South American Mythology

Fülszöveg

South American Mythology
The way the great Inca empire fell to a handful of Spanish soldiers is well known. But in that encounter a priceless store of legend and history was nearly lost. Only the records of the Spanish chroniclers and the work of archaeologists has enabled part of the lore of the ancient South American civilisations to be preserved.
This book tells the stories of the Indian peoples of South America, their traditions and beliefs: the divine origin of the Inca; the myths of Collao; the fabulous green tiger which causes eclipses of the sun and moon by attempting to eat them; jaguar cults; legends of giants; the cult of the dead. Many of the legends were written down by the chroniclers but information also survives in the customs of present-day Quecha and Aymara Indians-the direct successors of those who fell to the Spaniards. Harold Osborne lived among the Quecha Indians for a number of years and is well qualified to tell their story. He reveals a new world of rich... Tovább

Fülszöveg

South American Mythology
The way the great Inca empire fell to a handful of Spanish soldiers is well known. But in that encounter a priceless store of legend and history was nearly lost. Only the records of the Spanish chroniclers and the work of archaeologists has enabled part of the lore of the ancient South American civilisations to be preserved.
This book tells the stories of the Indian peoples of South America, their traditions and beliefs: the divine origin of the Inca; the myths of Collao; the fabulous green tiger which causes eclipses of the sun and moon by attempting to eat them; jaguar cults; legends of giants; the cult of the dead. Many of the legends were written down by the chroniclers but information also survives in the customs of present-day Quecha and Aymara Indians-the direct successors of those who fell to the Spaniards. Harold Osborne lived among the Quecha Indians for a number of years and is well qualified to tell their story. He reveals a new world of rich and vivid legends drawn from every part of this strange and fascinating continent.
¦ ¦ , : LIBRARY OF THE WORLD'S MYTHS AND LEGENDS
, ' i' I Myths and legends are found the world over, and their
. ;!, / origin and purpose form a special part of the story of
, , the development of the human race. Some of these
¦ , i ' , myths embody people's early explanations of the world , ; , , ' . ¦ ¦' they lived in, the forces governing their lives and the
. ' ' ; need to provide some account for the good'and evil that
' befell them. Many of these forces were personified -
' ¦ I ' given names and personahties - the first step to the for-
' ^ ¦ . malisation of belief in ritual and in religion. A galaxy
' . of gods, devils, heroes and monsters emerged, as varied
¦ ; ' as the societies from which they sprang and the appeal ' ; ' ' ' of their actions. Mythology has served as the foundation
Y \ ' ' of the loftiest and most abstract thought in art and
:! ; ^ religion - of Milton's Pflraiiise Losi and the Hindu Bia-
1 , ' ¦' , i gavad Gita\ equally the legends of the lesser spirits have
ii ' ' been retained in folk tales familiar to us all in fairy
tales.
The Library of the World's Myths and Legends is an
.'l' . ' . , , authoritative series on the major mythologies of the
; ', . ' i' world's history. Written by a team of well-known schol-
•'i, , ars, including archaeologists, linguists and students of
I ; . , ; comparative religion, each book in the library combines
J I ' ! an attractive recital of the myths of a culture with the
¦ ' i world-picture that these stories reveal and the art-forms
¦ V' ,,, ' ,1 5 they have inspired. The text is fully illustrated with
',„1 I i.'j i pi ¦ , f artefacts and paintings related to the myths, and, where
ij , .1 ¦¦ I : i' ' ¦ I 3 appropriate, ethnological material showing the role of
jl j : !,;. 'i I, I ' \ !' ' myth in everyday life.
i' ''' i ' ; See back flap for full list of titles in the Library
i v''i t^i' - I , ,' ! li . ' ' . ¦ ll
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