- Unlimited Users & Remote Access Included
- Instant Online Activation When You Order
-
www.online.salempress.com
Critical Survey of Mythology & Folklore: Deadly Battles and Warring Enemies
Legendary battles between gods and gods, between gods and humans, between humans and fabled beasts, and between humans and humans have fascinated readers for centuries. Sometimes crossing the border into real historical conflicts, the tales, heroes, and villains recorded in ancient texts throughout the world provide a glimpse into the culture, morals, spirituality, and social mores of the distant past, all still at play in the modern world. At times surprisingly universal in theme, the stories that have spun out of epic conflicts have been revisited again and again in art, drama, music, and literature, and continue to prove fertile ground for discussion among scholars and in the classroom.
These volumes focus on famous clashes and renowned heroes and heroines in folklore and mythology. These struggles chronicled suffering, bravery, and patriotism as well as indifference, cowardice, and duplicity. People throughout the ages have often compared these mythological wars to the real ones they have been forced to live through.
While many standard stories have been included, this volume also contains roughly 130 myths about wars and battles that are less widely known. A special effort has been made, for instance, to include battles from African, Asian, Polynesian, East European, and other marginalized cultures, along with an abundance of essays on female warriors from all around the world.
Each section contains an overview of a region’s religious practices, literature, and culture followed by essays that discuss selected stories or deities related to battle, for a total of more than 400 articles, including 100+ new essays.
As with most mythology and folklore, common themes and heroes run throughout the legends of vastly different cultures and time periods, connecting people throughout the ages in their universal experience of war and enmity, even into contemporary story-telling in novels, poems, music, films, and video games.
Topics such as gender, cross-cultural meaning, and religion are explored through the lenses of the vengeance, love, loyalty, or devotion to family, tribe, or nation experienced by the humans, gods, and other mythological figures of these stories.
Mythological subjects covered in these volumes include:
- Greek tales of the Titanomachy, the Attic War, and the Trojan War
- Aztec & Mayan legends of Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcóatl
- Norse & Celtic legends of the Ragnarök, the Battle of Brávellir, the Ӕsir-Vanir War, the Cath Maige Tuired, and the Battle of Moira
- Far East mythological tales of the Battle of Zhuolu and the Battle of Banquan
- Native American tales of the Grasshopper War and Crow Necklace and his Medicine Ceremony
- Egyptian writings on the War of Vesosis and Tanausis and the Battle of Horus and Set
- Indian stories of the Ramayana and the Kurukshetra War
- The Middle Eastern legend of Yushamin
The content is arranged by region, beginning with a number of Overview essays that discuss the literature, mythology, and art of the region. Regions covered include:
- Ancient Egypt
- Near East
- India
- East Asia
- Ancient Greece and Rome
- Ancient and Medieval Europe
- Northern Europe
- Eastern Europe
- Non-Egyptian Africa
- Native North America
- Central and South America
- Australia and the Pacific
All articles also include a section that surveys films, novels, video games, and comic books that feature the mythical warriors and battles discussed in the write-up. Maps, illustrations, legendary battle items, and poetry round out this volume. Several Finding Guides list content by region and beliefs, in addition to a Subject Index.
Many helpful supplemental features are provided including:
- Maps and Mythological Figures: presents twelve maps and charts detailing the cultural or geographic placement of many of the deities and tales included in the set.
- Mythology in the Classroom: explains major approaches to studying mythology and folklore.
- A sample lesson plan, focused on battle stories, accompanies the essay on teaching mythology in the classroom. The aim is to provide one model for comparative analysis.
- Separate indexes of battle stories and gods and mythological figures help in locating specific subjects.
- A chronological index of war myths and deities offers supplemental information on the overall coverage of the volume.
- An extensive bibliography of secondary sources arranged by region and source type rounds out the Further Reading sections following each article.
The Critical Survey of Mythology and Folklore series offers analytical articles and plot summaries of the major myths, tales, and other traditional literature for studies in advanced high school and undergraduate classrooms.
