S. dollar bill? Did a pharaoh inspire Moses to worship one God? What’s a Canaanite demoness doing at a rock concert?Since the beginning of time, people have been insatiably curious. They’ve asked questions about where we come from, why the stars shine and the seasons change, and what constitutes evil. The imaginative answers crafted by our ancestors have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series, Kenneth C. Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world using his engaging and delightfully irreverent question-and-answer style. He tackles the epic of Gilgamesh; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Odin, Thor, and the entire Norse pantheon; Native American myths, and much more, including the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. From Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, here is an insightful, lively look at the greatest stories ever told.

    The Solar tribes are without a ruler, and the return to Aryavarta has resulted in a confederation where hitherto there was a united clan-hood. Rakshasas, Gandharvas and Yakshas threaten the nascent cities of Aryavarta, and if their rise is not checked the Solar tribes may lose all they have gained.And thus rises Ikshvaku, the son of Manu and descendant of Surya. He forms Aryavarta’s first Kingdom and unites the Solar strength against the Anaryas- Rakshasas, Gandharvas and Yakshas.But the Seal of Surya is still missing, and Ikshvaku will need to find it to put his claim and authority beyond all doubt. This is the tale of Aryavarta’s first dynasty, the Suryavansha, and its first King- Ikshvaku Manava.

    Now in this beautiful keepsake edition, Bombeck's moving words are paired with original art that bring to life the warm portrait of motherhood contained within. An angel marvels at the detail and overtime that the good Lord is putting into his creation of mothers. Despite the six pairs of hands and the three pairs of eyes that every mother needs, the angel thinks she has discovered a flaw:"There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model.""It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear.""What's it for?""It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness and pride.""You are a genius," said the angel.The Lord looked somber, "I didn't put it there." Every mother will treasure this moving tribute, penned by America's most beloved expert on motherhood.

    Demeter rules over a perpetual summer on earth, where crops, trees, and flowers grow in abundance. Persephone, young and beautiful, unknowingly attracts the attention of the lonely god of the Underworld, Hades. Hades kidnaps Persephone, and a frantic Demeter searches in vain for her daughter. Finally, Demeter retreats to her temple in mourning. The goddess's sorrow causes the crops to die and the ground to freeze. The first winter falls over Greece. As people begin to starve, the other Olympian gods and goddesses try to convince Demeter to accept a marriage between Persephone and Hades. But Demeter will not give up her daughter forever to the Underworld. Finally a compromise is struck: Persephone will stay with Hades for half a year (winter). When she comes back from the Underworld to spend half a year with her mother, spring returns to earth.

    This text manages a pleasing balance, succeeds in whetting the appetite and supplying excellent online resources for the reader who wishes to find out more. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Creation in Norse Mythology ✓ The Nine Worlds ✓ Major Gods and Goddesses ✓ Valhalla ✓ Ragnarok ✓ The Sagas ✓ The Influence of Norse Mythology on Our Lives Today The author quotes generously from the most important relevant source which is freely available via the Project Gutenberg, and you are left with the sounds and taste of the times... ringing in your ears and tingling on your tongue.

    Included in this collection are stories, painstakingly culled and thoughtfully crafted, from the Mahabharata (‘Shiva’s Anger’ and ‘Shakuntala’); the Jataka (‘The Hare in the Moon’ and ‘The Crane and the Crab’) and from regional folklore (‘The Tiger-King’s Gift’ and ‘The Happy Herdsman’). With detailed annotations on the sources of each of these stories, Tales and Legends from India showcases the unique and wonderful ethos of India, as told by its most beloved storyteller, Ruskin Bond.

    This comprehensive companion takes these fragments and weaves them into an accessible and enjoyable narrative, guiding the reader through the basic stories of classical myth.Philip Matyszak explains the sequences of events and introduces the major plots and characters, from the origins of the world and the labors of Hercules to the Trojan War and the voyages of Odysseus and Aeneas. He brings to life an exotic cast of heroes and monsters, wronged women and frighteningly arbitrary yet powerful gods. He also shows how the stories have survived and greatly influenced later art and culture, from Renaissance painting and sculpture to modern opera, literature, movies, and everyday products.

