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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Folklore
Alexander Nefedkin's highly original new book, translated by the
noted American scholar Richard L. Bland, is devoted to the
understudied topic of the military and military-political history
of Chukotka, the far northeastern region of the Russian Federation,
separated from Alaska by Bering Strait. This study is based on
primary sources, including archeological, folkloric, and
documentary evidence, dating from ancient times to the cessation of
conflict in the territory in the nineteenth century. Nefedkin's
analysis surveys the military history of these eras, reassessing
well known topics and bringing to light previously unknown events.
Zombies are everywhere these days. We are consuming zombies as much
as they are said to be consuming us in mediated apocalyptic
scenarios on popular television shows, video game franchises and
movies. The zombie industry generates billions a year through media
texts and other cultural manifestations (zombie races and
zombie-themed parks, to name a few). Zombies, like vampires,
werewolves, witches and wizards, have become both big dollars for
cultural producers and the subject of audience fascination and
fetishization. With popular television shows such as AMC s The
Walking Dead (based on the popular graphic novel) and movie
franchises such as the ones pioneered by George Romero, global
fascination with zombies does not show signs of diminishing. In The
Thinking Dead: What the Zombie Apocalypse Means, edited by Murali
Balaji, scholars ask why our culture has becomes so fascinated by
the zombie apocalypse. Essays address this question from a range of
theoretical perspectives that tie our consumption of zombies to
larger narratives of race, gender, sexuality, politics, economics
and the end of the world. Thinking Dead brings together an array of
media and cultural studies scholars whose contributions to
understanding our obsession with zombies will far outlast the
current trends of zombie popularity.
This book presents folktales in the Herati dialect of the Afghan
Persian language, along with useful transcriptions and
translations. This dialect is spoken by the sedentary population of
Herat city and the adjacent area situated in the northwest of
Afghanistan. Historically, the area in question was part of the
Persian province of Khorasan that was known for its significant
role in the development of Persian culture in general and
literature and philosophy in particular. Suffice it to say that the
classical Persian language (Farsi) is considered to have originated
in that region. For centuries, Herat has been one of the main
cultural centers of the Khorasan province, and according to a
reliable historic source, it was in Herat that the first poetical
piece in Farsi was composed. The area was the birthplace of many
most prominent Persian-speaking poets such as Ferdowsi, F. 'Attar,
Khayyam, to mention a few. Others such as Jami and Ansari were
originally from the Herat area and their shrines are located in the
city. Given the fact that many early Persian-speaking poets came
from this region (Khorasan) and from Herat in particular, their
native Khorasani dialects--including Herati-- considerably
influenced the language of Persian classical literature. The Herati
dialect linguistic importance from the synchronic perspective is
based on the fact that it serves as a bridge between the Persian
dialects of western Iran and the Tajiki of Central Asia. In
addition, given the geographic position of Herat (situated on the
border between modern Afghanistan and Iran), its dialect also
shares many common characteristics with the Persian dialects of
Iran and those of Afghanistan. Despite its cultural and linguistic
importance for studies in Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia, this
region has never been open to field research (especially by
westerners) because of its long political instability and constant
wars. There is no similar published work in English on this
particular Persian dialect and its oral literature. Based on
academically informed fieldwork and presented in a scientific
fashion, this study provides information previously unavailable and
is thus valuable to the academic discourse in Iranian linguistics.
The materials were collected by the author during field research in
Afghanistan in the 1980s from illiterate dialect speakers (a
category which has preserved the dialect the most in terms of
purity and entirety). The book helpfully provides a grammatical
introduction to the Herati dialect, a glossary of dialectal and
common words, as well as approximately 500 explanatory notes. This
book will be of interest to linguists and language learners,
especially those studying Afghan Persian. It will also be useful as
a language learning aid for intermediate and advanced students of
spoken Afghan Persian in general and of Persian (in the broader
sense) dialectology in particular, foreign NGO workers or
interpreters/translators who find themselves in the field in
western Afghanistan or far eastern Iran. Though the present book is
by no means a study in folklore literature or anthropology, these
texts containing ethnographic data will also be of value to
folklorists or ethnographers.
