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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Folklore

The Rare Leaf (Hardcover): Olabode Ogunlana The Rare Leaf (Hardcover)
Olabode Ogunlana
R550 Discovery Miles 5 500 Ships in 12 - 17 working days
Scotland's Merlin - A Medieval Legend and its Dark Age Origins (Paperback): Tim Clarkson Scotland's Merlin - A Medieval Legend and its Dark Age Origins (Paperback)
Tim Clarkson
R442 Discovery Miles 4 420 Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Who was Merlin? Is the famous wizard of Arthurian legend based on a real person? In this book, Merlin's origins are traced back to the story of Lailoken, a mysterious 'wild man' who is said to have lived in the Scottish Lowlands in the sixth century AD. The book considers the question of whether Lailoken belongs to myth or reality. It looks at the historical background of his story and discusses key characters such as Saint Kentigern of Glasgow and King Rhydderch of Dumbarton, as well as important events such as the Battle of Arfderydd. Lailoken's reappearance in medieval Welsh literature as the fabled prophet Myrddin is also examined. Myrddin himself was eventually transformed into Merlin the wizard, King Arthur's friend and mentor. This is the Merlin we recognise today, not only in art and literature but also on screen. His earlier forms are less familiar, more remote, but can still be found among the lore and legend of the Dark Ages. Behind them we catch fleeting glimpses of an original figure who perhaps really did exist: a solitary fugitive, tormented by his experience of war, who roamed the hills and forests of southern Scotland long ago.

Spooky Pennsylvania - Tales Of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, And Other Local Lore (Paperback, Second Edition): S. E. Schlosser Spooky Pennsylvania - Tales Of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, And Other Local Lore (Paperback, Second Edition)
S. E. Schlosser; Illustrated by Paul G Hoffman
R439 R355 Discovery Miles 3 550 Save R84 (19%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Pull up a chair or gather round the campfire and get ready for thirty creepy tales of ghostly hauntings, eerie happenings, and other strange occurrences in Pennsylvania. Set in the Keystone State's big cites, rural communities, rugged mountains, and vast woodlands, the stories in this entertaining and compelling collection will have readers looking over their shoulders again and again. Pennsylvania's folklore is kept alive in these expert retellings by master storyteller S. E. Schlosser and in artist Paul Hoffman's evocative illustrations. Readers will meet the phantom drummer of Valley Forge, cheer on the ghost who haunts a bowling alley in Allentown, search for the mysterious jail cell handprint in Carbon County, and feel an icy wind on the back of their necks on a warm Pennsylvania evening. Whether read around the campfire on a dark and stormy night or from the backseat of the family van on the way to grandma's, this is a collection to treasure.

The Nibelungen Tradition - An Encyclopedia (Hardcover): Winder McConnell, Werner Wunderlich, Frank Gentry, Ulrich Mueller The Nibelungen Tradition - An Encyclopedia (Hardcover)
Winder McConnell, Werner Wunderlich, Frank Gentry, Ulrich Mueller
R5,409 Discovery Miles 54 090 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


Contents:
Literary authors and works; Medieval characters and places; Themes, motifs, objects, key words; Sources: history, legend, archaeology, manuscript collections; Scholars and scholarship; Reception of the Nibelungen theme in German-speaking countries: literary authors and works; Reception of the Nibelungen theme outside German-speaking countries (including translations); Music and composers; Art, artists, films, filmmakers, sculpture, sculptors; Miscellaneous (education, historians, politics, psychology, military).

Jung and the Jungians on Myth - An Introduction (Paperback): Steven Walker Jung and the Jungians on Myth - An Introduction (Paperback)
Steven Walker
R1,139 Discovery Miles 11 390 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


Carl Gustav Jung (1875- 1961) was never more insightful and intriguing than when he discussed mythology. The key to understanding the Jungian approach to mythology lies in the concept of the image, which provides the basis for his theory of the unconscious. By emphasizing the image over the word, Jungian psychology distinguishes itself dramatically from Freudian, Lacanian, and other psychologies that stress the task of interpreting the language - the words - of the unconscious.
In Jung and the Jungians on Myth, Steven Walker carefully leads the reader through the essential lines of thought in Jungian psychology before developing his method for using Jungian ideas to approach mythological texts. Whether one is sympathetic toward Jung's ideas or critical of them, one will find in Walker's discussion a lucid introduction to Jungian perspectives on myth and psychology.

