American, African, and Old European Mythologies

9780226064574

0226064573

Mythologiesoffers illuminating examples of the workings of myth in the structure of societies past and present--how we create, use, and are guided by systems of myth to answer fundamental questions about ourselves and our world. Almost all of Mythologies,originally published as a two-volume cloth set, is now available in four paperback volumes. These volumes reproduce the articles, introductory essays, and illustrations as they appeared in the full Mythologiesset, and each includes a new Preface by Wendy Doniger. This volume gathers eighty articles on mythologies from around the world. A section on the Americas and the South Pacific covers myths of native Americans, from the Inuit to the Mesoamericans, about such topics as the cosmos, fire, and the creation of the world. Essays on African mythology range from the 266 basic signs of West Africa to themes such as twins, the placenta, and masks. The final section, covering Celtic, Norse, and Slavic traditions opens with an overview of the Indo-Europeans and concludes with an essay on the religion and myths of Armenia.