Balder Ex-Libris - Dixon-Kennedy MikeReview of books rare and missing2024-03-16T01:56:42+00:00urn:md5:aa728a70505b2fae05796923271581c2DotclearDixon-Kennedy Mike - Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legendurn:md5:8d3aaa46cedf36ca7a2642ff0653f3ca2013-03-17T16:17:00+00:002013-03-17T16:18:12+00:00balderDixon-Kennedy MikeEncyclopediaMythologyRussia <p><img src="https://balderexlibris.com/public/img2/.Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_Encyclopedia_of_Russian_and_Slavic_Myth_and_Legend_s.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Author : <strong>Dixon-Kennedy Mike</strong><br />
Title : <strong>Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legend</strong><br />
Year : 1998<br />
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Link download : <a href="https://balderexlibris.com/public/ebook/Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_Encyclopedia_of_Russian_and_Slavic_Myth_and_Legend.zip">Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_Encyclopedia_of_Russian_and_Slavic_Myth_and_Legend.zip</a><br />
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Having studied the amazingly complex subject of world mythology and legend for more than twenty years, I have found few stories more stirring than those of ancient Russia. Regrettably for us, at the end of the twentieth century very few Russian pre-Christian (pagan) beliefs remain. Those that have survived have been Christianized, their pagan roots now long forgotten. My introduction to Russian legend was the story of the witch Baba-Yaga, told me by someone whose identity I have since forgotten. Many years later, as I began to research world mythology and legend, Baba- Yaga resurfaced as I delved into the mysteries and delights of ancient Russian and Slavic folklore. This book is a general guide to the myths and legends of the Russian Empire at its greatest extent, along with those of countries and peoples that can be broadly defined as Slavic or that have influenced and been influenced by Slavic cultures. Today, at the end of the twentieth century, Russia or Rus is a huge country that occupies a large part of Europe and Asia.Yet it was once a land of modest size that subsequently underwent centuries of expansion and change. Populations came and went, and each migration added to the culture base of the country as it progressed from one incarnation to the next—from principality to empire. All this movement has left the rich legacy of mythology and legend detailed in this volume—a legacy inherited by a land that covers approximately one-sixth of the earth’s total landmass. This volume is not unique.A good number of books have been published about the myths and legends of the ancient Russians and Slavs. However, as a quick look at the Bibliography will show, many of these are available only in languages other than English.Thus this book presents, possibly for the first time, the myths and legends in their translated form. In addition, a great deal of historical, geographical, and biographical information related to the Slavs and their mythology has been included so that readers may gain the deepest possible understanding of the myths and legends against their cultural and geographical background. A detailed map of the area covered by this volume has been included to make this last task easier; for even though certain places or countries described might be familiar, there are a fair number that are not so well known. Russian and Slavic beliefs weave a rich tapestry between the real world and the world of pure fantasy. Here we have a culture that believed in a large number of supernatural and fantastical beings, from dragons to one-eyed or multiheaded monsters, from shape-changing wolves to soulless beings.We also find a curious mix of the pagan and the Christian; for even though Russia adopted Christianity as the state religion in A.D. 988, paganism remained popular until the end of the nineteenth century, and in more remote areas, even up to the present day. Thus we find Christian themes interwoven with pagan ideas: Dragons fight priests, saints encounter nymphs, and witches enter the kingdom of heaven. It is my hope that by preparing this volume in the format in which it is presented, I have brought the myths and legends of the Russian and other Slavic peoples to a much broader readership, and by so doing, have increased readers’ understanding of the cultures on which the volume touches. Obviously one such volume cannot begin to do justice to this subject. Although I have included as much information as possible within the physical constraints of the book, I hope readers will be inspired to undertake their own, further research and to carry it to new levels. Whenever one writes a book, one obviously owes thanks to many different people for their help.To list all those who over the years have provided me with information, guided me as to where to look, and corrected my countless mistakes and assumptions would need a volume all its own. Needless to say, they all know just who they are, and to each and every one of them I say a great big “thank you.” My final thanks have to go to my longsuffering wife, Gill, and to Christopher, Charlotte, Thomas, and Rebecca, my four often “fatherless” children. For long periods of time over many years they have lost me to my research, my passion. Very rarely have they complained, and I hope that now they will be able to enjoy the results of their solitude. Whoever thinks writing is a solitary occupation should think of the writers’ partners, for theirs is the true solitude. Mike Dixon-Kennedy. Lincolnshire. <strong>...</strong></p>Dixon-Kennedy Mike - Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman Mythologyurn:md5:5f4c03c993a3c7921479e92e7e9e9a8d2013-03-17T16:13:00+00:002013-03-17T16:13:00+00:00balderDixon-Kennedy MikeEncyclopediaGreeceMythologyRome <p><img src="https://balderexlibris.com/public/img2/.Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_Encyclopedia_of_Greco-Roman_Mythology_s.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Author : <strong>Dixon-Kennedy Mike</strong><br />
