Mythology

[Mr Bekkler]

I was being vague because it's been a while since I studied Norse mythology. It is, however, one of the most "flavorful" I think, along with some African and Aztec mythology.

By flavorful, I mean very distinct and elaborately set-up, with meticulous details that for some reason don't catch mainstream popularity like Roman and Egyptian mythologies do.

Even Greek mythology doesn't get enough play. When a movie or TV show is made that includes Heracles, for example, they use the Roman name Hercules, which immediately mixes the two and kills the joke about how much Hera hates the guy. Her husband cheated on her AND had a kid with a lowly mortal woman, AND named him after the wife! That was lost in (Roman) translation, and takes some of the fun out.

Kind of like how Christian mythology took the parts of Judaism they liked and changed a little around *ducks for incoming bricks*

[Arakial]

I guess I'll make a few more recommendations:

The Epic of Gilgamesh--racy, violent and thought provoking. Has interesting tie-ins to Christian lore and Greek myth.

The Saga of the Volsungs--lotta Norse myth in this one--quintessential even. Humorous, dramatic and violent. Very episodic, if you don't notice at first.

[tushantin]

XD But what about the most anime-used mythologies? What of our beloved Japanese cultures? Hah!

The legend of Susanoo, the Shinto God of Sea and Storms, brother to Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi.
Yamata no Orochi

[Phillies64]

I figured this was on topic. Has anyone read Neil Gaiman's novel  American Gods? It's a great book with a unique take on mythology.

Without giving anything away, it's about ancient gods and mythological figures trying to survive in a country that doesn't have any native gods. When people moved to America they brought over their beliefs, but these became bastardized or forgotten over the years. It's interesting to see the American aspects of these gods. For instance one of the few reminants of Norse mythology in the U.S.A. are the names of the days of the week.

Anyway it's an amazing read and fantastic for mythology buffs. I was really enjoying figuring which characters were which gods...etc. They never explicitly state which god the main character is, but I have my guess. If you haven't read it, please do.

[Thought]

If we're noting sources, then "Forty Old Icelandic Tales" translated by W. Bryant Bachman are fantastic. They're actually fragments taken from a variety of other sources, but they are often short, witty, educational, and amusing, all at once. And a few of them are good if you ever need to tell a ghost story.

[Mr Bekkler]

I figured this was on topic. Has anyone read Neil Gaiman's novel  American Gods? It's a great book with a unique take on mythology.

Without giving anything away, it's about ancient gods and mythological figures trying to survive in a country that doesn't have any native gods. When people moved to America they brought over their beliefs, but these became bastardized or forgotten over the years. It's interesting to see the American aspects of these gods. For instance one of the few reminants of Norse mythology in the U.S.A. are the names of the days of the week.

Anyway it's an amazing read and fantastic for mythology buffs. I was really enjoying figuring which characters were which gods...etc. They never explicitly state which god the main character is, but I have my guess. If you haven't read it, please do.

That sounds RIGHT up my alley! Buying on Amazon now.

[Lilka]

Norse mythology wasn't exactly good vs. evil, but it was "The Home Team vs. The Visitors."

A lot of mythology falls into that category, although it's generally presented as "gods from Heaven vs. gods from Earth," and generally the ones from Earth get horribly shafted.  Zeus and co. massacred the Titans, the Egyptian gods descended to rule as pharaohs, the far east pantheons conquered the earth spirits, etc.  The one main thing that does separate Norse myth from the others is that the Norse gods are fated to have revenge taken upon them in Ragnarok.  Of course, this wraps Norse mythology around Ragnarok like a vine, which does make for some epic and sometimes humorous tales.

Also, totally behind any American Gods hype.

[Lord J Esq]

Let me again be the lone voice shouting into the hurricane of popularity: I didn't like American Gods. Neil Gaiman has always been hit or miss with me; I keep wanting to give up on him, and he keeps coming up with something to just barely scrape and peck his way into the fringes of my appreciation. But American Gods was one of those works of his that laid pretty cleanly on the side of "Yecch."

Then again, that doesn't amount to a suggestion from me that you not read it. I'm rarely against people reading stuff. Mostly I'm just being crotchety at the near-universal praise of yet another overhyped piece of "mainstream alternative" fiction.

[Phillies64]

Let me again be the lone voice shouting into the hurricane of popularity: I didn't like American Gods. Neil Gaiman has always been hit or miss with me; I keep wanting to give up on him, and he keeps coming up with something to just barely scrape and peck his way into the fringes of my appreciation. But American Gods was one of those works of his that laid pretty cleanly on the side of "Yecch."

Then again, that doesn't amount to a suggestion from me that you not read it. I'm rarely against people reading stuff. Mostly I'm just being crotchety at the near-universal praise of yet another overhyped piece of "mainstream alternative" fiction.

That's a fair opinion. I don't like everything he does, but I love his ability to humanize gods. It's not an original concept by any means (something Gaiman himself admits constantly), but in my opinion no one does it better.

[Mr Bekkler]

Let me again be the lone voice shouting into the hurricane of popularity: I didn't like American Gods. Neil Gaiman has always been hit or miss with me; I keep wanting to give up on him, and he keeps coming up with something to just barely scrape and peck his way into the fringes of my appreciation. But American Gods was one of those works of his that laid pretty cleanly on the side of "Yecch."

Then again, that doesn't amount to a suggestion from me that you not read it. I'm rarely against people reading stuff. Mostly I'm just being crotchety at the near-universal praise of yet another overhyped piece of "mainstream alternative" fiction.

Any other suggestions, then?

[Lord J Esq]

It doesn't directly cover Earth deities, but The Silmarillion is my favorite mythological work and one of my favorite books overall. When I was at the height of my crush on Celtic history, I read Táin Bó Cúailnge which is still among my favorite mythological works. Going back to the era of children's stories, and tackling one of the world's major religions as "myth" (which is my wont), one of my favorite mythological works from youth is The Cat Who Went to Heaven. As an adult I think you would find it a quick read--quite unlike the other two--and still meaningful.

[Zephira]

http://us.macmillan.com/zeuskingofthegods Comics! The series is fairly new, the first book only released this January. The second, following Athena, was released last month. There are supposed to be ten more.
Probably not the most accurate accounts, but the series is aimed at junior high students, with study guides floating all over the place. It should be good as a refresher, or at least an entertaining read. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to obtain a copy of either book, but the excerpts are pretty awesome.

[Thought]

I finished reading "The Red Pyramid" last weekish and I must say that it was quite enjoyable. I am pleased that mythology is making a return and even more so that it this time it is Egyptian mythology. Greek and Roman may be my least favorite, since it gets so much attention. I'm bitter that way.