A prolific complier of mythology, Lewis Spence would author over thirty books on the legends and folklore of numerous parts of the world. As the title would suggest, in this edition we have a collection of ancient Egyptian myths and legends. Spence examines the history and culture of Egypt with particular attention to its influence on their belief systems. Various Egyptian gods including Osiris, Isis, Anubis, Ra, as well as many others are discu ...
Thought to have been first written down in the 12th century by an author who is still unknown, «The Nibelungenlied,» translated from Middle High German as «The Song of the Nibelungs,» is an epic German poem reflecting the oral tradition, heroic motifs, and actual events and individuals from the 5th and 6th centuries. This remarkable work begins with an assurance of both joy and sorrow, though ultimately tragedy reins in «The Nibelungenlied.» The ...
Born and raised in a Longford, Ireland workhouse, Padraic Colum left at seventeen to become a clerk in the Irish Railway Clearing House in Dublin. This venture was short-lived, however, and with the success of a few poems and a play, «The Saxon Shillin',» he left in 1904 to pursue a career in writing. His success as a dramatist, poet, novelist, essayist, biographer, children's writer and editor, as well as his participation in the foun ...
As the only surviving epic myth of the Hellenistic era, «The Argonautica» chronicles the heroic exploits of Jason and his fellow Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece from remote Colchis. Written by Apollonius Rhodius, or Apollonius of Rhodes, during the 3rd century B.C. the story begins with the prophetic warning to Pelias, king of Iolcus, that his downfall will be the work of a man with only one sandal. When it appears that Jason, who ...
Arthurian legends have long been the source of countless popular tales. «Sir Gawain and the Green Knight» is one of the best known and most widely read. During King Arthur's New Year's celebration, a mysterious knight, with green clothes and horse, arrives with a challenge to the knights of the round table—any one of them may swing at the Green Knight with an axe if he too is willing to take a blow one year and one day after. Gawain, o ...
"The Argonautica," more commonly known as «Jason and the Argonauts,» was written by Apollonius of Rhodes in the first half of the 3rd century BCE. It tells the tale of the epic journey of Jason, the mythological leader of the Argonauts, and his quest to obtain the Golden Fleece. In the story, Jason's father was killed by his own brother, so Jason's mother hid him in order to save his life. When he turns 20, Jason returns and seeks ...
First told orally by unknown generations of Welsh storytellers, «The Mabinogion» was subsequently written down in the 13th century in the form of a collection of prose tales. These stories draw on pre-Christian Celtic myth, folklore, and Welsh history and tradition to tell a magical set of stories that reach back to the Iron Age and Arthurian romance. These eleven tales are set in both the land of Wales and a dim otherworld, with a wide cast of ...
Once upon a time, two brothers wished to preserve their German folklore in a collection of tales that they believed had been handed down for generations. When they began in 1812 they had just 86 stories that rather harshly reflected the difficult life of European peasantry. Subsequent editions would grow to hold over 200 tales. As time passed, the Brothers Grimm found that their collection of fairy tales, with all of its royalty, magical creatur ...
Thomas William Hazen Rolleston (1857-1920) was an Irish writer, literary figure and translator known for works that spanned a wide range of literary and political topics. He wrote «Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race» in 1911 in an attempt to revitalize what he felt was a waning appreciation for the heritage of all Celtic peoples. Perhaps the best representation and description of all the legends, myths and spiritual histories of Ireland, Brita ...
