(Part 2) Best mythology & folk tales books according to redditors
We found 1,820 Reddit comments discussing the best mythology & folk tales books. We ranked the 419 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
I recently read a book by Elizabeth Barber, "[When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth]," (https://www.amazon.com/When-They-Severed-Earth-Sky/dp/0691127743) which explores how humans use language to pass learning from one generation to the next, and how the learning stories change over time as the circumstances of the given group or tribe change.
She particularly explores Native American myths from the western tribes, where they have lived with active volcanoes for millennia. The stories that have described volcanoes erupting and how to act when they do have remained reasonably true to their origins, in that the imagery is clearly discernible.
She contrasts that to people who have left the land where their learning stories were first created to live in a different environment--for instance, a group that was living near volcanoes that ended up migrating into a flatter area with no volcanoes but different natural forces.
They still tell their original stories, but over time they morph to better reflect the new reality of the landscape they're in.
I'm probably mangling this information, but you might be interested in reading it.
Okay so:
Read our FAQ first if you haven't. This will help orient you to our site here.
Read through Seeking. While you already have an interest on a cultural background, it is useful to explore more information for someone getting into Pagan religious practice.
I really recommend picking up a copy of John Michael Greer's A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry Into Polytheism, where you can find it used cheaply. If you're coming from a non-polytheistic background it helps orient you towards that.
Now, the next question is: which Celtic religion? This is a lot more nuanced than people think. What I'm going to do is assume that you mean Gaelic/Irish Celtic, because that's what most people who aren't in relevant fields of study think of when they think of Celtic. Assuming you meant Irish, the following are useful sources that are all pretty standard and good:
All of these are pretty standard for initial inquiry.
If I assumed wrong, and you're interested in the other two big Celtic traditions that are out there (Brythonic and Gaulish), I'll dig sources up for those, too.
I'm far from an expert on this, but I recall from a Russian folktale class I once took that many of the saints of Eastern Orthodoxy more or less supplanted the traditional pagan gods, even in legend. If anyone wants to do further reading, we were using this book by Linda Ivanits as one of our textbooks.
Here's an interesting excerpt from the book about the "double faith" they practiced by merging Christianity with pagan traditions.
Nice! I believe your theory here fits with a few others I've read, it really gets to the point: out with the old and in with the new, but not without a little bloodshed.
You'd probably really like When They Severed Earth From Sky by Elizabeth Wayland Barber and Myth: A Very Short Introduction by Robert A. Segal
I'm not sure that, based on your examples, I agree with your definition of 'retellings'. Foundation is not a retelling of the history of the Roman empire. It may allude to it, but you can't deduce the plot by knowing your history.
Here are some stories that allude to other works as a main theme:
There are tons of stories modeled on the Hero's Journey and they all do something new and worthwhile.
An example of a 'straight' retelling is Disney's Treasure Planet which is a Science Fiction version of Treasure Island.
Another fantasy example is a story in the collection The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke. It's a retelling of Rumplestiltskin, in a different setting and specific literary style. I was kind of disappointed to realize mid-reading that the story is probably going to follow a predictable path.
So... what exactly are you looking for?
Websites/books to teach you? For us to just tell you what you want to learn? Questions like this are hard to answer because they're so broad, and you'll have to keep that in mind as you get answers or whatever.
First off, look through /r/mythology. They discuss all kinds of mythology over there, and seems like a pretty good resource.
Greek and Roman Mythology
These are intertwined. They are not the same, or competing. They are much more complementary than you might think.
I can tell you that Bulfinch's Mythology and Hamilton's Mythology are pretty much the standard as far as Ancient Greek Mythology goes.
Going through old IWTL posts, I found Beren's Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. It's free!
Egyptian
I admit, I know pretty much nothing about this other than Ra, Set, Anubis and the Sphinx.
But, http://www.egyptianmyths.net/ seems like a pretty good resource.
Celtic Mythology
First check out this introduction. Then, check out the Celtic Myth Podshow if you like podcasts!
Mesopotamian
The Epic of Gilgamesh.
I'd like to continue this, as it's been a lot of fun, but I gotta go do a thing. I'll come back to this later, maybe
Sure! https://www.amazon.com/Great-Tales-Middle-earth-Children-Gondolin/dp/0358003911/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=fall+of+gondolin&qid=1556882023&s=gateway&sr=8-2
I had to read the Amazon "Look Inside" preview to see just how bad the book is: pretty bad.
