158-440: The Enchanted World was a series of twenty-one books published in the time period 1984-1987. Each book focused on different aspects of mythology , fairy tales or folklore , and all were released by Time-Life Books . Their overall editor was Ellen Phillips and their primary consultant was Tristram Potter Coffin , a Guggenheim Fellowship Award-winning University of Pennsylvania Professor Emeritus of English. A unique part of
316-613: A moral , fable , allegory or a parable , or collection of traditional stories, understood to be false. It came eventually to be applied to similar bodies of traditional stories among other polytheistic cultures around the world. Thus "mythology" entered the English language before "myth". Johnson 's Dictionary , for example, has an entry for mythology, but not for myth. Indeed, the Greek loanword mythos ( pl. mythoi ) and Latinate mythus (pl. mythi ) both appeared in English before
474-449: A "disease of language". He speculated that myths arose due to the lack of abstract nouns and neuter gender in ancient languages. Anthropomorphic figures of speech , necessary in such languages, were eventually taken literally, leading to the idea that natural phenomena were in actuality conscious or divine. Not all scholars, not even all 19th-century scholars, accepted this view. Lucien Lévy-Bruhl claimed that "the primitive mentality
632-449: A book on the comparative study of mythology and religion—argued that humans started out with a belief in magical rituals; later, they began to lose faith in magic and invented myths about gods, reinterpreting their rituals as religious rituals intended to appease the gods. Historically, important approaches to the study of mythology have included those of Vico , Schelling , Schiller , Jung , Freud , Lévy-Bruhl , Lévi-Strauss , Frye ,
790-478: A decade after the publication of the series by Time-Life Books, some, but not all, of its first-edition UK and German-language volumes were joined by two followup editions released by third-party publishers, who were licensed to do so by the European "Time-Life Books B.V." Amsterdam branch as specified in the colophons of the individual volumes. The first concerned the 1999 second-edition German-language hardcovers without
948-607: A decade, Time-Life Books supported their Mysteries of the Unknown book series with a TV ad campaign that consisted of commercials that would air during prime time through broadcast and cable television networks such as TNN , Nick at Nite , MTV , VH-1 , and TNT . In the process the series became one of the publisher's most, if not the most, advertised on television. Conceived by the New York City-based Wunderman Worldwide agency and Time-Life's own Tom Corry,
1106-610: A dust jacket release, licensed to Eltville -based Predita Verlag who released these volumes under its "ECO Köln /VVA" imprint, featuring deviant cover art and newly assigned ISBNs, but did not carry the first edition Geheimnisse des Unbekannten series title though the original Time-Life cover illustration was printed on the back-cover. They were joined by a 2005-06 third German-language edition released by Augsburg -based publisher Weltbild Verlag [ de ] . Also executed as simple hardcovers with again new covers they were this time around issued with no ISBNs and subordinated under
1264-458: A dust jacket. Both the UK and German reiterations were bookstore/retail-only releases. In order of publication; the UK and German-language editions have their first-edition ISBN listed first, followed by the second-edition ISBN where applicable: Brendan Lehane 's book opens stating that in the earliest days the world was not yet fully ordered and the process of creation not yet completed. Since reality
1422-477: A failed or obsolete mode of thought, often by interpreting myth as the primitive counterpart of modern science within a unilineal framework that imagined that human cultures are travelling, at different speeds, along a linear path of cultural development. One of the dominant mythological theories of the latter 19th century was nature mythology , the foremost exponents of which included Max Müller and Edward Burnett Tylor . This theory posited that "primitive man"
1580-596: A full license from the European Time-Life Books B.V. which had managed to stay in business a few years longer after the American "Time-Life Books, Inc." mother division had gone defunct in 2001 as a dedicated book publisher. The volumes released by Caxton featured redesigned cover art with a dust jacket and were furnished with new ISBNs. As usual with the Caxton editions, its licensed Time-Life pedigree releases did feature
1738-416: A hero fought and were the jewels in a king's crown. It emphasizes that heroes were often born to gods and mortal Queens—it was not given to peasants to sire or spawn heroes. Such men were warriors and were expected to be fierce and savage. Their lives were short, bound to vows of vengeance and the "cruel demands of honor". The life of Irish hero Cuchulain is retold, and with it, how while there were other men of
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#17328845557641896-415: A likewise partial series release by Milan publishing giant Arnoldo Mondadori Editore (as I misteri dell'ignoto , 1990–92, the first twenty volumes published ), whereas Time-Life Books' regular go-to licensee Ediciones Folio, S.A. from Barcelona had a Spanish-language edition published (as Misterios de lo desconocido , entire series published in 1993, the "Master Index" included ) Italy already saw
2054-568: A literal translation of the series title. This edition was published in its entirety, contrary to both the Dutch-language edition as well as the German second-edition release, which ran for only eight volumes. Apart from these two foreign language licensed editions, the UK too saw a partial second-edition release in 2003-2005, licensed to the London -based Caxton Publishing Group under a full license from
2212-508: A major magazine publisher from Buenos Aires . Theirs however, was a deviant paperback release format with redesigned wrappers as cover, as the at least twelve known volumes were released in a magazine-type format under the overall Biblioteca Time Life Books Conozca Más moniker as indication that it was intended as a side collection of the publisher's then-main Conozca Más magazine publication. In service of that goal and published out of order,
2370-446: A methodology that allows us to understand the complexity of the myth and its manifestations in contemporary times, is justified. Because "myth" is sometimes used in a pejorative sense, some scholars have opted for "mythos" instead. "Mythos" now more commonly refers to its Aristotelian sense as a "plot point" or to a body of interconnected myths or stories, especially those belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition. It
