting to be all-inclusive, this fascinating volume is still comprehensive, with an introduction exploring the nature &amp; dimensions of myth &amp; proposing a definition as a universal language. Briefly dipping into the ways our understanding of myth has changed from Aristotle &amp; Plato to modern scholars such as Joseph Campbell, the introduction loosely places the concept in its present context &amp; precedes articles on influential mythologists &amp; mythological approaches that appear later in the Companion. The main body of Leeming's work consists of A-Z entries covering all aspects of mythology, including substantial essays on the world's major mythological traditions (Greek, Native American, Indian, Japanese, Sumerian, Egyptian), mythological types &amp; motifs (Descent to the Underworld, the Hero, the Trickster, Creation, the Quest), mythological figures (Odysseus, Zeus, Osiris, Spider Woman, &amp; Inanna) as well as numerous interrelated subjects such as fairly tales &amp; legends. The Companion also locates myth in our lives today, relating it to language patterns, psychology, religion, politics, art, &amp; gender attitudes. Many of the better-known &amp; more significant myths are vividly retold in this volume that will be illustrated with maps, more than 70 black &amp; white images, &amp; eight pages of color highlighting the central role art has often played in the transmission &amp; perpetuation of myth. Following the entries, a rich section of appendices will include family trees of the major pantheons, equivalency charts for the gods of Greece &amp; Rome, Babylon &amp; Sumer, as well as other traditions, an extensive bibliography, &amp; an index.</p>

World Mythology Oxford Companion

David Leeming

Black Dog 9/1

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World Mythology Oxford Companion