Oxford Companion to World Mythology

David Leeming

Illustrated with maps, more than 70 black and white images, and eight pages of color, The Oxford Companion to World Mythology covers all aspects of mythology, including substantial essays on the world's major mythological traditions (Greek, Native American, Indian, Japanese, Sumerian, Egyptian), mythological types and motifs (Descent to the Underworld, the Hero, the Trickster, Creation, the Quest), mythological figures (Odysseus, Zeus, Osiris, Spider Woman, and Inanna) as well as numerous interrelated subjects such as fairly tales and legends.

Oxford Companion to World Mythology

David Leeming

Description

In The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, David Leeming explores the role of mythology in history, revealing how the dreams of specific cultures add up to the larger collective story of humanity.

Appealingly illustrated with nearly one hundred black-and-white halftones, the Companion provides thousands of alphabetically arranged entries covering all aspects of mythology including areas traditionally ignored by mythologists such as Polynesia, Africa, Native North America, Australia, and more. Leeming includes substantial essays on the worlds major mythological traditions, on mythological types and motifs, on mythological figures, and on numerous related subjects such as fairly tales and legends. The Companion also locates myth in our lives today, relating it to psychology, religion, science, politics, art, and much more.

From King Arthur and the Round Table to Jonah and the Whale, from the wicked and destructive Norse trickster Loki to the great mother goddess of Chinese mythology Nuwa, here is a comprehensive and thoughtful look at mythology around the world.

Oxford Companion to World Mythology

David Leeming

Author Information

David Leeming is Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut. His many books include Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America, with Jake Page, A Dictionary of Asian Mythology and Myth: A Biography of Belief. He lives in Riverdale, New York.

Oxford Companion to World Mythology

David Leeming

Reviews and Awards

"Inclusive and reasonably comprehensive....This work should find a place in any general reference collection."--Choice

"The scope of this companion to world mythology belies its compact, easy-to-hold format...Leeming's Companion has a place in any library."--Voice of Youth Advocates

"The strength of the Oxford Companion to World Mythology lies in its overview articles on mythologies of particular eras and cultures.... Scholarly but rarely abstruse, this reasonably priced volume is particularly suitable for academic and larger public libraries."--Booklist

"Dependable information, clear and concise writing, and well-chosen illustrations make this a useful resource. The volume offers easy access to a broad range of topics....This is a grand book."--School Library Journal

Oxford Companion to World Mythology

David Leeming

From Our Blog

Reinforcing the patriarchy: tricksters in literature and mythology

Have you ever noticed how much your favorite stories have in common? Boy meets girl, falls in love, gets married. Hero goes on a quest, meets a wise old man, and saves the day. There's a reason for this repetition, if you believe the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung. Jung found that his psychotherapy patients would tell stories containing elements of ancient mythology, even when they had never been exposed to these myths.

Posted on November 20, 2017

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