Showing titles in Customs & Traditions

UFO abductions, television psychics, paranormal phenomena, skeptics and believers alike, find themselves debating truths and lies in the strange web of pseudoscience and the occult. Now, director of the Skeptics Society Michael Shermer explores the very human reasons why we find other worldly phenomena, conspiracy theories, and cults so appealing.

This bundle of books takes you to every corner of Greek mythology. It ranges from gods to drama. It covers legendary heroes like Heracles and Oedipus, and it sheds light on the dark side of the epic saga of these made-up creatures, gods, and historical men and women.

Characterizing cultures, we utilize the word culture calmly when alluding to an assortment of musings and activities. I might want to start my endeavor to characterize cultures by an emphasis on three of its lexicon implications that I believe are huge to our comprehension of the general term - culture. We regularly overlook that its progressively fundamental utilization is as an action word as opposed to as a noun since the noun follows from the activities engaged with the action word. In this way, the action word, to culture, intends to develop.

Explores ancient Mesopotamian astrology, which originated with those who created Göbekli Tepe, and details the system’s eighteen zodiac signs Shares the author’s decades-long research to decipher the meanings and characteristics behind each of the original eighteen signs Shows...

Explains how dragons and serpents are bearers of the elemental and archetypal energies of the Earth Examines myths, legends, and symbols of dragons and serpents in many cultures, including their positive associations in Asia and their often misinterpreted negative meanings in...

The Tomb of the Mili Mongga tells the story of Samuel Turvey's expeditions to the island of Sumba in eastern Indonesia. While there, he discovers an entire recently extinct mammal fauna from the island’s fossil record, revealing how islands support some of the world’s most remarkable biodiversity, and why many of these unique endemic species are threatened with extinction or have already been lost. But as the story unfolds, an unexpected narrative emerges – Sumba’s Indigenous communities tell of a mysterious wildman called the 'mili mongga', a giant yeti-like beast.

Deep in Louisiana's marshlands, where mist rises from ancient waters and Spanish moss whispers secrets in the wind, mysterious lights have danced for millennia. The Cajuns call them fifolet. Scientists call them marsh gas combustion. But for the people who've lived alongside these phenomena for generations, they're something far more profound—messengers from the spirit world, guides through treacherous waters, and the eternal call of home. LIGHTS IN THE DARKNESS explores the fascinating intersection where folklore meets physics, where ancestral wisdom encounters modern science.

A comprehensive account of the rich folk culture preserved in the rural secret societies of the British Isles Describes the secret rites, ceremonies, and initiation rituals of guilds and rural fraternities such as the Shoemakers, Horsemen, Toadmen, Mummers, and Bonesmen Explains their...

This is a selection of the myths and legends of Scotland, filled with local color, from Scottish journalist, folklorist, and writer Donald Alexander Mackenzie. These stories offer not only glimpses of ancient times and of old habits of thought and life but also of the country itself at different times of the year.

A rich and unique collection of folktales and urban legends from around the world. Each story comes with an accompanying brief note to provide context. Including new tales reflecting new concerns; old tales repurposed for new audiences and new ways of telling. The collection illustrates that these stories are now alive across many new media. This is the first such popular book to bring together stories with both traditional and digital media origins and to examine how the phenomenon of social media has affected both the spread of urban legends and their very nature.

Maat is an ancient Egyptian goddess who represents truth, justice, and balance. She is often associated with the concept of Maat, which is the principle of truth, order, justice, and balance in the Universe. Followers of Maat believe that it is our responsibility to uphold these principles in our own lives and the world around us.

The Philippines may appear to be one of the most Westernized countries in Asia. However, the realities of Filipino life are complex; the façade of the English language does not run deep. Philippines–Culture Smart! gives you the inside story of this unique and attractive country and unpacks the daily lives of its inhabitants.

Journey to the center of Naples and the Amalfi Coast! Oh, the magnificent beauty of the south of Italy - what are you waiting for? Passport to European Travel Guides offers this comprehensive, yet quick and concise, five-day guide to Naples and the Amalfi Coast - one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world!

Vampire! The very word conjures up visions of ruined castles, of enigmatic, pale-skinned noblemen shrouded in dark cloaks, of slumbering beauties being bloodily ravished by supernatural, nocturnal creatures. But just how accurate is that picture? How much do we really know about these mysterious entities? Surprisingly, perhaps, almost every culture can boast of its own vampire beings, few of which correspond to the stock Hollywood image - some are not even human in form; some do not drink blood; some appear in daylight.

Analyze thousands of years of giant skeletons from seven to 15 feet tall, along with DNA evidence, genetic mutations, newspaper articles, archeological notes, and excerpts from the Smithsonian Institution's own records.

Japan is at a crossroads. The postwar economic miracle that brought it unprecedented development and prosperity is over. Since the publication of the first Culture Smart! guide, it has been overtaken by China as the world's second-largest economy. The balance of power in Asia has shifted and new players are entering the field. No one can predict how Japan will rise to the challenge, or what effect the changes will have on how people live, think, and behave.

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.

All around us are plants and herbs that can be used to improve our wellbeing and encourage a more nature-focused approach to health. Steeped in history, the herbalist's art paved the way for modern science - but didn't necessarily need to have been replaced by it. In The Time Traveller's Herbal, the traditional remedies and recipes that were passed down through the ages are offered to the modern listener as a means to reconnect with the natural world, while reaping the benefits.

"Since time immemorial, India has been an ocean bed over which numerous stories have flowed and enriched the world. Storytellers from Tulsidas to Rohinton Mistry have added their magic to this magnificent repository. Inspired in part by Somadeva’s Kathasaritasagara, William Radice collects...

While doing fieldwork on the remote Indonesian island of Flores, anthropologist Gregory Forth came across people talking about half-apelike, half-humanlike creatures that once lived in a cave on the slopes of a nearby volcano. Over the years he continued to record what locals had to say about these mystery hominoids while searching for ways to explain them as imaginary symbols of the wild or other cultural representations. We follow Forth on the trail of this mystery hominoid, and the space they occupy in islanders' culture as both natural creatures and as supernatural beings.