Compiled from ancient and scattered texts and based on groundbreaking new research, handbook of chinese mythology is the most comprehensive englishlanguage work on the subject ever written from an exclusively chinese perspective. This is in part due to an effort to account for the phenomena of mass culture by resorting to new models. This trilogy is a modernday persephone retelling with all of the frothy drama youd expect in a supernatural romance, and cheekily combines the troubles of life in the underworld with the everyday trials and tribulation of being a teenager. Before there was heaven and earth, there was darkness. What are the best books in english about japanese mythology. From traditional theatre forms to contemporary popular cinema thesis presented to the graduate council of texas state universitysan marcos in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree master of arts by frank bishop, b. Japanese mythology a to z, second edition is a valuable, colorful reference for anyone with an interest in mythology or japanese culture. Chinese mythology, in particular, is rich in stories about homosexuality. Having encountered manga and anime, ive often encountered passing references to stories such as hachikos dog, izanagi, amaterasu to name the most significant widely known as far as i. In 1961, and was coauthored by the great sumerian scholar benno landsberger, editor of.
The hardcover of the japanese mythology by judith n. From the ruler of the heavens amaterasu to ryujin, the dragonking of the sea, this book helps kids understand the myths that shape and direct peoples lives. The mythology of japan has a long history dating back more than 2,000 years. The kojiki is a repertory of the old myths and page 4 legends, and, in the latter part, of the ancient history of japan. Later, buddhism, which was introduced into china in the han dynasty 206 b. Daulaires book of greek myths daulaire, ingri, daulaire, edgar parin on. Most of the surviving japanese myths are recorded in the kojiki compiled 712. Necessity and limits of mythology 156 6 translators note the style of mythologies, which strikes one at first as being highly poetic and idiosyncratic, later reveals a quasitechnical use of certain terms. This is pretty predictable and covers only the more wellknown myths without going very deeply into the culture.
View japanese mythology research papers on academia. From traditional theatre forms to contemporary popular cinema thesis presented to the graduate council of texas state universitysan marcos in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree master of arts by. Japanese gods, too numerous to count, are known collectively as yaoyorozunokamigamithe eight million. The book reveals the origins of japans myths in the very different realms of buddhism, shinto, and folklore, and explores related mythologies of the ainu and okinawan cultures and recent myths arising from japans encounters with. Every book ive seen on their mythology either has only one star on barnes and noble, or only 32 pages, which cant possibly teach me anything. The nihongi, a work of similar scope, though based more on an existing written. However, if a reader knows nothing and wants a good introduction to this aspect of japanese culture, this is a good place to start. Pages in category start class japanese mythology articles the following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 211 total. Discusses the mythology of japan, its origins in shintoism and buddhism, and the gods, spirits, men, and animals that appear in the many legends and stories. Ichiro mitsunobu a new understanding of god 103 people in japanese society. An introduction to the spiritcreatures of japanese mythology. Titles in abcclios handbooks of world mythology handbook of arab mythology, hasan elshamy handbook of celtic mythology, joseph falaky nagy handbook of classical mythology, william f.
An independent open source renderer mediawiki2latex is available. May 23, 2014 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Japanese mythology by juliet piggott is a fantastic introduction to the topic. While there, magaram gave birth to bayajiddas first child, biram, the eponymous ancestor of the. An archive of our own, a project of the organization for transformative works. So noisy and dysfunctional that fat her apsu could not stand i t. A captivating guide to japanese folklore, myths, fairy tales, yokai, heroes and heroines explore captivating myths of japanese deities, yokai, heroes and heroines the study of mythology and folklore is a peculiar one to the ext. Readers of japanese mythology will learn the history of myths, as well as their deeper meaning. Handbook of japanese mythology michael ashkenazi oxford. The reason for this, however, is that the circumstances have also hindered the japanese from getting access to oppor. A synopsis of the babylonian creation myth1 freshwater apsu and marinewater mummutiamat commingled and produced the gods lah.
Most of the books about the stories of classical mythology depend. In chinese mythology, anne birrell provides english translations of some 300 representative myth narratives selected from over 100 classical texts, many of which have never before been translated into any western language. I really want to know more about japanese mythology, but i dont know where to look. The inhouse pdf rendering service has been withdrawn. Because of the dynamic nature of the web, some addresses and links. Mythological japan or the symbolism of mythology in relation. All links and web addresses were checked and verified to be correct at the time of publication. Said to be the third daughter of the dragonking of munetsuchi, over the course of years she has gone from being a protective deity of japan to one who bestows good fortune upon the state and its people.
