Product Description

Every culture and time has its myths. You might say that myths help us to understand people, since just like people they can be inspirational and beautiful, as well as cruel and violent. The main players in mythology are the original drama kings and queens — they hang themselves in shame, poke out their own eyes, rule cities, and marry their relatives — and the fun doesn’t stop there! If you want all the scoop on gods and goddesses, fates and furies, monsters and heroes from around the world, Mythology for Dummies is the Who’s Who of mythological figures that you can’t do without.

It’s no secret that mythology can be confusing for anyone. From cultural hero Johnny Appleseed, to manly Odysseus, to femme fatale Aphrodite, and those pesky Cyclops running amuck on that faraway island, Mythology for Dummies covers all the bases, including information on:

• Greek mythology
• Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
• Roman mythology
• Virgil’s Aeneid
• Beowulf
• Non–European mythology

Also, this book will get you up to speed on the heavy stuff—like how mythology intersects with our lives, and explores the meaning of existence. Organized into chapters on specific topics, it breaks down the common types of myths and mythological figures, and offers plain–English explanations of how myths have appeared in cultures throughout the ages. You’ll find what you need to know on these topics and many more:

• What makes myths different from legends and fairy tales
• Greek creation myths and those really ancient Greek Gods
• The Olympian Gods (taller, younger, and better looking than you)
• The Greek goddesses (the fairest and the meanest of them all)
• Heroes — made, born, and re–born
• Mythological places from Elysium Fields, to Atlantis, and Xanadu
• Roman religion — how it was begged, borrowed, and stolen

You’ll also enjoy helpful features like charts comparing major figures, and a tear–out tip–sheet with a timeline of world civilizations. Whether you want to dabble in the wonders of mythology or get serious, Mythology for Dummies will demystify the subject, and show you how important myths can be to a culture. You’ll never say, “It’s only a myth” again!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27026 in Books
• Published on: 2002-07-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Back Cover
Features charts comparing gods and goddesses for easy reference

Get to know musclebound mortals, mighty monsters, and divine deities in no time at all!

From the Iliad to the Aeneid, from Camelot to Valhalla, this highly readable book demystifies mythologies from all over the globe. Beginning with the ancient Greeks and Romans, this book explores the lesser–known stories of northern Europe, the Middle East, Egypt, India, China, Japan, and the Americas.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear–out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

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About the Author
Dr. Christopher W. Blackwell is Assistant Professor of Greek, Department of Classics, Furman University.
Amy Hackney Blackwell is a freelance author who has an MA in history.

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Customer Reviews

Don't myth it...
'Mythology for Dummies' is part of the widely-read 'Dummies' series, and lives up to most of the expectations one might have of a volume in that series. It has the requisite cartoons, the various side-bar items throughout the text, and the the top-ten lists at the end - in this case, the Top Ten Places (which includes Vahalla, Elysium, Atlantis, even Brigadoon) and the Top Ten Monsters (Gorgons, Unicorns, the Sphinx, dragons, etc.).

This is a volume of mythology is not just classical Greek and Roman mythology (that which most people think of when they think of mythology). It does include these in good measure, but also goes further afield to include an overview of the main characters, stories and ideas of mythological constructs in cultures all over the world. These include some that are familiar and related to the Greco-Roman traditions - Egypt, ancient Mesopotamia, Celtic and Nordic mythologies. There are also those that are quite removed from this collection of pantheons - the Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and Native American traditions of mythology are also included here.

The first section gives a brief overview of what mythology is and isn't. It doesn't go too deeply into the debate over religion (after all, one person's mythology might be another person's religion). It does give some insight into the purpose of such stories for the cultures that maintained them, and how we have come to regard such tales in more modern times. Mythology is not just about gods, goddesses and monsters, after all. Often there is a very strong human component in the myths, which can serve for ethical and moral instruction as well as inspiration. These are written in the witty style typical of the series - 'How to spot a myth a mile away' is one section title. Mythology is also shown to be not something exclusively of the ancient world - American myths such as Johnny Appleseed and Br'er Rabbit are highlighted as examples.

Some of the stories included here fall more under the category of 'legend' than 'mythology' in popular definition - the stories of King Arthur, for example, do fall under the category of mythology, although it is rarely assigned such categorisation for a host of reasons. However, the Arthurian legends are contained here (one section is entitled 'Sex, Lies, and Good Jousting'). The text also ventures into the delicate area of the parallels between ancient Mesopotamian legends and early Biblical stories - tales such as the Tower of Babel and the Great Flood bear striking similarity to many extra-canonical tales in the ancient region.

The prose is good and accessible, like most of the Dummies books. There are some graphics and line-art drawings, and the chapters are short enough for the typical reader to finish easily in one sitting. This is a fun way to learn the old stories, and relate them to modern times. I would recommend this book for adults with a general interest, and also for undergraduate students and even high school students who want a survey of the material.