Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

In this approachable and fascinating biography of the galaxy, an astrophysicist and folklorist details everything humans have discovered—from the Milky Way's formation to its eventual death, and what else there is to learn about the universe we call home. After a few billion years of bearing...

El panteón mexica tenía más de cien deidades, en su mayoría seccionadas de forma jerárquica. Entre los poderes que se les atribuía se encontraban: inmortalidad y capacidad de renacer o reencarnar si morían, omnipresencia, omnipotencia, invisibilidad y el poder de manifestarse visiblemente en sueños o como nahuales. Los dioses mexicas no eran sólo justicieros, bondadosos y equitativos, sino que también eran arbitrarios, bromistas, caprichosos y malévolos.

A fresh cultural analysis of female monsters from Greek mythology, and an invitation for all women to reclaim these stories as inspiration for a more wild, more “monstrous” version of feminism The folklore that has shaped our dominant culture teems with frightening female creatures. In our...

Myths, as Mary Midgley argues in this powerful audiobook, are everywhere. In political thought they sit at the heart of theories of human nature and the social contract; in economics in the pursuit of self interest; and in science the idea of human beings as machines, which originates in the 17th century, is a today a potent force. Far from being the opposite of science, however, Midgley argues that myth is a central part of it. Myths are neither lies nor mere stories, but a network of powerful symbols for interpreting the world.

This audiobook explores the historical rise of the literary fairy tale as a genre in the late 17th century. In his examinations of key classical fairy tales, Zipes traces their unique metamorphoses in history with stunning discoveries that reveal their ideological relationships to domination and oppression. Tales such as Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and Rumplestiltskin have become part of our everyday culture and shapers of our identities.

The legend of Atlantis is one of the most captivating and enduring stories ever told. For over two thousand years, it has stirred the imagination of philosophers, explorers, mystics, and dreamers. A city swallowed by the sea in a single day and night, a mighty civilisation punished for its hubris, a radiant island where power and beauty thrived before vanishing without a trace — Atlantis is both a cautionary tale and a timeless riddle. But what do we really know about it?

Exploring the transformative impact of Native American spirituality on contemporary events, this is the third book in Ken Carey's trilogy.

In this study, Fromm argues that man needs to analyze his unconscious thoughts, his dreams, and his conscious fantasies, as they reflect a universal and symbolic representation of himself.

Deep in the mist-shrouded mountains of Eastern Europe, where ancient castles crumble into forgotten valleys and village elders still whisper warnings after dark, lies the truth behind humanity's most enduring nightmare. Eastern European Shadows takes you on a chilling journey through newly discovered historical documents, archaeological evidence, and testimonies that will make you question everything you thought you knew about vampire folklore.

The darkness holds more than dreams in Louisiana... Every night across the bayous and cities of Louisiana, people awaken gasping, paralyzed, crushed by an invisible weight that science cannot fully explain. They speak of shadowy figures, suffocating pressure, and the unmistakable presence of something ancient and malevolent. Meet the Cauchemar—Louisiana's most terrifying sleep spirit.

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen…but do you recall the most petrifying Christmas figures of all? Not all children fear just a lump of coal in their stockings. Discover the terrifying Yuletide fables, folktales, and folklore that have horrified kids (and adults) for generations...

It followed every major military victory in ancient Rome: the successful general drove through the streets to the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill; behind him streamed his raucous soldiers; in front were his prisoners, as well as the booty he'd captured, from enemy ships and precious statues to plants and animals from the conquered territory. Occasionally there was so much on display that the show lasted two or three days. A radical reexamination of this most extraordinary of ancient ceremonies, this book explores the magnificence of the Roman triumph, but also its darker side.

In the last 50 years, folklorists have amassed an extraordinary corpus of contemporary legends including "the Choking Doberman," "the Eaten Ticket," and "the Vanishing Hitchhiker." But what about the urban legends of the past? These legends and tales have rarely been collected, and when they occasionally appear, they do so as ancestors or precursors of the urban legends of today, rather than as stories in their own right. In The Nail in the Skull and Other Victorian Urban Legends, Simon Young fills this gap for British folklore (and for the wider English-speaking world) of the 1800s.

Ever wondered if there's any truth behind planting by the moon? Or why wassailing is still a common folk practice in some parts of the world? In Gardener's Folklore, the record of these practices is unveiled, with plenty of tips and tricks to try in your own 21st century garden for blooming bushes and plentiful potatoes.

When we turn our attention to the subject of elemental Intelligences or Nature-Spirits, we are confronted by this immediate difficulty, that we are led at the very beginning beyond and behind the world which we know through the channels of the senses. Sense perception does not help us at all in our study of that mysterious realm of life which constitutes the invisible background of physical manifestation. Madame Blavatsky warned us long ago that to describe Nature-Spirits or Elementals as having definite and corporeal form was likely to lead into great error.

Policing in Japan: 10 Facts About the Kōban System by Barnaby Sorrens offers a revealing, in-depth look into one of the most unique and quietly effective law enforcement models in the world. At the heart of Japan’s remarkably low crime rates lies an institution both humble in appearance and profound in purpose: the Kōban, or police box. Far from the outdated booths one might imagine, these neighbourhood fixtures are fully functioning police posts embedded directly into daily community life.

READ BY VICTORIA WOOD! these Nursery tales are perfect for your little ones! READ BY VICTORIA WOOD! A welcome return to the audio list for Jonathan Langley’s warmly humorous retellings of these traditional tales. Perfect for an audience of age 3+. The storiesare: THE THREE BEARS AND GOLDILOCKS...

Three men, Kevin, Dermot and Joe, stand and tell their stories on a bare stage. They never meet. Or do they? From this simplest of dramatic devices emerges a rounded tale of Irish life across the generations, accurate and poignant and therefore unforgettable: The poetry of ordinary life.

How did the ancient Vikings live? What was their society like? This and many other questions about history and mythology will be answered in this brief guide. For example, an entire chapter is devoted to women’s roles in Viking society. Other chapters discuss the appearance of trolls and other creatures in Norse myths. You’ll find out why certain popular children’s movies have included Viking clothing and other elements in their narrative, what Viking art is all about. Last but not least, you can learn more about Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the heroes in Viking myths.

A görög mitológia történeteinek folytatása sem kevésbé szórakoztató, mint az első rész. Megtudhatjuk többek között, hogy miért kellett Sziszüphosznak bűnhődnie, vagy hogy milyen átok sújtotta Midász királyt. A szerző a maga humoros módján rávilágít, a görög istenek olyanok, mint mi. Erősebbek és bölcsebbek ugyan, de közben ugyanolyan esendőek, és ballépéseikkel, felfokozott szerelmi életükkel, veszekedéseikkel bármikor képesek felforgatni az isteni és az emberi világot.