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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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  • Save 21%
    by Brian C. Muraresku
    £14.99

    THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER As seen on The Joe Rogan Experience!A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and a real-life quest for the Holy Grail.The most influential religious historian of the twentieth century, Huston Smith, once referred to it as the "best-kept secret" in history. Did the Ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? And did the earliest Christians inherit the same, secret tradition? A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age?There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist - the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains an article of faith for today's 2.5 billion Christians. In an unprecedented search for real answers, The Immortality Key examines the archaic roots of the ritual that is performed every Sunday for nearly one third of the planet. Religion and science converge to paint a radical picture of Christianity's founding event...and, after centuries of debate, to solve history's greatest puzzle once and for all.Before the birth of Jesus, the Ancient Greeks found salvation in their own sacraments. Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries - elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god. In the 1970s, renegade scholars claimed this beer and wine - the original sacraments of Western civilization - were spiked with mind-altering drugs. In recent years, vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory. The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity. And with a single dose of psilocybin, the psychopharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers. But the smoking gun remains elusive.If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus? Was the Eucharist of the earliest Christians, in fact, a psychedelic Eucharist?With an unquenchable thirst for evidence, Brian C. Muraresku takes the reader on his twelve-year global hunt for proof. He tours the ruins of Greece with its government archaeologists. He gains access to the hidden collections of the Louvre Museum to show the continuity from pagan to Christian wine. He unravels the Ancient Greek of the New Testament with a Catholic priest. He spelunks into the catacombs under the streets of Rome to decipher the lost symbols of Christianity's oldest monuments. He breaches the secret archives of the Vatican to unearth manuscripts never before translated into English. And with leads from the archaeological chemists at the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he unveils the first scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelic drugs in classical antiquity.The Immortality Key reconstructs the suppressed history of women consecrating a forbidden, drugged Eucharist that was later banned by the Church Fathers. Women who were then targeted as witches during the Inquisition, when Europe's sacred pharmacology largely disappeared. Have the scientists of today resurrected this lost technology? Is Christianity capable of returning to its roots?Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock, the New York Times bestselling author of America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization.

  • Save 14%
    - The Brand New Jack West Thriller
    by Matthew Reilly
    £9.49

    Jack West is Indiana Jones meet Jason Bourne with a rocket launcher. A secret mythological sect seeks to rule the world. History, legend and global conspiracy abound and Jack and his motley crew are the only people who can stop it.

  • Save 14%
    - Legends of the Condor Heroes Vol. 4
    by Jin Yong
    £9.49

    The most popular series by the most successful Chinese author - a cultural monument translated into English for the first time.

  • Save 20%
    - Life lessons from myths and monsters
    by Nikita Gill
    £11.99

    Empowering life lessons from myths and monsters. Wonder at Medusa's potent venom, Circe's fierce sorcery and Athena rising up over Olympus, as Nikita Gill majestically explores the untold stories of the life bringers, warriors, creators, survivors and destroyers that shook the world - the great Greek Goddesses.

  • Save 15%
    by T. H. White
    £10.99

    The extraordinary story of a boy called Wart - ignored by everyone except his tutor, Merlin - who goes on to become King Arthur.T.H. White's masterful retelling of the Arthurian legend is an abiding classic. The Once and Future King, contains all five books about the early life of King Arthur (The Sword in the Stone , The Witch in the Wood , The Ill-Made Knight, The Candle in the Wind and The Book of Merlyn).Exquisite comedy offsets the tradegy of Arthur's personal doom as White brings to life the major British epic of all time with brilliance, grandeur, warmth and charm

  • Save 23%
    - Epic Tales
     
    £15.49

    Great floods and river Gods, snake spirits, and Immortals, China's unique set of mythological tales are derived from its vast expanse, diverse culture and the endless wars between tribes and dynasties. The result is a rich landscape of humanity, gods and spirits introduced here in this comprehensive book of folk tales and legendary exploits.

  • Save 10%
    by Simon Jimenez
    £8.99

    Two warriors shepherd an ancient god across a broken land to end the tyrannical reign of a royal family in this epic fantasy from the author of The Vanished Birds.

