Customs & Traditions

Funerary rituals show us what people thought about mortality; how they felt about loss; what they believed came next. From Roman cremations and graveside feasts, to deviant burials with heads rearranged, from richly furnished Anglo Saxon graves to the first Christian burial grounds in Wales...

Unearths the stories of the little-known but powerful elder women in European myth and folklore, inspiring listeners to radically reimagine the last decades of their lives as the most dynamic of all....

Discover everything you’ve ever wondered about the legendary spirits, creatures, and figures of Japanese folklore including how they have found their way into every corner of our pop culture from the creator of the podcast Uncanny Japan. Welcome to The Book of Japanese Folklore: a fascinating...

Campbell outlines the Hero's Journey, a universal motif of adventure and transformation that runs through virtually all of the world's mythic traditions....

This fascinating audiobook is the first volume in a projected cultural history of the United States, from the earliest English settlements to our own time....

Dive into the timeless tales of gods and heroes in this bestselling A-to-Z encyclopedia detailing classic myths and legends—perfect for curious readers and academics alike. Edith Hamilton's mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek, Roman and...

A candid and revelatory story about the daughter of Chinese immigrants in mid-20th century California.....

Explore the enchanting world of Welsh fairy tradition as this guide unveils the enduring presence of these magical beings in Celtic myth and folklore.

From acclaimed folklorist and historian Adrienne Mayor, an enchanting collection of the ancient myths that emerged out of the wonders—and disasters—of the natural world.

This definitive and magnificent 10-volume unabridged translation is one of the rare English translations in full of the epic. Bibek Debroy makes the Mahabharata marvellously accessible to contemporary readers. Dispute over land and kingdom may lie at the heart of this story of war...

A seminal work of scientific and philosophical exploration. Ever since the Greeks coined the language we commonly use for scientific description, mythology and science have developed separately. But what if we could prove that all myths have one common origin in a celestial cosmology?

Containing magical and religious Italian folk rituals and prayers, this book explores divination techniques, crafting, blessing rituals, witchcraft, and, of course, the evil eye....

When prize-winning war correspondent Tony Horwitz leaves the battlefields of Bosnia and the Middle East for a peaceful corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains, he thinks he's put war zones behind him. But awakened one morning by the crackle of musket fire, Horwitz starts filing front-line dispatches...

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe's history....

Sparkling with legends, filled with new perspectives on ancient and modern times, this fascinating cultural study reveals Druids as catalysts in British history.

Prepare to be entertained as you learn about the many myths and legends of the Celtic people. From the storytelling duo behind the Candlelit Tales, this collection weaves together the stories of those heroes, deities, and monsters that make up the mythology.

The word mythology is derived from the Greek words mythos, which means story, and logos, which means speech. Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in society, such as foundational tales or origin myths....

Full of unforgettable figures and an unrelenting spirit of adventure, Strange Stones is a far-ranging, thought-provoking collection of Peter Hessler’s best reportage....

The ancient Romans have one of the richest collections of myths of all the early civilizations. In this book you can discover all the most important Roman gods, important Roman myths, the history of Rome, and much more....

On the central and north coast of British Columbia, the Great Bear Rainforest is the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, containing more organic matter than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet....

Authoritative and immediate, this is the classic account of the most powerful of the American Indian tribes. T. R. Fehrenbach traces the Comanches' rise to power....

Goddess with a Thousand Faces blends historical research with mythological retelling, taking an inspirational, enlightening and fiercely feminist deep dive into ancient goddesses to explore the modern concept of femininity....

Explore the world of Hungarian Paganism with this book's impressive collection of history, lore, and traditions from the Carpathian basin.

Queer Heroes of Myth & Legend brings to life characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious, and always fantastical. It is a magnificent celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary glory....

In Backwoods Witchcraft, Jake Richards offers up a folksy stew of family stories, lore, omens, rituals, and conjure crafts that he learned from his great-grandmother, his grandmother, and his grandfather....

Una docena de mitos de la historia de España, definidos y desmontados por el autor, desde el paraíso perdido de Al-Ándalus hasta el supuesto páramo cultural durante el franquismo.

New Zealand—Culture Smart! helps you get to the heart of this diverse and multicultural nation. It examines the impact of history, religion, and politics, while tips and vital insights into Kiwi attitudes, customs, and social life will help deepen your experience of this country and its fair-minded people.

Deep in the mist-shrouded mountains of Eastern Europe, where ancient castles crumble into forgotten valleys and village elders still whisper warnings after dark, lies the truth behind humanity's most enduring nightmare. Eastern European Shadows takes you on a chilling journey through newly discovered historical documents, archaeological evidence, and testimonies that will make you question everything you thought you knew about vampire folklore.

In Creation Stories of the Americas, you will join expert art historian Khristin Montes to encounter—and often reconstruct—creation myths across the Western hemisphere, zeroing in on cultures like the Pueblo, Mexica, Mixtec, Maya, Dine, and more. You will examine popular motifs within creation stories, from murky waters to journeys into the underworld. And you will contextualize these stories in the societies and environments from which they came, whether that’s the Caribbean, where cultures collided, or in the arctic, a place where scarcity enveloped everyday life.

