Human Myth

The oldest stories ever written. The gods who came before all other gods. The myths that built every civilization that followed. Five thousand years ago, in the world's first cities, a civilization pressed its beliefs into clay. Those tablets contained the original versions of the stories the modern world thinks it knows — the Great Flood, the creation of humanity, the descent into the underworld, the hero who could not accept death. The Sumerians told these stories first, told them without apology, and told them with a brutal honesty about the nature of gods and humans that every ...

A New York Times’s Notable Book of 2025 An impassioned celebration of humility before the living world that leads us to a new understanding of other species—and ourselves Darwin considered humans one part of the web of life, not the apex of a natural hierarchy. Yet today many maintain that...

50 Great Myths of Human Evolution uses common misconceptions to explore basic theory and research in human evolution and strengthen critical thinking skills for lay audiences, listeners, and students. Includes myths such as: "Humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs"; "Lucy was so small because she was a child"; "Our ancestors have always made fire"; and "There is a strong relationship between brain size and intelligence."

Humans are primates, much like chimps—or so we've been continually told. Yet recent discoveries show that our species has a different brain design, function, and chemistry; different eating, sleeping, mating, and rearing patterns; a different metabolism; and a different physiology than apes. Nor is our behavior much like theirs, and we don't even have the feet made for climbing trees that define the primate order. Could it be that conceiving of ourselves as primates isn't helping us understand what it is to be human?

Myth to Logos: How Greek Philosophy Transformed Human Thought From Storytelling to Reasoning is a clear and accessible guide to one of the most important intellectual revolutions in history. For centuries, ancient peoples relied on mythic stories to explain nature, morality, and the structure of the cosmos. Then, in a remarkable cultural shift, Greek thinkers began asking new questions. What if the world followed natural principles. What if reason could uncover truth. What if human inquiry could move beyond tradition toward deeper understanding. This book traces that transformative journey ...

In this hauntingly romantic, queer fantasy from Shannon K. English, a young mermaid is forced to choose between her old life above the waves and her new life below them. On land, Eppie will never be anything more than the outcast girl who kissed the grocer's daughter. But beneath the water’s...

Josephson-Storm traces the history of the myth of disenchantment in the births of philosophy, anthropology, sociology, folklore, psychoanalysis, and religious studies. Ironically, the myth of mythless modernity formed at the very time that Britain, France, and Germany were in the midst of occult and spiritualist revivals. It was specifically in response to this burgeoning culture of spirits and magic that they produced notions of a disenchanted world.

A seminal work of scientific and philosophical exploration. Ever since the Greeks coined the language we commonly use for scientific description, mythology and science have developed separately. But what if we could prove that all myths have one common origin in a celestial cosmology? What if the gods, the places they lived, and what they did are but ciphers for celestial activity, a language for the perpetuation of complex astronomical data?

Martial Science and the Myth of Superhuman Skill A Modern Breakdown of Ancient Tricks, Sensory Manipulation, and True Body Mechanics by Sky Benson Is there really such a thing as a no-touch knockout? Can Chi energy move people without contact? Are pressure point knockouts actually real? The legends of martial arts are filled with mystique—but this book reveals the truth behind the myth. In Martial Science and the Myth of Superhuman Skill, master instructor and biomechanics expert Sky Benson unpacks the world’s most mysterious martial feats and explains them using real science: physics, ...

From acclaimed Atlantic staff writer and host of BBC’s podcast “The New Gurus” Helen Lewis comes a timely and provocative interrogation of the myth of genius, exploring the surprising inventions, inspirations and distortions by which some lives are elevated to 'greatness' - and others are...

From atoms to empires, from fire to the internet—the entire story of humanity in one unforgettable journey. What if you could travel through the entire history of civilization in a single book? What you’re about to discover will change how you see the world, your culture, and yourself. This sweeping narrative traces humanity’s path across 12 captivating chapters—beginning with the birth of life itself and ending with the fall of empires and the lessons still echoing in today’s world. Along the way, you will witness the rise of agriculture, the building of cities, the clash of ...

