World Myths

The English writer and scholar Joseph Jacobs travelled the land collecting and recording every traditional English story he could find. Many of these stories are similar to well-known European stories but the English tales have a distinctive wit and humour of their very own.

The world of the Australian Aborigines is so full of extraordinary force and beauty that the idea of natural miracles, or what we might call magic, can seem quite normal. So natural magic figures very strongly in their stories, and in their lives. However as people are part of nature too, selfishness, greed, jealousy; also love, courage and a sense of humour are readily described in nature just as in men and women.

Fourteen-year-old Anna has just moved to New York with her mother and stepfather, and she hates everything about her new life. After another argument with her mother, she defiantly sneaks out to ski in Riverside Park. Much to her surprise, she meets another cross-country skier, a boy about her own age, and follows him into a snow-covered magical Otherworld inhabited by the monstrous Wyssun and the Skiers who hunt them.

From the banks of the mighty Mississippi to a sparkling stream in Kyoto, from the misty moors of Scotland to Africa's folktale forests, listeners will be transported as legendary heroes, mythical maidens, and talented tricksters weave their magic.

In this second volume of folktales, a Punjabi woman outwits seven ruthless thieves, an Incan girl restores harmony to the empire, and a mischievous Norwegian lass thwarts her entitled landowner. Spanning centuries and continents, Kamala recalls how the dazzling courage, cleverness, and power of women have always held our world together.

Peoples are strange! The things they are doing and saying - sometimes they make no sense. Did their brains fall out of their heads? And why so much saying, so much talking all the time day and night, all those words spilling out of those mouths? Why so much? Why don't they be quiet? In the ancient stone tower of the Casa Rosa, in a tiny village high in the Swiss Alps, life for one angel has been the same, well, for as long as she (or he?) can remember.

Rosalba is a nine-year-old Mayan girl living in rural Mexico. Like her mother and grandmother, she weaves stories of her people onto blouses, ensuring that the age-old traditions continue. But new influences are entering her life. A ladina girl from the city, visiting with her scientist father, passes on the astonishing news that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world in 2012. Rosalba knows nothing about that, but her village is faced with a bulldozer tearing through the forest, dying wildlife, and cornfields in danger.

This story, based on an Aboriginal folktale, tells of the conflict in Dreamtime between the Injim Quinkins and the Timara Quinkins. The bad Injims steal children and take them to their caves but the Timaras save the children in the end.

This book contains two short stories, inspired by my experiences thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. The first tells of the Ugalu, a Cherokee Nation spirit-beast and how it was instrumental in the creation of the balds in the Southern Appalachians. The second is a tale of Pamola, the Penobscot Nation demon-beast who inhabits the summit of Mount Katahdin, the Northern Terminus of the Appalachian Trail in Maine.

Award-winning author Duncan Tonatiuh reimagines one of Mexico's cherished legends. Princess Izta had many wealthy suitors but dismissed them all. When a mere warrior, Popoca, promised to be true to her and stay always by her side, Izta fell in love. The emperor promised Popoca if he could defeat their enemy Jaguar Claw, then Popoca and Izta could wed.

Curses! is a collection of 10 bewitching tales found by a literary-minded dragon to share with you and your children. Snuggle with your favorite blanket and listen to stories about a princess turned into a dragon, a boy turned into a stag, clever cats that may not be exactly what they appear, and more enchanted castles than you can shake a stick at.

This is the 11th volume of stories from teacher Patrick Healy, who traveled around the world, talking with people in different places and collecting around half a thousand myths, legends, and folktales.

How Coyote Brought Winter into the World is an adaptation of a Native American folktale told by the Zuni. In the story, Coyote brings winter by letting the sun escape from a box he steals from an Indian village during a dance celebration. Can he get it back with Eagle’s help, and what will happen if he doesn’t get it?

The Well of the World's End is a Scottish fairy tale, from the Lowlands, collected by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales. In the story, a girl's mother died, and her father remarried. Her stepmother abused her, made her do all the housework, and finally decided to be rid of her. How the girl, with the help of a magic frog, outwitted the stepmother is the gist of the story.

In Jараnеѕе mythology, before thе fоrmаtiоn оf thе world, thеrе wаѕ a jelly-like and fоrmlеѕѕ mаѕѕ аnd at thаt time the vеrу first gеnеrаtiоn of the dеitiеѕ саmе intо bеing аt thе high plain of heaven, nаmеd Tаkаmаgаhаrа.Thе firѕt thrее рrimаl kаmi (gоdѕ) who came intо bеing wеrе Amеnоminаkаnuѕhi, Takamimusubi, аnd Kаmimuѕubi.

Do you want to learn about Cеltiс Mуthоlоgу? Cеltiс Mуthоlоgу has аrguаblе сарturеd thе imagination оf the wеѕtеrn world mоrе thаn аnу оthеr сulturаl mуthоlоgу except thаt of Grеесе аnd Rоmе. It iѕ here thаt wе learn оf the tales of mуthiс mоnѕtеrѕ, grеаt сhivаlriс hеrоеѕ, magicians, аnd fаirу lands. Due tо thе vаѕt аnd vаriеd hiѕtоrу of thе Cеltiс реорlе, hоwеvеr, it is diffiсult tо nаrrоw Celtic Mythology intо a niсе neat fоrmulа.

Greek Mythology takes you on an amazing journey of discovery, as you learn about the Titans, Olympians, and heroes of old. You'll learn how the primordial forces came together to shape the world. You'll also learn the fascinating tales of how the Titans clashed with each other and the Olympians that came after them. Also, you'll learn about the heroic adventures of the mighty Heracles!

An innocent man must lose his freedom, an innocent girl must yield her virginity, in this traditional tale from an era of kings. From bandit attacks in a forest to treacherous plots at court, love will undergo many trials with Allah's help, even if it comes in the form of a cheeky little mouse! This book fulfills a promise the author made to an Afghan restaurant owner who outlined the plot to him, and is accompanied by the author's own audiobook narration. Now be embraced by this magical tale!

The trouble started when Pepe the parrot fell in love with . . . a CAT! Hoping to win her paw, he invited her to his house for dinner. But within moments of arriving—with a gobble and a gulp—Carina swallowed that love-sick parrot whole! And he was just the appetizer!

Told in brief, repetitive episodes, Ichiro and the Great Mountain follows a young, free-spirited boy through the stages of life as he searches for his true self, making this original literary folktale by award-winning author and storyteller W. Nikola-Lisa a story of becoming or, in the Buddhist tradition, a story of self-realization and enlightenment.