Books in Myths and Legends from Around the World series

This volume was written and recorded in a time when the great Northwest was rapidly becoming a settled country. With the passing of the traditional ways of the Indian much of the America's aboriginal folk-lore, rich in its fairy-like characters, and its relation to the lives of its native people has been lost. There is a wide difference between folk-lore of the so-called Old World and that of America. Transmitted orally through countless generations, the folk-stories of our European ancestors show many evidences of distortion and of change in material particulars; but the Indian seems to have been too fond of nature and too proud of tradition to have forgotten or changed the teachings of his forefathers. Childlike in simplicity, beginning with creation itself, and reaching to the whys and wherefores of nature's moods and eccentricities, these tales impress as being well worth saving. These 22 "Why" stories from the Blackfeet, Chippewa, and Cree tribes were handed down from father to son, with little variation, through countless generations, until the white man slaughtered the buffalo, took to himself the open country, and left the red man little better than a beggar. But the tribal story-teller has passed, and only here and there is to be found a patriarch who loves the legends of other days. This book is an attempt to ensure that these memories are forever on record and never lost to future generations. Old-man, or Napa, as he is called by the tribes of Blackfeet, is the strangest character in Indian folk-lore. Sometimes he appears as a god or creator, and again as a fool, a thief, or a clown. But to the Indian, Napa is not the Deity; he occupies a somewhat subordinate position, possessing many attributes which have sometimes caused him to be confounded with Manitou, himself. So enter unhindered, sit and listen until the hour grows late, while on the lodge-wall the dying fire makes the warning shadows dance. 33% of the net sale will be donated to the American Indian Education Foundation for scholarships. YESTERDAY'S BOOKS for TOMORROW'S EDUCATIONS A social enterprise project. www.AbelaPublishing.com

Once upon a time, our ancestors told stories to explain to each other how the world began or how a mountain or a lake came into being, or the wind or the sun. Then they told sotries about their own forebears: legends of half-remembered heroes of ancient times or of ordinary people whose lives were changed by some mystery, or who performed some great deed. The Crystal Pool is the fourth of Geraldine McCaughrean's glorious collections of myths and legends. It contains twenty-eight tales, including the legend of The Pied Piper and The Flying Dutchman, and stories from Iceland, Africa, Germany, America, China, Channel Islands, Japan, Egypt, Ghana, Australia, Ancient Greece. and many others. Like The Golden Hoard, The Silver Treasure and The Bronze Cauldron, The Crystal Pool combines the Exceptional talents of author Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrator Bee Willey in a book that will delight and enrich everyone who love a story.

In Norse mythology, giants, tricksters, and hammer-wielding gods reign supreme. The exciting stories of Odin, Thor, and Loki served as the foundation for a religious system that is fascinating and largely unfamiliar to most. This book recounts the stories the Vikings and northern Germanic peoples told and explores how these tales have been passed on for generations to appear in popular culture today.

The ancient Celts developed a rich oral tradition that recounted stories of conquest, magic, and powerful deities. Bards sang of an afterlife called the Otherworld, revealing much about their religious beliefs. This exciting book includes the most important stories from ancient Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man. The book also describes the dramatic rise and fall of the Celts.

Creation tales, stories of tricksters, and descriptions of deities are just a few elements of the rich tradition of the mythology of ancient Egypt and Africa. This bright book celebrates the diversity of these stories and takes a close look at the cultures they stemmed from. The book also examines how these captivating ancient myths and legends continue to appear in culture today.