This book examines magic's generally maleficent effect on humans
from ancient Egypt through the Middle Ages, including tales from
classical mythology, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim cultures. It
shows that certain magical motifs lived on from age to age, but
that it took until the Italian Renaissance for magic tales to
become fairy tales.
Originally published in 1870. Author: George W. Cox, M.A. Language:
English Keywords: Religion / Mythology / Folklore Many of the
earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and
before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive.
Obscure Press are republishing these classic works in affordable,
high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
The first and only comprehensive biographical dictionary devoted to
mythological women. Divinities, humans, female monsters and
animals, hermaphrodites, and transsexuals are all here. Women of
Classical Mythology offers unprecedented access to information on
women largely neglected in reference works on Greek and Roman myth
and gives a fresh look at the better-known figures. Each of the
2,600 entries places its subject both in the overall context of
classical myth, and in the frame of reference of her better-known
counterparts. For each figure there is a description of her
particular contribution to folklore, and a list of the various
poems, tragedies, epics, and other types of stories in which she
plays a central role. In addition, the handy special index, "The
Men in Their Lives," allows readers to locate a particular woman
known primarily through her relations. The female characters in
classical mythology often provide clues to genealogical,
chronological, and historical puzzles. This book will be welcomed
by classical scholars for the insights and relationships it
reveals. Over 2,500 A-Z entries detail the woman's contribution and
places her in context with male associates Includes a special index
titled "The Men in Their Lives" which makes it simple to locate a
figure through her relations such as Theseus' mother or Achilles'
wife Cross references and end-of-entry citations allow readers to
go from most entries directly to the classical sources
Tonight, across America, countless people will embark on an
adventure. They will prowl among overgrown headstones in forgotten
graveyards, stalk through darkened woods and wildlands, and creep
down the crumbling corridors of abandoned buildings. They have set
forth in search of a profound paranormal experience and may seem to
achieve just that. They are part of the growing cultural phenomenon
called legend tripping. In If You Should Go at Midnight: Legends
and Legend Tripping in America, author Jeffrey S. Debies-Carl
guides readers through an exploration of legend tripping, drawing
on years of scholarship, documentary accounts, and his own
extensive fieldwork. Poring over old reports and legends, sleeping
in haunted inns, and trekking through wilderness full of cannibal
mutants and strange beasts, Debies-Carl provides an in-depth
analysis of this practice that has long fascinated scholars yet
remains a mystery to many observers. Debies-Carl argues that legend
trips are important social practices. Unlike traditional rites of
passage, they reflect the modern world, revealing both its problems
and its virtues. In society as well as in legend tripping, there is
ambiguity, conflict, crisis of meaning, and the substitution of
debate for social consensus. Conversely, both emphasize individual
agency and values, even in spiritual matters. While people still
need meaningful and transformative experiences, authoritative,
traditional institutions are less capable of providing them.
Instead, legend trippers voluntarily search for individually
meaningful experiences and actively participate in shaping and
interpreting those experiences for themselves.
This English-English Dictionary will completely fulfil the academic
and writing requirements of students, aspirants of competitive
examinations, researchers, scholars, translators, educationists,
and writers. This dictionary is unique in the sense that the 'Words
or Terms' have been drawn from literature, science, geography,
commerce & business etc to give it a touch of completeness.
'Words or Terms' come complete with grammatical details, syntax,
and meaning and a sentence to improve writing or speaking. 'Words
or Terms' have been serialized in alphabetical order, i.e., A-Z for
ease in making searches. To the extent possible, Terms used in
common parlance have only been included, avoiding less frequent
ones. In the Appendices section, body parts, common ailments,
apparel, cereals, fruit & vegetables, herbs & spices,
household items and other useful information have been included for
added utility. This dictionary will be found useful by student
community besides others such as, educationists, writers,
translators, aspirants of competitive exams.
Few thorough ethnographic studies on Central Indian tribal
communities exist, and the elaborate discussion on the cultural
meanings of Indian food systems ignores these societies altogether.
