The mythic legacy of the Scandinavians includes a cycle of stories filled with magnificent images from pre-Christian Europe. Gods, humans, and monstrous beasts engage in prodigious drinking bouts, contests of strength, greedy schemes for gold, and lusty encounters. The Norse pantheon includes Odin, the wisest and most fearsome of the gods; Thor, the thundering powerhouse; and the exquisite, magic-wielding Freyja. Their loves, wars, and adventures take us through worlds both mortal and divine, culminating in a blazing doomsday for gods and humans alike. These stories bear witness to the courage, passion, and boundless spirit that were hallmarks of the Norse world.“Kevin Crossley-Holland retells the Norse myths in clear, attractive prose . . . An excellent introduction, notes, and a glossary provide mythological and historical backgrounds and suggest parallels with myths in other parts of the world.”–The Denver Post

    Here you will find Shangri-La and El Dorado; Utopia and Middle Earth; Wonderland and Freedonia. Here too are Jurassic Park, Salman Rushdie's Sea of Stories, and the fabulous world of Harry Potter. The history and behavior of the inhabitants of these lands are described in loving detail, and are supplemented by more than 200 maps and illustrations that depict the lay of the land in a host of elsewheres. A must-have for the library of every dedicated reader, fantasy fan, or passionate browser, Dictionary is a witty and acute guide for any armchair traveler's journey into the landscape of the imagination.

    This unique printing brings all six volumes together in one as a special collectors' edition. Stillson Judah, late Professor Emeritus at the Graduate Theological Union/Pacific School of Religion, wrote of the Lilamrta: "This work...is an eloquent tribute to the memory of a man who played a central role in American religious history during the counter-cultural '60s and '70s. It will provide a mine of information to scholars and to anyone else interested in the movement Prabhupada brought to America from India".

    He dispensed justice, dealt diplomatically with other rulers, led military expeditions and composed poetry. In addition, he also rescued Akbar from the dangers of arrogance and unfettered power. Most importantly, he made the Great Mughal laugh. Birbal, a real person with the name 'Maheshdas', was one of the 'nine gems' of court advisers of Akbar the Great. He also composed poetry by the pen name 'Brahma'. He led an expedition into faraway Afghanistan and managed to subdue the turbulence there. Hearing the news of his death there, Akbar burst forth: "Birbal, you always gave the helpless whatever you had. I am helpless now and yet you have left nothng for me!" Birbal's name however does not rest on these achievements. He is turned into a legend by the innumerable stories of his wit and wisdom, sense of justice and fairplay, and above all, his uncanny skill in turning the tables on his detractors including the king himself. In the stories here, Birbal proposes the punishment of a kiss for the offense of pulling a hair from the king's moustache; shows how one's own child is the most beautiful; proves that the whims of a child can beat the king; makes the king realize that inauspiciousness can be mutual; guesses the mother-tongue of a linguist with a spray of water.

    So was Hanuman the ape in the Ramayana. For both, the poets held that their powers were the gift of the wind-god, their parent. The two face each other in this story from the Mahabharata. During the Pandavas' exile in the forest, their wife Draupadi expresses her wish to have a particular flower. Bheema sets out for the mountain on which the flower blossoms. On the way he demonstrates his strength against an elephant. He is however unable to lift the tail of Hanuman who is lying on the way. An interesting encounter follows and in the end Bheema achieves his purpose. Both are known for their extraordinary strength and valour. Both are the sons of Vayu, the wind God. Hanuman lived in the Tretayug serving Sri rama while Bheema, a contemporary of Krishna, lived in the Dwaparyug. The Mahabharata narrates the story of an encounter between the two mighty brothers.

    Gandhari's hundred Kaurava sons, however, were more of a curse. Did they become evil by some divine plan or was it because she was proudly blind to their faults? Helpless as they heaped dishonour on the family, she was furious with Lord Krishna for abetting in her son's eventual slaughter. Unfortunately, her grief was overpowering, and threatened to wreak further havoc...

    Acknowledging the persuasive power of myth to create and inform culture, he weaves the human ability to create life with and communicate through symbols with myths based on male and female forms of power.

    It was his diligence and eye for detail that ensured that only the virtuous were given god-like status. Arrogance and impatience were soon corrected. But, most importantly, as a leader, Lord Indra strove to be worthy of his position.

