In what modern Indians mistakenly call the Indus Valley Civilisation. The inhabitants of that period called it the land of Meluha – a near perfect empire created many centuries earlier by Lord Ram, one of the greatest monarchs that ever lived.This once proud empire and its Suryavanshi rulers face severe perils as its primary river, the revered Saraswati, is slowly drying to extinction. They also face devastating terrorist attacks from the east, the land of the Chandravanshis. To make matters worse, the Chandravanshis appear to have allied with the Nagas, an ostracised and sinister race of deformed humans with astonishing martial skills.The only hope for the Suryavanshis is an ancient legend: ‘When evil reaches epic proportions, when all seems lost, when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero will emerge.’Is the rough-hewn Tibetan immigrant Shiva, really that hero? And does he want to be that hero at all? Drawn suddenly to his destiny, by duty as well as by love, will Shiva lead the Suryavanshi vengeance and destroy evil?This is the first book in a trilogy on Shiva, the simple man whose karma re-cast him as our Mahadev, the God of Gods.The Secret of the Nagas :Today, He is a God.4000 years ago, He was just a man.The hunt is on. The sinister Naga warrior has killed his friend Brahaspati and now stalks his wife Sati. Shiva, the Tibetan immigrant who is the prophesied destroyer of evil, will not rest till he finds his demonic adversary. His vengeance and the path to evil will lead him to the door of the Nagas, the serpent people. Of that he is certain. The evidence of the malevolent rise of evil is everywhere. A kingdom is dying as it is held to ransom for a miracle drug. A crown prince is murdered. The Vasudevs – Shiva’s philosopher guides – betray his unquestioning faith as they take the aid of the dark side. Even the perfect empire, Meluha is riddled with a terrible secret in Maika, the city of births. Unknown to Shiva, a master puppeteer is playing a grand game. In a journey that will take him across the length and breadth of ancient India, Shiva searches for the truth in a land of deadly mysteries – only to find that nothing is what it seems.Fierce battles will be fought. Surprising alliances will be forged. Unbelievable secrets will be revealed in this second book of the Shiva Trilogy, the sequel to the #1 national bestseller, The Immortals of Meluha.The Oath of the Vayuputras - Shiva Trilogy 3 :The Oath of Vayuputras is the eagerly awaited third and final part of the Shiva Trilogy by Amish. Shiva, as portrayed in the previous books of the series, is a mortal Tibetan Tribal Chief who becomes the savior of the people of Meluha and joins hands with the Nagas. In this part, Shiva realizes that Nagas are not his enemies and determines to unveil the root of all evil and his true enemy.In this final part of the Shiva Trilogy, Shiva reaches to Panchvati, the capital of the Nagas and comes face to face with Evil, a name which instills fear in the hearts of the fiercest of warriors. Shiva who is also known as Neelkanth by now, prepares for a holy war against his true enemy. Come what may, Shiva must not fail now. A series of brutal battles begins and it convulses India. In desperation to win over Evil, Shiva reaches out to the Vayuputras, who have never offered any help to him previously. He meets the chiefs of the Vasudevas and the Vayuputras in the hidden cities of Ujjain and Pariha.Shiva also comes to know the reality about many characters that he thinks are close to him and many new characters have been introduced too in this part by the writer. Many people die in the battles but will Shiva succeed in overthrowing Evil? If so, at what cost to himself and to India? Will he finally emerge as a God from a normal mortal existence? This final part of the trilogy reveals the last and the vigorous journey that Shiva undertakes in order to destroy the evil.

    Spawned from the bloodline of his enemy, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the untouched Lysander into temptation. He may try to evade her attempts, but even the most iron-willed demon assassin can resist for only so long…

    He's sexy, rich, and... persistent. Against her better judgment, she falls for him harder than she ever thought she could. But, Devin's secretive eyes and cryptic conversations leave her worried a stinging heartbreak is inevitable. Devin's secrets come to light, leaving her completely shocked and horrified. But not as horrified as she is when she learns her own secrets. Adisia never believed in the world of supernatural until it came crashing down at her feet. Now she's stuck in between the two realms, both promising to leave her destroyed. Devin refuses to lose her, and to keep her safe, he'll sacrifice everything. With death's breath on their back, they're forced to face a force they're not ready to contend with. Too many fates lie in their hands, and too many are ready to tear them down. Their love may just be the key to saving the world from the fate the dark hands are trying to deal.

    Here, Tempest shows how the old myths still live on in our everyday acts of violence, bravery, sacrifice and love – and that our lives make tales no less dramatic and powerful than those of the old gods.

    Kate Winters had gone from a girl whose mother was dying to the Queen of the Underworld. Join Kate on her life-altering journey and meet the powerful, compelling gods who test her every step of the way.Bonus!Includes a signed poster of THE GODDESS TEST.

    His bestselling books, including The Power of Myth and The Hero with a Thousand Faces, are the rare blockbusters that are also scholarly classics.While Campbell’s work reached wide and deep as he covered the world’s great mythological traditions, he never wrote a book on goddesses in world mythology. He did, however, have much to say on the subject. Between 1972 and 1986 he gave over twenty lectures and workshops on goddesses, exploring the figures, functions, symbols, and themes of the feminine divine, following them through their transformations across cultures and epochs.In this provocative volume, editor Safron Rossi—a goddess studies scholar, professor of mythology, and curator of collections at Opus Archives, which holds the Joseph Campbell archival manuscript collection and personal library—collects these lectures for the first time. In them, Campbell traces the evolution of the feminine divine from one Great Goddess to many, from Neolithic Old Europe to the Renaissance. He sheds new light on classical motifs and reveals how the feminine divine symbolizes the archetypal energies of transformation, initiation, and inspiration.

    On the surface she has it all -- great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory.Some things are worth fighting for.TUR is an Elsker Saga novella. It is approximately 10,000 words long.

    J. MacHale, Eric Nylund, Kenneth Oppel and Neal Shusterman.Compiled by US National Ambassador for Children’s Literature (and Secret Ambassador for the Intergalactic Alliance) Jon Scieszka, Other Worlds will boldly take you where no reader has gone before.

    Before his heart turned black and his biggest goal in life became destroying mankind, he was just like any god. Compassionate, loyal, and dedicated. So where did it all go wrong? Sometimes broken hearts don't heal...Word count: 35,000.

    . . And doomed to face the unimaginable.An everyday vacation quickly turns into a nightmare of epic proportions. Two sisters must struggle to find the strength within themselves to survive as well as to save one another. When the world of Fae emerges on a rocky shore far from the Emerald Isle, all hell breaks loose. Two factions vie for the sister's loyalties, one light, the other dark. Neither honest.A series of events are set into motion that will not only test the bonds of sisterly love, but will defy belief and reality. Then you have found yourself deep in . . . "Dark Waters".Dark IsleA new threat emerges as Chaos, an ancient deity, challenges not only the safety of the sisters, but the safety of the world. A decision must be made: do they save the ones they love, or savethe world from total destruction? The lines between allies and enemies blur as the danger rises, leaving no one without suspicion.As the worlds of the Fae and human collide the future has never looked so grim. Or so damn impossible. Dark FaeAll points of the sister's lives have brought them to this moment, and this horrible realization. Chaos, an ancient and deadly deity, is free in the world. And the only way to stop her, is for the two sisters to face one another on the battle field, as enemies. One of them must die if Chaos is to be stopped, but can either of them sacrifice the other, even for the safety of the world? Blood will be spilt, loyalties divided, and hearts broken in this epic conclusion to the "CelticLegacy" series.

    But rather than providing a clear path to their long hoped-for marriage the answer could tear them apart forever. Emma will be forced to betray either John, her beloved Xuan Wu, or her past and birthright. To make matters worse, John’s celestial home at Wudangshan is under attack from the Demon King. Can John find the Emma he knows and love, and save Wudangshan from demonic destruction?

    Epics like the Ramayana have been recounted infinite times. Is there a need for another chronicle in the presence of so many? How is this one different? And is it relevant to our ever-changing modern lives? Yes, there is a need, yes this is different and yes, it is relevant. This new series of books, each following one khand of the Ramayana, decodes the eternal wisdom of that poetic scripture through gripping narrative and thought-provoking instruction. In the time-honored custom of spreading wisdom through tales, every fascinating story in the epic is retold here and every character unfolded to captivate your heart and open your mind to life's deepest questions.The narrative closely follows Valmiki's Ramayana, gently weaving in folk tales as well as the beautiful analogies of the Kamba Ramayana. The first of this six-volume series, Rise of the Sun Prince, takes you through the divine story of Lord Rama from His birth up to His marriage. Through these pages are revealed the tales of Dasaratha's leadership, Vishwamitra's quest for power and the intriguing story of a little-known stone maiden. Ramayana: The Game of Life has all of this and much more - food for contemporary thought drawn from an enduring masterpiece.