Who's Who in Non-Classical Mythology (Paperback, 2nd edition): Edgerton Skyes, Alan Kendall, Egerton Sykes Who's Who in Non-Classical Mythology (Paperback, 2nd edition)
Edgerton Skyes, Alan Kendall, Egerton Sykes
R829 Discovery Miles 8 290 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


Series Information:
Routledge Who's Who

Who's Who in Classical Mythology (Paperback, 3rd edition): Michael Grant, John Hazel Who's Who in Classical Mythology (Paperback, 3rd edition)
Michael Grant, John Hazel
R667 Discovery Miles 6 670 Ships in 9 - 15 working days


Series Information:
Routledge Who's Who

Traditional Slovak Folktales (Hardcover, New Ed): David L Cooper Traditional Slovak Folktales (Hardcover, New Ed)
David L Cooper
R4,665 Discovery Miles 46 650 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

This delightful collection makes the rich but little-known Slovak folk culture available for English-language readers. Most of the fifty tales assembled here from the collections of folklorist Pavol Dobsinsky are translated into English for the first time. The poetic qualities of the originals have been carefully preserved. The general reader will enjoy these tales immensely, and students will find an insightful introduction to the genres of the folktale and the specifics of Slovak tales. For expert readers, all of the tales have been classified according to the Aarne-Thompson index, and many include short commentaries that draw on the work of Viera Gasparikova.

Traditional Slovak Folktales (Paperback, Revised): David L Cooper Traditional Slovak Folktales (Paperback, Revised)
David L Cooper
R1,215 Discovery Miles 12 150 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Popolvar may not be as well known as Rumpelstiltskin, or Brother Birdie as well loved as the Ugly Duckling, but the folktales that feature these characters are as rich in charm and piquancy as any in the world.

This volume makes the Slovak folk tradition available to English -language readers with fifty tales culled from the collections of master folklorist Pavol Dobsinsky.

For the reader's delight, the translations preserve the poetic qualities of the original tales: Slovak rhymes have been replaced by English ones, puns have been repunned, proverbs have been rendered with proverbial concision, and the flexible Slovak folk idiom has been captured in colloquial English.

All of which is to say, the reader will enjoy these tales immensely. And for those who wish to know more about Slovak folktales, the volume includes commentaries, tale classifications, an introduction to the Slovak tale tradition, and a concluding essay on tale collection.

Giants, Monsters, and Dragons - An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth (Paperback): Carol Rose Giants, Monsters, and Dragons - An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth (Paperback)
Carol Rose
R830 R710 Discovery Miles 7 100 Save R120 (14%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! have nothing on Rose, at home in a thicket of menacing creatures."—Choice

We have always conjured up creatures never seen in nature, from flying horses and two-headed birds to fire-breathing dragons and enormous killer skunks, as well as fantastic distortions of our own image, from giants to nubile maidens. In these pages you will meet extraordinary beings from Hindu and Navajo religions, Scandinavian tales, Russian folklore, Lithuanian stories, Irish oral history, American tall tales, and Aztec myth. Just some of the monstrous entourage:
• Baku, a benevolent Japanese monster with the body of a horse, the head of a lion, and the legs of a tiger, who helps people by devouring their nightmares.
• Kurma, the giant tortoise of Hindu myth, whose upper shell forms the heavens and lower part the earth.
• Missipissy, the feared fish serpent of North America's Great Lakes region.

This illustrated encyclopedia not only identifies and describes individual beasts in their cultural context but also groups them together across cultures and discusses common mythological strands and conceits. 60 b/w illustrations.

Atlantis Destroyed (Paperback, Revised): Rodney Castleden Atlantis Destroyed (Paperback, Revised)
Rodney Castleden
R1,180 Discovery Miles 11 800 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


Plato's legend of the famed lost continent of Atlantis has become notorious among scholars as the most absurd lie in literature. Exciting our imagination and our curiosity, Atlantis Destroyed explores the possibility that Plato's account is the historical truth.
In this fascinating account, Rodney Castleden considers the widely-debated location of Atlantis and its destruction, the literary origins of utopian Atlantis and how this became confused with Plato's authentic account and also the remarkable parallels between Plato's narrative and the bronze age civilisation in the Aegean.

