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Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories: A Visual Encyclopedia
Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories: A Visual Encyclopedia: A Visual Encyclopedia | Philip Wilkinson
15 posts | 1 read
From lightning-wielding Zeus, the supreme Greek god, to protective Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of love - heroes, gods, and monsters are brought to life in these retellings of myths from around the world. Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories is a children's book that invites you to explore all the well-known stories from Greek and Norse mythology, and a range of other cultures across more than 100 tales. Discover the fascinating myths of Anansi, the West African trickster god who takes the form of a spider; the story of the Wawilak Sisters of Arnhem Land in northern Australia, who form the land as they walk across it; or the Slavic tale of Ivan as he chases the mischievous Firebird. Read about ferocious, man-eating monsters such as the Minotaur and Fafnir the dragon, and the legendary heroes that fought them, like Theseus and Sigurd. Also included are the legends of Robin Hood, and of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, epics from Asia, such as the Mahabharata and Gilgamesh, and a host of tales from Aztec mythology and a range of other cultures. As well as offering the retellings themselves, Myths, Legends, and Sacred Stories: a visual encyclopedia investigates the meanings of these primal stories, examining why these tales have stood the test of time over thousands of years. Themed features draw together elements that are common to myths from all over the world, such as shapeshifters, mythical beasts, and magical weapons. Panels on modern retellings, such as Percy Jackson and The Little Mermaid, help to show why these myths are still relevant to our lives today.
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“This myth confirmed the Egyptians' belief that their royal leaders were descendants of gods, and gave them hope of a life after death.”

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In this story, we see Osiris and Isis as beloved king and queen. Set as jealous and a murderer. From this story, we see that Isis becomes the goddess of healing and magic. This comes from the fact that she used magic to heal her husband. Osiris is resurrected but becomes a god in the underworld. He becomes the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation. Set is the god of war, chaos, and storms.

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“The Death of Osiris“ This story is of fighting between brothers Osiris and Set. Set was jealous of his Osiris, so he killed the king to take his place. Osiris's wife, Isis, heard about this and set out to find the man she loved and bring him back from death. Set found out, got mad, took Osiris's body and cut him up, then scattered the parts across Egypt. Isis, with the help of her sister, Nephthys, found all of him and brought him back to “life.“

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“When dead souls arrive at the underworld, Cerberus greets them like a friendly puppy. But if anyone ever tries to leave, or to enter the underworld without permission, he tears them apart and devours them in seconds.”

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This story is used as an explanation as to why nobody can ever leave the underworld or enter if they don't have permission or are already dead. This creature is used in many different tales from Greek mythology, such as in the tales of Hercules. They also use him in other movies and comics as well. He usually symbolizes an impossible task that must be overcome.

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“Cerberus“ Cerberus is the Greek legendary guardian of the underworld. He is a dog with 3 heads and poisonous drool that will tear apart anyone who tries to leave the underworld or anyone who tries to enter without permission.

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“The mother of all domestic cats, she protects the home from disease and evil, just as a pet cat protects it from mice, rats, and snakes.”

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This myth is just one of the many explanations that ancient civilizations have for why certain things happen. Bastet is one of the most well-known protectors in all of ancient Egyptian lore. Egyptians worshipped cats, and this story can give us insight into why.

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“Bastet“ Bastet is the most beloved cat goddess in all of ancient Egypt. She is the goddess of cats, women, home, family, and motherhood. She is the daughter of Ra and protects the pharaohs of Egypt. She also protects the home from disease and evil.

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“He ignored his father's warnings and climbed higher. The heat from the sun melted the wax and the feathers came apart... causing helpless Icarus to fall to his death in the sea.“

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This story shows how overconfidence puts you in a tough position or even kills you. This story is one that I feel is known by everyone, and everyone can learn from Icarus's mistake and not be so cocky because when you're up that high, it's a long way down.

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“The Fall of Icarus.“ This story is about an inventor named Daedalus and his son Icarus. Daedalus was well known. He found out his son was imprisoned. He came up with a plan to help him escape. He made both of them wings out of wax and feathers but warned Icarus not to fly too high so the sun wouldn't melt his wings or too low so that water wouldn't add weight to bring him down. Icarus was cocky. He flew too close to the sun and fell to his death.

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Nobody may know the exact name of this tree, but it has been used throughout history in modern fantasy novels, comics like Marvel's Thor, and even video games. This mythology is so interesting because it's an entirely different take on the universe and I love it.

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The first story I chose was “The World Tree.“ This story is about how in Norse mythology, there's an enormous ash tree called Yggdrasil. This tree is said to hold up the entire universe. The entire Norse Universe was built around this tree and the 9 realms it holds up, which represent the entire cosmos.