    And when she was in the space between life and death, she met John: tall dark and terrifying, it's his job to usher souls from one realm to the next. There's a fierce attraction between them, but Pierce knows that if she allows herself to fall for John she will be doomed to a life of shadows and loneliness in the underworld. But now things are getting dangerous for her, and her only hope is to do exactly what John says . . .Underworld: Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera isn’t dead. Not this time. But she’s been taken by John Hayden, Lord of the Underworld, to the place between heaven and hell where spirits gather before their final journey. John claims it’s to protect her from the Furies, who are hell-bent on vengeance against him. But could he have other reasons for keeping Pierce close? When she learns that the people she loves back home are in mortal danger, can she convince John to release her to save them— or will the price he asks for her freedom prove too high?Awaken: Seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera knew that by accepting the undying love of John Hayden she'd be forced to live forever in the one place she's always dreaded most: the Underworld. The sacrifice seemed worth it, but now her happiness and safety in the realm are threatened. The Furies have discovered that John has broken one of their strictest rules and revived a dead soul. If the balance of life and death isn't restored, both the Underworld and Pierce's home on Earth will be wiped out by the Furies' wrath. Pierce has already cheated death once . . . can she do it again?

    From the epic poets of antiquity to contemporary writers of science fiction, from the authors of the Holy Scriptures to modern raconteurs of fairy tales, writers and storytellers through the ages have invented imaginary and mythical lands, projecting onto them all of our human dreams, ideals, and fears. In the tradition of his acclaimed History of Beauty, On Ugliness, and The Infinity of Lists, renowned writer and cultural critic Umberto Eco leads us on a beautifully illustrated journey through these lands of myth and invention, showing us their inhabitants, the passions that rule them, their heroes and antagonists, and, above all, the importance they hold for us. He explores this human urge to create such places, the utopias and dystopias where our imagination can confront things that are too incredible or challenging for our limited real world. Illuminated with more than 300 color images, The Book of Legendary Lands is both erudite and thoroughly enjoyable, bringing together disparate elements of our shared literary legacy in a way only Umberto Eco can. Homer’s poems and other ancient and medieval texts are presented side by side with Gulliver’s Travels and Alice in Wonderland; Tolkien shares space with Marco Polo’s Books of the Marvels of the World; films complement poems, and comics inform novels. Together, these stories have influenced the sensibilities and worldview of all of us.

    A brand-new collection of Viking myths that tell the story of the Norse gods from creation to the story of how the world will end, including Odin's quest for wisdom, the battles of Thor the thunder god, and the tale of Sigurd the Dragonslayer and the cursBeautifully bound with head and tail bands and a ribbon marker, Illustrated Norse Myths features dynamic artwork by Matteo Pincelli brings to life the exciting, strange and sometimes dangerous world of the Norse gods.

    She comes face to face with the good and the bad of the forces of order and chaos, and has to chose for herself which of many imperfect paths to take.The fate of the Nine Realms is in the balance. This time, it’s in Amy’s hands.An I Bring the Fire novella that takes place after Chaos.

    This seems a deliberate souring of an uplifting narrative. Rams refusal to remarry to produce a royal heir adds to the complexity. The intention seems to be to provoke thought on notions of fidelity, property and self-image.And so the mythologist and illustrator Devdutt Pattanaik retells the Ramayana, drawing attention to the many oral, visual and written retellings composed in different times, in different places, by different poets, each one trying to solve the puzzle in its own unique way. This book approaches Ram by speculating on Sita: her childhood with her father, Janaka, who hosted sages mentioned in the Upanishads; her stay in the forest with her husband, who had to be a celibate ascetic while she was in the prime of her youth; her interactions with the women of Lanka, recipes she exchanged, emotions they shared; her connection with the earth, her mother, and with the trees, her sisters; her role as the Goddess, the untamed Kali as well as the demure Gauri, in transforming the stoic prince of Ayodhya into God.

    This marks the official end of her childhood and when she takes up the full duties of a Valkyrie - an angel of death and collector of souls from humanity's battlefields. But Freya is unlike any other Valkyrie. She doesn't want to follow in the footsteps of the legends before her. As she observes humanity from her norse home on Asgard, she tries to understand what it is to be human: to share in the simple pleasures of friendship with girls her own age and laugh with boys, without the fear of causing their death with one touch. Little does she know that her dreams will soon be realized: on her first battlefield mission, Freya reaps the soul of a soldier with unfinished business that will send her to the human world on a deadly quest. And there she must battle both ordinary and extraordinary enemies to create a new VALKYRIE legend.

    Abella is a witch and she is just trying to finish high school so she could move on with her life. Not so easy especially once she meets Caden Brody the brother of her partner, Jessa, from her history class. Caden and Jessa are not what they seem either...Caden has his own issues he is dealing with but for some unexplainable reason just a look from Abella's eyes calms him down and he doesn't know why. It seems fate is playing its own game, but will Caden and Abella be the ultimate winners?

    Three golden women--living statues--appear in front of them, and sing one blissful chord. Apollo has a concert tonight at Mount Olympus, and he needs the Celedones as his backup singers. But there should be a quartet, not a trio--one of the singers has gone rogue. It's up to Percy and Grover to find the missing Celedon somewhere in New York City before she causes any problems. Capturing an attention-seeking automaton in a crowd of mortals is going to require some cagey thinking. Will Percy and Grover succeed, or hit a sour note?

    In their ruin, the last gods of Earth, the Illyrians, rose victorious. And ever since, it's with a cruel iron fist they've ruled over their subjects--desperate to keep their thrones. Fast approaching his teens, Ionikus Reaves knows the gods' malevolence all too well, orphaned by them after their call for a military draft on Eldanar, his home island. But when a power once dormant in Ion boils to the surface, he's whisked off to a hidden world of the island, where he comes face-to-face with the mighty Illyrians. For Ion is a Guardian--a reincarnated god bound to serve and protect the pantheon he's so quickly learned to hate. Now torn between his obligations as a Guardian and his hatred of the gods he's to guard, Ion finds himself in the middle of a war within himself. A war that could uncover a dark secret of the gods'...and split the pantheon in two.

    This Goddess Girls boxed set includes books #5–8 and comes with a customized sparkly bracelet!Join Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis as they navigate the halls of Mount Olympus Academy—where friendships and adventures abound! This boxed set comes complete with a rhinestone “G” charm bracelet and includes Athena the Wise, Aphrodite the Diva, Artemis the Loyal, and Medusa the Mean.

    Keeping a secret like that isn’t easy, but a small town is the perfect place for her to heal those who can’t heal themselves, and an even better place for her father, James Fairmont, to hide his daughter from the rest of the world. Life takes an unexpected turn when two handsome strangers move into town and begin unearthing other secrets concerning Hope's future and past, revealing to Hope that her gift for healing may be the fulfillment of an ancient, Japanese prophecy gone wrong. Staying away from these mysterious newcomers would be the smart thing to do, but Victor's gentle, easy manner, and Tie's mixed signals and strange mood swings draw her hopelessly closer to revealing the secret she and her father have been so desperate to hide. Hope's life is complicated further with visions of a previous life and the arrival of a supernatural demon sent to assassinate her before she learns what she is truly capable of. With the support of her father, the fiery loyalty of her best friend Angie, and the child-like love of Kirby, a ten-year-old patient, Hope must fight against the forces of a relentless demon god while unwinding the tangled pieces of her past, proving to herself and those she loves that destiny isn’t determined by some cosmic reading of the stars, but by the individual choices one makes.

    Magical instruments, and secret machineries in their own right, stories are within us all. And, the way we appreciate them, from the cradle is, Shah believes, part of the default setting of Mankind. Introduced in early childhood to the wonders of A Thousand and One Nights, Shah learned to receive and appreciate complex structures and storytelling devices. These have been used throughout history to pass on ideas, cultural values and information, as well as, of course, to entertain. Having been inspired by The Nights, especially in the way that one story leads into another, and yet another, Shah used this technique (known as the “frame story”) in SCORPION SOUP. An interwoven and intoxicating collection of tales, the book descends down through many layers, as one story progresses into the next, and eventually brings us back to the first. There is the tale of the Capilongo, a sophisticated bird-like creature that lives in the jungle with sloth-servants, who invites his would-be assassin to dine before allowing himself to be killed. And there is the tale of the Clockmaker who harnesses the soul of a Jinn, in the guise of a hoopoe, and uses it to travel back in time to the realm of Harun Al-Rachid. There is the cautionary tale, too, of the Man Whose Arms Grew Branches, and the story of the Fish’s Dream. Unlike anything that has been published in the Occidental world before, SCORPION SOUP is a rich and diverse feast for the senses, and a book that instructs as much as it does entertain.

