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Mythology

Tales' category of mythology contains some of the oldest written texts in history. The mythology books will take you on adventurous journeys through ancient worlds of brave heroes and great gods of the past. Our collection covers myth from all around the world. You can find stories about the Vikings’ Norse gods and sorceresses, but you can also dive into the legendary and heroic tales of Ancient Greece. You can also get wiser on Ancient Egypt and it’s gods and pharaohs. Finally you will find mythology books about Ancient Japan with descriptions of its traditions and customs. Get ready to be inspired by the stories of the past.
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  • by Gareth Thomas
    £9.99

    Novel set in 1930s London and Wales against the background of approaching war and the fight against Fascism in Spain. Historical romantic fiction which documents the real contribution of Glamorgan and the Rhondda to the International Brigade.

  • by C. S. Georgadidis
    £11.99

    An enchanting tale of romance and tragedy that follows Goddess Panorea who descends alone to Earth as a mortal, where she embarks on a journey in search of life and love.

  • by Angharad Price
    £11.49

    Gan agor yn 1799, dyma nofel sydd wedi''i gosod mewn cyfnod o newid cymdeithasol mawr. Mae''r tir yn cael ei gau. Mae''r chwyldro diwydiannol ar droed. Mae anghydffurfiaeth yn ennill ei lle. Pa ffawd sy''n aros gwerin cefn-gwlad? Ond mae hon hefyd yn stori gariad, a hwnnw''n mynd o''r crud i''r bedd, a''i liwiau cyfnewidiol yn creu patrymau blêr o...

  • by EA Wallis Budge
    £13.49

    Explore fascinating tales from ancient Egyptian mythology in this beautiful hardback collection. From creation myths to tales of the underworld, these legends offer incredible insight into the culture and beliefs of this ancient civilization. This covetable edition is presented with a stunning gold cover embossing and stencilled page-edges.

  • by Joseph Jacobs
    £7.99

    Written by classic folklorist Joseph Jacobs, Celtic Folk & Fairy Tales includes over 26 charming tales from folklore from the Celtic tradition, including: ''The Shepherd of Myddvai'', ''The Story of Deirdre'', ''The Sea-Maiden'', and ''Beth Gellert''.

  • by Jeremiah Curtin
    £7.99

    Heroes of Irish Mythology includes some of Jeremiah Curtin''s exquisite retellings of Ireland''s most daring tales and their courageous heroes, including the skilled swordsman Elin Gow, the great yet unassuming Conal, the grimly determined Miach Lay, the extraordinarily proportioned Coldfeet, and the perspicacious Blaiman.

  • by Joseph Jacobs
    £15.49

    From tales of King Arthur to Gaelic gods, this deluxe hardback anthology brings together incredible myths and legends from Celtic folklore, written by Irish author T. W. Rolleston. This luxurious hardback edition is presented with gold gilded pages, ivory paper, and beautiful endpapers, making a treasured companion.

  • by Richard Gordon Smith
    £13.49

    This luxurious collection brings together 50 ancient tales from Japanese mythology, from historical legends such as ''History of Awoto Fujitsuna'' to magic realist tales such as ''How Masakuni Regained his Sight''. These tales presented in a stunning gift edition with gold cover embossing, full-colour endpaper designs and stencilled page edges.

  • by Joseph Jacobs
    £11.99

    Celtic Myths features wondrous tales handed down in Gaelic through the generations, retold by renowned folklorists Joseph Jacobs and James Stephens. This beautiful gift edition is luxuriously presented with deluxe silk binding, gold cover embossing, and full-colour illustrations.

  • by Mary Litchfield
    £7.99 - 15.49

  • by Sophie Keetch
    £12.49

  • by W. B. Yeats
    £11.99

    In this highly giftable volume, the best-loved legends of the Emerald Isle come to life. Discover the magic of Ireland’s most treasured stories with Irish Folk and Fairy Tales. William Butler Yeats’ charming storytelling style captures the spirit of Ireland’s timeless myths and legends. Young and old will love these stories of tricksters and spectres, kings, queens, and princesses, in an heirloom edition that includes:A stunning, foil-embossed, faux-leather coverBeautifully designed end papersMore than 50 tales and poemsA must-have for every home library, Irish Folk and Fairy Tales is a book that you’ll reach for again and again, destined to grace your bookshelves for years to come. Essential volumes for the shelves of every classic literature lover, these deluxe classics editions include beautifully presented works from some of the most important authors in literary history. Other deluxe classics from Chartwell include Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Dracula, The Republic, The Iliad, The Essential Tales of Edgar Allan Poe, Meditations, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories.

