Marie de France, one of the best-known medieval women, is justly famous for her Lais, but her longer work, the Fables, has been newly discovered by modern audiences.
Ukrainian epic, or dumy, were first recorded from blind mendicant minstrels in the nineteenth century, yet they reflect events dating back to as early as the 1300s.
Ukrainian epic, or dumy, were first recorded from blind mendicant minstrels in the nineteenth century, yet they reflect events dating back to as early as the 1300s.
In the myth and folklore of ancient European cultures and spiritual traditions, the longest night of the year, called Winter Solstice, was a time of transition during which people sought out personal renewal and rebirth.
Naomi "e;Omie"e; Wise was drowned by her lover in the waters of North Carolina's Deep River in 1807, and her murder has been remembered in ballad and story for well over two centuries.
Headstrong heroines and hot-tempered chieftains, loch monsters and hill fairies, cattle raids and clan feuds, wise animals and foolish saints: the Scottish Highlands' folktales date back centuries and preserve the history and beliefs of a people deeply rooted in their land and culture.
The song "e;John Henry,"e; perhaps America's greatest folk ballad, is about an African-American steel driver who raced and beat a steam drill, dying "e;with his hammer in his hand"e; from the effort.
The original Star Wars trilogy famously follows Joseph Campbell's model for the hero's journey, making Luke Skywalker's story the new hero quest for a modern age.
This is a comprehensive history of the world's midwinter gift-givers, showcasing the extreme diversity in their depictions as well as the many traits and functions these characters share.
Mythology--circulated in sacred stories (myths) and their reenactments (rituals)--is the basis of any society's religion, and religion is an essential key to identity.
For almost three centuries, the "e;Pennsylvania Dutch"e;--descended from German immigrants--have practiced white magic, known in their dialect as Braucherei (from the German "e;brauchen,"e; to use) or Powwowing.
The early medieval manuscripts of Ireland and Britain contain tantalizing clues about the cosmology, religion and mythology of native Celtic cultures, despite censorship and revision by Christian redactors.
After a century of reinvention and, frequently, reinterpretation, Western movies continue to contribute to the cultural understanding of the United States.
Our understanding of Celtic astrology is based mainly on the speculations of modern authors--mostly drawn from classical Greek and Roman writings--and suffers from many misconceptions.
New Zealand author Janet Frame (1924-2004) during her lifetime published 11 novels, three collections of short stories, a volume of poetry and a children's book.
Superheroes have been an integral part of popular society for decades and have given rise to a collective mythology familiar in popular culture worldwide.
Tracing the development of the King Arthur story in the late Middle Ages, this book explores Arthur's depiction as a wilderness figure, the descendant of the northern Romano-British hunter/warrior god.
This examination of the heroic journey in world mythology casts the protagonist as a personification of nature--a "e;botanical hero"e; one might say--who begins the quest in a metaphorical seed-like state, then sprouts into a period of verdant strength.