Title : <strong>Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman Mythology</strong><br />
Year : 1998<br />
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Link download : <a href="https://balderexlibris.com/public/ebook/Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_Encyclopedia_of_Greco-Roman_Mythology.zip">Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_Encyclopedia_of_Greco-Roman_Mythology.zip</a><br />
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Perhaps more words have been written, and over a longer period of time, about the classical Greek and Roman cultures than any other. The time is right, however, for a book that takes the legwork out of finding reliable information about Greek and Roman beliefs. Obviously this volume cannot cover each and every character, event, and place that may be found in the classical Greek and Roman myths and legends. To do so would involve a great many more words, and thus a great many more pages (and volumes). However, this volume does cover all the major players, places, and events and includes many of the lesser known or more obscure so as to enable you— the reader, the student, the like-minded— quick and relatively painless access to the information. Additionally, so that further independent research might be facilitated with the minimum of fuss, this book has been researched, to a great extent, from the works of the essential classical authors and Robert Graves, with the remainder of the information coming from original personal research. This approach will enable readers to find further information without having to look for obscure publications and to decide on their own course for further research. The myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome have been close to my heart from a very early age, when my father, a classical scholar, would tell me the myths as most fathers would tell their children bedtime stories. I grew up with the stories of Heracles and his amazing adventures, of the perils of Odysseus as he spent ten years traveling home from the Trojan War, of Theseus and the Minotaur, of Perseus and Medusa, of Romulus and Remus, and many, many more. This childhood knowledge led to my starting a database of my own research in the mid-1970s, and since then that database has grown until it now contains a mass of information about each and every world culture, from the Aztecs to Zoroastrianism. The most extensive part of the database covers the classical cultures of Greece and Rome. I attribute this fact to three main factors. First, these cultures have permeated the very essence that is present-day Europe (indeed, if it had not been for the story of Europa, Europe might have had an altogether different name). Second, the teachings of the classical thinkers have, to a large extent, shaped not only Europe but the rest of the world. Third, a large number of texts from the period have survived into the modern day, along with the archaeology to support them. From all this comes a relative ease of research, and it is that ease, the simplicity with which students or researchers can lay their hands on the information, that has led to a plethora of books (good and bad) on the subject. Love of mythology and legend leads to research of people themselves, and as a result I have been drawn into those personal histories— their cultures, their wars, their laws, their very existences. This further research has, to a small degree, been incorporated within the pages of this volume so that you can, without having to look further afield, get a feeling for the people and their times—and, I hope, a feeling for the reasons why the classical Greeks and Romans revered their deities as no other civilizations have or possibly ever will. I hope that one day I will be asked to write a history of the classical peoples. I hope you will find this volume of considerable use. It has taken many painstaking years of solitary research. I have not relied on the contributions of anyone other than myself, so only I can take blame for any mistakes that may have found their way into the text. No doubt some exist; after all, it is only human to make mistakes. However, should you wish to bring these mistakes to my attention, or to make any other points or suggestions, I should only be too happy to hear from you. If you address your letters to me in care of the publisher of this book, I will be sure to receive them. Finally it remains for me to thank those who have helped to bring this volume to light. First and foremost my thanks have to go to my father, for without his storytelling I might never have developed an interest in mythology. Next I have to thank Robert Neville and everyone at ABC-CLIO, whether in Oxford, Denver, or Santa Barbara, for taking the raw text and turning it into the finished product you now hold, along with Jon Howard for his copyediting. Finally my thanks go to the five people most important to me: my wife, Gill, and our four children, Christopher, Charlotte, Thomas, and Rebecca. I thank them for their patience, love, and understanding as I have immersed myself in my passion—and for keeping the house quiet enough for me to work. One should always remember that even though writing is a solitary occupation, it is the writer’s partner who endures the true solitude. Mike Dixon-Kennedy. Lincolnshire, England. <strong>...</strong></p>Dixon-Kennedy Mike - European Myth & Legendurn:md5:4d6752ef7a7cbe68eb9ee76cf8191d4b2013-03-16T19:00:00+00:002013-03-17T00:01:12+00:00balderDixon-Kennedy MikeEuropeMythologyReligion <p><img src="https://balderexlibris.com/public/img2/.Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_European_Myth_and_Legend_s.jpg" alt="" /><br />
