English Mythology

From blanket fairs to night kings, curfews to crime, At Day's Close is an intriguing and captivating investigation into the night. Until now, this rich and complex universe in which we spend nearly half of our lives was a world long-lost to historians. Here, Ekirch explores how the night was lived in the past, through travel accounts, memoirs, letters, folklore, poems, court records and coroner's reports. More than this, it is a passionate argument in the case for less artificial light in an increasingly bright world.

Richard Dawkins, the world’s most famous evolutionary biologist, presents a gorgeously lucid, science book examining some of the nature’s most fundamental questions both from a mythical and scientific perspective. Science is our most precise and powerful tool for making sense of the world. Before we developed the scientific method, we created rich mythologies to explain the unknown. The pressing questions that primitive men and women asked are the same ones we ask as children. Who was the first person? What is the sun? Why is there night and day?

Petra Grady has known since adolescence that she has no talent for magic—and that’s never going to change. But as a sweeper first-class, she’s parlayed her rare ability to handle dross—the damaging, magical waste generated by her more talented kin’s spellwork—into a decent life working at the mages’ university. Except Grady’s relatively predictable life is about to be upended.

Martín Prechtel revives a hitherto unknown Guatemalan Tzutujil Mayan tale of the beginnings of the world with a poetic retelling of the story. Prechtel authoritatively retells the powerful tale of the Tall Girl who weaves the world in a loom, her parents the Sun and the Moon who repudiate her suitors, and the mysterious man who disguises himself as a hummingbird to lure her away.

When 17-year-old Scarlet Monroe arrives to the sleepy seaport town of Rosalyn Bay, Ireland, the last thing she expects is to get tangled up in the dark and mysterious world of Jack Connelly. Popular, wealthy, and devastatingly beautiful, Jack and his three brothers have effortlessly cast a spell on just about everyone at school. There's just one problem: Their family's cursed. At least that's what all the local superstitions say. But when Scarlet inadvertently banishes a demon while trying to save Jack's life, she unleashing powers she didn't even know she possessed.

Cash Cassidy goes against her husband’s wishes and departs Wales for South America to seek El Dorado, the famed lost city of gold. When she’s pursued by authorities, robbed of a critical item, and abandoned by the smugglers who were her guides, it’s up to Cash to find her way to safety to El Dorado. Meanwhile, Cash’s husband is desperate to find her—he’ll do anything to save her from a terrible fate. Cash travels undercover on the odyssey of a lifetime through jungles, across mountains, and even across borders. After she meets a man who reveals more clues about the whereabouts ...

What if the act of giving was the oldest magic of all? Gebo (ᚷ), the rune of sacred exchange, is more than a symbol of generosity—it is the heartbeat of connection, reciprocity, and divine balance. In this devotional and workbook, author and rune practitioner Jón Vaningi invites readers into the intimate mysteries of Frigg, Norse goddess of weaving, wisdom, and unseen gifts. Through mythic storytelling, poetic invocation, and hands-on spiritual practices, Gebo: Sacred Gift of Frigg guides you into the living pattern of mutual grace where true transformation unfolds. From the silence of...

Egypt is a vibrant and diverse country with some of the most impressive sights in the world. Its history was dominated by powerful figures who changed the course of world history. Ever since the legacy of the ancient pharaohs was uncovered, the public imagination has been captivated by stories of wealthy rulers and deadly curses. How much is true? And how much is speculation?

In a realm where betrayal burns hotter than Hellfire, choosing the wrong ally might cost more than your soul. The Underworld is fracturing. Demons vanish without a trace. Founders build armies in the shadows. And Ezekial Sunstone—demon without magic but heir to Lucifer's throne—stands at the center of the coming storm. When a trusted ally betrays those Zeke cares most about, friends become prisoners and mentors become martyrs. Now, with a mysterious entity called "One" whispering riddles in his mind and the Hellfire refusing his command, Zeke must forge impossible alliances with angels,...

