Fülszöveg
Mexican
and Central American
Mythology
Quetzalcoatl, the great bird-serpent priest king, Xoch-ipilli, the god of flowers and beauty, the belief that suicides enter paradise - the ancient Maya and Nahua civilisations of Mexico and Central America produced a rich and complex culture. The maize which provided people's basic food, their shells and jewels, the sun, rain and flowers all became the symbols of their mytholo^, expressing not only material needs but also the desire to understand the meaning of life and live in harmony with the universe.
By the tenth century A.D. however, the Maya and Nahua cities had passed their greatest period. A series of invasions and conquests furthered their decline and when the Spaniards took over in the sixteenth century they inherited a culture that, with the Aztecs, had become far debased from its original form. Irene Nicholson retells the ancient stories of Mexican and Central American mythology as they were in pre-Hispanic times. A...
Tovább
Fülszöveg
Mexican
and Central American
Mythology
Quetzalcoatl, the great bird-serpent priest king, Xoch-ipilli, the god of flowers and beauty, the belief that suicides enter paradise - the ancient Maya and Nahua civilisations of Mexico and Central America produced a rich and complex culture. The maize which provided people's basic food, their shells and jewels, the sun, rain and flowers all became the symbols of their mytholo^, expressing not only material needs but also the desire to understand the meaning of life and live in harmony with the universe.
By the tenth century A.D. however, the Maya and Nahua cities had passed their greatest period. A series of invasions and conquests furthered their decline and when the Spaniards took over in the sixteenth century they inherited a culture that, with the Aztecs, had become far debased from its original form. Irene Nicholson retells the ancient stories of Mexican and Central American mythology as they were in pre-Hispanic times. A fascinating collection of religion, lore and legend that reveals a civilisation of astonishing richness and beauty.
LIBRARY OF THE WORLD'S MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Myths and legends are found the world over, and their origin and purpose form a special part of the story of the development of the human race. Some of these myths embody people's early explanations of the world they lived in, the forces governing their lives and the need to provide some account for the good'and evil that befell them. Many of these forces were personified — given names and personalities - the first step to the formalisation of belief in ritual and in religion. A galaxy of gods, devils, heroes and monsters emerged, as varied as the societies from which they sprang and the appeal of their actions. Mythology has served as the foundation of the loftiest and most abstract thought in art and religion - of Milton's Paradise Lost and the Hindu Bhagavad Gita-, equally the legends of the lesser spirits have been retained in folk tales familiar to us all in fairy tales.
The Library of the World's Myths and Legends is an authoritative series on the major mythologies of the world's history. Written by a team of well-known scholars, including archaeologists, linguists and students of comparative religion, each book in the library combines an attractive recital of the myths of a culture with the world-picture that these stories reveal and the art-forms they have inspired. The text is fully illustrated with artefacts and paintings related to the myths, and, where appropriate, ethnological material showing the role of myth in everyday life.
See back flap for full list of titles in the Library
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