Submitted by lluncheon on Fri, 2012-11-16 15:24
Floods, snakes, the afterlife, the beginning and the end
of the world—these have been the stuff of myth since
time immemorial. Mythology: The Complete Guide to
Our Imagined Worlds (Thames and Hudson, $40), by
Christopher Dell, explores the reasons for our enduring
fascination with certain subjects. The book divides
myths from around the world into eight broad themes,
such as Gifts from the Gods, Origin Myths, and Heroes,
then discusses their similarities. It includes familiar fare
such as Prometheus’s theft of fire as well as more exotic
tales like that of Sekhmet’s rampage in Egypt. Each
theme is vividly illustrated with stunning images (420 in
all) that exemplify both the myths and their persistent
influence on artists. The volume concludes with family
trees of the Greek and Roman pantheons, the Vikings,
Celts, Japanese, Native Americans, and many other
ancient peoples.