The Education Myth questions the idea that education represents the best, if not the only, way for Americans to access economic opportunity. As Jon Shelton shows, linking education to economic well-being was not politically inevitable. In the 18th and 19th centuries, for instance, public education was championed as a way to help citizens learn how to participate in a democracy. By the 1930s, public education, along with union rights and social security, formed an important component of a broad-based fight for social democracy.

Joseph Campbell’s The Masks of God Explained: Mythology Across Civilizations, Archetypes, Ritual, Symbolism, and the Evolution of Sacred Stories in Human History offers a sweeping and accessible guide to one of the most ambitious mythological works ever written. In this in depth exploration, readers are guided through Campbell’s four volume masterpiece to understand how myths evolve from primitive tribal rituals to the great religious traditions of the East and West, and finally into the creative mythology of the modern individual. This book breaks down complex ideas into clear language...

50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology uses popular myths as a vehicle for helping students and laypersons to distinguish science from pseudoscience. It also explores topics that listeners will relate to, but often misunderstand, such as "opposites attract", "people use only 10% of their brains", and "handwriting reveals your personality", and provides a "mythbusting kit" for evaluating folk psychology claims in everyday life.

What if the world’s most terrifying monster was never meant to frighten us, but to remind us of what it means to be human? Across centuries and continents, one figure has refused to rest. The zombie, so often portrayed as a creature of horror and apocalypse began as something far more sacred and tragic. In Souls of the Undead, historian and storyteller Ethan Blackwood takes readers on a haunting journey through time, revealing how this misunderstood myth rose from the ashes of enslavement and became a mirror to humanity’s greatest fears. From the lush spiritual landscapes of pre-...

Happiness expert Sonja Lyubomirsky’s research-based lessons in how to find opportunity in life’s thorniest moments In The Myths of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky isolates the major turning points of adult life, looking to both achievements (marriage, children, professional satisfaction...

Presenting scientific evidence from diverse fields, including anthropology, biology, and psychology, Fuentes devises a myth-busting toolkit to dismantle persistent fallacies about the validity of biological races, the innateness of aggression and violence, and the nature of monogamy, sex, and gender. This revised and expanded edition provides up-to-date references, data, and analyses, and addresses new topics, including the popularity of home DNA testing kits and the lies behind ‘"incel" culture.

For the audio book version, Dr. Warren Farrell personally rewrote the highlights of The Myth of Male Power as a dialogue. The questions are similar to what others will ask you when you discuss these issues. You’ll have Dr. Farrell’s best answers. The Myth of Male Power helps each family member understand that genuine power is neither status nor money, but “control over one's life.” He documents that virtually every society that has survived has done so by persuading its sons to be disposable--whether in war or in work; and therefore indirectly as dads. And disposability is not power. Considered the Bible of men's studies—yet highly empathetic to women (Dr. Farrell was repeatedly elected to the Board of the National Organization for Women in NYC)-- the meticulously researched The Myth of Male Power takes the listener on a captivating journey around the world, throughout history, biology, the Bible, the law, and everyday life, challenging every currently-held assumption about men, women and the family.

To save her village, she was sold to the sea. To save his soul, she must break the heavens. For three hundred years, the Black Dragon King has ruled the Abyssal Heavens with a heart of ice and a throat bound in obsidian chains. Cursed by the gods for a love that nearly unmade the world, Muhan has forgotten the warmth of the sun—until Seo-yoon is cast into the depths as his sacrificial bride. She was meant to be a silent offering, a mortal vessel to absorb his rage. Instead, she is a spark in the dark. As a slow-burn longing ignites between a fallen god and a resilient weaver of fate, ...

Why does a gifted psychiatrist suddenly begin to torment his own beloved wife? How can a ninety-pound woman carry a massive air conditioner to the second floor of her home, install it in a window unassisted, and then not remember how it got there? Why would a brilliant feminist law student ask...