    May king-like champions arise and may the works of the evil one be destroyed." John Paul Jackson Streams Ministries International Jezebel is made for war. She is ready to fight. Are you? The spirit of Jezebel has risen to power in our culture and infiltrated the Church. Her witchcraft has wreaked mass spiritual carnage through fear, manipulation, intimidation, and domination carried out by those who fall under her spell-even those in leadership. Her wickedness has wounded and scarred countless believers, leaving them fearful, depressed, defeated, sick, and confused. Because of Jezebel, some have lost hope and aborted God's call on their lives. Her assault will continue until all of God's people are dead or defeated. Jezebel's bloodlust for death and destruction will only be stopped when met with spiritual violence. God's people must rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit to expose the spirit of Jezebel and her evil plans, gain authority, and war against her victoriously. Jezebel: The Witch Is Back, will: Expose over 40 of Jezebel's diabolical characteristics and behaviors Reveal familiar spirits Jezebel has aligned herself with to deceive, kill, and destroy Identify key weapons and strategies the spirit of Jezebel uses to war against God's people, and the weapons and strategies we must use to oppose her Jezebel: The Witch Is Back will equip and empower you to wage spiritual warfare aggressively, live in spiritual victory, and experience God's limitless love and joy as you walk boldly in the call of God on your life. Landon Schott is the founder and president of REVtv.com, a 24/7 online youth and young adult network dedicated to turning the heart of a generation to Jesus through Christ-centered media. He is also the president of FaithChannel.com, a digital media faith-based network. Landon and his wife, Heather, founded The Rev Ministries in 2008, a media ministry that airs TV programs internationally. Landon and Heather travel around the nation as a prophetic voice, ministering at churches, conferences, and crusades to young and old alike. Their mission in life is simple: To make Jesus famous! See TheRev.com, REVtv.com, or check us out on Twitter (@LANDONSCHOTT @FAMPUB) and Facebook (/LANDONSCHOTT or /FAMOUSPUBLISHERS).

    Interspersed with spotlight features on faery folklore, including fascinating quotes drawn from medieval manuscripts and both written and oral folklore, these tales cover faery morals, elvish misdemeanors, the spells cast by goblins, and the sightings of the creatures, as well as their dealings with mortals. The enchanting stories, rewritten to engage a new generation, are each attributed to a British region. With charming illustrations from favorite illustrators throughout, this book reminds readers of the enduring appeal of folklore and mystery for all generations.

    It begins by relating how Valmiki composed and launched his great poem. In this book, we meet King Dasharatha of Ayodhya and his queens, Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. In time, four glorious sons are born to them – Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Devoted to each other, the four princes grow up happily in the palace. But the gods have destined Rama to be a hero. His thrilling adventures begin when Rishi Vishwamitra comes to Ayodhya to seek his help against the rakshasas who are harassing the rishis in the forest. Accompanied by Lakshmana, the young prince goes to the forest to fight the evil rakshasas. Under the tutelage of the great rishi, Rama and Lakshmana learn the duties of a Kshatriya, and the secret mantras of all kinds of weapons. As they travel with the rishis, they also hear many fascinating tales about the people and places they see. At last they come to the palace of Mithila to see the great bow of Shiva. Here they meet King Janaka, who has promised his daughter’s hand to the strongest prince in the land…

    Shakti Meditations provides an immediate way to experience the many gifts of this divine feminine power. Taught by expert meditation teacher Sally Kempton, these guided inner practices use India’s goddesses of yoga as gateways for discovering and inviting the many dimensions of Shakti.Like rivers flowing through us, each deity carries its own unique energies to help empower and guide us in our spiritual, relationship, career, and creative paths. As we meditate upon them, their virtues and energies begin to arise in such forms as:Durga for strength, protection, and action• Lakshmi for abundance and self-compassion• Kali to ignite our courage and clear inner obstacles• Saraswati to spark creative inspiration and clarify communication• Maha Devi to draw us closer into spacious and liberated consciousnessFor yoga practitioners, healers, meditators, and anyone who needs to call on the power of the feminine, Shakti Meditations gives listeners a powerful method to explore this limitless source of light and energy within us.

    The little sister of the Prince of Light and Illusion and ruler of the Felidae Clan, Abbey has spent her life living between two worlds. This has never been a problem for Abbey, she enjoys both worlds, but it hasn’t ever been easy. She’s been protected from all things Dark all of her life. As a little girl, the humans thought she was the weird girl who talked to ‘ghosts’ in a strange language and were constantly testing her for autism. All because her Fae guards who were under glamour, taught her to read and do math long before the rest of the children. As a teen she was still the weird girl, very smart and a bit on the shy side, but because she was a friend of Daire’s (the Fae warrior disguised as a hot football player), the humans left her alone. Now Abbey’s eighteenth birthday is approaching fast and her nice safe world has turned to chaos. She soon finds that Daire and the other Fae have been keeping a very big secret. The war between Light and Dark is still going on in full-force and The Queen of Air and Darkness is after her. So Abbey has some tough choices to make, like who to date, how to stop the Queen and what kind of leader she wants to be, because the deadline on her choices ends with the Winter Solstice…

    So appealing were these spirit-maidens that they also took up residence in nineteenth-century Romantic literature.Archaeologist and linguist by profession, folk dancer by avocation, Elizabeth Wayland Barber has sleuthed through ethnographic lore and archaeological reports of east and southeast Europe, translating enchanting folktales about these “dancing goddesses” as well as eyewitness accounts of traditional rituals — texts that offer new perspectives on dance in agrarian society. She then traces these goddesses and their dances back through the Romans and Greeks to the first farmers of Europe. Along the way, she locates the origins of many customs, including coloring Easter eggs and throwing rice at the bride. The result is a detective story like no other and a joyful reminder of the human need to dance.

    But, dragons and boys are not meant to live together – or are they? When Laval – a wizard harboring a secret hatred for Farloft finds out about James, he sees his chance for revenge.

    When Laughing Crow, the powerful leader of the Nokoni Comanche band responsible for the killings, discovers his Lipan village and asks for the white-skinned boy in exchange for peace, Many Wolves flees. In the harsh desert wilderness, nourished by the salty waters of the Pecos River, he learns to survive alone with his trained wolf hawks. Five years later, the Nokoni leader’s son is killed by a Lipan arrow, which sets Laughing Crow on a trail of blood and vengeance. Many Wolves, now hardened by nature and empowered with a gift to walk with the spirits of his animals, is forced out of seclusion to confront his nightmare and protect his Lipan village. Puha, the Comanche word for “spiritual power,” is an unconventional western story set in the late 1700s, before Texas was settled with Colt revolvers and Winchester rifles: a time when vast herds of buffalo roamed the Southern Plains, grizzly bears and wolves thrived, and the Comanche rode unchallenged on painted ponies. Puha submerses the reader in a forgotten time of American History when indigenous people lived free and in harmony with nature.

    Mysterious demi-goddess Daphne meets the totally hot Ajax for the first time in sultry NYC. This is where it all begins.Available to read at: http://www.josephineangelini.com/blog...

    It had been hidden away for hundreds of years, from the Church authorities. Brynjolv realized that a long lost ancestral treasure had been recovered. Ancient legends and myths speak out from the leathery pages through the almost forgotten language of poetical metaphors.Snorri Sturluson (1225 AD) sometimes referred and quoted from them in his Prose Edda and today the body of mythical and legendary poems found in the hidden manuscript are known as the "Elder, Poetic Edda".Why was the manuscript hidden? What were the real messages behind Old Norse poetry? Are the Norse myths truly just funny stories about gods, trolls and giants, or do they hide some deeper insights? In The Seed of Yggdrasil, Kvilhaug explores the allegories, metaphors and parables of Old Norse myths, revealing how spiritual mysteries and metaphysical speculation - speculation that sometimes borders on the scientific - were at the heart and core of Old Norse Paganism....At három þúl hleþu aldregiopt er gott þat er gamlir qveþa;opt or scarpom belgscilin orð coma,þeim er hangir meþ hámoc skollir meþ scrámNever laugh at the ancient Sage:Often it is good what the old ones say;Often from the wizened old bodywise speech issues:They that hang among leathersand hide between hides- (Hávamál - The Speech of the High One, st. 134, Poetic Edda)

    Despite their mortality, heroes, like the gods, were objects of cult worship. Nagy examines this distinctively religious notion of the hero in its many dimensions, in texts spanning the eighth to fourth centuries bce: the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey; tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides; songs of Sappho and Pindar; and dialogues of Plato. All works are presented in English translation, with attention to the subtleties of the original Greek, and are often further illuminated by illustrations taken from Athenian vase paintings.The fifth-century bce historian Herodotus said that to read Homer is to be a civilized person. In twenty-four installments, based on the Harvard University course Nagy has taught and refined since the late 1970s, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours offers an exploration of civilization s roots in the Homeric epics and other Classical literature, a lineage that continues to challenge and inspire us today.

