Oxford Companion to World Mythology

In The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, David Leeming explores the role of mythology in history, revealing how the dreams of specific cultures add up to the larger collective story of humanity. Appealingly illustrated with nearly one hundred black-and-white halftones, the Companion provides thousands of alphabetically arranged entries covering all aspects of mythology including areas traditionally ignored by mythologists such as Polynesia, Africa, Native North America, Australia, and more. Leeming includes substantial essays on the worlds major mythological traditions, on mythological types and motifs, on mythological figures, and on numerous related subjects such as fairly tales and legends. The Companion also locates myth in our lives today, relating it to psychology, religion, science, politics, art, and much more. From King Arthur and the Round Table to Jonah and the Whale, from the wicked and destructive Norse trickster Loki to the great mother goddess of Chinese mythology Nuwa, here is a comprehensive and thoughtful look at mythology around the world.

David Leeming is Emeritus Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut. His many books include Myths, Legends, and Folktales of America, with Jake Page, A Dictionary of Asian Mythology and Myth: A Biography of Belief. He lives in Riverdale, New York.