Folklore History

The African people hide secret treasures of wisdom and spiritual insights. In this guide, you will become more familiar with some of the most common gods and goddesses in African tribal worship. Moreover, you will listen to some interesting stories that were told from one generation to the next. Some of these myths may inspire you, others might confuse you, but in a general sense, it is useful and fascinating to learn more about them.

From southern Greece to northern Russia, people have long believed in female spirits, bringers of fertility, who spend their nights and days dancing in the fields and forests. So appealing were these spirit-maidens that they also took up residence in 19th-century Romantic literature. Archaeologist and linguist by profession, folk dancer by avocation, Elizabeth Wayland Barber has sleuthed through ethnographic lore and archaeological reports of east and southeast Europe, translating enchanting folktales about these "dancing goddesses" as well as eyewitness accounts of traditional rituals - texts that offer new perspectives on dance in agrarian society.

The historical Merlin was no rough magician: he was a learned figure from the cutting edge of medieval science and adept in astrology, cosmology, prophecy, and natural magic, as well as being a seer and a proto-alchemist. His powers were convincingly real—and useful, for they helped to add credibility to the "long-lost" history of Britain which first revealed them to a European public. Merlin's prophecies reassuringly foretold Britain's path, establishing an ancient ancestral line and linking biblical prophecy with more recent times. Merlin helped to put British history into world history.

From the dark centuries of British prehistory to the ninth century AD, comes tales of giants and fairy-folk of druids and saints. From King Lear and King Arthur, to Fingal, Beowulf, Gwendolen, and Guinevere legendary characters have shaped the making of the nation. But who were they? In Mythology of the British Isles, Geoffrey Ashe explores how each of these stories are inter-connected, and how they have taken on fresh significance and meaning as historical and archaeological research has uncovered the truth behind each legend.

Born from a strange mixture of divine blood, severed genitals, and seafoam, Aphrodite washed up on the shores of Cyprus long before the emergence of her fellow Olympians. A figure who is as petty as she is relatable, she is not only a key deity of the Greek pantheon, but she is also a central figure in many of the myths we know and love. While it would be impossible to gather all the different stories related to Aphrodite in their entirety in one collection, this audiobook provides a nice, if modest, assortment of narratives that display different facets of this fascinating goddess.

Ancient Mesopotamia history is defined by several key inventions that impacted the globe, including the concept of time, algebra, the wheel, sailboats, maps and writing. Another characteristic of Mesopotamia is the shifting succession of governing bodies from various regions and cities that seized power over a period of thousands of years.

From monsters to witches and ancient libraries to lost islands, The Life Fantastic seeks to trace the origins of ideas, their surprising paths, and unexpected ways in which they interact and manifest throughout history. By digging around the roots of literary genres, popular stories, and ancient myths, Noa propels the listener back and forth through time, from high to popular culture, from art to politics and religion, on a journey to ever-expanding horizons. This is an invitation to explore the collective subconscious of Western culture.

শিব! মহাদেব! দেবতাদের দেবতা! দুষ্টের বিনাশকারী! উদ্দাম প্রেমিক! দুদ্ধর্ষ যোদ্ধা! অনবদ্য নর্তক! ব্যক্তিত্ববান নায়ক! সর্বশক্তিমান তবুও অবিনশ্বর। যদি শিব উর্বর কল্পনাপ্রসূত না হয়ে কোনো রক্তমাংসের মানুষ হন? এই তোমার আমার মতো? একজন মানুষ যে তার কর্মের ফলে দেবত্বে উপনীত হয়েছেন? এটাই শিব রচনাত্রয়ের ভিত্তি যা কল্পনা ও ঐতিহাসিক ঘটনার সংমিশ্রনে প্রাচীন ভারতের সমৃদ্ধ পৌরাণিক ঐতিহ্য ব্যাখ্যায় প্রয়াসী হয়েছে। এই রচনা প্রভু শিব ও তার জীবন আমাদের যে শিক্ষা দিয়েছে তার প্রতি শ্রদ্ধার্ঘ।