The Kwaidan of the Lady of Tamiya (Hardcover): James S. De Banneville The Kwaidan of the Lady of Tamiya (Hardcover)
James S. De Banneville
R621 Discovery Miles 6 210 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

"Kwaidan" are what Lafcadio Hearn called "stories and studies of strange things" -- eerie tales which convey the enduring mystery of traditional Japanese culture and the world of the samurai. In this volume, de Benneville's rendition of the "Yotsuya Kwaidan" of Shunkintei Ryuo paints a picture of life in the capital city of Edo among samurai of the highest class, jostling for power at the court of the Shogun. At the heart of the story is the Lady of Tamiya, a daughter of the samurai who is sold by her brutal husband into the floating world of the brothels, from which she escapes only in death. Thereafter, the Lady is avenged as misfortune relentlessly overtakes all who betrayed her, and she is still remembered today in a Tokyo shrine popular with women who seek her protection. More than any history, "kwaidan" reveal the inner morality of the samurai code.

The Outlaws of Medieval Legend (Hardcover, 3rd edition): Maurice Keen The Outlaws of Medieval Legend (Hardcover, 3rd edition)
Maurice Keen
R3,909 Discovery Miles 39 090 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The popular heroes of the Middle Ages were semi-mythical figures. This text explores not only the famous Robin Hood and William Wallace, but also some now forgotten rogues such as Gamelyn and Fulke Fitzwarin. Apart from William Wallace, the heroes of the outlaw legends were not men who played a leading role on the historical stage. Nevertheless, this book reveals how they were remembered in tradition for generations. This book explains the popularity of these figures and looks at how the stories appealed to the common people of the Middle Ages. The author also discusses their origins, spirit and background. In this re-issue of "The Outlaws of Medieval Legend", a new introduction is provided to set the book in the context of recent work on these characters, The titles of which are: "England in the Later Middle Ages" (Routledge, 1975); "Heraldry" (Yale UP, 1986) and "Nobles, Knights and Men at Arms in the Middle Ages" (Hambleden Press, 1996).

Arabic Proverbs - The Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians (Paperback, New Ed Of 3 Revised Ed): J.L. Burckhardt Arabic Proverbs - The Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians (Paperback, New Ed Of 3 Revised Ed)
J.L. Burckhardt
R1,188 Discovery Miles 11 880 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A collection of proverbial sayings of the modern Egyptians, printed first in Arabic, then translated into English, and followed by a commentary or explanation of the sense or idiom.

Fairytale in the Ancient World (Hardcover): Graham Anderson Fairytale in the Ancient World (Hardcover)
Graham Anderson
R4,067 Discovery Miles 40 670 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


In this, the first modern study of the ancient fairytale, Graham Anderson asks whether the familiar children's fairytale of today existed in the ancient world. He examines texts from the classical period and finds many stories which resemble those we know today, including:
* a Jewish Egyptian Cinderella
* a Snow White whose enemy is the goddess Artemis
* a Pied Piper at Troy.
He puts forward many previously unsuspected candidates as classical variants of the modern fairytale and argues that the degree of violence and cruelty in the ancient tales means they must have been meant for adults.

Fairytale in the Ancient World (Paperback, New): Graham Anderson Fairytale in the Ancient World (Paperback, New)
Graham Anderson
R1,208 Discovery Miles 12 080 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


In this, the first modern study of the ancient fairytale, Graham Anderson asks whether the familiar children's fairytale of today existed in the ancient world. He examines texts from the classical period and finds many stories which resemble those we know today, including:
* a Jewish Egyptian Cinderella
* a Snow White whose enemy is the goddess Artemis
* a Pied Piper at Troy.
He puts forward many previously unsuspected candidates as classical variants of the modern fairytale and argues that the degree of violence and cruelty in the ancient tales means they must have been meant for adults.