    Nighttime slumber brings her visions of the future, a preview of things to come. Endora’s unsettling new ability is seemingly harmless, until her dreams turn to nightmares.When she meets the mysterious and swoon-worthy Kaydon, he knows things about her that he can’t possibly know, and seems to be the key to uncovering the source of her ominous prophecies. But Kaydon has many secrets, some the essential difference between life and death for Endora.Can she discover the origins of her nightmares and how to prevent destiny, before the harbingers of death come for her? Woven with love, mystery and mythology, PAWN is the story of a girl who was once brought back from death, only to face it again. Because Fate may give you a second chance at life, but that doesn’t mean it’s yours to keep.Check out the unofficial trailer for the book in Sophie Davis' videos or on www.SophieDavisBooks.com

    A few years later, with Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, Girard made it clear that his basic insights derived of all places from the Bible. Those insights are finally escaping the confines of academia, and coming to the awareness of a broader, theologically minded public. Many people are beginning to find in Girard answers to troublesome questions such as: Is God violent? Is there a necessary relationship between violence and religion? Why are there so many violent stories in the Bible? Why did Jesus have to die? Are we living in the end times? In clear, understandable prose, Compassion or Apocalypse shows how the Girardian perspective answers such questions, making Girard s mimetic theory and its application to biblical interpretation available to those who have little or no familiarity with Girard s work. To read the Bible from a Girardian point of view is to discover the radical message of God s nonviolent love in its historical wrestling with human violence, and its immanent confrontation with the gathering human apocalypse.

    Life on their farm had been so wonderful, as steady and bright as the Egyptian sun. Now, however, he's an orphan in his own home.People whisper that Ramses caused his father's death. They say his skill at drawing is something no farm boy should have. They say his drawings angered the gods, who struck down his parents as punishment. It's a thought too horrible to face. Could it be true?In the dark days that loom ahead, Ramses begins a desperate search for answers about his identity. This well researched story, set in the golden era of Tutankhamen or 'King Tut', combines fact, fiction, and the magic superstition that formed an important part of life in ancient Egypt. Anyone interested in archaeology and art history will be fascinated with this inside look into the lives of tomb builders: the people who painted, sculpted and carved the ancient burial sites of Pharaohs. The village that captures our hero's hope, originally called The Place of Truth and now known as Deir El Medina, still exists. Its archaeological remains can be visited today.

    The meanings of the Major, Minor and Court Royal Cards. The reversed meanings and explanation for using reversed cards in readings and spreads.

    From Asia to America, Japan to the jungles of South Africa, the vast menagerie of exotic and legendary creatures has populated the imaginations of all cultures for centuries.Beautifully illustrated and fantastically detailed, Dracopedia: The Bestiary is a modern, but no less unsettling reimagining of the ancient version. It is an A-to-Z artist's guide to animals of the legendary world. Some, like the griffin and yeti, may be familiar to you. Others--like the enigmatic questing beast and ferocious manticore--may seem new and strange. Some may even haunt your dreams. Inside the bestiary, you will find:Secrets of each animal's evolution--origins, habitat, anatomy, diet and more.Fantastic illustrations created using pencil sketches and digital coloring.Four-stage demonstrations taking you from concept and design to under-painting and finishing details.By drawing on the forms and features of more pedestrian animals, you'll learn how to give shape to the bizarre creatures that roam the depths of your imagination, adding to the bestiary of the ages.

    The main character, Queen Deviaun Sanguine is first introduced to readers in this premiere story in the novella created by Sai Marie Johnson. In this story Deviaun is positioned as queen of the Malevolent Order, and some thereafter faces the grave threat of being overthrown by her twin sister, and her very own son. A gothic story with erotic elements this tale is sure to get lovers of vampire tales enthralled all the while bringing a new take to the typical witch, and vampire coven make up.

    Or so she thinks.Until her life is shattered and she is rescued by a Thracian warrior. He takes her to the Haven, a realm of safety for the magical race of Olympians. There she discovers her life was meant for a higher calling as the mate of an Olympian Prince.Her choice will change everything.Ryse Castille has one job: convince Avery to step into her role as a Divine Grace. As with any mission, there are obstacles to overcome. Including the fact he is captivated by her. Of all the gifts the gods have given him, romance was not included. But Avery belongs to him and he will stop at nothing to protect her.The enemy might be closer than they think.Can Avery find the courage to embrace her destiny? Or will evil separate them for eternity?

    Galaxies away Loki is waking up in a prison cell, strangely without a hangover, and with no idea what he’s done wrong — this time anyway. But he does know Thor is hiding something, Odin is up to something wicked, and there seems to be something he’s forgotten... In this tale that is equal parts “Another Fine Myth,” “American Gods,” and “Once Upon a Time,” a very nice midwestern girl and a jaded, still very mischievous Loki must join forces to outwit gods, elves, magic sniffing cats, nosy neighbors...and one of humanity’s old demons awaking beneath Chicago’s streets. If Loki can remember exactly what he’s forgotten and Amy can convince him not to be too distracted by Earthly gadgets, her boobs, or three day benders, they just might pull it off. "I Bring the Fire" is for anyone who suspects chaos and mischief makers might have their own redeeming qualities, and anyone who just wants a good fantasy romp through modern Earth, ancient Asgard, and beyond! THE I BRING THE FIRE SERIES: I Bring the Fire: Part I Wolves (FREE ebook!) Monsters: I Bring the Fire Part II Chaos: I Bring the Fire Part III In the Balance: An I Bring the Fire Novella

    Unexpectedly plucked from the sea’s watery grave by a mysterious woman, he knows he should feel grateful for his life when so many were not as fortunate.Rachel is a siren, her role is to lure men to their deaths. But she cannot bring herself to destroy Greg. As unfamiliar human emotions begin to take over her, she has to fight against the siren within her, as well as the Siren Counsel in order to find some peace of mind.However, for Greg, whenever Rachel is around, someone always seems to die. When he tries to begin a new life for himself, she is still there and it is not until she tells Greg her story that they each become ready to move forward in their lives.But will fate permit them to live as a normal couple with so much death in their wake?

    A bunch of snide and petty girls—that you’re not up to?”“Bingo.”“Seriously, cushla macree, we need to have a discussion about your ranking system.”Maggie O’Neill had a rough junior year…She fell in love with Simon.She found out Simon was a faery.She hung out with her dead ancestors.She was stalked by an evil faery.…but that was nothing compared to what’s in store for senior year. She’s the new girl at faery boarding school and is subjected to something she never thought she’d have to deal with in her entire life—mean girls. To make matters worse, she’s seeing less and less of Simon, her faery guard is smothering her in their efforts to protect her, and the evil faery is still stalking her, determined to kill her before she can kill him. She starts to wonder if she’ll make it to graduation. Then the unthinkable happens and she wonders if she’ll be able to survive even one more day.

    In the city of Troy, Pandarus pulls the strings to put Troilus in Cressida's bed. But when Cressida is ripped away to the enemy camp, how far will Troilus fight to recover her?

    John's intriguing versions of the tales of the Hindus' great gods are graced by Daniela's brilliantly reimagined illustrations of the deities, each a masterpiece of detail and drama, reminiscent of Dulac and Rackham, and the glorious 'Golden Age.' These are the tales of the Trimurti - the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - and Brahma Dreaming is divided into three sections representing their continuous forces of creation, preservation and destruction. The work begins with Lord Brahma dreaming the universe into being and from there unfolds an enthralling collection of interconnected tales that span the entire spectrum of human experience, dark illusions and earthly temptations. Here are brave princes, divine divas and demon kings, family feuds and epic battles, burning loves and lies, tragic deaths and glorious rebirths. There are tales about dancing elephants, peacock warriors and monkey armies, all retold by Jackson with great character, warmth and wit. Jackson's collaborator, artist Daniela Jaglenka Terrazzini, has been inspired to create what she describes as the best work of her career in Brahma Dreaming with over fifty exquisite fonts and illustrations hand-drawn in black ink. These are the Hindu gods and goddesses as they have never been seen before! Brahma Dreaming has been crafted using the same methods and attention to detail used to create the earliest illustrated gift books from the turn of the twentieth century and the result is itself a work of art. With a distinctive black dust jacket, Brahma Dreaming is finished in black laminate with orange varnish details. Underneath the black cloth cover is a fully illustrated front and back with foil stamping and debossing, also in black and orange. It features elaborate endpapers and is completed with a tangerine ribbon marker.

