The Oxford Companion to World Mythology

One of my rule of thumb assessments of any reference book is to find a title so interesting that I delay the review because I keep reading and cross‐referring within it. This title scores very highly indeed in that scale, and I have had to discipline myself to pause and prepare this review, but with the alluring promise of even more detailed examination later.

Initially, I wondered at the term “companion” since this looks at first sight more like a dictionary, especially with its Oxford University Press provenance. There are thousands of entries covering all cultures and mythologies, as well...