The meaning of myth -- In the beginning (Order out of chaos -- The birth of the gods -- The shape of the universe -- Making the earth -- The first people -- How things came to be -- The universal flood -- Visions of renewal -- Picture essay: Worshipping the heavens) -- A world alive with gods and spirits (Powerful spirits of place -- Masters of the elements -- Bonds between animals and humans -- The divine drama of the seasons -- The great goddess -- Tricksters and troublemakers -- Guardians of hearth and home -- Picture essay: Sinuous and eternal symbols) -- God-Kings and supermen (Divine rulers -- History into myth -- The call to glory -- The epic quest -- The death of heroes)
Confronting the final mystery (How death came into the world -- The soul's journey -- Facing a final judgement -- The worlds of the dead -- Living visitors to the dread domain -- Returning to the land of the living -- Picture essay: Acts of sacrifice) -- An enduring legacy (The twilight of the gods -- An unquenched thirst for legend -- Folklore enters the Space Age).
|
