The Lessons of Nature in Mythology
The Lessons of Nature in Mythology

Author: Rachel S. McCoppin

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2015-10-29

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1476622159

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This examination of myths from around the world focuses on the role nature plays within mythology. Creation myths from myriad cultures recognized that life arose from natural elements, inextricably connecting human life to the natural world. Nature as portrayed in myth is unpredictable and destructive but also redemptive, providing solace and wisdom. Mythology relates the human life cycle to the seasons, with spring, summer, fall and winter as metaphors for birth, adulthood, old age and death. The author identifies divinities who were direct representations of natural phenomena. The transition of mythic representations from the Paleolithic to Neolithic period is discussed.

Greek Gods, Human Lives
Greek Gods, Human Lives

Author: Mary R. Lefkowitz

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2003-01-01

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 9780300107692

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Insightful and fun, this new guide to an ancient mythology explains why the Greek gods and goddesses are still so captivating to us, revisiting the work of Homer, Ovid, Virgil, and Shakespeare in search of the essence of these stories. (Mythology & Folklore)

Mark Twain and the Brazen Serpent
Mark Twain and the Brazen Serpent

Author: Doug Aldridge

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2017-03-13

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 1476668450

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Focusing on the overarching theme of religious satire in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this study reveals the novel's hidden motive, moral and plot. The author considers generations of criticism spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, along with new textual evidence showing how Twain's richly evocative style dissects Huck's conscience to propose humane amorality as a corrective to moral absolutes. Jim and Huck emerge as archetypal twins--biracial brothers who prefigure America's color-blind ideals.

The Hero's Quest and the Cycles of Nature
The Hero's Quest and the Cycles of Nature

Author: Rachel S. McCoppin

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2016-10-13

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 1476625751

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This examination of the heroic journey in world mythology casts the protagonist as a personification of nature--a "botanical hero" one might say--who begins the quest in a metaphorical seed-like state, then sprouts into a period of verdant strength. But the hero must face a mythic underworld where he or she contends with mortality and sacrifice--embracing death as a part of life. For centuries, humans have sought superiority over nature, yet the botanical hero finds nothing is lost by recognizing that one is merely a part of nature. Instead, a cyclical promise of continuous life is realized, in which no element fully disappears, and the hero's message is not to dwell on death.

Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You
Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You

Author: Agustín Fuentes

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2015-05

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 0520285999

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There are three major myths of human nature: humans are divided into biological races; humans are naturally aggressive; and men and women are truly different in behavior, desires, and wiring. In an engaging and wide-ranging narrative, Agustín Fuentes counters these pervasive and pernicious myths about human behavior. Tackling misconceptions about what race, aggression, and sex really mean for humans, Fuentes incorporates an accessible understanding of culture, genetics, and evolution, requiring us to dispose of notions of “nature or nurture.” Presenting scientific evidence from diverse fields—including anthropology, biology, and psychology—Fuentes devises a myth-busting toolkit to dismantle persistent fallacies about the validity of biological races, the innateness of aggression and violence, and the nature of monogamy and differences between the sexes. A final chapter plus an appendix provide a set of take-home points on how readers can myth-bust on their own. Accessible, compelling, and original, this book is a rich and nuanced account of how nature, culture, experience, and choice interact to influence human behavior.

Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache
Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache

Author: Grenville Goodwin

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 1994-03

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 0816514518

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These 57 tales (with seven variants) gathered between 1931 and 1936 include major cycles dealing with Creation and Coyote, minor tales, and additional stories derived from Spanish and Mexican tradition. The tales are of two classes: holy tales said by some to expalin the origin of ceremonies and holy powers, and tales which have to do with the creation of the earth, the emergence, the flood, the slaying of monsters, and the origin of customs. As Goodwin was the first anthropologist to work with the White Mountain Apache, his insights remain a primary souce on this people.

Terrapsychology
Terrapsychology

Author: Craig Chalquist

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-08-11

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1000928349

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- The place of nature and environment is increasingly recognized in therapeutic theory and practice. - Co-edited by the originator of the theory of Terrapsychology. - Builds on his successful 2020 title, Terrapsychological Inquiry, which we also published.