    Discover the prophecy that originated from a very different time, and spans generations to link two very different girls.This is the beginning. Set against the backdrop of the Battle of Actium, in the city of Alexandria, Star struggles with her guardian duties as her feelings for the newly named pharaoh of Egypt grow deeper. Not only is Caesarion her duty, he’s the son of Cleopatra, and he’s human. All of which makes their love forbidden. But when a conspiracy linked to Caesar creeps into Alexandria, Star must choose between helping her fellow Kythan free themselves of their servitude, and protecting her charge—the last pharaoh—while Egypt burns around her.New Adult/Mature YA: sexual content, drinking, drugs, violence, language, death, and other mature content intended for readers 17 and older. Astarte's Wrath is a companion novel to Destiny's Fire, but can be read as a standalone novel.

    What does that all have to do with one Greek Nymph? Find out in this 378 page fantasy that reads like an independent film. Synopsis:Evelyn Dax is in love with her new boss, Jeff Richards. She does not want to reveal her feelings because of their professional relationship, however when Jeff asks her to accompany him during a business trip, the two spend a passionate night together.Although attracted to Evy, Jeff decides to limit their relationship to business-related issues only, as he is afraid of any commitment.Soon after coming back to the office in Boston, Jeff faces a sabotage plot against him triggered by one of the board members of the company they both work for. He is given a difficult task to accomplish and if he fails, he will lose his job.Laura Levinson, Evy’s best friend, learns she suffers from breast cancer and, with the support of her loving husband Bruce, she undergoes traumatic chemotherapy. While weakened and discouraged by the lack of progress with her treatment, she meets Alyssa, a healer, who miraculously helps her recover completely from her illness. Encouraged by Alyssa’s magic, Evelyn decides to seek her help regarding Jeff’s lack of attention. Soon the healer’s intervention is visible; Evy spends a passionate night withwhat appears to be an imagined entity introducing itself as Jeff.At the same time, the real Jeff’s feelings towards Evelyn begin to change drastically and the more often the intimate distractions, first pleasant, later on disturbing, happen to Evy, the more Jeff resents her.Shortly after Laura’s recovery, Bruce is diagnosed with lung cancer. All of thesestrange events cause Evy to begin wondering who Alyssa really is...

    When Roc’s Aunt Daisy dies, they must go to the funeral. Now they are aware that rogues and wolves aren’t the only danger they face. The funeral brings attention to them and Roc has secrets Simon wants her to hide. If they can outwit and outfight their enemies, they just might have a chance to claim the love they should have had when they first met. One wrong move and Roc could be claimed by another or Simon could die. Is it true that love will conquer all or will love lost bring them eternal misery?

    The kids at Haven have been waiting. Legend foretold the veil-seer would lead them to victory over their sworn enemy Helm. With her arrival comes the shocking realization that she is the one thing they never expected: a mortal. Verity didn't want the cornea transplant for her sixteenth birthday. She couldn't have imagined it would make her the veil-seer, a coveted weapon in an ancient feud. Now she's stuck trying to master her new powers, make friends, and stay alive. Being saved by Helm too many times for comfort, Verity wonders which side she should be fighting for. The problem is something evil lurks in Haven, and the only thing it wants is for the new veil-seer to die. Haven Awakening shows that turning sixteen isn't always sweet. Gryffyn Phoenix takes the YA scene by storm with the first book in the Haven Awakening series-a supernatural fantasy filled with life-threatening conflicts, heartbreaking betrayal, peer pressure, and the dangers of finding true love.

     Scott: 20 years ago he was sure that he had found the perfect love that everyone, man or women, in the world looks for, then it slipped through his fingers as she ran on very cold feet. It has made him angry. It has made him cold in his rage. Armida: She had found the perfect man. He was everything she ever wanted or needed, no matter that her family did not like him as much as she had hoped. Then he changed and became so different that she was scared of losing everything she was to his very dominant heart. No matter how much heat she brought to the table, the fear of the dark and unknown would not leave her. 20 years have passed and the world has moved on, they had moved on. But sometimes the world knows you have to look back and understand the past, before the future can be lived. Enjoy the ride as they fight for their rights in a world where Vampires are more accepted than they are. Love in a world where finding a mate could be a death sentence from her people, and that is just a typical Monday. Welcome to the world of the Michigan Shapers.

    But when the symbol is functioning for disengagement, transport, and metamorphosis, it becomes a catapult to be left behind." — Joseph CampbellCampbell's famous, mind-expanding essay explores the fundamental connection between myth, symbol, and human culture. In it, he looks at the origins of western culture's myths and symbols, and asks whether these are still relevant in the modern era. This piece, along with classics such as "Mythogenesis," "Bios and Mythos," and Campbell's foreword to Grimms' Fairy Tales, was published as part of the collection The Flight of the Wild Gander (re-issued by New World Library in 2002). This digital edition has been published by Joseph Campbell Foundation.

    Svoboda has helped us learn to cooperate more harmoniously with Nature through the Indian sciences of Ayurveda and Jyotisa. Now, in Vastu: Breathing Life into Space, he continues to improve our odds of achieving health and happiness by introducing us to the principles and spirit of Vastu Shastra, India's Feng Shui" Dr. Claudia Welch, Doctor of Oriental Medicine."Robert Svoboda addresses Vastu, the classical Indian art (or science) of architectural form, in a wholly unique way. Instead of presenting lists of rules and architectural injunctions to which builders and interior designers must scrupulously adhere at all times, he sensitizes the reader to the dynamics of space, alignment, and form in ever-expanding orbits of individual life." Frederick M. Smith, Professor of Sanskrit and Classical Indian Religions, University of Iowa - See more at: http://www.namarupa.org/order/vastu_b...

    Twenty-one year-old Daniel Lyoncourt has trained his entire life to join the Guardians. Daniel is prepared to risk his life in order to keep his Talent safe, but when he's assigned to nineteen year-old Anna Saint-James, he discovers that his life isn't the only thing he could lose. Anna has no idea how special she is and knows nothing about her abilities. He must teach her to control her gifts, keep her safe, and hope that he can find a place in her life as something more than just her bodyguard.All power comes at a price. Like all Talents, Anna must one day make a choice: lose all of her powers, or ascend to a higher plane, leaving behind everyone she loves.

    Why is there something rather than nothing and why is the universe ordered rather than chaotic? To answer these questions, they invented cosmologies, which were also the basis of their religious beliefs. A person’s cosmological and religious beliefs are always interdependent. If you have an atheistic (scientific materialist) cosmology, you will be an atheist. If you have a Creator God cosmology, you will be an Abrahamist. If you have a pantheistic cosmology equating God and Nature, you are likely to follow an Eastern religion. If you have an ontological mathematical cosmology, you will be an advocate of the rational soul (dimensionless mathematical monad – Fourier frequency domain singularity).The ordered universe of the ancients was divided into four: 1) the World (that we inhabit), 2) the Overworld (the sky and heavens that the gods inhabit), 3) the Underworld (that the dead inhabit), and 4) Dreamworld (the mysterious zone between sleep and death that connects the living, dead and the gods). This is the incredible story of these four worlds and how they have influenced the development of all human thought, right up to the present day.

    As is belief, so is behavior, so is business. This is Business Sutra, a very Indian way of doing business.It is very different from Management Science, taught in business schools around the world, which does not factor in belief, because belief is subjective truth, hence cannot be measured.Despite the veneer of objectivity, Management Science is rooted in Western belief. Just as ancient Greeks celebrated Elysium, much-cherished heaven of heroes, and the Bible speaks of the Promised Land, ultimate destination of faithful, Management Science is goal-oriented, obsessed with vision, mission, objectives, milestones, and targets.By contrast, Business Sutra is gaze-oriented. Great value is placed on the practice of darshan: how we see the world and our relationship with Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, whose image adorns Hindu homes, Jain temples and Buddhist stupas.If we believe that wealth is something that needs to be pursued, we end up turning the workplace into a rana-bhoomi, a battleground of investors, regulators, employers, employees, vendors, competitors and customers.If we believe that wealth is something that needs to be attracted, we end up turning the workplace into a ranga-bhoomi, a playground where everyone is happy.Communicated symbolically through the stories, symbols and rituals of India, which have been transmitted across the subcontinent for centuries, Business Sutra reveals a radically different approach to management, business, goverance, leadership, even economics and politics, that India seems to have forgotten, and the world has overlooked.Who better to unravel it than India’s foremost mythologist, renowned speaker, columnist, author, leadership coach and Chief Belief Officer of Future Group, Devdutt Pattanaik.He reveals how Management Science is based on the assumption that the world is finite, certain, controllable and linear. But in a global village, where everything is volatile and vibrant, there is need for a theory that is more comfortable with infinity, diversity, uncertainty and non-linear modes of thinking. Hence, Business Sutra.

