The Making of Christian Myths in the Periphery of Latin Christendom (c. 1000-1300)


Book Description

Mythology is usually reserved for non-Christian religions. However, the adoption of Christianity in Northern and East-Central Europe between c. 1000 and 1300 can be adequately described as a myth-making process: local saints were added to the Christian pantheon in all regions entering Latin Europe. The present collection explores the links between local sanctity and the making of national myths in medieval historical writing. By bringing together specialists in history and literature of the European periphery in question, the case is made that the writing of history and saints lives from this pioneering period should been analysed together as mainly successful attempts at creating cultural foundation myths.




A World of Their Own Making


Book Description

Discusses ritual events we regard as family traditions and how they must be open to perpetual revision so we can satisfy our human needs and changing circumstances.




Making Myths Before Our Eyes


Book Description

An essay about mythological themes in modern fiction.




The Modern Myths


Book Description

With The Modern Myths, brilliant science communicator Philip Ball spins a new yarn. From novels and comic books to B-movies, it is an epic exploration of literature, new media and technology, the nature of storytelling, and the making and meaning of our most important tales. Myths are usually seen as stories from the depths of time—fun and fantastical, but no longer believed by anyone. Yet, as Philip Ball shows, we are still writing them—and still living them—today. From Robinson Crusoe and Frankenstein to Batman, many stories written in the past few centuries are commonly, perhaps glibly, called “modern myths.” But Ball argues that we should take that idea seriously. Our stories of Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Sherlock Holmes are doing the kind of cultural work that the ancient myths once did. Through the medium of narratives that all of us know in their basic outline and which have no clear moral or resolution, these modern myths explore some of our deepest fears, dreams, and anxieties. We keep returning to these tales, reinventing them endlessly for new uses. But what are they really about, and why do we need them? What myths are still taking shape today? And what makes a story become a modern myth? In The Modern Myths, Ball takes us on a wide-ranging tour of our collective imagination, asking what some of its most popular stories reveal about the nature of being human in the modern age.




Eight Myths of Student Disengagement


Book Description

Many teachers report that student disengagement is one of the biggest challenges they encounter in the classroom, and research shows that there is a steady decline in students' engagement that begins as early as kindergarten and persists through the transitions to middle and high school. Young children are naturally curious and want to learn and explore, but unfortunately this all too often gives way to a lack of participation and effort, acting out and disrupting class, disaffection and withdrawal, and failure to deeply invest in academic content. Jennifer Fredricks's book goes beyond the idea that classroom management techniques and on-task behaviour ensure student engagement, to consider the emotional and cognitive dimensions that are critical for deeper learning and student achievement. Fredricks presents compelling strategies based on the research to demonstrate how instructional tasks, teacher-student relations, and peer dynamics all play a pivotal role in cultivating lasting student engagement.




Song of the Vikings


Book Description

“A wonderfully evocative biography of the . . . 13th century Icelandic writer and chieftain” who wrote the immortal stories of Thor, Odin, Valhalla, and Ragnarök (Guardian, UK). Much like Greek and Roman mythology, Norse myths are still with us. Famous storytellers from JRR Tolkien to Neil Gaiman have drawn their inspiration from the long-haired, mead-drinking, marauding and pillaging Vikings. But few of us know much about the creator of these immortal heroes: a thirteenth-century Icelandic chieftain by the name of Snorri Sturluson. Like Homer, Snorri was a bard, writing down and embellishing the folklore and pagan legends of medieval Scandinavia. Unlike Homer, Snorri was a man of the world—a wily political power player, one of the richest men in Iceland who came close to ruling it, and even closer to betraying it. In Song of the Vikings, award-winning author Nancy Marie Brown brings Snorri Sturluson’s story to life in a richly textured narrative that draws on newly available sources.




The Illustrated Book of Myths


Book Description

A collection of myths from many cultures.




Muscle Myths


Book Description

If you’ve ever felt lost in the sea of contradictory training and diet advice out there and you just want to know once and for all what works and what doesn’t—what’s scientifically true and what’s false—when it comes to building muscle and getting ripped, then you need to read this book. Let me ask you a question. Do any of the following claims sound familiar? “I have bad genetics—I’m a ‘hardgainer.’” “You have to work your abs more to get a six-pack.” “When doing cardio, you want your heart rate in the ‘fat burning zone.’” “You have to do cardio for 20 minutes before your body starts burning fat.” “Don’t eat at night if you want to lose weight.” “Steroids make you look great.” “I’m overweight because I have a slow metabolism.” You’ve probably heard one or more of these statements before, and the sad truth is lies like these have ruined many people’s fitness ambitions. There are many, many more. Thanks to the overwhelming amount of fitness pseudo-science and lies being pushed on us every day by bogus magazines and self-styled “gurus,” it’s becoming harder and harder to get in shape. Muscle Myths was written to debunk the most commonplace and harmful gimmicks, fads, myths, and misinformation in the health and fitness industry. Here are just some of the things you’ll learn in this book: Why you don’t have to cut carbohydrates (carbs), or fat, or eat weird combinations of food to lose weight. The truth about supplements and why 99% of them are a complete waste of money (and the few that are actually scientifically proven to work). What it actually takes to “tone up”—and it’s not doing “shaping exercises” (these don’t exist) or doing a million reps every workout. Why women shouldn’t be training differently than men if they want the lean, toned, and sexy type of body that they see in magazines, TV shows, and movies. The scientific secrets of getting a six-pack. Forget 6-minute gimmicks, doing endless crunches, and hours of grueling cardio—it’s actually pretty easy when you know what you’re doing. Training and diet methods that will completely shatter any perceived “genetic barriers” that you think are holding you back from building a muscular, lean physique that you love. The proper way to stretch so you don’t sap your strength and risk injury. (Most people do this wrong and suffer the consequences without even realizing it.) And much more. With the information in this book, you can save the money, time, and frustration of buying into misleading diet plans and products that promise unattainable results. You can become your own personal trainer and start getting real results with your diet and exercise. Scroll up and click the “Buy” button now to learn the no-BS truth of how to look good and feel great without having to endure tortuously restrictive diets or long, grueling exercise routines.




The Echo Chamber


Book Description

From Michael Bazzett, poet and translator of The Popol Vuh, a collection that explores the myth of Echo and Narcissus, offering a reboot, a remix, a reimagining. “Narcissus was never one to see himself // in moving water. // He liked his image / still.” In The Echo Chamber, myth is refracted into our current moment. A time traveler teaches a needleworker the pleasures of social media gratification. A man goes looking for his face and is first offered a latex mask. A book reveals eerie transmutations of a simple story. And the myth itself is retold, probing its most provocative qualities—how reflective waters enable self-absorption, the tragic rightness of Echo and Narcissus as a couple. The Echo Chamber examines our endlessly self-referential age of selfies and televised wars and manufactured celebrity, gazing lingeringly into the many kinds of damage it produces, and the truths obscured beneath its polished surface. In the process, Bazzett cements his status as one of our great poetic fools—the comedian who delivers uncomfortable silence, who sheds layers of disguises to reveal light underneath, who smuggles wisdom within “rage-mothered laughter.” Late-stage capitalism, history, death itself: all are subject to his wry, tender gaze. By turns searing, compassionate, and darkly humorous, The Echo Chamber creates an echo through time, holding up the broken mirror of myth to our present-day selves.




Making Mockery


Book Description

Ralph Rosen explores the dynamics of comic mockery and satire in Greek and Roman poetry, encouraging a synoptic, synchronic view of such poetry, from archaic iambus through Roman satire.