The introduction to this well-planned and methodically organised collection points an interesting contrast between myth as culture and mythology as an academic study. Both aspects are represented in this book which selects and presents myths and legends from around the world and discusses each of them in both cultural and academic contexts. Those of us who recall huge-multi-volume collections of myths and legends from single countries or cultures will wonder at the rashness of claiming to condense the whole world into a single quarto-format manageable volume. The editors readily admit that “A broad collection of this kind is necessarily based on subjective choices of tales, themes and national literatures. […] This book does not pretend to present a comprehensive coverage of world mythology and folklore. Nor is the distinction between myth and folklore strictly defined within any given chapter. At best, offering more than two hundred tales, this volume attempts to be inclusive of the mythological character of many major regions across the world”.
The result is that traditions which must be included in any such survey are to be found here, but cultures which are traditionally less well-represented are also accorded their due place. The initial arrangement is by continental region: The Americas, The Pacific, Africa, Asia and Europe. Sub-division is then by country or region: Europe thus divides into the British Isles, The Greco-Roman World, the Norse World, Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe. Further sub-division is then alphabetical by titles, the only part of the arrangement I would quarrel with: this results in Celtic myths being scattered as are those of the Arthurian cycle, with a similar pattern in other sections. The continental arrangement also produces results such as Egypt appearing under Africa and Mesopotamia under Asia, while the related Greco-Roman world is within Europe. Still, as I would rate the methodical layout and approach of this volume as one of its several virtues, that layout can be lived with easily enough.
Each entry covers just about (or just under) three columns of text, and a consistent approach is followed throughout. Following a title allocated by the editors, four categories are entered for each story. Author is given first, often enough “traditional” or “legend” but also nominating where appropriate a collector or author of a particular tale, for example Sir Thomas Malory being quoted for The Death of King Arthur, while other Arthurian stories are given as traditional. Next is the time period of the story, sometimes of two or more millennia especially for the more ancient cultures, others of several centuries: The Death of King Arthur is quoted as 1001 CE to 1500 CE. The country or culture of origin is given and finally a genre: namely, legend, myth or folk tale.
A plot summary tells the story in enough detail for the reader to be able to appreciate (and enjoy) it. A second text section, Significance, then discusses the story in its context, sometimes literary, sometimes religious or mythological, sometimes in terms of folklore. These entries are signed by their academic contributors. Finally, a bibliography lists up to half a dozen references for further study of each story, all in relatively accessible sources.
As well as a publisher's note explaining the general layout, a short but clear and useful introduction and a list of contributors (although no editors are named), the introductory matter gives 12 full-page maps of regions opposite single-page tables listing major figures within each tradition. This ranges from ancient Greece to the world of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, with each map marking sites of particular significance: that for the Celtic world ranges from Iona to Landévennec in Brittany, taking in such as Lindisfarne, the Hill of Tara, Caernarfon and Glastonbury on the way. Two exceptions are the map of Western Europe which lists the great folklorists of Europe, with their dates and titles of their major works; and the World of King Arthur which lists relevant locations connected with the legends rather than characters.
Appendixes offer a sample lesson plan (for a comparative analysis of creation stories), a rather summary timeline from 4000-2700 BCE (the beginning of Sumerian civilisation) to 1889 (the publication of Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book), a guide to online resources (nine resources are listed) and a general bibliography. Finally, three indexes list the stories by country (occasionally rather arbitrary as the Arthurian legends are all listed as English, leaving Wales with but a single entry for the story of Culhwch and Olwen); a chronological index arranged in periods of from 2,500 years in the ancient world to 50 years each over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; and a general index: while this looks reasonably comprehensive, there are entries in the book which do not feature in it, including, for example, Lindisfarne which is mentioned in a map but not in the index.
The contents are well-enough selected that they give a good overview of myth and legend across the world, from the familiar to the almost unknown. The entries themselves are clear and helpful both in re-telling the stories and in explaining them within their various contexts. The whole book is well-planned and arranged in a rigorously uniform pattern and in a clear and elegant presentation. Each copy carries a sticker with a unique code which allows the purchaser to access the text as an e-book; those who wish to purchase the e-book instead of the printed volume will find the price is the same. Still, as I have said elsewhere on (probably too) many occasions, the book still has a lot going for it. This title is written and marketed as primarily an educational tool: it will serve very well as such in many classrooms, or for private study, but it is also worth a place in many library collections: primarily academic for schools or universities, but in others too. Myths may be a fascinating area for study, but they also remain stories which have entertained people for thousands of years, and continue to do so.