You could try Robert Graves' accounts:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Greek-Myths-Complete-Definitive/dp/0241952743/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369646616&sr=8-1&keywords=greek+myths
Or more contemporary: Apollodorus, a Hellenistic scholar who tried to collate the myths in one volume:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Library-Mythology-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199536325/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369646747&sr=1-1&keywords=apollodorus
Bear in mind though that many of the myths were continually changed, evolving and being re-written. There are no definitive versions.
You should probably also steer clear of calling them parables, as the word doesn't really apply.
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths sounds like what you want. If that's too easy for you, I remember liking Bulfinch's Mythology as a kid, though I think it contains more analysis.
Good for super brief introductions/overview:
World Mythology in Bite-sized Chunks
Myths and Legends: An Illustrated Guide to Their Origins and Meanings
Essential Visual History of World Mythology
More comprehensive, but still introductory:
World Myth
The World of Myth: An Anthology (This focuses more on common mythic themes than on specific cultures)
Parallel Myths (This focuses more on common mythic themes than on specific cultures)
Well muffins you’re right. I saw someone else mention it so I thought there was (on mobile so can’t see it directly)
Here’s a general list. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3421.The_Best_Pagan_Books
For something beyond 101, you might like http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/michael-lloyd/bull-of-heaven-the-mythic-life-of-eddie-buczynski-and-the-rise-of-the-new-york-pagan/paperback/product-20287061.html. A friend wrote this and spent over a decade interviewing people and gathering information. It’s beefy but if you’re curious about the NY pagan scene and gay culture in the 70s and 80s it’s definitely worth checking.
I’m into Celtic stuff, if you are too you may dig The Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom. I’ve read a few books by Caitlin and/or John Matthews, and I dig their scholarship.
I would also suggest going super old school and seek out sources of myth. If you’re into Celtic/Welsh seek out books that deal with 11-13 century myth. Some stuff was being rewritten with Christian themes around then but you can still find interesting symbolism and nuggets to meditate on. You can find copies of The Mabinogion and Lady Gregory's Complete Irish Mythology is also good to start on. Also don’t forget to check poetry. W.B. Yates touched on lots of pagan themes and so did his contemporaries
For reading material in general you may find you’ll have to look more and more into other sections of literature than the pagan section. The modern movement didn’t really get going since the 70s, and with so much to cover there’s just not a whole heck of a lot of books out there that go deep beyond the 101 stuff
Oh and one more thing. This is more of a hint. Get your favorite pagan books and look who they source. You’ll find lots of reading material that way.
I hope that helps
Haha thanks for the gold!
How to get into exploring Greek Mythology:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdhKHI1iz3s Awesome stop-motion animation, whether you know Russian or not.
Maybe this book would be interesting to you: http://www.amazon.com/Russian-Folk-Belief-Linda-Ivanits/dp/0873328892
So…did y'all see the annotation on that video? It lead to one of the more interesting click hole adventures I've had.
The rabbit hole led me here, then here, then here, and finally…here.
Without talking about writing style or skill, here's what I have to say:
I like the idea, but if it's going to be a novel, you need plots. The best example of this is the book The Children of Odin. What you're doing right now seems like regurgitated lore without a story; which can be found in any book of myths.
I'm assuming you're referring to the Lord and Lady of Wicca, in which case, any deck's Emperor and Empress will probably do just fine. You might like the Robin Wood Tarot, beautiful art that has Wiccan themes woven in: https://www.amazon.com/Robin-Wood-Tarot/dp/0875428940
The Encyclopedia of Things that Never Were?
https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Things-That-Never-Were/dp/0670816078/
I learned quite a bit from the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom by Caitlin and John Matthews.
Here it is!
https://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/aw/d/0358003911/ref=ppx_yo_mob_b_track_package_o0_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1
>Another writing rule that's big is to avoid adverbs like the plague, particularly words like "suddenly". Such a shame Brittain used this very word (which is considered a cheap and childish way of conveying suddenness, FYI) to describe a wolf howling and Ella jumping back in fear. So not only is Ella physically perfect, she's faint-hearted too. Such a fair maiden. Never was a maiden so fair nor so beauteous. Nor so boobilicious. Oh please.
Her review is fucking hilarious! Ruthless! Is there a screenshot or archive of his Wattpad activity anywhere? edit: He's a mug.
Check this out...
http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Things-That-Never-Were/dp/0670816078/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406007992&sr=1-1&keywords=encyclopedia+of+things+that+never+were
Can't recommend the Robin Wood Tarot highly enough.
Amazon has been a really good place to buy tarot decks.. I found a neat site that gives nice reviews of tarot decks with lots of pics, Aeclectic Tarot and then when I find one I really like, I go look at Amazon.
