Product Description

Russian and Slavic beliefs weave a rich tapestry of the real world and the fantasy world, populated by such creatures as dragons, monsters and shape-changing wolves. Though Russia adopted Christianity as the state religion in AD 988, paganism remained popular through to the end of the 19th century - and survives in isolated pockets even at the end of the 20th century. In Russian myths and legends, Christian themes are interwoven with pagan ideas: dragons fight priests; saints encounter nymphs; and witches enter the kingdom of heaven. This volume offers a guide in English to the myths and legends of the Russian Empire and other Slavic countries and peoples. Extensive historical, geographical and biographical background is included to enhance the reader's understanding.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1931070 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 375 pages

Customer Reviews

One of the best Mythological Encylopaedias I have brought
When one is interested in the myths and legends of a culture, a good mythological encyclopedia is, in my opinion, a must, as a general reference work alongside the actual stories themselves. This one is amazing, the entries are complete, with reference to the country of origin of the character or story (the work covers most of Eastern Europe, a huge area), and full and detailed entries and the book is extremely readable for an encyclopedia. I own many encyclopedias of various mythologies and this is one of the best, both in the ammount of information and readability. Well worth a look, especially as Eastern European Mythology is so rich and little known.