    She buys groceries, picks up the dry cleaning and hosts dinner parties. Everything was picture perfect from the outside looking in until the life she was born to live collided with the life she was living. Her husband is murdered by a creature from another realm, a creature that is only visible to her. Through her pain, his death awakens a part of her she didn't know existed. She is then thrust into a life of Vampires, Werewolves and Sexy Nephilim Warriors.Drawn to her by a bond as old as their race, a Nephilim Warrior finds Anna at her darkest hour and seeks to arouse what lies dormant within her. The scorching sexual attraction she and the Warrior feel for one another may be beyond anything either of them can control...Book 2 Destiny Of The Female WarriorNothing has ever come easily for the last female warrior of the Nephilim. Now that Anna has found her place in the world, she has much to learn about her new role as Queen. As the mating bond becomes clear, emotions run high as one of the sexy warriors must step aside while the other takes Anna as his Queen and assumes the throne. It is a wild ride, as Anna must return to Georgia to deal with a vampire that is waging war on residents of her hometown. Luckily, she has her best friend/paired sorceress Elise around to keep things interesting. Anna struggles to find the perfect solution that would allow her to remain loyal to her past as well as honor the responsibility of her present.Book 3 Blood KissJulie manages her life the best way she knows how, by waking up everyday and putting one foot in front of the other, along with a little help from modern medicine. Most days she holds things together pretty well; as the mother of twin toddlers and a wife to a husband she can barely stand she still manages to keep up appearances and paste a smile onto her face. Until dreams of a sexy vampire plague her nights leaving her panting when she wakes. Julie begins to struggle with her own urges though she dare not admit aloud that she now has a taste for blood. She longs to indulge her desire by taking the vein of the vampire that makes her quake with need. How much longer can she keep the creature inside of her at bay? Only time will tell if Julie is strong enough to resist her darkest desire or if she even wants to try.

    Within the labyrinthine interior of these great tombs lie great pharaohs, once resplendent and mighty rulers of ancient empires, now naught but petrified remains and dust. D.K Cherian tells the tale of a woman who is taken back to the time of these bygone rulers, to discover the truth of their ancient faith, and come to an understanding of what life and death was in Godwar: Hell Rising.A female archaeologist and her two friends become trapped in time. In ancient Egypt, they meet a simple farmer, a queen making her grab for the throne, a politically motivated architect, and a power-hungry vizier. All their lives will be changed by the oncoming wars against the minions of a long dead and dark power and the ensuing struggle between the demons of Hell and the gods of Heaven.This novel combines elements of fantasy, history, politics, adventure and mythology into an intriguing silken spider-web that makes it a must-read for all fantasy, adventure and Egyptology fans.

    This condition is known as the Absolute or the Omega Point.The universe travels, mathematically, from Alpha to Omega, from perfect potential to perfect actualization. Even now, on this Earth, people are transforming into Gods.The ancient and controversial secret society known as the Illuminati has, for thousands of years, waged a war against Abrahamic monotheism and promoted the doctrine of "becoming God". No matter who you are, you can attain divinity if you get off your knees and stop mindlessly and slavishly worshiping a non-existent "Creator".Mathematics is the Philosopher's Stone that can transmute base metal (ordinary humans) into gold (Gods). You too can attain your own divine Omega Point, and complete your cosmic journey - across countless reincarnations - from alpha to omega.Are you ready to become an Omega Human?

    This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    His enigmatic father has just sent him there, having given him his precious necklace, without offering any information. Ksenia, a local young girl, gives Phevos shelter in the area of Plaka under the Acropolis. They fall madly in love but the secrets he keeps from her torture him. A shocking revelation causes him to tell her where he comes from and, at the same time, helps him realize that what he is meant to do is find his lost mother and Ksenia’s missing parents too. Soon, they discover they have a common past that, mysteriously, they remember nothing of. As their love grows stronger, they continue to unravel more family secrets that lead them to two precious artefacts offered by an Olympian god. Now, they’re caught up in a conflict between two deities; one is a protector, the other, their worst nemesis. Can they find their loved ones again before their fierce enemy discovers their plans? And will Phevos ever remember what happened the last time he saw his mother?

    Campbell looks at the power of art throughout the ages as mythology. The E-Singles series publishes Joseph Campbell's articles and previously unreleased material in short ebook form.

    Mami Wata The Sacred Water Spirit. Tim Gunn Talks About Mermaid Fashion. Hanna Fraser On Life Underwater. Stephen G. Bloom On Pearls, The Tears Of Mermaids.

    She appears in traditional Russian folktales as a monstrous and hungry cannibal, or as a canny inquisitor of the adolescent hero or heroine of the tale. In new translations and with an introduction by Sibelan Forrester, Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales is a selection of tales that draws from the famous collection of Aleksandr Afanas'ev, but also includes some tales from the lesser-known nineteenth-century collection of Ivan Khudiakov. This new collection includes beloved classics such as "Vasilisa the Beautiful" and "The Frog Princess," as well as a version of the tale that is the basis for the ballet "The Firebird."The preface and introduction place these tales in their traditional context with reference to Baba Yaga's continuing presence in today's culture--the witch appears iconically on tennis shoes, tee shirts, even tattoos. The stories are enriched with many wonderful illustrations of Baba Yaga, some old (traditional "lubok" woodcuts), some classical (the marvelous images from Victor Vasnetsov or Ivan Bilibin), and some quite recent or solicited specifically for this collection

    They have become known as gods. Among them is Loki, once a woman, now a genderless creation of its own with no ties to its past life, no obligations, and no sense of consequences to its actions. For almost twenty years now, the mortals and gods have lived in relative peace, with a small handful of gods attempting to keep some measure of order among themselves. Loki is one of their number, and when a series of strange events point towards divine power, it is tasked with investigating the source. Loki is quickly pulled into a web of conspiracy between groups of gods and mortals, all striving to dictate how humanity will progress. And caught in the middle is Loki, named by prophecy that it will be the catalyst that leaves the world forever changed.

    A man alone. Each suffering their own torture at the way they were torn apart; and so begins the third instalment of the siren trilogy.But it doesn’t end with the punishment, it’s only the beginning; the beginning of a change for sirens which will alter their paths forever.Can Rachel and Greg endure the obstacles which block their future happiness? With the Mediterranean rocked by storms and tsunamis, how can two people possibly hope to come through the turmoil together and live to tell the tale?With the law of the sirens about to be rewritten after centuries of equilibrium is Rachel strong enough to withstand the affirmation of the sirens?

    Set in Greece during the Archaic Period, the play is a stark and somnambulistic voyage along the ancient limites between being and not, where former forms wander embodied in their own uncertainty, full of reflections, and the shadows of their own old thirsts. Rarely—if they seek it—the living may go there, sink like lead to where Acheron leads, and plumb the deeps of Love and Death where the distinction of the two may no longer be discerned. It forbids, and so invites; come, sail with us to Aornos!

    But a dishonorable past and a bleak future threaten to destroy him before he gets the chance. Looking back, he recalls his life before it came crashing down around him...a time when the one he now loathes most of all was the one he adored more than anything.SPOILER ALERT: Read as Oracle of Delphi #2.5! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

    Includes historical background on the family who commissioned the deck, more general information on the development of Tarot as a divination system, and interpretative meanings for all of the cards in the deck.

    

    Fantasy is a modern literary mode and a popular entertainment. Yet the two have always been inextricably intertwined. Stories about Stories examines fantasy as an arena in which different ways of understanding myth compete and new relationshipswith myth are worked out. The book offers a comprehensive history of the modern fantastic as well as an argument about its nature and importance. Specific chapters cover the origins of fantasy in the Romantic search for localized myths, fantasy versions of the Modernist turn toward the primitive, the post-Tolkienian exploration of world mythologies, post-colonial reactions to the exploitation of indigenous sacred narratives by Western writers, fantasies based in Christian belief alongside fundamentalist attempts to stamp out the form, and the emergence of ever-more sophisticated structuressuch as metafiction through which to explore mythic constructions of reality.

    Along with her best friend, she moves to a small fishing village on the coast of Maine to find a new life away from the nightmares that haunt her. Just when she believes her life could go back to normal, the deliciously dark and handsome Markus Sullivan disrupts her hopes to grieve in peace. Markus drew the short straw when it came to being the liaison between his father, Ares—God of War—and his brothers. When he discovers that the earth bound demi-gods, known as the descendants, have banded together to start another rebellion against the gods, it becomes his number one priority to stop them. That is until he meets Gwen, the granddaughter of Aphrodite, and the next target of the descendants. Together, their path is rife with passion and danger. It might take more than the son of War to win this battle…Gwen herself.