Handbook of japanese mythology makes it easy to travel this vast yet littleknown mythological landscape. Let us hope that this book may assist in attracting many to the headfountain of a river whose. Religions and homosexuality in china the chinese conception of sexuality is influenced by its aboriginal religions, especially taoism and confucianism. Folklorist alan dundes defines myth as a sacred narrative that explains how the world and humanity evolved into their present form. Later, buddhism, which was introduced into china in. Each title focuses on specific aspects of life in ancient greece, and offers vivid closeups of its art and architecture, history, literature, government, religion and mythology, warfare, and more. Norse mythology by neil gaiman pdf download ebookscart. Japanese mythology, body of stories compiled from oral traditions concerning the legends, gods, ceremonies, customs, practices, and historical accounts of the japanese people. It doesnt go into a whole lot of detail on everything, but it acts as a great primer on the folklore particularly when it comes to ghosts, gods, and places. A little word on japanese mythology this section is meant as a bit of a help to me and to you. See also the what is the directory structure for the texts. Book printed and bound by bang printing, brainerd, mn date printed. Handbook of japanese mythology by michael ashkenazi. The book reveals the origins of japans myths in the very different realms of buddhism, shinto, and folklore, and explores related mythologies of the ainu and okinawan cultures and recent myths arising from japans encounters with modernization.
It is only because the sources of that history are unknown to the general reader that such assurance upon the lack of it exists. Japanese divinities simple english wikipedia, the free. Shinto, an indigenous religion, and buddhism, which developed in india and came to japan from china and korea. Inside ancient greeceprovides readers with a comprehensive introduction to one of the most fascinating cultures of the ancient world. Did you know that earths magnetic poles are not the same as earths geographic poles.
In the midst of this darkness was a swirling mass in the shape of an enormous egg, containing all things. Shadow of the fox by julie kagawa, red winter by annette marie, flame in the mist by renee ahdieh, kinslayer by jay. Oni, in japanese folklore, a type of demonic creature often of giant size, great strength, and fearful appearance. Bayajidda realized that he was being tricked when he had only his wife and one slave left. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg.
Buy a cheap copy of japanese mythology book by juliet piggott. Hansen handbook of egyptian mythology, geraldine pinch handbook of hindu mythology, george. Japanese mythology ebook by jim ollhoff nook book ebook. Buy handbook of japanese mythology handbooks of world mythology by michael ashkenazi isbn. Im a 20 year old college student who studies narrative and game design as well as japanese language. Feb 02, 2016 what are the best books on japanese mythology. This book covers hindu mythology during the vedic and puranic periods. Japanese mythology by juliet piggott and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
Handbook of chinese mythology lihui yang and deming an with jessica anderson turner. Shinto and buddhist traditions are the cornerstones of japanese mythology. World mythology sky deities ps mythopedia, an ongoing project to catalog an entire worlds worth of mythology, from the ancient greeks. If you visit this section, that means i dont need to write in brackets an explanation of what i mean every time i use a japanese term. They are generally considered to be foreign in origin, perhaps introduced into japan from china along with buddhism. While there, magaram gave birth to bayajiddas first child, biram, the eponymous ancestor of the petty kingdom of gabastabiram east of biram. Neil gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his.
June 2010 printed in the united states of america 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 this book is printed on acidfree paper. The history of thousands of years of contact with china, korea, ainu, and okinawan myths are also key influences in japanese mythology. They are the cast of a vast, complex mythology that encompasses two religions, three cultures, and three millennia, one whose ancient deities are still hard at work today. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or. Find out more with our north magnetic pole interactive did you know that most of the earths clouds and weather are found in lowest level of the earths atmosphere. Japanese mythology is a collection of traditional stories, folktales, and beliefs that emerged in the islands of the japanese archipelago. Also known as benten, she is the goddess of everything that flows. The nihongi, a work of similar scope, though based more on an existing written literature, was produced a few years later 720. Creatures and supernatural beings of hindu mythology. Mythological japan, or the symbolism of mythology in relation to japanese art by otto, alexander f holbrook, theodore s. Pages in category japanese mythology the following 86 pages are in this category, out of 86 total. Read online norse mythology by neil gaiman book or download in pdf. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and more. From there he moves into the later, and very intricate, puranic mythology.