Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In his irreverent a question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous. He tackles Mesopotamia's Gilgamesh, the first hero in world mythology; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Thor, the Nordic god of thunder; Chinese oracle bones; the use of peyote in ancient Native American rites; and the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. Ever familiar and instructive, Davis shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes--from Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, from ancient Rome to the icy land of the Norse--continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music.--From publisher description.

A new installment of the best-selling series takes readers from Mount Olympus and the Maya of Central America to ancient Rome and the land of the Norse, sharing a wide range of tales and accessible commentary pertaining to mythological creation stories, gods, heroes, and more. The latest installment in the New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About series -- a magical journey into the timeless world of mythology. It has been fifteen years since Kenneth C. Davis first dazzled audiences with his instant classic Don't Know Much About History, vividly bringing the past to life and proving that Americans don't hate history, they just hate the dull, textbook version they were fed in school. With humor, wit, and a knack for storytelling, Davis has been bringing readers of all ages up to speed on history, geography, and science ever since. Now, in the classic traditions of Edith Hamilton and Joseph Campbell, he turns his talents to the world of myth. Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In his irreverent and popular question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous. In a single volume, he tackles Mesopotamia's Gilgamesh, the first hero in world mythology; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Thor, the Nordic god of thunder; Chinese oracle bones; the use of peyote in ancient Native American rites; and the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. Ever familiar and instructive, Davis shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes -- from Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, from ancient Rome to the icy land of the Norse -- continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music. For mythology novices and buffs alike, and for anyone who loves a good story, Don't Know Much About Mythology is a lively and insightful look into the greatest stories ever told.

History. Religion & Spirituality. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML:It has been fifteen years since Kenneth C. Davis first dazzled audiences with his instant classic Don’t Know Much About® History. His humor, wit, and a knack for storytelling has been bringing readers of all ages up to speed on history, geography, and science ever since. Now, the classic traditions of Edith Hamilton and Joseph Campbell, he turns his talents to the world of myth.
In his irreverent and popular question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world. Ever familiar and instructive, Davis shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music. For mythology novices and buffs alike, and for anyone who loves a good story, DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT® MYTHOLOGY is a lively and insightful look into the greatest stories ever told.

Contains an introduction to world mythology, presented in a question and answer format, and including time lines that cover the development of human culture.

Employing the popular series' style, with its familiar question-and-answer format, Don't Know Much About Mythology explores the myths of the world, their impact on history, and their continuing role in people's lives. Simultaneous with the hardcover, Don't Know Much About World Myths. Abridged. 3 CDs.

History. Sociology. Nonfiction. HTML:

In this fascinating installment of the New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About® series, Kenneth C. Davis explores the great myths of the world and their implications for art, science, religion and culture throughout history.

What is an Egyptian pyramid doing on the U. S. dollar bill? • Did a pharaoh inspire Moses to worship one God? • What's a Canaanite demoness doing at a rock concert?

Since the beginning of time, people have been insatiably curious. They've asked questions about where we come from, why the stars shine and the seasons change, and what constitutes evil. The imaginative answers crafted by our ancestors have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature.

In an engaging and delightfully irreverent question-and-answer style, Davis tackles the epic of Gilgamesh; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Odin, Thor, and the entire Norse pantheon; Native American myths, and much more, including the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. From Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, here is an insightful, lively look at the greatest stories ever told.

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History. Religion & Spirituality. Sociology. Nonfiction. Employing the popular Don't Know Much About® style, with its familiar question-and-answer format, DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT MYTHOLOGY will explore the myths of the world, their impact on history, and their continuing role in our lives. It will offer listeners a wide-ranging, comprehensive, entertaining and listenable survey of the great myths of world civilizations, how they came to be, what they meant to the people who created them, how they influenced society, literature and art through history, and how they still speak to us today. Mythology is alive today in our art, literature, theatre, dreams, psychology—and certainly our language. "Pandora's Box," "Golden Fleece," "Labor of Hercules," and "Wheel of Fortune" are just a few of the words and phrases that come from a world of mythology and still color our speech. Using humor, contemporary references, and anecdotal material from mythology, extensive research based on recent archaeology which often reveals the history behind mythology and surprising information that breaks down conventional wisdom, DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT MYTHOLOGY will ultimately be about stories—the great and timeless tales that have fascinated people around the planet for several millennia.

Ranges from Mount Olympus and the Maya of Central America to ancient Rome and the land of the Norse to share tales and accessible commentary pertaining to mythological creation stories, gods, and heroes.

With humor and wit, the tales of the great myths of the world are explained as is their relevance to current movies, art, language, and music.

Presents stories of the mythological world, recounting ancient tales of gods and heroes and how they have shaped modern culture, language, and religion.

In a question-and-answer style, Davis introduces and explains the myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous.

What is an Egyptian pyramid doing on the U. S. dollar bill? Did a pharaoh inspire Moses to worship one God? What's a Canaanite demoness doing at a rock concert? Since the beginning of time, people have been insatiably curious. They've asked questions about where we come from, why the stars shine and the seasons change, and what constitutes evil. The imaginative answers crafted by our ancestors have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About® series, Kenneth C. Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world using his engaging and delightfully irreverent question-and-answer style. He tackles the epic of Gilgamesh; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Odin, Thor, and the entire Norse pantheon; Native American myths, and much more, including the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. From Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, here is an insightful, lively look at the greatest stories ever told.

Davis introduces the great myths of the world in his irreverent and popular question-and-answer style.

Introduces some of the world's most famous myths in a question-and-answer format and discusses their influence on movies, art, language, and music.

The latest installment in the New York Times bestselling Don't Know Much About® series -- a magical journey into the timeless world of mythology It has been fifteen years since Kenneth C. Davis first dazzled audiences with his instant classic Don't Know Much About® History, vividly bringing the past to life and proving that Americans don't hate history, they just hate the dull, textbook version they were fed in school. With humor, wit, and a knack for storytelling, Davis has been bringing readers of all ages up to speed on history, geography, and science ever since. Now, in the classic traditions of Edith Hamilton and Joseph Campbell, he turns his talents to the world of myth. Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. In...

Ever familiar and instructive, Davis shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes---from Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, from ancient Rome to the icy land of the Norse---continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music. For mythology novices and buffs alike, and for anyone who loves a good story, "Don't Know Much About Mythology" is a lively and insightful look into the greatest stories ever told.

Where do we come from? Why do stars shine and the seasons change? What is evil? Since the beginning of time, people have answered such questions by crafting imaginative stories that have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature. Davis introduces and explains the great myths of the world, as well as the works of literature that have made them famous. He shows why the ancient tales of gods and heroes--from Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, from ancient Rome to the icy land of the Norse--continue to speak to us today, in our movies, art, language, and music.--From publisher description.

Employing the popular "Don't know much about" style, with its familiar question-and-answer format, "Don't Know Much About Mythology" will explore the myths of the world, their impact on history, and their continuing role in our lives. It will offer listeners a wide-ranging, comprehensive, entertaining and listenable survey of the great myths of world civilizations, how they came to be, what they meant to the people who created them, how they influenced society, literature and art through history, and how they still speak to us today. Mythology is alive today in our art, literature, theatre, dreams, psychology--and certainly our language.