    THE 'MUST-HAVE' COMPLETE COLLECTIONIn this irresistible, 'must-have' collection you get ALL the Legendary Ancient Writers, AND get ALL their plays, books and works at the same time. But that is not all..MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONSIn addition, you will also get 2 other important benefits:*Multiple translations of many of the works, covering their translation into Rhyming Verse, Blank Verse and Prose.*In-Depth Footnotes, Introductions and Explanations.INCLUDED WORKS: WORKS OF HOMER:THE ILIAD*ALEXANDER POPE TRANSLATION - Verse*SAMUEL BUTLER TRANSLATION - Prose*EARL OF DERBY TRANSLATION - Verse*LANG, LEAF, MYERS TRANSLATION - Prose*WILLIAM COWPER TRANSLATION - Blank VerseTHE ODYSSEY*ALEXANDER POPE TRANSLATION - Verse*SAMUEL BUTLER TRANSLATION - Prose*LANG, BUTCHER TRANSLATION - Prose*WILLIAM COWPER TRANSLATION - Blank VerseWORKS OF OVID:*HEORIDES *ARS AMORICA, AMORES (The Love Poems)*METAMORPHOSESWORKS OF SOPHOCLESTHE OEDIPUS TRILOGY:*ANTIGONE*KING OEDIPUS*OEDIPUS AT COLONOS*AIAS*ELECTRA*THE TRACHINIAN MAIDENS*PHILOCTETESWORKS OF VIRGIL*THE AENEID - Prose*THE AENEID - Verse*ECOLOGUES*GEORGICSWORKS OF APOLLONIUS*ARGONAUTICA (JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS,THE GOLDEN FLEECE)WORKS OF QUINTUS*POSTHOMERICAWORKS OF HESIOD*WORK AND DAYS*THEOGONY*HOMERICA AND HYMNS(including many rarities such as 'Contest between Hesiod and Homer' and 'The Small Iliad')WORKS OF EURIPIDES*ANDROMACHE*RHESUS*HECUBA*ION*HERACLES*HERACLIEDAE*HELEN*ELECTRA*CYCLOPS*ALCESTIS*ORESTES*PHOENISSAE*MEDEA*HIPPOLYTUS*BACCHAE*IPHIGENIA IN AULIDE*IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS*TROJAN WOMENWORKS OF APULEIUS*THE GOLDEN ASS*APOLOGIA (A DISCOURSE IN MAGIC)WORKS OF APOLLODORUS*LIBRARYWORKS OF AESOP*COMPLETE FABLESWORKS OF AESCHYLUS*PERSIANS*PROMETHEUS BOUND*SEVEN AGAINST THEBES*SUPPLIANTS*AGAMEMNON*LIBATION BEARERS*EUMENIDES*CHOEPORIWORKS OF ARISTOPHANES*THE ELEVEN COMEDIESYOUR ENVIABLE COLLECTIONImagine the joy of having this exclusive collection, which rivals many libraries, at your fingertips. Imagine the incredible pleasure of reading these nuggets of literature gold, discovering inspiration in the kind of fantastic, mythological tales you love.PLUS YOU GET FREE BONUSES:*Biographies of each of the Writers - Details of their colorful histories, intriguing personal lives and remarkable adventures in the ancient world.*Easy to navigate 'Table of Contents' - jump between works and between chapters in each work easily.

    Larrington)The runes are mysterious and powerful magical keys to the primal forces of nature that shaped Norse and Northern European culture. These twenty-four unique and inspiring symbols of the Elder Futhark (first runic alphabet) each possess powerful energies, identities, meanings, and sounds. The runes are invoked and harnessed to create change through inspiration, healing, protection, knowledge and divine wisdom from the Norse gods.Odin’s Gateways is a practical guide to using the runes in our lives, in magic and in divination – a unique journey into the mysteries hidden within the runes, filled with the information and practices necessary to developing a deep personal understanding and relationship with them. By focusing on how to directly harness and channel the energy of the individual runes, the author guides the reader along the path to self knowledge and empowerment. With a deft hand and lucid style, Katie Gerrard cuts to the heart of the runes, combining the wisdom of the Norse Sagas and Rune Poems with practical advice and techniques gained through living and experiencing their powers.The practical magic of the runes is demonstrated through numerous examples of Galdr (incantation), bindrunes (composite runic sigils) and spellcraft for purposes such as protection, healing, childbirth, creating a sacred space, fertility, sleep, battle and cursing. The divinatory meanings of the runes are given, with a range of different reading methods, and advice on how to cast and interpret them. Woven among the manifold techniques and practices contained in her work, the author also explores the history of rune use, providing the highlights from Tacitus and Snorri Sturluson to the modern European and American rune masters who have revived their use."Odin’s Gateways is a practical guide to using the runes in our lives, in magic and in divination – a unique journey into the mysteries hidden within the runes, filled with the information and practices necessary to developing a deep personal understanding and relationship with them. With a deft hand and lucid style, Katie Gerrard cuts to the heart of the runes, combining the wisdom of the Norse Sagas and rune poems with practical advice and techniques gained through living and experiencing their powers."

    Her patience snaps, eventually. Pure in her love, this gentle woman is transformed into an avenging angel, raining death and doom on all her foes, until the gods are forced to intervene. Ilango Adigal's Tamil classic, Shilappadikaram presents life with all its flaws but also with hope.

    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".

    Kama is both cosmic and human energy, which animates life and holds it in place. Gurcharan Das weaves a compelling narrative soaked in philosophical, historical and literary ideas in the third volume of his trilogy on life's goals: India Unbound was the first, on artha, 'material well-being'; and The Difficulty of Being Good was the second, on dharma, 'moral well-being'. Here, in his magnificent prose, he examines how to cherish desire in order to live a rich, flourishing life, arguing that if dharma is a duty to another, kama is a duty to oneself. It sheds new light on love, marriage, family, adultery and jealousy as it wrestles with questions such as these: How to nurture desire without harming others or oneself? Are the erotic and the ascetic two aspects of our same human nature? What is the relationship between romantic love and bhakti, the love of god?

    She is the power that protects and destroys. She represents the fertile, bountiful earth, and is the protector of all life form. All goddesses are considered to be a manifestation of her. The worship of the goddess has evolved over time. Local village goddesses of the forest, field, river and lake became versions of the one great female principle. Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are also considered to be forms of Adi Shakti. The Devi Mahatmayam or the ‘Glory of the Goddess’, describes her as the fierce and beautiful goddess who fights asuras and wards off evil. She shields the gods against evil and stands up for the worthy.Amar Chitra Katha brings together stories of seven goddesses from the Puranas, folklore and the Devi Bhagavata. Endowed with strength, grace and courage, these goddesses show us the power of being a woman.

    A monumental epic penned by Kuvempu. The work is as much a product of individual sadhana as of the profound influence of Indian thought as a whole. This is the most popular work and the magnum opus by Kuvempu in Kannada based on the Hindu epic Ramayana. It earned him many distinctions including the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Jnanapeeth award in 1967.

    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.