Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)There is no Egyptian Hesiod or Ovid. Still less is there anything from ancient Egypt that is like the Bible or the Koran. Instead, we have certain core myths that recur in fragmentary forms (mythemes) and in countless variations, down through the centuries. Enacting these myths, we have deities who constantly get killed and reborn, who take on various animal guises and, most confusingly, often merge with one another to form composite deities.
Making sense of this disparate and perplexing data, so different in flavor from the more familiar Greco-Roman or Norse myths, is a huge task. Geraldine Pinch succeeds splendidly, especially given the very restricted space she has here.
Pinch has a very readable style, free from scholarly pomposity, but without any dumbing-down. She clearly knows and loves her subject, and recognizes the difficulties of getting to grips with it. This is an enjoyable and authoritative introduction to the mythology that helped sustain Earth's first great civilization for thousands of years.
[PeterReeve]
Click Here to see more reviews about: Egyptian Myth: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Egyptian myths articulated the core values of one of the longest lasting civilizations in history, and myths of deities such as Isis and Osiris influenced contemporary cultures and became part of the Western cultural heritage. Egyptian Mythology: A Very Short Introduction explains the cultural and historical background to the fascinating and complex world of Egyptian myth, with each chapter dealing with a particular theme.To show the variety of source material for Egyptian myth, each chapter features a particular object--such as the obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle, a golden statue of Tutankhamun, and a papyrus containing a story in which the Egyptian gods behave outrageously--which is illustrated by a photograph or line-drawing. The myth "The Contendings of Horus and Seth" is looked at in detail, and the many interpretations it has provoked are examined.In addition to a list of major deities and myths, there are explanations of related topics such as how hieroglyphs work, royal names and titles, and the Egyptian cosmos. There is also a timeline of Egyptian history, a glossary of technical terms and an up-to-date bibliography.
Get 20% OFF
0 comments:
Post a Comment