Food epitomizes the social for the Gadaba of Odisha. Feeding,
sharing, and devouring refer to locally distinguished ritual
domains, to different types of social relationships and alimentary
ritual processes. In investigating the complex paths of ritual
practices, this study aims to understand the interrelated fields of
cosmology, social order, and economy of an Indian highland
community.
THE ELDER EDDAS OF SAEMUND SIGFUSSON. Translated from the Original
Old Norse Text into English BY BENJAMIN THORPE. Originally
published in 1906. PHOTOGRAPHS: Frontispiece Gunnar ( Guother).
Page Siegfried Awakens Brynhild ' 159 Death of Atli 247 A Feast in
Valhalla 331 ' s Rune Song 44 Lay of Hymir 48 Lay of Thrym, or the
Hammer Recovered 53 Lay of the Dwarf Alvis 57 Lay of Harbard . . .
. 63 Journey, or Lay of Skirmr 71 Lay of Rig 78 s Compotation, or
Loki's Altercation 84 Lay of Fiolsvith 95 Lay of Hyndla 103
Incantation of Groa 109 Song of the Sun Ill Lay of Volund 121 Lay
of Helgi Harvard's Son 137 First Lay of Helgi Hundingcide 137
Second Lay of Helgi Hundingcide 144 > tli's End 155 Lay of
Sigurd, or Gnpir's Prophecy 157 Lay of Fafnir 172. Contents
include: Gudrun's Incitement 248 The Lay of Hamdir 351 THE YOUNGER
EDDAS OF STURLESON. The Deluding of Gylfi 256 Of the Primordial
State of the Universe 259 Origin of the Frost-Giants 260 Of the Cow
Audhumla, and Birth of Odin 262 The Making of Heaven and Earth 263
Creation of Man and Woman 265 Night and Day, Sun and Moon 266
Wolves that Pursue the Sun and Moon _. 267 The Way that Leads to
Heaven 268 The Golden Age 269 Origin of the Dwarfs, and Norns of
Destiny 270 The Ash Yggdrasill and Mimer's Well 271 The Norns that
Tend Yggdrasill 273 The Wind and the Seasons 275 Thor and His
Hammer - 277 Balder and Njord 278 Njord and His Wife Skadi 279 The
God Frey and Goddess Freyja 280 Tyr and Other Gods 281 Hodur the
Blind, Assassin of Baldur 283 Loki and His Progeny 284 Binding the
Wolf Fenrir 285 The Goddesses and their Attributes 289 Frey, and
Gerda the Beautiful 291 The Joys of Valhalla 293 The Wonderful
Horse Sleipnir 297 The Ship Adapted to Sail on Sea or Land 299
Thor's Adventures in the Land of Giants 300 The Death of Baldur 315
Baldur in the Abode of the Dead 319 Loki's Capture and Punishment
321 Destruction of the Universe 323 Restoration of the Universe 327
How Loki Carried Away Iduna 329 The Origin of Poetry 331 Odin
Beguiles the Daughter of Baugi 333 Glossary 335.
This is an engaging account of the world of the Vikings and their
gods. As the Vikings began to migrate overseas as raiders or
settlers in the late eighth century, there is evidence that this
new way of life, centred on warfare, commerce and exploration,
brought with it a warrior ethos that gradually became codified in
the Viking myths, notably in the cult of Odin, the god of war,
magic and poetry, and chief god in the Norse pantheon. The twelfth
and thirteenth centuries, when most of Scandinavia had long since
been converted to Christianity, form perhaps the most important era
in the history of Norse mythology: only at this point were the
myths of Thor, Freyr and Odin first recorded in written form. Using
archaeological sources to take us further back in time than any
written document, the accounts of foreign writers like the Roman
historian Tacitus, and the most important repository of stories of
the gods, old Norse poetry and the Edda, Christopher Abram leads
the reader into the lost world of the Norse gods.