The second book in a three-volume collection, The World of Lore: Wicked Mortals tells the incredible true stories of some of the mortals who achieved notoriety in history and folklore through horrible means. Monsters of this sort - serial killers, desperate criminals, and socially mobile people with a much darker double life - are, in fact, quite real.

In a world where rational, scientific explanations are more available than ever, belief in the unprovable and irrational - in fringe - is on the rise: from Atlantis to aliens, from Flat Earth to the Loch Ness monster, the list goes on. It seems the more our maps of the known world get filled in, the more we crave mysterious locations full of strange creatures. Enter Colin Dickey, cultural historian and tour guide of the weird.

Long before the sword-wielding heroes of legend readily cut down forests, slaughtered the old deities, and vanquished their enemies, there were playful gods, animal-headed kings, mischievous lovers, trickster harpists, and vegetal magicians with flowering wands. As eco-feminist scholar Sophie Strand discovered, these wilder, more magical modes of the masculine have always been hidden in plain sight.

Following feedback from reviewers,third Revised Edition! Suspense and mythological fantasy mixed with sci-fi. In a remote and forgotten human colony in a remote solar system, a new unorthodox god is born from the “life energy” of an atheistic country. This event is a mythological paradox because this god thrives on the growth of human knowledge and spirit, and does not want to be worshiped. The surrounding countries are religious and ruled by “conventional” gods who demand total and blind obedience. These "regular" gods understood the danger of this new strange god instantly. ...

Death is not the end of Bryn’s story. It’s only the beginning. Brynja Danelsdottir never dreamed of being a Valkyrie, but the Fates have their own designs: Bryn’s plans to escape her family’s poverty and travel the world are destroyed when she gets pregnant by the chieftain’s son, and her once-lover betrays and kills her. Now the goddess Freya has summoned Bryn’s spirit to Asgard, the world of the gods, and offered her a choice: join the Valkyries in protecting humanity and Asgard alike, or stride through oblivion’s gate, and face the final end. Bryn refuses to be cast away, ...

Relics of a mysterious god, the Spice Gates connect the eight far-flung kingdoms, each separated by a distinct spice and only accessible by those born with a special mark. This is not a caste of distinction, though, but one of subjugation: Spice Carriers suffer the lashes of their masters, the weight of the spices they bear on their backs, and the jolting pain of the Gates themselves.

While there are many books that explore China’s history, public knowledge is still lacking. Many people can name more than one Roman Emperor, but how many can name a Chinese Emperor?

Japan has seen the rise and fall of emperors, samurai warriors, isolation, expansion, defeat, rebirth, and much more. In this book we explore the magnificent history of Japan from its early origins to its rise as a modern superpower.

I see this book as an Unfinished Symphony and tribute to a man who even in his own time attained legendary and even mythic status. This was originally a long paper written for a Folklore class at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. Even though it was just a term paper, I poured my heart into the project, reading everything I could about Morrison, listening to the Doors music, and reflecting on why Morrison was just so damn charismatic. Reading it through again today, I feel it still holds up and will definitely be of interest to Doors fans and those interested in exploring the man ...

Gathering a wide range of traditional African myths, this compelling new collection offers tales of heroes battling mighty serpents and monstrous birds, brutal family conflict and vengeance and desperate migrations across vast and alien lands. From impassioned descriptions of animal-creators to dramatic stories of communities forced to flee monstrous crocodiles, all the narratives found here concern origins - whether of the universe, peoples or families.

Now we are all pawns in a war against the gods… The four of us (Skarde, Fyrcat, Torsten, and I) all have one common goal: to find the goddess Freya and convince her to join us against Odin to end the forever Winter that’s overcome the earth. But along the way, we encounter more and more hostile enemies—the forces of Odin sent to deter us on our mission. Not only that, but we’re also suffering internal battles as we all struggle to understand whom we can trust and whom we can’t. Will the ice of the forever Winter eventually overtake us, or will we be successful in our mission ...