    Bold, handsome Theseus, prince of Athens, appears to offer help: but does he come to save Ariadne—or destroy her?"Ariadne is a sensitive and poetic interpretation of Minoan civilization at the end of its glory... Like the best of Mary Renault, Ariadne clothes the bones of ancient mysteries in vivid flesh and blood." - Iris Cornelia Love, Classical archeologist"An awesome word-creation... Brindel's premise and method were risky ones, retelling an ancient myth from unexpected points of view. Those risks made the unparalleled intensity of feeling she has captured and conveyed all the more a triumph." - Chicago Tribune

    

    This set contains 73 volumes of the Amar Chitra Katha books, each of them featuring stories from Indian mythology and ancient texts like The Bhagavat Gita, The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, and the puranas. They feature sages, warriors, god, and goddesses. This set contains tales of devas like Surya and Indra, and stories like The Churning of the Oceans. Tales from the Ramayana and Mahabharata also feature in this collection, as do stories of Arjuna and Harishchandra, which are meant to be inspirational. Women-centric stories like tales of Draupadi, the warrior goddess Durga, and Savitri are also a part of the collections, as are the doings and lives of characters like Karna, Abhimanyu and Bheema, Drona, Bheeshma, and Ghatotkacha. It has stories of sages like Narada and Vishwamitra and also stories that praise the virtues of anti-heroes like Ravana. Nala Dhamayanthi, a story of a king and queen who weather extreme hardship and misfortune and triumph over them thanks to their values and goodness of character is a part of this compilation. Alternatively, it also has tales of people who were initially virtuous and then lost their principle due to the ill-effects of power, like the story of King Nahusha. Excerpts from the Upanishads and characters like the ideal disciples, Uttanka and Aruni are also a part of this set. Retellings of the story of Krishna and of devotees like Prahlada and Sudama are provided in this collection, as is a one-volume retelling of the Mahabharata. The Complete Mythology Collection (Set of 73 Titles) (Amar Chitra Katha) was published in 2010 by Amar Chitra Katha Private Limited. This is the first edition and is available in paperback. Key Features:

    A. Wallis Budge, is a complete survey of the religion and mythology of the Ancient Egyptians. Every significant religious figure is considered in depth: the primitive gods and Nome-Gods; Ra, the sun god; Thoth and Maat, Amen and Amen-Ra, Aten, Osiris, Isis, the foreign gods, and many others. Also covered are the Underworld, Creation, the Zodiac, and Sacred Animals and Birds. A number of Hieroglyphic texts with translations are included.

    Interspersed with drawings by Georgina Beier of Yoruba motifs and collected and translated by authors and artists long-familiar with Yoruba culture, the myths are compiled and introduced here by Ulli Beier, who himself holds two Yoruba chieftaincy titles. Some are creation myths: these explain the division of the original God into the many orisha, or gods, and the development of their various functions. In the folk- or trickster-tales the orisha often assume different personalities whose actions and their consequences reveal the Yoruba wisdom and customs. This book makes the myths of an orally transmitted religion available as literature to Nigerian school children, who are often unfamiliar with their traditional mythology. It will also strengthen English interest in original African literature.

    However behind this seductive image of the Siren lurks the a metaphor of death, for enticed by her promise and allure, generations have been lured to their certain doom in a thousand different stories that form the bases of powerful and enduring myths and legends that continue today.

    In the stories, the gods are forced to always strive against the hated giants, who symbolize the pitiless northern snows and the grim mountains. These exciting and dramatic tales open with the beginning of all things, and follow the story through to the gods' final battle against the forces of winter.

    Mythology is the study of the imaginative traditions through which humans attempt to understand and control the world about them.This comprehensive and accessible survey of the world's principal myths, the result of extensive research, shows how each story relates to the social patterns and religious beliefs of the time and place to which it belongs.Includes over 400 color and black & white illustrations.

    Gray presents an encyclopaedic and systematic analysis of the 22 Paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life and the archetypal principles underlying them in each of the 'four worlds'. This unique work by a leading Qabalist of his generation includes a detailed and comprehensive study of the symbolism of the Tarot, in which he offers an alternative method of allocating the Major Arcana to the Paths in place of the commonly used Golden Dawn system. He also explains how the Western alphabet can be applied to the Tree of Life as a viable alternative to Hebrew letters. This book is a priceless reference work for the serious Qabalah student who has already studied the ten Sephiroth and is looking to move on to the Paths. As well as explaining the function of God-names, archangels, angelic orders and mundane archetypes for each Path, Gray seeks to demonstrate that the Tree of Life is in a continual state of growth and evolution, and that those who study and work with the Qabalah should not be afraid to apply new correspondences to it and rethink some of the traditional assumptions.

    

    The design is less successful than the text selection. In fact, the book looks rather like an encyclopedia, and important figures that appear in the double-page illustrations often disappear into the gutter. Still, since the anthology's aim is comprehensiveness rather than entertainment, the book works, and it will be useful to young people trying to understand or compare a culture through its stories.

    

    Dr Norris' translation of this epic romance covers the part devoted to Antar's conquests of the Yemen, Sudan and Ethiopia and concludes with the death of Antar.