World Myths

Hercules, Zeus, Thor, Gilgamesh - these are the figures that leap to mind when we think of myth. But to David Leeming, myths are more than stories of deities and fantastic beings from non-Christian cultures. Myth is at once the most particular and the most universal feature of civilization, representing common concerns that each society voices in its own idiom.

The World Mythology Encyclopedia is your portal to the legendary tales that have mesmerized humanity for thousands of years. This is not just a book—it’s a journey through time, a front-row seat to the most thrilling sagas ever recorded. You’ll encounter gods, monsters, tricksters, and heroes beyond your wildest imagination. Each chapter is concise, thrilling, and packed with insights, making it easy to absorb thousands of years of mythological history in no time.

Relive the magic of captivating legends and folktales in this rich collection on Celtic Mythology. In 58 BCE, when Julius Caesar – the famous Roman general – wrote a commentary on the Gallic wars, he described the “Celt” speaking people who lived in the area then known as the Gaul. These people had their own culture, gods, and beliefs – called Celtic Mythology – which were very different from the Romans. The influence of this mythology, however, was not limited to a small territory.

Tallulah James comes from a long line of intelligent college professors with strong Southern roots - and long-buried family secrets. Tallulah's childhood is a tumultuous one: Her mother is often absent as she puts her goals to save the world over her family. Her father's ignored bipolar disorder results in bouts of depression and manic behavior that often leave Tallulah afraid and confused.

Corinne La Mer isn't afraid of anything. Not scorpions, not the boys who tease her, and certainly not jumbies. They're just tricksters parents make up to frighten their children. Then one night Corinne chases an agouti all the way into the forbidden forest. Those shining, yellow eyes that followed her to the edge of the trees, they couldn't belong to a jumbie. Or could they?

The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of every man's journey through life. In the myths and legends that are retold here, the energy and poetry of Homer's original is captured in a bold, contemporary idiom, giving us an edition of The Odyssey that is a joy to listen to, worth...

What does it mean to conquer the world—if you cannot master yourself? He was born in a smoky palace in Pella, taught by Aristotle, and told that he was descended from gods. By the age of thirty, he ruled more of the known world than anyone before him. Yet behind the bronze armor and immortal legends was a man who bled, grieved, and dreamed of something larger than conquest. In Alexander the Great: The Mirror of Power, historian and storyteller Julian Arcadius delivers a sweeping, vivid portrait of the most extraordinary figure in human history—a man whose brilliance and flaws were bound...

This Siberian Mythology Collection brings together two classics by ethnographer Waldemar Bogoras—Chukchee Mythology and Tales of the Yukaghir, Lamut, and Other Siberian Tribes. Preserved in oral tradition and recorded during Bogoras’s expeditions in the Russian Far East, these myths reveal the soul of one of the most remote cultures on earth.

A collection of stories drawn from some of the finest early 20th-century works on folklore and mythology. Inside, you'll encounter enchanted princesses, mischievous elves, mysterious spirits, shape-shifting animals, and noble heroes facing trials beyond imagination. Whether it's the delicate retellings of Katharine Pyle, offering graceful versions of beloved fairy tales, or the rich global selections curated by master editors like William Allan Neilson, William Patten, and Charles William Eliot, every story carries its own touch of magic.

Michael E. Gerber, the world's leading small business guru and bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The E-Myth Revisited, presents the next big step in entrepreneurial management and leadership with E-Myth Mastery. This audiobook presents a practical, real-world program that can be...

A detailed, illustrated exploration of 20 of the world's greatest mysteries. Go back in time and history and explore the wonders that have captured man's imagination for centuries. Be dazzled by a manuscript still undeciphered, an oasis in the desert abandoned, a legendary island lost, and a forgotten city rediscovered. Learn about the first computer, listen to the myths and legends, and visit cryptic sanctuaries beyond imagination. Crisscross the globe for answers, consider possibilities, and marvel at the ingenuity of past cultures and civilizations. Are they mysteries, lessons, or warnings?

Death walks beside me. Two weeks ago, I was hired by the Dragon Prince of Zaru to help his brother, the King, deal with their dead. Not that there is an abundance of corpses in their kingdom, but those who die aren't staying in their graves. As a necromancer, I'm one of the few people on Serai who can put the dead to rest and discover why they are rising. As a Raltven, I'm particularly good at it. Good enough that the King of Zaru sent his brother across the sea to find someone like me. At first sight, desire sparked between Prince Racmar and me. On the way to Zaru, our attraction for each ...

Step beyond the marble columns and into the bizarre heart of the ancient world with Weird but True Stories from Ancient Greece: Bizarre, Shocking, and Unbelievable Tales from the Classical World. This captivating collection brings together ten strange, surprising, and completely true stories that reveal the weird side of one of history’s most celebrated civilizations. Discover a philosopher who leapt into a volcano to prove his divinity, a city that put a statue on trial for murder, and a mysterious temple where Greeks spoke with the dead. From wild rituals in Sparta to marathon runs that...

“For anyone wanting to find out more about the world we live in . . . there is one simple answer: read Noam Chomsky.” —The New Statesman A sharp indictment of both American foreign policy and the national myths that support it, and an urgent warning of the threat that U.S. power poses to...

Sunho lives in the Under World, a land of perpetual darkness. An ex-soldier, he can remember little of his life from before two years ago, when he woke up alone with only his name and his sword. Now he does odd jobs to scrape by, until he comes across the score of a lifetime—a chest of gold for any mercenary who can hunt down a girl who wields silver light. Meanwhile, far to the west, Ren is a cheerful and spirited acrobat living in an idyllic mountain village with her adoptive family. But everything changes during one of their performances when they is attacked by a horrific humanlike demon.

Step into the captivating realms of antiquity with "Enki and the World Order: A Beginner's Guide," and embark on an enlightening journey to the dawn of civilization. This meticulously researched book unravels the enigmatic world of ancient Mesopotamia, where Enki, the deity of wisdom, water, and creation, reigns supreme. As a pivotal figure in the pantheon of gods, Enki's influence extends far beyond the fertile banks of the Euphrates and Tigris, reaching into the very fabric of society and the natural order. Through engaging narratives and insightful analysis, this guide peels back the ...

This classic presents historical, archaeological, and anthropological evidence to support the theory that ancient Egypt was a black civilization.

Three years have passed since the widowed Dowager Royina Ista found release from the curse of madness that kept her imprisoned in her family's castle of Valenda. Her newfound freedom is costly, bittersweet with memories, regrets, and guilty secrets, for she knows the truth of what brought her land to the brink of destruction. And now the road, escape, beckons...A simple pilgrimage, perhaps. Quite fitting for the Dowager Royina of Chalion.

Bedtime Stories for Stressed Adults is your gateway to tranquility, offering 45 captivating tales crafted to help you unwind, let go of anxiety, and drift effortlessly into deep, restorative sleep.

In Trickster Makes This World, Lewis Hyde brings to life the playful and disruptive side of human imagination as it is embodied in trickster mythology. He first visits the old stories—Hermes in Greece, Eshu in West Africa, Krishna in India, Coyote in North America, among others—and then holds them up against the lives and work of more recent creators: Picasso, Duchamp, Ginsberg, John Cage, and Frederick Douglass. Twelve years after its first publication, Trickster Makes This World has taken its place among the great works of modern cultural criticism.