From my experience one of the best ways to proceed with books is to actually leave behind the new age section. That could be because I'm focusing a lot of personal research on reconstructionism, but I am finding some amazing resources that come from more academic and historical works. The two I just got are The Year in Ireland and Healing Theads after seeing them recommended from a site I've found to be very reliable. Neither are meant specifically for the pagan crowd and both authors have a good amount of research to back up their books.
If there is something in particular you are interested in, it's best to get more specific. There are books and historical accounts of specific pantheons, herbalism, folklore, etc.
I really enjoy Robin Wood -- aside from Smith-Waite it's my favorite.
Yes! Bonfires figure prominently in many Irish calendrical observances, though particularly with the midsummer fires of St John's Eve (the centrality of fire-customs being well-illustrated by the Irish nomenclature: Oiche an teine chnáimh or Teine Féil' Eóin). A fine resource on the subject would be Kevin Danaher's The Year in Ireland, which features an extensive chapter on Midsummer, from which I can briefly excerpt:
>The midsummer ceremonies were almost all connected with the Midsummer fire, and in the greater part of Ireland were observed on 23 June, the eve of the feast of St John the Baptist.
>It is clear that a distinction can be made between two fire traditions. On the one hand a large communal fire lit by the inhabitants of the whole townland or village, or of several townlands or even of the whole parish. Such communal fires were lit, in the past, in places in every county in Ireland.
>On the other hand there were small fires lit by the members of each household, or on each farm at which ceremonies, to be describe below, were performed for the benefit of that particular household or farm. These, two, were lit in most parts of Ireland, but were, at least in recent tradition, not as widely known as the large communal fires...
>...In general it may be said that the large communal fires were mainly celebrated noisily by music, dancing, singing and similar merrymaking, with other ceremonies as a preliminary or a sequel, while the family fire was a quiet affair in which the protective ceremonies were the main concern of those present, and the only merrymaking was the playing of the younger children about the small fire.^1
There is also material from the National Folklore Collection regarding Midsummer, Bonfire Night, and St John's Eve available on Duchas. With Lá Fhéile Eoin approaching there is also likely to be material on the subject posted on the NFC Twitter so I recommend following them in the days to come.
**
^^1 ^(Kevin Danaher. The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs*. Dublin: Mercier Press, 1972. pp.137-139)
This one, maybe?
https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Things-That-Never-Were/dp/0670816078/
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
amazon.com.au
amazon.in
amazon.com.mx
amazon.de
amazon.it
amazon.es
amazon.com.br
amazon.nl
amazon.co.jp
amazon.fr
Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.
Oh yeah, read this a few years back:
https://www.amazon.com/Vampires-Burial-Death-Folklore-Reality/dp/0300048599
Fascinating stuff and amazing the number of ways you could be considered a vampire.
Greek Myths by Robert Graves
What's a "long weekend"? lol I work Security for a blood processing site. In the last year I've never had a holiday off. Oh and holiday pay gets shafted due to overtime (don't ask, I don't understand either).
When I have a chance I liek to explore the areas around Portland. I spend tons of time n steam/discord. Stardew Valley, Warframe, visual novel; Black Mirror is AWESOME! I'm getiing Supergirl done in bits and pieces. (I know i'm sounding pretty boring). I read too! Fantasy/Norse god influence reccomendation I Bring the Fire, I mean, if you like Loki...this is gonna be awesome! Otherwise, The Eden Project (but it may be more scifi than fantasy)
Amazon: Great Tales of Middle Earth
It's a great set. The books are smaller than the original hardbacks but I like that.
While it's not intended to be educational, Loki by Mike Vasich did a good job of telling Loki's story. Think it's only available on the Kindle, but I've greatly enjoyed what I've read thus far.
http://www.amazon.com/Loki-ebook/dp/B004I8WQIE/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1342042666&sr=1-1&keywords=loki
Took a class on Russian mythology, folk tales, and whatnot in college. Dug up the old syllabus, and found some book titles for you:
Russian Fairy Tales by Aleksander Afanasev
Russian Folk Belief by Linda Ivanits
First is a compilation of folk tales, fairy tales, and myths, collected from across Russia and most of them are pretty entertaining. Second is a more academic look at Russian folk tales.
Not sure if this is really what you are looking for, but hopefully it will point you in the direction you wanna go.
Relevant: Vampires, Burial, and Death. It's a book about the actual origins of vampire myths. TL;DR Sometimes corpses don't decay like you'd expect. And if a lot of people are dying in your village, and you've never heard of the germ theory of disease, vampires are a reasonable explanation.
i'd say start w robert graves. this is a fun edition of his classic: https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Myths-Penguin-Classics-Deluxe/dp/0143106716/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526608880&sr=1-1&keywords=robert+graves+greek+myths
then read the "primary" sources
the homeric hymns
hesiod
hyginus
ovid
apollodorus
Raven Son is a modern Slavic myth inspired fantasy tale infused with Orthodox elements, written by the conductor of the men's choir at Holy Trinity Monastery at Jordanville.