Through her childhood reminiscences, Zinaida Longortova brings to
life a remote region in far-northern Russia. Extrapolating the
folklore and mythology of the Khanty people from her experiences -
set around the simple story of a wounded elk calf - the author
explores the bonds between humans and nature. Yet whilst this is a
novella about a little known indigenous group, the narrative
succeeds in harnessing powerful emotions which speak to us all. A
timeless story, at once both joyful and melancholy, Blue River is a
beguiling tale for all age groups.
Text extracted from opening pages of book: THE ELDER EDDA AND
ANCIENT SCANDINAVIAN DRAMA CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS C. F. CLAY,
MANAGER LONDON: FETTER LANE, E. G. 4 NEW YORK: THE MACMILLAN CO.
BOMBAY \ CALCUTTA LMACMILLAN AND co., Lm MADRAS j TORONTO: THE
MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. TOKYO: MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED Fig. i. Plate from a helmet found at Vcntlel in
Uppland. Fig. 2. Bronze plate from Torsluncla, Oland, Sweden. Fig.
j. Bronze plate from Torshmda, Olund, Sweden, AND ANCIENT
SCANDINAVIAN DRAMA BY BERTHA S. PHILLPOTTS, O. B. E., Lirr. D.
Formerly Pfeiflfer Student of Girton College, Cambridge Late Lady
Carlisle Research Fellow, Somerville College, Oxford Principal of
Westfield College ( University of London) Author of Kindred and
Clan CAMBRIDGE AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS 1920 PREFACE THIS book was
begun in the spring of 1914, and only two chapters were unwritten
in March 1916. In adding these two chapters in 1920 I have
endeavoured to bring the rest of the book up to date, but the
occupations of the intervening years left little time to keep
abreast of the advances of scholarship, and the endeavour has not
been wholly successful. My task has not been lightened by the loss
of a note-book and some pages of the MS. through causes connected
with the war, and I am conscious that there is much to apologise
for. But it seemed better to publish the book as it is, with all
its imperfections, than to wait for the uncertain hour when I could
attempt an elaborate revision and expansion. My aim is simply to
place before scholars a theory of the dramatic origin of the older
Eddie poems. I shall be satisfied if I have made clear the grounds
which have forced me to formulatethe theory: should there be any
truth in it, others, better fitted than I, will work it out in all
its many bearings on history, religion and literature. The
dedication intimates that this book is my gift to Somer villc
College, In a more fundamental sense it is the gift of Somerville
College to me. It is the product of my tenure of the Lady Carlisle
Research Fellowship, and the central idea of the book occurred to
me while I was trying to present a rational picture of early
Scandinavian literature to the College Literary and Philosophical
Society. The idea struck root in favourable soil Miss Pope, Tutor
in Modern Languages at Somerville, was working at a theory of the
genesis of the Old French epic: Pro fessor Gilbert Murray,
Vice-President of the College, was always ready to stimulate and
illumine discussion on the relation of epic and drama: Miss Spens
of Lady Margaret Hall was writing her book on Shakespeare's
indebtedness to folk-drama, Moreover I think that the air of Oxford
was friendly to the growth of a theory viii PREFACE like mine, and
gave me courage to act on the belief that a clear understanding of
the form of primitive Scandinavian literature was an essential
preliminary to an understanding of primitive Scandinavian history.
It was only after I had written the first part of the book an
attempt to solve a literary problem on purely literary lines that I
was able to realise the significance of the heroic poems of the
Edda as a source for Scandinavian history and religion from the
sixth century onwards. Since the theories put forward have a direct
bearing on the problem of Greek tragedy, and may also be of
interest to mediaevalists, I have assumed that some of my readers
maybe unacquainted with Old Norse, and have accordingly given my
quotations in English, adding the original in the notes wherever
there is any doubt as to the reading. I had originally planned to
give translations of the more important poems in an appendix, but
joyfully abandoned the project on finding that there is some hope
that the poet and scholar who has made Greek tragedy live in
English dress may do a similar service to the heroic poems of the
Edda. In the meantime readers may be referred to the trans lations
in Vigfiisson and Powell's Corpus Poetmim Borc
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