Folklore

“Human beings have always been mythmakers.” So begins best-selling writer Karen Armstrong’s concise yet compelling investigation into myth: what it is, how it has evolved, and why we still so desperately need it. She takes us from the Paleolithic period and the myths of the hunters right up to the “Great Western Transformation” of the last five hundred years and the discrediting of myth by science. The history of myth is the history of humanity, our stories and beliefs, our curiosity and attempts to understand the world, which link us to our ancestors and each other. Heralding a major series of retellings of international myths by authors from around the world, Armstrong’s characteristically insightful and eloquent book serves as a brilliant and thought-provoking introduction to myth in the broadest sense—and explains why if we dismiss it, we do so at our peril.

A unique feature of Hindu mythology is the key role played by animals or pashu. ThePuranas, ancient Hindu story chronicles, reveal that Brahma, the creator, had a soncalled Kashyapa, whose many wives gave birth to different types of pashu:• Timi gave birth to animals who swim• Vinata gave birth to animals who fly• Kadru gave birth to animals who crawl• Surabhi gave birth to animals with hooves• Sarama gave birth to animals with paws• Surasa gave birth to animals who defy classificationThis book retells their stories. With over 75 gorgeously illustrated anecdotes, DevduttPattanaik reveals how our ancestors imagined the animal kingdom, and the key roleanimals played in human lives.