From Olympus to Camelot: The World of European Mythology

Sampul Depan
Oxford University Press, 17 Jul 2003 - 224 halaman
From the stories suggested by the great cave paintings of the Paleolithic period to the thought experiments of modern scientists, From Olympus to Camelot provides a sweeping history of the development of the rich and varied European mythological tradition. David Leeming, an authority on world mythology, begins with a general introduction to mythology and mythological terms, and then turns to the stories themselves. Discussing well-known figures such as Zeus, Aphrodite, Thor, and Cuchulainn, and less familiar ones such as Perun, Mari, and the Sorcerer of Lescaux, Leeming illustrates and analyzes the enduring human endeavor to make sense of existence through deities and heroes. Following an initial exploration of the Indo-European sources of European mythology and the connections between the myths of Europe and those of India and Iran, the book proceeds to survey the major beliefs of Greek, Roman, Celtic, Germanic, Baltic, and Slavic cultures, as well as the mythologies of non-Indo-European cultures such as the Etruscans and the Finns. Among its contents are introductions to the pantheons of various mythologies, examinations of major mythological works, and retellings of the influential mythical stories. This work also examines European deities, creation myths, and heroes in the context of Christian belief, and considers the translation of traditional stories into the mythologies of modern European political, scientific, philosophical, and economic movements. European mythology is the core mythology of Western civilization. This wide-ranging volume offers a lively and informative survey, along with a provocative new way of understanding this fundamental aspect of European culture.

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PART 2 The European Cultures and Their Pantheons
37
PART 3 European Mythic Patterns and Christian Hegemony
139
BIBLIOGRAPHY
181
INDEX
187
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Halaman 68 - Neptune and Minerva, Mars and Venus, Apollo and Diana, Vulcan and Vesta, Mercury and Ceres (Livy, 22.10.9).
Halaman 79 - the Book of the Dun Cow, the Book of Leinster, and the Yellow Book of Lecan,
Halaman 110 - I know I hung on the windswept tree, through nine days and nights. I was stuck with a spear and given to Odin, myself given to myself
Halaman 59 - The gods have come down to us in human form!
Halaman 24 - He shaped my loins with his fair hands, The shepherd Dumuzi filled my lap with cream and milk, He
Halaman 121 - to have no help from that quarter. Freyr will grapple with Surt, and well might he rue the day he pledged his mighty blade to Skirnir. After a great struggle. Freyr falls to the fiery sword of Surt. Tyr and Garm the Hound each will prove the death of the other, and Loki and Heimdalr
Halaman 170 - yielded so many measures of wheat as the number of grains he had taken
Halaman 121 - and the gods will rush to assemble. Odin will leap upon Sleipnir and hasten to consult Mimir, while the Aesir and the Einherjar arm themselves; they will don helm and mailcoat, and grasp sword, shield, and spear. Eight hundred strong will march shoulder-to-shoulder through each of Valhalla's five hundred and forty doors; they will be led to
Halaman 121 - Then Surt will cast his fire through the three levels and nine worlds of creation, and all will die: men and gods, dwarfs and elves, birds and beasts, all manner of creatures and monsters. The sun will be extinguished, the stars drowned, and the earth will sink beneath the waves
Halaman 92 - sometimes called the Dream of Macsen, concerns Magnus Maximus, a Spanish Roman who came to Britain in 368 CE and married Helen, or Elen Lwddog. In 383 he proclaimed himself Western Emperor, crossed over into Gaul and attacked Rome. Defeated by the Eastern Emperor Theodosius, he was

Tentang pengarang (2003)

David Leeming is Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut at Storrs. His books include The World of Myth, Dictionary of Asian Mythology, Myths, Legends, and Folktales, and Myth: A Biography of Belief. He lives in New York City.

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