Encyclopedia of Gods - Softcover

Michael Jordan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1856266362 ISBN 13: 9781856266369

Publisher: Kyle Cathie, 2005

Synopsis

Throughout history, questions of life and death, famine and bounty, good and bad luck have puzzled people the world over, and they have attempted to solve mysteries and allay fears in the same way - through the worship of gods. Arranged alphabetically from A-a, the sun goddess of Mesopotamia, to Zurvan, the Persian god of fate, Encyclopedia of Gods is the most broadly based work of reference yet produced on gods from all over the world. Giving equal emphasis to ancient mythology and contemporary religions, the entries explain the culture of origin and the role of each god or goddess, while longer essays give details of artistic and literary references, known dates of worship and legends associated with the more important deities.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Jordan is best known as a television journalist, but he has a lifelong passion for anthropology and the study of gods, witches and magic. His previous books for Kyle Cathie are Myths of the World and Witches: an encyclopedia of Paganism and magic. He is also the author of Gods of the Earth, a study of the Mother Goddess, and Mary, a controversial biography of the Virgin Mary.

From Booklist:

Coverage in this book is worldwide but not comprehensive. The compiler's aim is to include deities that someone with a serious interest in mythology would be most likely to want to identify. Since "gods are iconic figures whose `pedigree' belongs exclusively in the heavens," demons, demigods, and heroes are omitted. A preface discusses the evolution of the concepts of gods and goddesses and traces major civilizations (later portrayed on a time line) in relation to their myths.

The dictionary-length entries generally note the culture source (e.g., West Africa, Jain), role (e.g., earth creator, river goddess), genealogy (parents, siblings), and attributes (conch, arrow). Occasionally, entries note art or literature references, period of worship, synonyms, and/or cult center(s). No pronunciations are given, apart from some generalities in the preface.

Cross-references are intentionally limited, so there is no reference from Artemis to Diana. The first index lists gods by civilization and, for those cultures with many gods, by role. The subject index lists deities by role; some lists are broken down by culture (e.g., "guardian or tutelary--Arabic--Allat").

There are several dictionaries of gods, most recently the far more inclusive and expensive Guide to the Gods: A Dictionary of the Functions and Aspects of Deities [RBB Mr 15 92]. Libraries needing a dictionary on this topic will find Encyclopedia of Gods more scholarly in coverage and style than most. It can be recommended for academic and public libraries, although the presence of a bibliography would have strengthened its credibility and usefulness.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kyle Cathie
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1856266362
• ISBN 13: 9781856266369
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320