A Dictionary of Creation Myths

David Adams Leeming

ISBN 10: 0195102754 / ISBN 13: 9780195102758

Verlag: Oxford University Press Inc, 1996

Beschreibung

Covering thousands of years of intricate creation tales, A Dictionary of Creation Myths is the first and most comprehensive work devoted to creation myths from cultures throughout the world. From cosmic eggs, frost giants, and the Garden of Eden to Brahma, the Spider Woman, and the Gaia Principle, this unique guide illuminates the phenomenon of creation from all aspects of the human experience. Richly illustrated, A Dictionary of Creation Myths is essential for anyone who has ever wondered how the world was created, where we came from, or why we are here at all. Num Pages: 344 pages. BIC Classification: JFHF. Dimension: 234 x 156 x 21. Weight in Grams: 518. . 1996. Paperback. . . . .

Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers V9780195102758

Bibliografische Details

• Titel: A Dictionary of Creation Myths
• Verlag: Oxford University Press Inc
• Erscheinungsjahr: 1996
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN-10: 0195102754
• ISBN-13: 9780195102758
• Einband: Softcover
• Zustand: New

Über diesen Titel

Inhaltsangabe

"God made Heaven, and then, after measuring the space underneath with a ball of thread, he began to form the earth. A mole asked to help, and God gave him the thread to hold while he wove the patterns of the earth. Sometimes the mole would let out too much thread, and finally the earth grew too large for the space under heaven. The mole was so upset that he hid under the earth. God sent the bee to look for him; he wanted the mole's advice on what to do about the mistake. The bee found the mole and he just laughed at the idea of advising God. The bee, however, hid in a flower and overheard the mole mumbling to himself about what he would do if he were God. 'Iwould squeeze the earth,' he said. 'That would make mountains and valleys and make it smaller at the same time.' When the bee heard this, he went directly to God and told him. God did what the mole had said, and everything fit fine." The myth of Rumanian Creation in which God weaves the earth from a ball of thread is just one the many stories that make up the wonderous world of creation myths. In virtually every culture throughout the ages, creation myths have played a vital role in providing not only explanations of the origins of societies but also specific cultural identities--serving as a "projection of an aspect of a culture's soul."

Covering thousands of years of intricate creation tales, A Dictionary of Creation Myths is the first and most comprehensive work devoted to creation myths from cultures throughout the world.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

David Adams Leeming is Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. He is the author of many books, including The World of Myth. Margaret Adams Leeming is in a doctoral program in religious studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara.