May 2019 Mythology across cultures

I have always been fascinated by the similarities of myths across cultures and their differences. I have read some of Joseph Campbells work in college; I do not know how they hold up now and would be interested to see what the current historians are saying on the topic. Id also like to explore mythology and tales from different cultures.

Joseph Campbell researched and wrote informative books on mythology;

The Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Power of Myth
Myths to Live By

he also wrote a series on the subject with Bill Moyers Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth

Neil Gaiman's American Gods is a novel well worth reading, as war develops between the new and old gods.

The 2019 Category Challenge group hopes to have a group read of the Lord of the Rings in April, May and June. All are welcome to join us. https://www.librarything.com/topic/304831

I have added the links to this thread to the Wiki and the planning thread.

I will be participating in the Lord of the Rings group read and in May I hope to be reading the 2nd volume "The Two Towers".

Also I am planning on reading The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo which is apparently based on Chinese Mythology.

Bear and Nightingale Medival Russia, in the dead of winter -story of a young girl with 'sight' to see all the household chyerti (spirits and/or demons) that frequent her villiage. She is tasked with saving her villiage from an evil that is unknown. The story weaves in Russian folk lore and history. Very well written. Sequel Girl in the Tower is just as good and a third is in the works.

I'm not a fan of the myth, but I have 2 books that might work: Three Kingdoms by Guanzhong Luo which is billed as the Chinese Illiad. I also have Lord of the Rings.

All, right. The one I really want to read for this is:
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.

The trick may be getting my hands on it from the library! I've just put the hold on now.

Really liked that. Its been ages since I read the Sagas (from a surprisingly excellent Scandinavian Lit class); might need to get to those

>6 LibraryCin: I recently bought this, too. Great time to read it!

I will be on a trip for the month of May so the question is which book do I take with me that fits the category? Should it be Scottish Myths and Customs or The Beauty Myth? I will be doing to Scotland and the book about Scottish myths is small. On the other hand I will be seeing Naomi Wolf when I am in London and I have never read The Beauty Myth although the book has been on my shelves for ages. What do you guys think?

If you're going to see Naomi Wolf it seems like good preparation to read the book first.

This is an interesting theme, although probably not my favorite subject. I am considering listening to the audio version of The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris. It was a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature in 2015.

I am going to England for two weeks in May so I have chosen Myths and Legends of Britain and Ireland by Richard Jones. I had better start now if I want to finish it before I go. It is too large to pack, not in length (160 pages) but in size, and truthfully, I don’t think I will be reading any books there.

Opinion: Is The Lord of the Rings considered a myth? I've been reading online and there is a great argument that Tolkien was trying to make it a myth. Yes or no?

>13 Tess_W: I'd say yes, although I am not an expert on the subject. There is considerable evidence behind the mythology argument. It seems Tolkien had a keen interest in mythology, so at the very least it must have influenced his writing. Here is a link to an article and video concerning this subject on Mental Floss. Please be aware there are a few mild spoilers in the video.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/60804/all-about-lord-rings-mythology

>14 This-n-That: TY TY!

OH wow, I just found that The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is free from Amazon (ebook) if you are a prime member. I just d/l it and will be beginning it tomorrow~

>13 Tess_W: Id say its a myth if he was basing his stories on a myth, but I think thats stretching it (but you can still read it! :) )The books by Madeine Miller are takes on mythological characters and does an outstanding job of including the events in their lives on a very human level

I know there are many stories that were based on myths, but I keep thinking of the Shakesperian plays that were based on older stories, not nec myths. Nee to find some examples..stay tuned

>17 cindydavid4: from all I've read, it appears that he was writing to create a myth; he wanted his writings to become a myth that others would base their stories on.........

ah, ok then. Looks like he was successful!

I have completed The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo for this topic. The author explores the mythology of 'spirit marriages', a custom that was practiced by Chinese immigrants in Malaysia. Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy this part historical fiction, part fantasy story.

