Vainglorious gods and irresistible seductresses. Beastly beasts and brutal warriors. Stories centuries in the making, and centuries worth of stories, are explained in this fascinating guide to mythology!Mythology forms our understanding of our origin, history, and traditions. They tell of our heroes and deities. Myths are vehicles for understanding religion, learning language, and understanding society, but they can often be difficult to understand and confusing. F...

I wish particularly to point out in the present volume that I am not giving the meanings of symbols in the vestments in which they are now garbed. I am giving their origin and original meanings.Up to the time of Mu's submersion all symbols retained their original meanings. From the time of Mu's destruction I must pass over about 5,000 or 6,000 years. Those were years when seemingly no history was written except a few scraps in India and Egypt.During this time mankind apparent...

A collection of Pagan prayers, chants, blessings, litanies, invocations, and mantras.This text provides Pagan ministers, priests, and practitioners with words of praise, adoration, and comfort.

Enter the World of Spirits!The Encyclopedia of Spirits is a comprehensive and entertaining A to Z of spirits from around this world and the next. Within these pages meet love goddesses and disease demons, guardians of children and guardians of cadavers. Discover Celtic goddesses and goddesses of the Kabbalah, female Buddhas, African Powers, Dragon Ladies, White Ladies, Black Madonnas, the Green Man, the Green Fairy, lots and lots of ghosts, djinn, mermaids, fairies, and more. From ...

In this fascinating installment of the New York Times bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series, Kenneth C. Davis explores the great myths of the world and their implications for art, science, religion and culture throughout history.What is an Egyptian pyramid doing on the U. S. dollar bill? • Did a pharaoh inspire Moses to worship one God? • What’s a Canaanite demoness doing at a rock concert?Since the beginning of time, people have been insatiably curious. They’ve asked q...

Unlock the lost and hidden meanings of the world's ancient and modern signs and symbols with the latest in the hugely popular series of 'Element Encyclopedias'. This is the biggest A-Z reference book on symbolic objects you'll ever find.From the popular series of 'Element Encyclopedias', this is the largest, most definitive guide to the secret and ancient knowledge of signs and symbols, some of which has been lost over thousands of years.Why is the eye believed to be ...

From the Fall Equinox and Beltane to celebrations of peace and justice, A Pagan Ritual Prayer Book offers more than 700 prayers for the rituals of life--from the sacred to the mundane. A companion to the popular A Book of Pagan Prayer, this handbook of rituals and prayers is organized thematically, making it convenient to use if one is seeking prayers for specific occasions, seasons, times of day, meals, or milestones. Included is an extensive section on the requisites of ritual and how to...

This companion to the occult classic explores the history, mythology and practices of the ancient grimoire.Every serious student of the occult is familiar with this all-powerful text. Within it lie the secrets of eternity, the forbidden knowledge of the dark unknown.Every journey into the shadows requires careful, measured steps—a proficient execution of the necessary rituals and spells, and an understanding and appreciation of the history of the world beyond...

Hercules, Zeus, Thor, Gilgamesh--these are the figures that leap to mind when we think of myth. But to David Leeming, myths are more than stories of deities and fantastic beings from non-Christian cultures. Myth is at once the most particular and the most universal feature of civilization, representing common concerns that each society voices in its own idiom. Whether an Egyptian story of creation or the big-bang theory of modern physics, myth is metaphor, mirroring our deepest sense of ou...

“Unusually accessible and useful . . . An eye-opener to readers into the universality and importance of myth in human history and culture.”—William E. Paden, Chair, Department of Religion, University of VermontFor as long as human beings have had language, they have had myths. Mythology is our earliest form of literary expression and the foundation of all history and morality. Now, in Parallel Myths, classical scholar J. F. Bierlein gathers the key myths f...

Many ancient legends in circulation, either through verbal story-telling, ancient script or paintings, have assisted the human race in understanding the complex world we live in, even if they have been embellished over the years. They have helped us form societies and have given people reason to live, they are the blocks that when linked together can help us find the answers we as a human race have been searching for. Myths and Legends gathers together the principal mythologies, legends an...

How was the world as we know it created? What does it mean to be a hero? Where do we go when we die? Why are flood myths so ubiquitous? Anyone who has pondered these and other questions about humanity's ancient beliefs will be fascinated by The Friendly Guide to Mythology. Focusing on Greek and Roman mythology but including myths from Africa, Asia, Australia, northern Europe, and the Americas, The Friendly Guide to Mythology is filled with compelling stories of gods, godd...