Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

Zoologist Jo Wimpenny turns a critical eye to Aesop's fables to discover whether there is any scientific truth to their portrayal of the animal kingdom. She brings the tales into the twenty-first century, introducing the latest findings on the most fascinating branches of ethological research—the study of why animals do the things they do. In each chapter she interrogates a classic fable and a different topic—future planning, tool use, self-recognition, cooperation and deception—concluding with a verdict on the veracity of each fable's portrayal from a scientific perspective.

When journalist Laura Krantz discovered that her long-lost cousin, Grover Krantz, a distinguished anthropologist and professor at Washington State University, had devoted much of his career to the search for Bigfoot, she couldn’t quite believe it. A natural skeptic and a strong believer in facts, Krantz decided to conduct her own quest for the most famous and elusive mythical creature. The Search for Sasquatch takes listeners through the big guy’s fun, fascinating, and complex world, posing the question: Could Bigfoot be out there?

Une tradition célèbre, confirmée par les poésies de tous les peuples du Nord, par leurs annales, par leurs institutions et par des usages dont quelques-uns subsistent encore, nous apprend qu'un personnage extraordinaire, nommé Odin, a régné anciennement dans le Nord, qu'il y a opéré de grands changements dans le gouvernement, dans les usages et dans la religion, qu'il y a joui d'une grande autorité, et qu'on lui a même rendu les honneurs divins.

Beer is and has always been more than an intoxicating beverage. Its invention 13,000 years ago was one of the fundamental motivations for the domestication of grains around the world. In early states, the control over the technological knowledge and resources to produce beer contributed to social hierarchies. Beer even likely provided the capital to motivate laborers to construct the ancient pyramids and other large-scale public works. Beer is a social lubricant that brings people together.

Pour aller au-delà de la fascination exercée par la civilisation égyptienne, laissez-vous captiver par ses récits mythologiques et apprenez à les décoder pour mieux en comprendre la signification. Comme tous les grands récits façonnés par les Hommes, la mythologie égyptienne tente d'élucider le mystère des origines du monde, le rapport de l'homme à l'univers, aux dieux et à sa propre mort.

The Occult and Supernatural Collection includes: The Book of Were-Wolves, The Discovery of Witches, and Irish Witchcraft and Demonology.

Twenty-seven Native American folk tales culturally grounded and different but similar to those of other cultures such as in the Bible, by Homer in the Iliad, Hans Christensen Andersen, Mark Twain in America, and others.

Vietnam is one of the most fascinating destinations in Southeast Asia. Having emerged from two decades of war, it is has undergone a period of rapid and far-reaching change, and its people have their eyes fixed firmly on the horizon. Culture Smart! Vietnam is for those who want to learn about the traditional values, sensibility, and modern way of life of the Vietnamese. It explains deep-seated attitudes and describes some of the social, economic, and cultural changes now underway.

More Strange Scotland is a collection of anecdotes, facts, folklore, and legends about the strangeness of that little nation on the western fringe of Europe. From fairies to witches and the frightening water horses, Scotland has a host of legends. Add haunted castles, strange pub names, and devilish people to the mix, sprinkle with Aberlour spirits and the mists of Skye and then start listening to the audiobook. If ghostly bagpipers and unseen river monsters don’t scare you off, then you may revel in the stories from this most strange of all countries.

This book contains all the gods and goddesses from ancient Egypt that you can imagine. The list is long, and the names go on for a while. Needless to say, this book is complete. You won’t miss out on any of the deities they worshipped. Also, some more background information is given about deities such as Thoth, Horus, and Isis. At the end of the book, another subtopic will be addressed, namely: The use of medication and doctors in ancient Egyptian culture.

Layering climate science, mythologies, nature writing, and personal experiences, Desert Notebooks offers a vital and necessary chronicle of our past and our present - perfect for fans of Robert Macfarlane and Elizabeth Rush - that’s unflinching, urgent, and yet timeless and profound.

Discover the world's greatest myths and legends - from Greek mythology to Norse mythology - in this comprehensive guide. What did Japanese mythology say about the beginning of the Universe? How did Oedipus become the classic tragic hero in Greek mythology? Who brought about the origin of death...

This is an audiobook that will help you become familiar with the gigantic world of Irish folklore, the Celts, and so many mysteries that have often been left out at school, but are, nonetheless, just as fascinating as some of the Greek or Roman cultural anecdotes. Dive into the world of fairies, goddesses, heroes, giants, and Selkies. Learn about the mysteries of the ancient world on the British Isles, as well as on the mainland in the old European nations.

The so-called "Bigfoot Bible". Ivan T. Sanderson, cryptozoologist (he coined the term) and paranormal and nature writer, methodically examines the wealth of reported sightings and evidence pertaining to the infamous hairy creatures that have been called names like Sasquatch, Yeti and Oh-Mah. This production focuses on the original work's North American material. Originally published by Chilton Company in Philadelphia in 1961.

An expat's witty and insightful exploration of English and American cultural differences through the lens of language that will leave listeners gobsmacked. In That's Not English, the seemingly superficial differences between British and American English open the door to a deeper exploration of a historic and fascinating cultural divide. In each of the 30 chapters, Erin Moore explains a different word we use that says more about us than we think.

In A Vulgar Art, Ian Brodie uses a folkloristic approach to stand-up comedy, engaging the discipline's central method of studying interpersonal, artistic communication and performance. Because stand-up comedy is a rather broad category, people who study it often begin by relating it to something they recognize - "literature" or "theatre"; "editorial" or "morality" - and analyze it accordingly. A Vulgar Art begins with a more fundamental observation: Someone is standing in front of a group of people, talking to them directly, and trying to make them laugh.

Can migrations of birds foretell our future? Do phases of the moon hold sway over our lives? Are there sacred springs that cure the ill? What is the best way to brew a love potion? How do we create mutant humans who regenerate like Wolverine? In Science of the Magical, noted science journalist Matt Kaplan plumbs the rich, lively, and surprising history of the magical objects, places, and rituals that infuse ancient and contemporary myth.

This guide to Mexico takes you to the heart of Mexican society. It describes how people socialize and meet members of the opposite sex, the dynamics of daily life, the central importance of family, and the annual cycle of Catholic feasts and fiestas. For business travelers, there are key sections on the economy and vital insights into the general business culture. The third-largest country in Latin America, Mexico is hugely diverse, having both rural areas, where time seems to have stood still, and manic urban centers like Mexico City, one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Gathering a wide range of traditional African myths, this compelling new collection offers tales of heroes battling mighty serpents and monstrous birds, brutal family conflict and vengeance and desperate migrations across vast and alien lands. From impassioned descriptions of animal-creators to dramatic stories of communities forced to flee monstrous crocodiles, all the narratives found here concern origins - whether of the universe, peoples or families.

Mythopedia is a fun, fact-filled A-Z treasury of myths inspired by natural events. Bringing together fifty legends from antiquity to the present, this delightfully entertaining book takes you around the world to explore sunken kingdoms and lost cities, accursed mountains and treacherous terrains, and lethal lakes and singing sand dunes, explaining the historical background and latest science underlying each tale.