বহুকাল ধরে মানুষের সভ্যতা গড়ে উঠেছে নদীকে কেন্দ্র করে. নদীর প্রবাহের সাথে গড়ে উঠা জনমানবের জীবনের গল্প — মহানদী। এই অনবদ্য বইটির জন্যে অনিতা অগ্নিহোত্রী চিরকাল স্মরণীয় হয়ে থাকবে পাঠকের কাছে. নদীর প্রবাহের সাথে সাথে সেই সকল অঞ্চলের লোক-কথা, সংস্কৃতি, অর্থনীতি, ঐতিহ্য, এই সকল জীবনের প্রতিফলন এই গল্পগুলিতে। একদিকে এটি যেমন একটি গবেষণা গ্রন্থ, আরেকভাবে এক অসাধারণ ঐতিহাসিক প্রবন্ধ যা বাংলা সাহিত্যের এক অবিচ্ছেদ্য অঙ্গ হয়ে উঠেছে।

Finally, the truth about vampires.Vampires are the most fearsome and fascinating of all creatures of folklore. For the first time, detailed accounts of the vampire and how its tradition developed in different cultures are gathered in one volume by eminent folklorist Alan Dundes.

In the nineteenth century, residents of Marblehead, Massachusetts, reported malicious pixies leading them in circles at dusk. In Aroostook County, Maine, elves called lutins exasperated farmers with their mischievous tricks and games. In Uncasville, Connecticut, beguiling creatures emerged for centuries at twilight to collect corn-filled baskets from members of the Mohegan Tribe. And in Harrisville, Rhode Island, a vision of fearful banshees augured death to an Irish seer.

In this second novel, the new American republic is struggling to reconcile its lofty principles with the practical realities of a rapidly expanding nation. Three fairy rangers who helped the country win its independence—Goran the Sylph, Har the Dwarf, and Dela the Water Maiden—now find they must seek new alliances with the likes of Davy Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, Ichabod Crane, and the Cherokee hero Junaluska to combat a monstrous new conspiracy against peace, justice, and freedom on the frontier.

In The Heretic’s Handbook, the internationally bestselling author of The Secret History of the World has collected and codified ancient, secret wisdom from around the world, formulating a complete philosophy on how to live a happy and successful life. An acclaimed author and public speaker, Black shows how this body of knowledge has been declared ‘heretical’ both by the established church and by today’s atheistic intellectual elite.

As English and German settlers migrated to Pennsylvania, they brought their beliefs in magic with them from the Old World—sometimes with dangerous consequences. In 1802, for example, an Allegheny County judge helped an accused witch escape an angry mob. But Susan Mummey was not so fortunate. In 1934, she was killed in her home by a young Schuylkill County man who was convinced that she had cursed him.

Esta vez se embarca con los argonautas en busca del legendario vellocino de oro. Jasón es solo un niño inexperto cuando zarpa en el Argo y, tras sortear los miedos, tentaciones y trampas que la larga navegación entraña, regresa como un héroe victorioso acompañado de su amada Medea.

Starring thirty-seven poets, with contributions from acclaimed authors, including Kwame Alexander, Ibi Zoboi, and Nikki Giovanni, this breathtaking Black YA poetry anthology edited by National Book Award finalist Amber McBride, Taylor Byas, and Erica Martin celebrates Black poetry, folklore, and culture.

There are few characters in the English language more iconic than Robin Hood. Emerging out of the ballads of the High Middle Ages and surviving through numerous permutations to the present day, the green-clad archer has become an icon. This audiobook profiles the historic figures who scholars speculate may be the person Robin Hood was based on, and explains the origins and evolution of Robin Hood.

Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.

Join Egyptologist Garry J. Shaw on an entertaining tour up the Nile, through a beautiful and fascinating landscape populated with a rich mythology: the stories of Horus, Isis, Osiris, and their enemies and allies in tales of vengeance, tragedy, and fantastic metamorphoses. Shaw retells these stories with his characteristic wit, and reconnects them to the temples and monuments that still stand today, offering a fresh look at the most visited sites of Egypt.

Emilie Kip Baker was a woman ahead of her time. Born in San Francisco in 1857, she grew up in a wealthy family and received a private education, which was uncommon for women then. Baker was a natural adventurer and a writer from a young age. She embarked on her first solo trip at the age of 20, traveling across the United States by train and writing about her experiences for various publications.