Author : <strong>Dixon-Kennedy Mike</strong><br />
Title : <strong>European Myth & Legend An A-Z of people and places</strong><br />
Year : 1997<br />
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Link download : <a href="https://balderexlibris.com/public/ebook/Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_European_Myth_and_Legend.zip">Dixon-Kennedy_Mike_-_European_Myth_and_Legend.zip</a><br />
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I laving studied the amazingly complex area of world mythology and legend for more years than I care to remember, there are few stories more stirring than those of ancient Europe, and in particular Russia. Regrettably for us at the end of the twentieth century, very few Russian pre-Chnstian (pagan) beliefs remain. Those that do have become Christianized, their pagan roots long forgotten. My first introduction to Russian legend was the story of the witch Baba-Yaga, though l forget who told me about her- I have a feeling it was a Russian sailor whose ship was at Shoreham harbour in Sussex, quite near my childhood home. Many years later, as I came to start my serious research into world mythology, Baha-Yaga came back mto the frame. However, apart from that one witch, there :;ecmed to be very little else Russian in my researches. Even now, and even though this book covers Russian mythology and legend, the stones I have managed to collect come mainly from the eastern portion of that vast country- a simple fact that has allowed rne lo include them in a book about European myth and legend. I felt that the stories needed telling, for they weave a magical, colourful path that is part fantasy and part embroidered fact. However, due to the paucity of mformation I managed to collect, I had to look deeper into my research database lO see how I could write a book with such meagre pickings. To begin with, I med conflating Russian with Slavonic, enabling me to look at all the Slavonicspeaking peoples, such as the Poles and Czechs. Disappointment followed, for the Polish and Czech information is even more meagre than the Russian. Southern Slavonic countries provided little more. I needed to look further. My trusty school atlas now came ro the rescue. Studying a map of Europe, I conSidered the validity of including myths and legends from surrounding countries. The first I looked at were the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estoma. The first two produced a little, but Estonia turned up absolutely nothing. Still, at last I was getting somewhere, even though I did not have anything approaching a book in length. Next I turned to the Finno-Ugric group, mainly Fmlancl but also any country whose inhabitants spoke one of the Finno-Ugric group of languages. By combmmg these with the Baltic and Slavonic mformation I had collected over the years, I came up with nearly enough to compile a single volume. For good measure, I have also included a few of the legends of some Turkic-speaking peoples when they came within rhe general geographical area being investigated. Finally, I looked at the remainder of Europe, includmg the Germanic-speaking lands from the Teutonic heartland up into Scandinavia, as well as some more random myths and legends from across Europe. Having already written books that cover Celtic and Arthurian myth and legend, I omitted all but a very few of those entries. I have also excluded Graeco-Roman myth and legend, as their inclusion would make this book cumbersome and I intend to write a separate volume on that subject. You will find a few small entries on that enigmatic British legendary figure Robin Hood here, but they are few and they are short, my reason being that this is another subject deserving the full treatment (with King Arthur, Robin Hood remains one of the best known, best loved and least studied of all European heroes). My last problem, having the information to hand, was how to present it clearly and concisely. The dictionary format came out far ahead of any other style, particularly as it brings the book into line with those already published and builds upon the information in those volumes. I hope you will find the stories within this book as enjoyable as I have. Whenever you sit down to write a book like this, there are obviously many different people who need to be thanked for their help. However, to list all those who have over the years provided me with information, guided me as to where to look and corrected my countless mistakes and assumptions would need a volume of its own. Needless to say, they all know just who they are and to each and every one of them I say a great big 'Thank you'. My final thanks have to go to my long-suffering wife, Gill, and to Christopher, Charlotte, Thomas and Rebecca, my four often 'fatherless' children. For long periods of time over many years, they have lost me to my research, my passion. Very rarely have they complained and I hope that now they will be able to enjoy the results of their solitude. Whoever thinks writers lead a solitary life should have thought for the writers' partners, for theirs is the true solitude. Mike Dixon-Kennedy. Cornwall. <strong>...</strong></p>