    He seeks refuge from his heartache by plunging into a secret mission for the World Emperor. The assignment takes him to the doorstep of a brothel, where he witnesses the madam beating a young girl. Drawn by the child’s striking resemblance to his lost daughter, Yi rushes to her defense and negotiates for her purchase — after all, how hard can it be to care for one little girl? But between the child’s inquisitive nature and the dangerous secret she carries, he gets more than he bargained for.

    But the smallest Snake Mother doesn’t want to play the cruel games; she just wants to create beautiful works of art. After a chance meeting with the Celestial Emperor of the West, the White Tiger, she quietly plots to escape Hell and find freedom – and perhaps even love.

     The Fletchers carry on their academic lives with relative ease but they are splintered by their contention over career goals and starting a family. Now, unbeknownst to them, they’ve been drafted to take part in events that will span millennia and decide the course of mankind’s future. Lauren and Zack have been propelled into an ancient Greek war, forcing them to confront a past that is both familiar and terrifying. To return home, they must overcome warfare on a massive scale, set aside their recent marital discord, and find within themselves the wisdom to navigate treacherous routes of survival. Dreams will be dashed and others realized as Lauren and Zack negotiate a dangerous dance of cultural wonder, calculated risk, and unintended consequences.

    However, all that is left of this vast tradition of lyrical verse are fewer than 200 poems, most contained in three codices written just after the Spanish conquest. In this new translation, David Bowles employs the tools of English verse to craft accessible, powerful versions of selected songs from the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, striking a balance between the features of the original performance and the expectations of modern readers of poetry. With full-color illustrations, a thorough glossary and insightful introduction, Flower, Song, Dance brings a neglected literary tradition to life for the 21st-century.

    But, since at least the nineteenth century, we have seen the murderer as different from the ordinary citizen—a special individual, like an artist or a genius, who exists apart from the moral majority, a sovereign self who obeys only the destructive urge, sometimes even commanding cult followings. In contemporary culture, we continue to believe that there is something different and exceptional about killers, but is the murderer such a distinctive type? Are they degenerate beasts or supermen as they have been depicted on the page and the screen? Or are murderers something else entirely?In The Subject of Murder, Lisa Downing explores the ways in which the figure of the murderer has been made to signify a specific kind of social subject in Western modernity. Drawing on the work of Foucault in her studies of the lives and crimes of killers in Europe and the United States, Downing interrogates the meanings of media and texts produced about and by murderers. Upending the usual treatment of murderers as isolated figures or exceptional individuals, Downing argues that they are ordinary people, reflections of our society at the intersections of gender, agency, desire, and violence.

    Wright, which includes The Vampire's Warden, The Vampire's Curse, The Vampire's Redemption and The Vampire's Release.

    Constant immortal harassment forces Kylie to take drastic action, and she must braid time to save friends, her son, and herself, as the gods drive her into situations in which she must choose: kill a friend and permanently hide her son, leaving him motherless, or become a slave in exchange for his safety, leaving her soulless and insane. If only the gods allowed for personal choice.

    She hadn't been looking for love, a relationship, or anything but a private room to retreat to in the castle. Now her fury has been unleashed, and she has no problem bringing an arrogant Titan back to Earth.He's going to claim his mate whether she likes it or not...Pyroeis has long been a wanderer, and a lucky hand of cards has gifted him with the one thing he always wanted, at the expense of what he never knew he needed. He'll travel to the ends of the universe if he must to convince Telly she belongs with him, and only him. Nothing will stand in his way, no creature, no matter how powerful, can stop this Titan from claiming his mate.

    Her best friend and protector, police officer Frank Billings, added to that comfort. So how did it all fall apart in 48 hours? A mysterious stranger is the key. She’s helpless against his charms and the magnetism of his body. But can she risk her vulnerable heart to a man who demands every piece of her?Ryse Castille is much more than your average bounty hunter. His prey isn’t quite human and neither is he. An Olympian serial killer has Avery in his sights and Ryse has to find him before he succeeds. Torn between duty and desire, he does whatever it takes to earn her trust and complete his mission.When the power of Ryse’s presence brings out Avery’s true identity, he must act quick before they all go up in flames.

    Encountering an array of daunting challenges in their “first voyage of the world,” Jason and his crew illus­trate the essence of all such journeys to follow—their un­predictability, their inspiring and overwhelming breadth of emotion, their lessons in the inevitability of failure and loss. Bursts of humor and fantastical creatures enrich a story whose characters reveal remarkable complexity. Medea is profoundly sympathetic even as the seeds are sown for the monstrous life ahead of her, and the brute strength of Hercules leaves him no less vulnerable to the vicissitudes of love. Zimmerman brings to Argonautika her trademark ability to encompass the full range of human experience in a work as entertaining as it is enlightening.

    

    Again. But when Hermes takes a liking to her, vengeance is hers."Playing with Hubris": A young man a café finds himself stalked by a man who claims to be the god Apollo, who says he wants to help him, and who won't take no for an answer.

    An immortal descended from a mythical Siren race, she’s fated to find her soul mate in the race of her sworn enemy, the Cordisi. As if that’s not troublesome enough, she's also destined to bear him the daughter who will eventually kill him. Alyse knows just how inescapable the curse can be. After all, she killed her own father. But all of her attempts to make a perfectly normal, perfectly respectable, perfectly safe life for herself come tumbling down when she meets Maximillian Rheinhart. One graze of Max's hand brings the reality of her dark past―and her darker future―rushing to the surface. He's mysterious, alluring, unaware Alyse is a Siren...and he wants her. Death roulette is not exactly the kind of foreplay she wants with love, but Max is a force of nature. He's everywhere―at the law firm that just hired her and the club she goes to, in her inexplicably realistic daydreams and the dark nightmares that haunt her sleep―and he's very convincing. He's also the Cordisi whose father is a Hunter intent on wiping out the Siren race.Despite her efforts to resist Max, he captures her heart. She has one chance to save herself and the man that she's come to need, but to guarantee Max's safety, she might have to lose his love or succumb to what she’s fought all her life―accepting the Siren within.

    In this journey through the realms of Dionysos, the author Vikki Bramshaw guides the reader through the mysterious world of the multifaceted Dionysos, revealing his hidden faces and forms, demonstrating his presence in different cultures, the growth cycles of nature, the establishment of theatre and even the ancient Greek calendar. The roots of the wine god Dionysos, like his vines, spread throughout the ancient world. From the Cretan Zagreus, to the Thracian Sabazios and the Egyptian Iachen, his stories permeated the myths and traditions of both the untamed wilderness and the culture of cities such as Athens. Joined by slaves and rulers, wild flesh-ripping Maenads and vegetarian Orphics, wine-makers and hunters, the thrice-born Dionysos danced his way through the challenges of rebirth and initiation, with the liberating ecstasy of trance and possession. The god Dionysos unites opposites, he is many-formed, dying yet eternal, chthonian and heavenly. His ancient myths, mystical symbols, pagan rites and incarnations represent a uniquely detailed and relevant perspective of the transformation he brings through prophecy and personal liberation which is still relevant today.

    When a mysterious stranger arrives claiming to be their uncle, they discover their parents have been hiding a secret that turns their world upside down. The two are kidnapped to Nightfall Gardens, the family’s ancestral home, a place shrouded in ancient mystery, where they meet their dying grandmother and learn of an age-old curse placed on Blackwood females. Lily must take over as protector of the house and three haunted gardens that hold mythical beasts, fairy-tale nightmares, and far worse. If she doesn’t, the evil trapped there will be unleashed and bring on a new dark age. While she deals with malevolent ghosts inside the house, Silas is put to work in the gardens, where one wrong step means death. Along the way, they search to unlock the secrets of the house and to stop the creatures in the gardens before the world is destroyed.

    Since that fateful day almost 10 years ago, Cat has performed random tasks--most of them quasi-legal--for the goddess in her free time in hopes that she'll earn her soul back. When Coyote, the Native American trickster himself, claims to have won her own soul in Mayhem’s weekly poker game, Cat decides to get in on the action. With five sneaky gods upping the ante, Cat will need to find a way to collect the winning chips that could save her soul.Marius, a snarky satyr with his own debt to Eris, might finally come in handy for something. If they play their cards right and work together, Cat and Marius may just get their freedom back. Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

    Since it's MY version, the storyline differs from the classic mythology

    In reality, mythology is more screwed up than a schizophrenic shaman doing hits of unidentified. Wait, it all makes sense now. In Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes, Cory O’Brien, creator of Myths RETOLD!, sets the stories straight. These are rude, crude, totally sacred texts told the way they were meant to be told: loudly, and with lots of four-letter words. Skeptical? Here are just a few gems to consider: � Zeus once stuffed an unborn fetus inside his thigh to save its life after he exploded its mother by being too good in bed. � The entire Egyptian universe was saved because Sekhmet just got too hammered to keep murdering everyone. � The Hindu universe is run by a married couple who only stop murdering in order to throw sweet dance parties…on the corpses of their enemies. � The Norse goddess Freyja once consented to a four-dwarf gangbang in exchange for one shiny necklace. And there’s more dysfunctional goodness where that came from.