A bedtime story-like retelling of all the major stories from the eddas and sagas
These might be outside of the typical fantasy but I would recommend:
Loki - Retelling of the Norse myth cycle much from Loki's point of view.
Byzantium - No magic here, just an alternate history of an Irish Monk kidnapped by Vikings and pulled along on a mistaken attempt by the Vikings to sack Byzantium.
This book does contain a general overview of Greek Mythology, you may have to piece together any references that are alluded to by modern authors, but at worst it is a decent starting point:
http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Essential-History-Mythology/dp/142620373X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319133440&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Greek-Myths-Complete-Definitive/dp/0241952743
Robert Graves "The Greek Myths"
I'm in the process of reading this with my kiddo. At first glance they range from 5th grade level reading to young adult:
I am looking to get these over the next 6 months:
Any Arrested Development fans? I challenge you to find all of the allusions to the show in my books (Allusions, Michael. Puns are something a writer writes for money):
[Hero in a Halfling] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073SM1ZJT) is a "slight" parody about a young halfling who would rather become a wizard, not follow one to certain doom. But like the tales of others his stature (Bilbo, Frodo, Willow - to name a few), certain doom comes calling...
I would point to Robert Graves' "The Greek Myths" it has extensive annotations which help greatly in understanding what's going on. I see from an Amazon search that Penguin seem to have combined several volumes into one book. It's a long read akin to a Labour of Heracles (one of the 10 - or was that 12? ;) ) but very worthwhile indeed, in my opinion.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Greek-Myths-Complete-Definitive/dp/0241952743/277-3880124-2288040?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0
http://www.amazon.com/Bulfinchs-Mythology-Volumes-Chivalry-Charlemagne/dp/1440426309
Mike Vasich
http://www.amazon.com/Loki-Mike-Vasich-ebook/dp/B004I8WQIE/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421150022&sr=1-3&keywords=loki
I can't say enough great things about Catherynne Valente. Among other things, she has adapted several fairy tales with a more feminist bent, though she writes all sorts of spec fic. You might try a quick short story called Fade to White that she wrote for Clarkesworld magazine to see if you like her style. If you dig it, you should try Six-Gun Snow White or Deathless. But if you want to keep it to short stories, she has many others to choose from.
Also on kindle http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Fire-Part-Wolves-ebook/dp/B008UUIGB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376521707&sr=8-1&keywords=I+bring+fire
may not fit precisely, but I enjoyed the heck out of Deathless
honestly I'm not sure if "enjoyed" is even the right word for how I felt reading this one. I found myself consumed by this book. it was not an entirely pleasant experience. recommended nonetheless.
The Engine Behind Miracles
Promised to the fairies, 9 year old Ero must be taken from his family and sent across ghost cities, strange avenues, and what appears to be a vast emptiness. Through these travels, he learns why life had done everything it could to be unfair to him. He is the commodity of hope. Beyond the world he once knew, Ero is known as a miracle.
https://www.amazon.com/Engine-Behind-Miracles-Jonathan-Manor-ebook/dp/B07HLTX61Q
Ronald Hutton's Blood and Mistletoe
Really anything by Philip Carr-Gomm
A often-overlooked author, John Matthews. He has lots of books on Celtic shamanism and Druidry. A Celtic Reader, Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom, The Bardic Source Book, The Druid Source Book, and The Song of Taliesin: Stories and Poems from the Book of Broceliande just to name a few.
Also, if you haven't, you should read The Mabinogion for it's worth of Welsh mythology. I like the Jeffrey Gantz translation, but it's missing what I consider a crucial story prevalent to modern Druidry, the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin. You can find it in Lady Charlotte Guest's translation though, which is the original translation from Welsh to English.
Oh, and Joanna van der Hoeven's The Awen Alone. and I haven't read this one yet, but I read the author's other book, Zen Druidry. Both are short books packed with a ton of information, and the former is about practicing Druidry solitarily, something with which many of us here (and maybe especially you at the moment) can connect.
My high school has a Quiz Bowl team and in order to learn more about the world and get ready for competitions, I want to read some books on a wide range of topics. There are a lot of mythology, world history, chemistry, geography, art, and music questions.
For mythology, a friend and fellow quiz bowl member let me borrow his book, so I figured I'd get myself a copy. This is it.
Could anyone suggest me some books about the other topics? Thanks in advance.
For those of you who enjoy REAL vampire stories.