  • - Relatos de Mitos Nordicos, Dioses, Diosas, Gigantes, Rituales y Creencias Vikingas. (Spanish Edition)
    by Kory Aumont
    £11.99 - 18.99

  • Save 10%
    by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi
    £8.99

    A dazzling feminist coming of age tale from the award-winning author of Kintu

  • Save 10%
    by Stuart Turton
    £8.99

  • Save 10%
    by Alix E. Harrow
    £8.99

    A lyrical, spellbinding debut about the call of adventure, love against the odds and the power of stories to open doors to other worlds

  • Save 15%
    - Dark Star Trilogy Book 1
    by Marlon James
    £10.99

  • Save 14%
    - Legends of the Condor Heroes Vol. 2
    by Jin Yong
    £9.49

    The most popular series by the most successful Chinese author - a cultural monument translated into English for the first time

  • Save 23%
    by Jacob Grimm
    £16.99

    The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales, penned by the renowned author Jacob Grimm, is an enchanting journey into a world of fantasy and wonder. Published by Rock Point in 2020, this compilation of timeless tales is a must-have for lovers of classic literature. The book spans a range of genres, offering something for everyone, from the thrilling to the mysterious. Each tale is beautifully crafted, reflecting Grimm's mastery and creativity. The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales is more than just a book; it's a doorway into a realm where the extraordinary reigns supreme. Dive in and let your imagination run wild with Rock Point's 2020 edition of The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm.

  • Save 24%
    by Stephen Fry
    £18.99

  • Save 20%
    by Sarah Clegg
    £11.99

  • Save 21%
    by Elizabeth Helen
    £13.49

  • Save 14%
    by Raven Kennedy
    £9.49

  • Save 10%
    by Stephanie Garber
    £8.99

    Two villains, one girl, and a deadly battle for happily ever after. Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She's married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she's paid for this fairytale. She doesn't know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts. Blood will be shed, hearts will be stolen, and true love will be put to the test in A Curse for True Love, the breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Once Upon A Broken Heart trilogy.

  • Save 10%
    by Mark Lawrence
    £8.99 - 13.49

  • Save 23%
    by Shelley Parker-Chan
    £15.49

  • Save 10%
    by Costanza Casati
    £8.99

  • Save 15%
    by Natalie Haynes
    £8.49 - 14.99

  • Save 10%
    by Lexi Ryan
    £8.99 - 13.49

  • by Ryan Cahill
    £24.49 - 30.99

  • Save 16%
    by Diana Beresford-Kroeger
    £15.99

    "A rare gift: an inspiring tale about trees, trauma and the very purpose of life." -Andrew Nikiforuk, author of Empire of the Beetle Diana Beresford-Kroeger-a world-recognized botanist and medical biochemist-has revolutionized our understanding of the natural world with her startling insights into the hidden life of trees. In this riveting memoir, she uncovers the roots of her discoveries in her extraordinary childhood in Ireland. Soon after, her brilliant mind bloomed into an illustrious scientific career that melds the intricacies of the natural world with the truths of traditional Celtic wisdom. To Speak for the Trees uniquely blends the story of Beresford-Kroeger's incredible life and her outstanding achievement as a scientist. It elegantly shows us how forests can not only heal us as people but can also help save the planet.

  • Save 10%
    by Elizabeth Lim
    £8.99

    Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

  • Save 10%
    by Pat Barker
    £8.99

  • Save 29%
    - five iconic novels by one of the world's most beloved writers
    by Neil Gaiman
    £31.99

    A box set collection of five iconic novels by Neil Gaiman.

  • Save 23%
    - Epic Tales
    by Various
    £15.49

    Seers, healers, shaman, sorcerers and witches appear in many traditions of the world, from the Baba Yaga of Eastern Europe to the Skinwalkers of the Navajo, from Merlin of the Arthurian Legend to the foxes of Japanese witches. Druids and wizards appear in many forms, good and diabolical, all explored here in the epic tales of legend and myth.

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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