Showing posts with label myths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label myths. Show all posts

Monday, 13 February 2017

In the Beginning


Virginia Hamilton

This wonderful collection of creation myths is a book I've had my eye on for a few years now. I rapidly devoured this book, as most of the creation myths are only a page or two, and there are beautiful full-page illustrations throughout. There were a handful of myths I was familiar with, and I think there were only two myths in the entire collection I did not enjoy. Toward the end of the collection, Hamilton presents myths I found very familiar--Greek myths and Judeo-Christian myths. I feel that most readers would be familiar with these tales, so it makes sense to save them for the end of the book, but as I read them I found myself longing for more "original" tales from Africa, from North America, from Russia. Perhaps a second volume of creation myths is necessary; it's one I'd gladly read!
--Mikie


Mikie brought this book to my attention when he added it to our list, and I was really excited to read it. (I actually ordered it months in advance - since we had to have physical copies of this one. With my parents visiting (yay!) I got started reading it after Mikie did, but it went super fast when I started reading it. It was a beautifully written book, and it was really interesting to read all the different creation myths. I agree with Mikie - I found myself enjoying the ones I wasn't familiar with more than the ones I'd been semi-aware of. 
I listen to a podcast called "Myths and Legends" and it's a similar concept - a telling of basic myths and legends from all over the world. I always find these interesting, and I enjoyed reading these ones, too. 
-Cat