Turkey—Culture Smart! is an invaluable guide to the intricate ins and outs of this culturally rich and complex society. This updated edition outlines the complex history of Anatolia, provides key insights into contemporary Turkish values and attitudes, describes important customs and traditions, and reveals what life is like for the Turks at home, at work, and at play.

A comprehensive and practical guide to the ancient oracle based on the runic alphabet of the Norse Reveals the symbolism and divinatory significance of the 24 rune "staves" Provides clear instructions on how to craft your own rune stones Explains the role of runes in the Norse wisdom...

A sweeping natural history of the most valuable trees on earth that have quietly transformed our economies, cultural traditions, and collective imagination for millennia. Every December, homes, offices, and town squares around the world are adorned with lavishly decorated evergreens to ring in...

They shed their skin at midnight and ride the sleeping... In the shadowy corners of Louisiana's bayous, an ancient terror still prowls. The Boo Hag—a shapeshifting spirit that slips from its skin to torment the innocent—represents one of America's most enduring supernatural traditions, rooted in the profound spiritual heritage of enslaved Africans. Anthropologist David G. Stone takes listeners on a haunting journey through centuries of hidden folklore, revealing how these malevolent spirits evolved from West African cosmology into distinctly American entities.

Hey, I’m Shawn Thomas, the guy behind Wildfoot Explores and the Hidden Bloodlines of Bigfoot series. I’ve spent years chasing stories across Alberta and the Pacific Northwest, and every mile has pointed me toward one truth: this mystery runs deeper than tracks in the mud.

رحلة مؤثِّرة ومثيرة إلى جزيرة سُقُطْرى، أو جزيرة السندباد المفقودة، يأخذنا إليها جوردي إستيفا في جولة معاصرة، مستعيداً أزمنة مضيئة من تاريخ قديم. هذا الكتاب نتاج خمس رحلات قام بها الرحَّالة الإسباني إلى سُقُطْرى في الفترة ما بين عامَي 2005 - 2011، تنقَّل فيها بين الماضي والحاضر، وقابل سَحَرة، واستمع إلى حكايات كبار السن، وجال بين روائح البخور والمر والقات، ومخلَّفات الجِمال وأغاني الواوا. يرسم المؤلف، فـي رهبـة وبشكل توثيقـي، جغرافية الجزيـرة الطبيعيّـة والأسطوريّـة والروحيّـة، وينقل قصص سكانها؛ لنتعرَّف بذلك على عالمٍ من الأعاجيب ربما أوشك على الاندثار.

Christmas Traditions in the Spanish-Speaking World is a warm, beautifully written guide to how Hispanic communities celebrate the season across Latin America and Spain. It blends history, food, music, and faith with the small, familiar details that make December feel like casa. Plus, the research behind this collection also highlights traditions from many other Spanish-speaking countries, revealing the beautiful diversity of how Christmas is celebrated across the Hispanic world.

'கடவளன சநத தசததன கடவளகள' மறககபபடட கலசசரததயம அதச சறறயளள சமகஙகளயம நனவடடகறத. தயயம எனபத இநதய மநலமன, கடவளன சநத தசம எனபபறறபபடம கரளவன தரவட சடஙகடன இணநத கல வடவம. அழகய படஙகளடம , நறறககணககன கதகளடம தயயம பறறய வரவன தகவலகள இநநல வழஙககறத. "மககளன, மககளல, மககளககக" எனபதறகறப, உணமயன கடவளகளன தயயம கலஞரகளகக இநநல சமரப பககறம.

Le isole greche sono terre del mito. Sono palcoscenici per avventure di eroi e divinità. L'Egeo è un mare di prodigi, un paesaggio di labirinti e di colossi, di vulcani e di palazzi. Ospita terre sacre, come la divina Delo, isola-ninfa che ha propiziato la nascita miracolosa di Apollo. Accoglie luoghi arcani, come Santorini, spezzata in due da un cataclisma, in tempi remoti, ma anche patria, secondo il folklore moderno, dei primi vampiri. Ogni isola ha la sua mitologia: a Creta è cresciuto Zeus, a Naxos si sono amati Arianna e Dioniso, a Serifos è apparsa la testa di Medusa.

In The Hidden Bloodlines of Bigfoot: Book Two, author Shawn Thomas takes you deeper beyond the veil where ancient lore, energy, and unseen influences intertwine. We’re not just chasing footprints anymore. We’re exploring the pulse of something that feels alive, intelligent, and connected to us in ways science can’t explain.

Together, we’ll explore the psychology, folklore, and emotional forces that keep this mystery alive. From the birth of the “Bigfoot” name in a 1950s logging camp to Hollywood’s transformation of the legend into a cultural icon, you’ll discover why belief endures and what it reveals about human nature itself. Exploring the Mind isn’t just for Bigfoot enthusiasts; it’s for anyone who loves a good mystery, is intrigued by the unseen corners of the human psyche, and still believes there’s a little magic left in the world.