Best of
Mythology

1974

The Mythic Image


Joseph Campbell - 1974
    It includes nearly 450 illustrations. The text is the same as that of the 1974 edition.Mythologist Joseph Campbell was a masterful storyteller, able to weave tales from every corner of the world into compelling, even spellbinding, narratives. His interest in comparative mythology began in childhood, when the young Joe Campbell was taken to see Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show at Madison Square Garden. He started writing articles on Native American mythology in high school, and the parallels between age-old myths and the mythic themes in literature and dreams became a lifelong preoccupation. Campbell's best-known work is The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), which became a New York Times paperback best-seller for Princeton in 1988 after Campbell's star turn on the Bill Moyers television program The Power of Myth.During his early years as a professor of comparative religion at Sarah Lawrence College, Campbell made the acquaintance of Indologist Heinrich Zimmer, a kindred spirit who introduced him to Paul and Mary Mellon, the founders of Bollingen Series. They chose Campbell's The Mythic Image as the culmination of the series, giving it the closing position--number one hundred. A lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced study of the mythology of the world's high civilizations, The Mythic Image received a front-cover review in the New York Times Book Review upon publication. Through the medium of visual art, the book explores the relation of dreams to myth and demonstrates the important differences between oriental and occidental interpretations of dreams and life.

Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales


Marie-Louise von Franz - 1974
    In this book, Marie-Louise von Franz uncovers some of the important lessons concealed in tales from around the world, drawing on the wealth of her knowledge of folklore, her experience as a psychoanalyst and a collaborator with Jung, and her great personal wisdom. Among the many topics discussed in relation to the dark side of life and human psychology, both individual and collective, are:- How different aspects of the "shadow"--all the affects and attitudes that are unconscious to the ego personality--are personified in the giants and monsters, ghosts, and demons, evil kings, and wicked witches of fairy tales - How problems of the shadow manifest differently in men and women - What fairy tales say about the kinds of behavior and attitudes that invite evil - How Jung's technique of Active imagination can be used to overcome overwhelming negative emotions - How ghost stories and superstitions reflect the psychology of grieving - What fairy tales advise us about whether to struggle against evil or turn the other cheekDr. von Franz concludes that every rule of behavior that we can learn from the unconscious through fairy tales and dreams is usually a paradox: sometimes there must be a physical struggle against evil and sometimes a contest of wits, sometimes a display of strength or magic and sometimes a retreat. Above all, she shows the importance of relying on the central, authentic core of our being--the innermost Self, which is beyond the struggle between the opposites of good and evil.

Surya: How the Sun God was Tamed


Mayah Balse - 1974
    But sometime, the sun's glare got uncomfortably fierce, and Sanjna could not bear it. She devised the perfect cover for herself - Chhaya, her mirror image! Away from the blazing Surya, the lonely Sanjna pined for her beloved. Eventually, a way had to be found to ensure everyone's happiness.

The King Must Die/The Bull from the Sea


Mary Renault - 1974
    Includes 3 novels: The Hour of the Drgon, The People of the Black Circle and Red Nails.

The Goddesses and Gods of old Europe, 6500-3500 BC. Myths and cult images


Marija Gimbutas - 1974
    The mythical imagery of this matrilinear era tells us much about early humanity's concepts of the cosmos, of human relations with nature, of the complementary roles of male and female. Through study of sculpture, vases, and other cult objects from southeastern Europe, Gimbutas sketches the village culture that evolved there before it was overwhelmed by the patriarchal Indo-Euopreans. The Goddess incarnating the creative principle as a Source and Giver of All, fertility images, mythical animals, and other artifacts are anlyzed for their mythic and social significance in this beautifully illustrated study.

Draupadi: The Dusky Firebrand


Kamala Chandrakant - 1974
    Born from the pure flames of a sacred fire, Draupadi was devoted wife to the five famously talented and virtuous Pandava brothers. The evil Kauravas wanted her for themselves, and eyed the Pandava kingdom as well. Raging at their impertinence, and ranting at her husbands’ helplessness, Draupadi inspired a deadly war which wiped out the Kaurava scourge for ever.