  • by Rutendo Dione
    £7.99

    Step inside the first book of this magical fairy tale adventure with a twist! Amber is staying with her uncle when the Big Bad Wolf suddenly materialises in the living room. Together, they must track down Little Red Riding Hood and plan a daring rescue operation with the help of Hansel and Gretel.

  • by W. D. Westervelt
    £7.99 - 9.99

  • by Apuleius
    £7.99 - 12.99

    Eager to learn the rules of magic, Lucius agrees to participate in a shapeshifting spell that suddenly goes awry, transforming the man into a donkey. His life is abruptly upended as he is attacked, stolen and sold multiple times before finding relief through divine intervention. Lucius is enamored with witchcraft and begs a woman to transform him into a bird. Unfortunately, she fails, and he is immediately turned into an ass. This leads to a tumultuous journey that takes Lucius away from his friends and puts him into the hands of strangers. He is sold by thieves, cooks and farmers, forced to engage in strange and laborious tasks. With each owner comes a different set of obstacles and inevitable misunderstandings.A rare text stemming from Roman antiquity, The Golden Ass is infused with mythological elements. The story covers a wide range of topics from witchcraft to adultery and murder. This expansive narrative has enough twists to keep any reader on the edge of their seat. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Golden Ass is both modern and readable.

  • by Aristophanes
    £5.49

    The Frogs follows interpersonal conflicts between men and women, Greek gods, and the natural and supernatural. Using extraordinary circumstances, the author provides commentary on multiple public figures spanning religion, politics and literature. The Frogs is one of Aristophanes'' most notable works. The story centers on Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine, who''s also known as a patron of the arts. In an effort to restore Greek tragedy to its former glory, Dionysus travels to the underworld to bring the late playwright Euripides back to life. While on this mission he encounters other prominent figures such as Aeschylus, the "Father of Tragedy," and Heracles, the Greek demigod. Aristophanes'' work is filled with biting humor and colorful commentary that has stood the test of time. Unlike his peers, a portion of his plays (11 out of 40) survived his death and remain fully intact. The Frogs offers a glimpse into the impressive catalog that made Aristophanes one of the greatest playwrights of his era. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Frogs is both modern and readable.

  • by Martha Warren Beckwith
    £9.99

    Brought from West Africa during the slave trade, the legend of Anansi, a spider-god and trickster spirit, is central to the folklore of the Jamaican people. Compiled and arranged by famed ethnographer Martha Warren Beckwith, Jamaica Anansi Stories is a definitive record of the songs, stories, and riddles of the Jamaican oral tradition.

  • by W. D. Westervelt
    £6.99 - 9.49

    Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes (1916) explores Hawaiian folktales and myths collected by W. D. Westervelt. Connecting the origin story of Hawaii to the traditions of other Polynesian cultures, Westervelt provides an invaluable resource for understanding the historical and geographical scope of Hawaiian culture. Beginning with the origin story of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, Westervelt introduces his groundbreaking collection of legends on the volcanic nature of the Hawaiian Islands. When the goddess Pele comes to the island of Hawaii seeking a permanent home, she finds Ai-laau, another god of fire, already in possession of the territory.Despite his fearsome power over creation and destruction, Ai-laau disappeared the moment he became aware of Pele's presence. Having traveled across the limitless ocean, her name was already known far and wide, along with her reputation for strength, anger, and envy. Establishing herself within the crater of Kilauea, Pele quickly took command over the gods, ghost-gods, and the people inhabiting the islands. Central to Hawaiian history and religion, Pele continues to be celebrated in Hawaii and across the Pacific today.With a professionally designed cover and manuscript, this edition of W. D. Westervelt's Hawaiian Legends of Volcanoes is a classic of Hawaiian literature reimagined for modern readers. Add this beautiful edition to your bookshelf, or enjoy the digital edition on any e-book device.

  • by Akshat Gupta
    £11.49

    The brutal Afghan army was led by Sardar Khan, the most ruthless commander of Emperor Ahmed Shah Abdali, ill-famed for the demolition of temples and building a history of genocide in Bharat.

  • by Peter Taylor-Gooby
    £9.49

    A riveting and engaging true story of an extraordinary woman who defied ancient Greek standards and became the First Lady of Athens. Aspasia was trafficked as a sex-worker but rose to become the lover of Pericles. She went on to publish her own philosophical work and became the most prominent female figure in the history of Athens.