I read and listened to the audio version of Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman. Thor, Loki and Odin play substantial roles in this short story. It was a nice change of pace from my other reading. Listening to Gaiman on audio is always a treat.

Norse Mythology / Neil Gaiman
3 stars

Primary gods in Norse mythology include Odin, Thor, and Loki. Many/most of these stories focused on them, but there are a few others thrown in to the mix, including the beautiful Freya, in many of the stories, as well.

Neil Gaiman does have a nice voice and is a good narrator (I listened to the audio), but somehow he doesn’t always hold my attention. Seems to depend what else I’m doing at the time, though. At home/housework, I’m fine; walking somewhere – too many distractions and I lose focus. I’ve listened to a few he’s narrated, but I think it’s all been short stories, which I think is also harder on audio because when you lose focus (or when I do, anyway!), it’s harder to catch up again. I do wonder if I would have a better time listening to him read one of his novels. I’m also not always a short story fan, though the first ones in this book (when I was focusing) were good. The rest, I missed too much to really say. Overall, I’m rating this ok.

After debating which book about mythology to take with me on my trip, I totally forgot to pack one. My desk top computer packed it in two days before I left so I couldn't print any last minute details and that through me for a loop. I'll have to do my mythology reading in June.

>23 Familyhistorian: have a great trip!

>24 Tess_W: Thanks Tess!

I have finished Tales of the Alhambra and was surprised to find some tales bordering on legends that seemed very familiar. There is one about Boabdil, the last Moorish king of Granada, who sits in a cave under the fortress with his army, and on St. John's Eve they leave their hiding place and ride across their former kingdom which had strong echoes of Emperor Barbarossa and the Kyffhäuser, but also of the Host of the Dead in Lord of the Rings.
A wonderful book, full of enthusiasm and respect for the country and its history, which he learned first-hand in the local libraries.

I read Star Tales: North American Indian Stories About the Stars by Gretchen Mayo. Mayo has adapted sixteen myths for children from stories collected by anthropologists working for the Bureau of American Ethnology around the turn of the 20th century.

>26 MissWatson: oh I love reading about travel im the past. Always interested in Alhanbra, ill have to check it out, thanks

>28 cindydavid4: I hope you enjoy it. I liked it very much and will be inching Washington Irving up the TBR.

Just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. This was the re-telling of Achilles who first appeared in Homer's Illiad. His mother was Thetis, a sea nymph turned underwater goddess and his father was Peleus, a mere mortal. In both books Achilles' biggest feat was the killing of Hector outside the walls of Troy. I think that the biggest difference in these books is that in the The Illiad no mention is made of Patroclus, Achilles' best friend and war companion as having a sexual relationship, it's not even hinted at. (Though this would not be abnormal for the Greeks at this time). No mention is made of this sexual relationship until the retelling of the story by Aeschylus and Plato. Either way, this book was a great read and not nearly as dry as The Illiad. 389 pages 5 stars. I have put her other book, Circe on my wish list.

>30 Tess_W: I'll be curious about your thoughts on Circe. During 2018, I read The Song of Achilles and Circe back-to-back and definitely preferred on over the other. Having said that, I hope you find both equally enjoyable to read. :-)

Im not tess, but my two cents,I read Circe first, and her background made readinng Achillies much smoother for me, tho I love both. I preferred reading about Circes development and loved the endint, (erhaps because it sort of has a happy ending depending on how you think of her choice) Cant wait for Miller to come out with another one- i wonder if she will stick with Homer, or choose another mythology.

>32 cindydavid4: Thanks for your thoughts. : ) I'll add between the two books, I preferred Circe, which I read second. Perhaps I would have appreciated Achilles more, had I read it last.

>26 MissWatson: I will have to read the Tales of the Alhambra. I have been there two times and found it very interesting.

>34 mnleona: I liked this very much and was intrigued to see that he has written more about the time and place which I hope to get around some day.