From Scythia to Camelot - A Radical Reassessment of the Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Holy... From Scythia to Camelot - A Radical Reassessment of the Legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, and the Holy Grail (Paperback, New Ed)
C. Scott Littleton, Linda Malcor
R1,210 Discovery Miles 12 100 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


From Scythia to Camelot boldly challenges current scholarly wisdom concerning the origins of the legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. The authors assert that the Arthurian and Holy Grail traditions did not derive from Celtic folklore and mythology, but rather from the folklore and mythology of the peoples of ancient Scythia (modern South Russia and Ukrainian Steppes). The authors argue that this folklore was carried to Britain and Gaul from the Steppes by Alan and Sarmatian tribes during the final days of the Roman Empire. They also demonstrate that several key figures in the legends, including the Fisher King and the Maimed Kings are based on historical individuals who lived during the early years of the fifth century. From Scythia to Camelot presents an erudite, stimulating and provocative analysis of the origins and developments of the Athurian legends.

King Arthur - The Truth Behind the Legend (Hardcover): Rodney Castleden King Arthur - The Truth Behind the Legend (Hardcover)
Rodney Castleden
R3,925 Discovery Miles 39 250 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


King Arthur: The Truth Behind the legend offers a more complete picture of Arthur's Britain and his place in it than ever before.
This exciting new investigation argues not only that Arthur did exist, as a Dark Age chieftain, but that many of the romantic tales - Merlin, Camelot, and Excalibur - are rooted in truth. In his quest for the real King Arthur, Rodney Castleden uses up-to-date archaeological and documentary evidence to recreate the history and society of Dark Age Britain and its kings. He revives the possibility that Tintagel was an Arthurian residence, and proposes a radical new theory - that Arthur escaped alive from his final battle. A location is even suggested for perhaps the greatest mystery: the whereabouts of Arthur's grave.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203022165

The Grail - A Casebook (Hardcover): Dhira B. Mahoney The Grail - A Casebook (Hardcover)
Dhira B. Mahoney
R3,972 Discovery Miles 39 720 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


Contents:
Introduction. Dhira B. Mahoney. The quest of origins, Glenys Witchard Goetinck. The central symbol of the legend: the Grail as vessel, Emma Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz. Perceval or Le Conte du Graal, Jean Frappier. Punishment in the perlesvaus: the theme of the waste land, A. J. Kennedy. Seeing the Grail: prologomena to a study of the Grail in the Queste and Estoire , Alison Stones. A story of interpretations: the Quest del Saint Graal as metaliterature, Lawrence N. de Looze. Dying to get to Sarras: Perceval's sister and the Grail quest, Janina Traxler. The symbolism of the Grail in Wolfram von Eschenbach, Friedrich Ranke. The truest and holiest tale: Malory's transformation of La Quest del Saint Graal, Dhira B. Mahoney. Chivalric nationalism and the Holy Grail in John Hardyng's chronicle, Felicity Riddy. Scandals of faith and gender in Tennyson's Grail poems, Linda Hughes. Pure hearts and clean hands: the Victorians and the Grail, Debra N. Mancoff. From Logres to Carbonek: the Arthuriad of Charles Williams, Karl Heinz Goller, Walker Percy's Grail, J. Donald Crowley and Sue Mitchell Crowley. The Grail in modern fiction: sacred symbol in a secular age, Raymond H. Thompson. Hollywood's new Weston: the Grail myth in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now and John Boorman's Excalibur, Martin Shichtman.

God and the Creative Imagination - Metaphor, Symbol and Myth in Religion and Theology (Paperback): Paul Avis God and the Creative Imagination - Metaphor, Symbol and Myth in Religion and Theology (Paperback)
Paul Avis
R1,144 Discovery Miles 11 440 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


'A mere metaphor', 'only symbolic', 'just a myth' - these tell tale phrases reveal how figurative language has been cheapened and devalued in our modern and postmodern culture. In God and the Creative Imagination, Paul Avis argues the contrary: we see that actually, metaphor, symbol and myth, are the key to a real knowledge of God and the sacred. Avis examines what he calls an alternative tradition, stemming from the Romantic poets Blake, Wordsworth and Keats and drawing on the thought of Cleridge and Newman, and experience in both modern philosophy and science.
God and the Creative Imagination intriguingly draws on a number of non-theological disciplines, from literature to philosophy of science, to show us that God is appropriately likened to an artist or poet and that the greatest truths are expressed in an imaginative form.
Anyone wishing to further their understanding of God, belief and the imagination will find this an inspiring work.