  • by Rosie Hewlett
    £13.49

  • by W. B. Yeats
    £8.99 - 13.99

  • by Arthur W Ryder
    £16.99 - 28.49

  • by Graeme Macrae Burnet
    £9.99

    Inspired by sites in the care of English Heritage, from the mythical Tintagel to mysteriousStonehenge, eight well-known contemporary authors have turned afresh to thelegends of the past.

  • by John Farrelly
    £12.99

    A fresh and entertaining introduction to many of the weirdest and scariest creatures from Irish lore, perfect for anyone who has ever wondered about the things lurking in the dark. Farrelly's Field Guide to Irish Faerie Folk collects stories about familiar monsters, like banshees and púcas, and introduces new ones like the aughisky and marbh bheo. Presented as a field guide to Ireland, seen through the eyes of Fantasius Farrelly as the fictitious collector and guide, this book is a true one of a kind.

  • by EA Wallis Budge
    £8.99

    Provides wonderful insight into Egyptian religion, spirituality and beliefs.

Mythology
Mythology is the foundation of many of today's stories, take for example the stories of King Arthur and Merlin, a well-known story that goes back to the celtic mythologies. It has fascinated many writers all around the world and with good reason. Myths take you on fascinating and sometimes even magical journeys and into the ancient worlds of the past. The mythologies build on folklore and you can learn a lot about the ancient lifestyles by reading mythology books. The themes in mythologies are often built around honor and bravery, but the tales also have their own universal moral message. 

Norse mythology books
In the Nordic countries we have a long and proud history of folk tales and some of them can be traced all the way back to the Middle Ages and even before that, to what we describe as the Norse period, where all the Scandinavian countries were connected as one and not divided into nations. The North was instead formed by many smaller societies, who lived comparatively insulated and connected to nature. Such a life could be hard and created fertile soil for folklore and the belief in supernatural creatures, which are found in many folk tales. Most of the tales were part of an oral tradition and were often handed down through many generations. The mythology tales were first written down and converted into mythology books many years after they were told for the first time. 
We cannot mention the Norse period without the Vikings. Vikings are known all over the world for their strength, ships and sometimes brutal conquests, but the Vikings were defined by so much more than that. They had for example a vivid and intriguing tradition for mythology. To the Vikings they were so much more than myths, it was their religion. The Norse religion referred to as Asatru consists of multiple gods, goddresses, brave heroes and volvas, which were strong female sorcerers and fortune tellers. If you want to find your way to get started in Nordic mythology you can find a good description and overview in Penguin Book of Norse myths - Gods of the Vikings

Greek mythology books
Some of the greatest and most famous myths are found in Ancient Greece. You might have heard about the gods Zeus and Prometheus, the goddesses Athena and Aphrodite, and the heroes Hercules and Achilles? They are just a few of the unique figures of Ancient Greek mythology. They are found in some of the greatest classics of world literature; the Iliad and the Odyssey written by Homer. At Tales you can get them as mythology books in their traditional verse form, but we would also recommend you to take a look at Stephen Fry’s interpretations of the classical tales. Fry takes the timeless classics into modern times by rewriting the mythologies in a modern, easy understandable english, but he still keeps the essence of the Ancient mythologies. You can find Stephen Fry’s Heroes and Mythos in our selection of mythological books. 

Egyptian mythology books
Another world of mythologies is found in Ancient Egypt. Here we come across Ancient gods and goddesses with faces formed as animals. One of the central gods in Egyptian mythology is the sun god Ra. Ra was the incarnation of the sun, which was the foundation of life. In Egyptian mythology we also find mummies. Mummies were the deceased faraos, who were embalmed and covered in gaze to restore them for the afterlife. The god Osiris would then help them on their way through the afterlife. The mummies were placed in their own pyramid, who would show the greatness of the faraos for the times to come. The pyramids still stand in Egypt and show the history of the past. Among our egyptian mythology books you find the book Egyptian Mythology, which has collected all the fascinating tales of Ancient Egypt and all its gods, goddesses and legendary creatures. 

Japanese mythology books 
You can also find japanese mythology books in Tales’ selection. The japanese myths are little known to people, but contain many amazing stories. You can for example find the story behind the samurais, an Ancient collection of warriors in the japanese armies. A samurai had to live up to certain virtues in order to keep his status. A samurai should both be loyal and have a high level of endurance, modesty, and honor. You could learn a lot about a country from its mythology, because it is the foundation of the country’s culture, although a lot of changes have found place since then. If you aren’t familiar with japanese mythology, we recommend you to read the Handbook of Japanese Mythology among our collection of japanese mythology books. 

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