    But while Jaya is the story of the Pandavas, told from the perspective of the victors of Kurukshetra; Ajaya is the narrative of the ‘unconquerable’ Kauravas, who were decimated to the last man.***At the heart of India’s most powerful empire, a revolution is brewing. Bhishma, the noble patriarch of Hastinapura, is struggling to maintain the unity of his empire. On the throne sits Dhritarashtra, the blind King, and his foreign-born Queen – Gandhari. In the shadow of the throne stands Kunti, the Dowager-Queen, burning with ambition to see her firstborn become the ruler, acknowledged by all.And in the wings:* Parashurama, the enigmatic Guru of the powerful Southern Confederate, bides his time to take over and impose his will from mountains to ocean. * Ekalavya, a young Nishada, yearns to break free of caste restrictions and become a warrior.* Karna, son of a humble charioteer, travels to the South to study under the foremost Guru of the day and become the greatest archer in the land. * Balarama, the charismatic leader of the Yadavas, dreams of building the perfect city by the sea and seeing his people prosperous and proud once more. * Takshaka, guerilla leader of the Nagas, foments a revolution by the downtrodden as he lies in wait in the jungles of India, where survival is the only dharma.* Jara, the beggar, and his blind dog Dharma, walk the dusty streets of India, witness to people and events far greater than they, as the Pandavas and the Kauravas confront their searing destinies.Amidst the chaos, Prince Suyodhana, heir of Hastinapura, stands tall, determined to claim his birthright and act according to his conscience. He is the maker of his own destiny – or so he believes. While in the corridors of the Hastinapura palace, a foreign Prince plots to destroy India. And the dice falls…

    Throughout the years of collectivization, industrialization, and World War II, women played major roles in the evolution of the Russian village. But how do they see themselves? What do their stories, songs, and customs reveal about their values, desires, and motivations?    Based upon nearly three decades of fieldwork, from 1983 to 2010, The Worlds of Russian Rural Women follows three generations of Russian women and shows how they alternately preserve, discard, and rework the cultural traditions of their forebears to suit changing needs and self-conceptions. In a major contribution to the study of folklore, Laura J. Olson and Svetlana Adonyeva document the ways that women’s tales of traditional practices associated with marriage, childbirth, and death reflect both upholding and transgression of social norms. Their romance songs, satirical ditties, and healing and harmful magic reveal the complexity of power relations in the Russian villages.

    Then again, he was one. . .Jord Thorson was a god– the son of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. In his search to find his missing father, Jord seeks out the mortal, Meghan Larson, who is in possession of his only clue–Megingjörð, Thor’s magical belt of power.But when the belt decides to take matters into its own hands, locking itself around Meghan’s waist, Jord and Meghan are plunged into the middle of a massive conflict that rages across the heavens.Giants, magical artifacts, and a golden city in the clouds weren’t exactly what Meghan Larson expected when that amazing belt arrived at her museum. Now Megingjörð is stuck around her waist and talking to her in her head. She’s got to be dreaming, but with the wonders around her and hunky Jord Thorson at her side, Meghan’s not sure she wants to wake up.

    This is Strange at his most nihilistic. The Last Gig on Planet Earth collects eight tales full of suspense, of dread, of that side of human nature that most pretend does not exist. Strange sets his spotlight directly in its gnarled face and demands it reveal its most twisted secrets.The Last Gig on Planet Earth is the story of a band willing to write songs directly from the dreaded Necronomicon if that's what it takes to get famous. But when their fantasy becomes cold, hard reality, are theyprepared for the consequences?The Hairy Chicken is just a piece of roadkill smashed to death by two careless teenagers out for a late night joy ride. Or is it?The Two Hands are all that's needed to complete a decidedly blasphemous ritual set deep in the woods. What happens, then, when a child passing by disturbs this most delicate of diabolical transactions?Plus five more tales sure to leave you repeating, “this is only fiction, this is only fiction, please let this only be fiction...”

    An immortal must die, the genesis affect harnessed, the Ennead sated and Order must prevail to restore the ancient, off-plane machine known as the Atum Origin. Bruce and Tolen must discover that the three Legacy members working together can win the fight.

    When Arro becomes fed up with the constant death thArro, an Angel of Death, is tasked by the Fates of ancient Greece with bringing a small girl’s life to an end. On his mission, he becomes fed up with the constant death that consumes his life so he goes on the run with the very girl he is supposed to kill. Arro must learn to stand up to his masters while vowing to protect his new friend. With an army of angels of death on their trail, Arro disobeys orders from the Fates, and seeks guidance from other outcasts from mythologies around the world. But will Arro succeed in saving the girl? Find out in this thrilling new mythological adventure by debut author Gregory Peterson.

    The Mythos species is driven by emotional stories, not by facts, evidence or rational arguments. Christians believe that the all-powerful Creator of the universe, rather than simply sort out Earth’s problems, chose to be born of a 14-year-old Jewish “virgin”, have himself arrested by the Romans and crucified, then resurrect himself, while taking great care to be seen only by his most fanatical supporters and not by anyone who didn’t believe in him. The Jews believe that Moses went up a mountain and received two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, written by God’s fiery finger. The Muslims believe that the illiterate “prophet” Mohammed went into a cave and had the Word of God dictated to him by the Angel Gabriel.These are all staggeringly far-fetched claims, more or less comically absurd, that would surely require the strongest possible evidence before anyone could take them seriously. Yet they are not supported by any facts or evidence at all, and they wholly contradict reason. You are required to have “faith” in them.The Enlightenment – the Age of Reason – was when a new human mental species came to the fore – Logos humanity. It was born in ancient Greece but proved unable to beat the endarkened forces of faith. Its hour finally came when reason gained traction in the world through the unarguable success of science. However, only a fraction of the human race benefited from the Enlightenment. Most of the world is as benighted as ever, locked into Mythos and faith. Islam has had no Enlightenment and continues to reject more or less all knowledge generated since the appearance of the Koran. Who needs knowledge when you have the “infallible truth” written by God himself?Another force of irrationalism has now conquered the world. It’s not a religious Mythos but an economic Mythos – free-market capitalism. Its advocates have absolute faith that irrational markets reflecting ineradicable selfishness and self-interest generate an “invisible hand” (i.e. God or, more accurately, Mammon) that miraculously resolves all of the problems of the world. Even scientific materialism is a Mythos – the sensory Mythos – which asserts that “rational unobservables”, undetectable by the senses, simply cannot exist. Thus science, though it's based on mathematics, irrationally accepts only the “positive real numbers” subset of mathematics while rejecting imaginary numbers entirely, barely tolerating negative real numbers and absolutely forbidding zero and infinity. Scientists provide no sufficient reason why reality should miraculously choose to be expressed only through positive real numbers, and that all other numbers are somehow unreal and fantastical.HyperHumanity is the upgrade of Logos humanity that advocates Hyperrationalism. The next Great Age will be that of Hyperreason when Mythos is finally cast down. Abrahamism and free-market capitalism will both fall. Moreover, the half-baked, incomplete, irrational subset of mathematics known as scientific materialism will also perish, and be replaced by ontological mathematics.The Ultimate Enlightenment – the Age of Hyperreason – led by higher humanity (the HyperHumans) will power humanity ahead to a Star Trek future where we travel the physical galaxies in starships, and thence to mental galaxies that we traverse in vessels of the purest light.“Old” Humanity, stuck in its irrational Mythos past, will become extinct. The future is about the new human race – HyperHumanity.

    If the curse placed upon them by an ancient god doesn't kill them or the pack of reluctant orc assassins don't catch up to them, Helen and Troy might reach the end their journey in one piece, where they might just end up destroying the world. Or at least a state or two.A minotaur girl, an all-American boy, a three-legged dog, and a classic car are on the road to adventure, where every exit leads to adventure. Whether they like it or not.

    The historical narrative is interspersed with over seventy mini-biographies and childhood accounts, including some well-known Australians such as William Barak, Ethel Turner, Eddie Mabo, and Mark Oliphant as well as many lesser-known Australians. Meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated with a combination of facsimile images including photographs, paintings, and cartoons, as well as new illustrations by Ken Searle, this groundbreaking work will be treasured by young Australians and their families.