God and the Creative Imagination - Metaphor, Symbol and Myth in Religion and Theology (Hardcover): Paul Avis God and the Creative Imagination - Metaphor, Symbol and Myth in Religion and Theology (Hardcover)
Paul Avis
R3,328 Discovery Miles 33 280 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

'A mere metaphor', 'only symbolic', 'just a myth' - these tell tale phrases reveal how figurative language has been cheapened and devalued in our modern and postmodern culture. In God and the Creative Imagination, Paul Avis argues the contrary: we see that actually, metaphor, symbol and myth, are the key to a real knowledge of God and the sacred. Avis examines what he calls an alternative tradition, stemming from the Romantic poets Blake, Wordsworth and Keats and drawing on the thought of Cleridge and Newman, and experience in both modern philosophy and science.
God and the Creative Imagination intriguingly draws on a number of non-theological disciplines, from literature to philosophy of science, to show us that God is appropriately likened to an artist or poet and that the greatest truths are expressed in an imaginative form.
Anyone wishing to further their understanding of God, belief and the imagination will find this an inspiring work.

Classical Mythology in English Literature - A Critical Anthology (Hardcover, New): Geoffrey Miles Classical Mythology in English Literature - A Critical Anthology (Hardcover, New)
Geoffrey Miles
R3,952 Discovery Miles 39 520 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


Contents:
Preface Part One 1. The Myth Kitty 2. A Rough Guide to the Gods 3. A Mythical History of the World in One Chapter Part Two 4. Orpheus 5. Venus and Adonis 6. Pygmalion Bibliography Index of Mythological Names Index of Authors.

The Arthurian Name Dictionary (Hardcover): Christopher W. Bruce The Arthurian Name Dictionary (Hardcover)
Christopher W. Bruce
R5,722 Discovery Miles 57 220 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

A comprehensive reference source for Arthurian studies, "The Arthurian Name Dictionary" is a comprehensive encyclopedia of characters, places, objects, and themes found in the legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The volume makes available, for the first time, a complete catalogue of these names, drawn from all significant Arthurian sources between Gildas's "De Excidio Britanniae "(the first "Arthurian" source, written c. 540) and Tennyson's nineteenth-century "Idylls of the Kin" (which began the modern era of Arthurian literature)
Covers all of Arthurian-informative, detailed, and extensive, The enormous number of characters and places in the vast body of literature called Arthuriana confounds even the most learned Arthurian scholars. "The Arthurian Name Dictionary "contains names extracted from over 250 original Arthurian texts. Its pages include information on characters such as Lancelot and Gawain; places such as Camelot and Camlann; objects such as Excalibur and the Holy Grail; and themes such as the Sword-in-the-Stone and the Beheading Game. Each entry provides a complete, accurate description of the name, including, when possible, the origins or historical basis of the name, and any counterparts with different names in other sources. Major characters and themes are discussed extensively, and their evolution through the series of texts is carefully traced
Offers more coverage than previous encyclopedias and dictionaries on Arthurian, "The Arthurian Name Dictionary" outdoes previous encyclopedias and dictionaries concerned with Arthurian subjects by including a far greater number of sources, by including a far greater number of names from those sources, and by discussing each name in far greater detail.

The Mark of the Beast - The Medieval Bestiary in Art, Life, and Literature (Hardcover): Debra Hassig The Mark of the Beast - The Medieval Bestiary in Art, Life, and Literature (Hardcover)
Debra Hassig
R4,507 Discovery Miles 45 070 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


Contents:
The lion, bloodline and kinship. Misericord owls and medieval anti-semitism. Bestiary lessons on pride and lust. Sex in the bestiaries. The phoenix and the resurrection. Did imaginary animals exist? Classical ideology in the medieval bestiary. Taboos and the holy in Bodley 764. Silence's beasts.

The Concept of the Goddess (Paperback, New Ed): Sandra Billington, Miranda Green The Concept of the Goddess (Paperback, New Ed)
Sandra Billington, Miranda Green
R1,175 Discovery Miles 11 750 Ships in 12 - 17 working days


The Concept of the Goddess explores the function and nature of goddesses and their cults in many cultures, including:
* Celtic
* Roman
* Norse
* Caucasian
* Japanese traditions.
The contributors explore the reasons for the existence of so many goddesses in the mythology of patriarchal societies and show that goddesses have also assumed more masculine roles, with war, hunting and sovereignty being equally important aspects of their cults.

eBook available with sample pages: HB:0415144213 EB:0203456386

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