Krisna Consciousness: The Matchless Gift


A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda - 1974
    While only 118 pages long, Matchless Gift contains an abundance of material on many facets of the science of Krishna consciousness, along with vivid examples, stories, and analogies not found elsewhere in Srila Prabhupada's writings. Readers will quickly gain an appreciation for Srila Prabhupada's agility of mind and ability to make the highest teachings of the Vedas understandable to a contemporary audience. It's a light book, packed with heavy wisdom, and best appreciated in short installments.

Drona: Valiant Archer, Supreme Teacher


Kamala Chandrakant - 1974
    Burning with anger and humiliation, Drona was filled with a desire for revenge. That was the only tragic flaw in a brave and supremely talented archer who taught the use of arms to the Kaurava and the Pandava princes.

He: Understanding Masculine Psychology


Robert A. Johnson - 1974
    Men who read it will surely learn much about themselves, and women—particularly those who are unfortunately misled into thinking of men as “the enemy”—will find it a real eye-opener.”—Ruth Tiffany Barnhouse, M.D., Th.M., Harvard UniversityRobert A. Johnson's classic work exploring the differences between man and woman, female and male—newly reissued.What does it really mean to be a man? What are some of the landmarks along the road to mature masculinity? And what of the feminine components of a man's personality? Women do not really know as much about men as they think they do. They have developed, over the centuries, considerable expertise in the technique of adapting to men, but that is not the same as truly understanding them. Women often labor under the delusion that life is really pretty easy for men, at least when compared to their own lot, and they have no idea what a complicated struggle is really involved in the transition from male childhood to real manhood.As timely today as when it was first published, He provides a fascinating look into male identity and how female dynamics influence men.

The Leaping Hare


George Ewart Evans - 1974
    Much of it is drawn from the oral testimony of countrymen (including poachers) still living when the book was written.'Here, from stubble to stewing pot, are all the facts that can be assembled; science, literature, mythology, superstition, semantics, venery, and a rich swathe of countryman's talk . . . This delightful book.' Observer

Agastya


Kamala Chandrakant - 1974
    He drank all the waters of the ocean to expose the wicked Kalkeyas, who hid there after challenging the Gods to battle. Agastya is the most well-known among the Saptarshi. His stories are found not just in the Vedas but are scattered through the Brahmanas and the Puranas as well. These stories are known not only in India but are also a part of S.E. Asian mythology.

The Mystic Spiral: Journey of the Soul


Jill Purce - 1974
    As the spherical vortex, spiraling through its own center, it combines the inward and outward directions of movement.In this original and engrossing book, Jill Purce traces the significance of one man’s central symbols from the double spirals of Stone Age art and the interlocking spirals of the Chinese Yin Yang symbol to the whorls of Celtic crosses, Maori tattoos and the Islamic arabesque. Many of the superb images here were intended as objects of contemplation; for the spiral is a cosmic symbol.Art and Imagination series: These large-format, gloriously-illustrated paperbacks cover Eastern and Western religion and philosophy, including myth and magic, alchemy and astrology. The distinguished authors bring a wealth of knowledge, visionary thinking and accessible writing to each intriguing subject.

The Meridian Handbook of Classical Mythology


Edward Tripp - 1974
    

The Adventurer: The Fate of Adventure in the Western World


Paul Zweig - 1974
    The description for this book, The Adventurer: The Fate of Adventure in the Western World, will be forthcoming.

A Second Book of Aesop's Fables


Marie Stuart - 1974
    

The Lost Language of Symbolism


Harold Bayley - 1974
    This remarkable book reveals the hidden meaning behind familiar images and words, from the origins of Santa Claus and the meaning of Cinderella's name to the metaphoric significance of the unicorn and the fleur-de-lys.A prominent authority on symbols, author Harold Bayley spent years gathering and compiling the contents of this volume. Mythology, folklore, religious texts, and fairy tales from around the world constitute his primary sources. Bayley also draws upon the secret traditions of ancient cultures and medieval mystical sects to deconstruct the symbols embedded in watermarks and printers' emblems. Most of these images have lost their earliest significance and now serve strictly commercial purposes; Bayley explains their original meanings, and he cross-references similarities between symbols and stories across the globe to illuminate their evolving cultural significance. More than 1,400 illustrations enhance this classic work, which features an index for ease of reference.

The Stellar Almanac: A History and Tour Guide of the Infernal Kingdom of Hades


P. Scott Hollander - 1974