Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities

by Patricia Turner and Charles Russell Coulter

Book Overview

Throughout history, humans have pondered the question of their existence. In nearly every society, part of the answer has included some form of god or goddess. For the Mayans, one such deity was Ajtzak, who tried to create humans from wood; for the Yorubas of Africa, Shango controlled the thunder and lightning. The Chinese of the Shang dynasty era worshipped Shang Ti. Evil deities were also part of the answer, as in the case of the Kuvera, the Hindu...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1476685568
• ISBN13: 9781476685564
• Release Date: November 2020
• Publisher: McFarland & Company
• Length: 605 Pages
• Weight: 3.43 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 8.4" x 10.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up

Customer Reviews

Comparative Mythology/Religion made a whole lot easier

This Dictionary is massive and I mean that in a good way. In our modern age of internet search engines galore, one might ask is such a book necessary? As a person who is regularly using the popular search engines to research and track down esoteric and occult knowledge, the answer is an absolute whole-hearted emphatic Yes! Despite my tenacity and drive to track down information that I am seeking, I find it 99.9999% of the time, but when i do find the answer, usually that .0001%, it is very miniscule at best shedding little light upon my original inquiry. Well I am pleased to see that both Deities and rites that are obscure are found within the pages of this text. If I was too sit down and go through all the pantheons and related subject matter culture by culture, even reading at my fastest speed, while maintaining understanding, it will probably take me at least 6 to 8 weeks to read through all the entries. In terms of content, some of the entries are very short while others are fairly long, as would be the case with any other dictionary or encyclopedia. This book is a must have for any student's of comparative mythologies or religions. The bibliography is also really good for those persons who wish to do additional or more in depth reading on a particular culture's religious iconography.

Good Reference Source

It had been difficult for me to find information on ancient myths, especially some eastern cultures. This book has a very comprehensive list of ancient deities. I am glad that I ordered this book.

A Great Compilation

There have been a few books readily available on various deities and spirits of the world, but this is by far the best I have ever seen. I appreciate that the author really seems to have done some solid research, theres certainly a bit more than just the scratch of the surface on many of the deities listed. I have found a lot of information on many Gods that I had heard of, and even more on those that I had not. Buy with confidence.

The best starting place you could find...

Go to the mythology section of any bookstore and peruse the shelves--what is the ratio of Greek/Roman & Norse mythology to any other? As much as I love delving deeper into the more well known myths/religions, a little variety would be wonderful. And it just so happened that one day it was necessary. I was hunting about for some information on Egyptian and Slavic mythology, but found precious little on the latter and only a little more on the former. That's when I came across the *Dictionary of Ancient Deities*. I flipped to the index and found every name that I was looking for(including some obscure ones that I had found no mention of in any other books.) This wonderful reference tool spans just about every continent and gives a concise accounting of people, places, etc.Sure, the entries may not be incredibly long, but it's the best starting place I've yet to find. And even just thumbing through it, stopping when an interesting name or ritual popped out at me, gave me some interesting writing ideas. *The Dictionary of Ancient Deities* is surely a must for anyone wishing to explore world mythology.

Top Reference on My Shelf

This reference was filled with a smaller number of Gods and Goddesses than some other books that can be found, but as far as the references go, They were down to the point and yet still full of usefull information. I recomend this book to those who wish to crss reference Gods and Goddesses from many different religions and just read in general.