Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never LearnedHarper Collins, 1. nov. 2005 - 560 sider The latest installment in the New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About® series -- a magical journey into the timeless world of mythology It has been fifteen years since Kenneth C. Davis first dazzled audiences with his instant classic Don't Know Much About® History, vividly bringing the past to life and proving that Americans don't hate history, they just hate the dull, textbook version they were fed in school. With humor, wit, and a knack for storytelling, Davis has been bringing readers of all ages up to speed on history, geography, and science ever since. Now, in the classic traditions of Edith Hamilton and Joseph Campbell, he turns his talents to the world of myth. Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In his irreverent and popular question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous. In a single volume, he tackles Mesopotamia's Gilgamesh, the first hero in world mythology; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Thor, the Nordic god of thunder; Chinese oracle bones; the use of peyote in ancient Native American rites; and the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. Ever familiar and instructive, Davis shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes -- from Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, from ancient Rome to the icy land of the Norse -- continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music. For mythology novices and buffs alike, and for anyone who loves a good story, Don't Know Much About® Mythology is a lively and insightful look into the greatest stories ever told. |
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... China, or Mesoamerica—were theocracies, in which there was no difference between religion and state. With connections to the gods and usually the cooperation of a potent priesthood, divinely anointed rulers held the power of life and ...
... China, and Japan come next, followed by chapters on the remaining areas of the world as they were opened up to Europeans: sub-Saharan Africa; the Americas; and the Pacific island areas—the last places “discovered” in the world.* That ...
... China or the San people of the Kalahari Desert. That does not imply that one set of myths is superior, or that one is ... Chinese influence the Hindus or vice versa? How did a handful of Spaniards overthrow mighty empires and convert ...
... Chinese scrolls, on Aztec temples, and even in Inuit bone carvings. Another mythical dragon slayer was the Canaanite god Baal. In one myth, Baal slays the dragon Lotan (whose named was changed to Leviathan in the Hebrew Bible), the ...
... China, myths were not myths at all, but religion. They dictated life and formed the basis of the social structure. As best-selling religious historian Karen Armstrong writes in A History of God, “It seems that creating gods is something ...
Indhold
1 | |
51 | |
By the Rivers of Babylon | 115 |
The Greek Miracle | 171 |
Bridge to the East | 309 |
Everywhere Under Heaven | 353 |
Ancient People New Worlds | 393 |
Sacred Hoops | 431 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 507 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 521 |
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