2528-564: A mix of especially commissioned ones done by an international array of contemporary book illustrators of repute, as well as already existing ones lifted from older works from the hand of past masters, especially those from the Victorian and Edwardian ages of romanticism , which had seen a strong revival of interest in folklore, the Arthurian legends in particular. At first, the books were not furnished with dust jackets. They were however provided for
2686-535: A myth can be highly controversial. Many religious adherents believe that the narratives told in their respective religious traditions are historical without question, and so object to their identification as myths while labelling traditional narratives from other religions as such. Hence, some scholars may label all religious narratives as "myths" for practical reasons, such as to avoid depreciating any one tradition because cultures interpret each other differently relative to one another. Other scholars may abstain from using
2844-486: A pattern of behavior to be imitated, testifies to the efficacy of ritual with its practical ends and establishes the sanctity of cult . Another definition of myth comes from myth criticism theorist and professor José Manuel Losada . According to Cultural Myth Criticism, the studies of myth must explain and understand "myth from inside", that is, only "as a myth". Losada defines myth as "a functional, symbolic and thematic narrative of one or several extraordinary events with
3002-536: A poetic description of the sea as "raging" was eventually taken literally and the sea was then thought of as a raging god. Some thinkers claimed that myths result from the personification of objects and forces. According to these thinkers, the ancients worshiped natural phenomena, such as fire and air, gradually deifying them. For example, according to this theory, ancients tended to view things as gods, not as mere objects. Thus, they described natural events as acts of personal gods, giving rise to myths. According to
3160-600: A primordial age when the world had not achieved its later form. Origin myths explain how a society's customs , institutions , and taboos were established and sanctified. National myths are narratives about a nation's past that symbolize the nation's values. There is a complex relationship between recital of myths and the enactment of rituals . The word "myth" comes from Ancient Greek μῦθος ( mȳthos ), meaning 'speech, narrative, fiction, myth, plot'. In turn, Ancient Greek μυθολογία ( mythología , 'story', 'lore', 'legends', or 'the telling of stories') combines
3318-460: A recounting of how early in humanity's existence the world was locked in an Ice Age. Humans feared the animals and worshipped the cave bear . Time passed and the cave bear perished, but other beast gods remained such as Cernunnos . The gods of Egypt were beast men and the Greeks spoke of their gods disguising themselves as animals. There are other examples such as Chiron ; a centaur, he was hailed as
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#17328845557643476-442: A reissue of their series by Balsamo / Bresso -based Hobby & Work Italiana Editrice in 1995–96. Hobby & Work was actually predominantly a partwork publisher, a publication format particularly popular in southern Europe at the time, and not only reissued the series in the original hardback book format, but had each book split up in five magazine-style paperback parts as well, concurrently selling them as magazine issues through
3634-621: A scholarly term for "[a] traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events." The Greek term mythología was then borrowed into Late Latin , occurring in the title of Latin author Fulgentius ' 5th-century Mythologiæ to denote what is now referred to as classical mythology —i.e., Greco-Roman etiological stories involving their gods. Fulgentius' Mythologiæ explicitly treated its subject matter as allegories requiring interpretation and not as true events. The Latin term
3792-527: A series out of this," and went ahead with the development of the series. The Enchanted World series had already set in motion Time-Life Books' trend towards more sensationalism away from the hitherto soberly and scientifically written publications, the publisher was until then renowned for. Mysteries of the Unknown though, took it up a notch and the actual "The Editors of Time-Life Books" content writers/creators resented their management for it, or as Corry had put it, "Oh yeah. They hated that stuff." At first
3950-565: A step further, incorporating the study of the transcendent dimension (its function, its disappearance) to evaluate the role of myth as a mirror of contemporary culture. Cultural myth criticism Cultural myth criticism, without abandoning the analysis of the symbolic , invades all cultural manifestations and delves into the difficulties in understanding myth today. This cultural myth criticism studies mythical manifestations in fields as wide as literature , film and television , theater , sculpture , painting , video games , music , dancing ,
4108-485: A strong connection to things that were neither one thing nor another because as neither one thing nor another, such things could escape definition and be more than what they appeared. The volumes in the series were known for their art and the extensive research used by their respective authors retold stories, and were executed as gold imprinted, cloth bound hardcover books, with a glued-on cover illustration. A richly illustrated series, its wealth of illustrations consisted of
4266-436: A transcendent, sacred and supernatural referent; that lacks, in principle, historical testimony; and that refers to an individual or collective, but always absolute, cosmogony or eschatology". According to the hylistic myth research by assyriologist Annette Zgoll and classic philologist Christian Zgoll , "A myth can be defined as an Erzählstoff [narrative material] which is polymorphic through its variants and – depending on
4424-576: A world of the remote past, very different from that of the present. Definitions of "myth" vary to some extent among scholars, though Finnish folklorist Lauri Honko offers a widely-cited definition: Myth, a story of the gods, a religious account of the beginning of the world , the creation , fundamental events, the exemplary deeds of the gods as a result of which the world, nature and culture were created together with all parts thereof and given their order, which still obtains. A myth expresses and confirms society's religious values and norms, it provides
4582-466: Is ] , Reykjavík . It is unknown though, if this release concerned a standalone one-off, or if it had been part of a larger publication effort. It was not just Europe that saw their own editions published; other parts of the world saw their region-specific editions released as well by local publishers under a full license from the Time-Life Books, Inc. mother company. The largest of these concerned
4740-601: Is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the veracity of a myth is not a defining criterion. Myths are often endorsed by secular and religious authorities and are closely linked to religion or spirituality . Many societies group their myths, legends, and history together, considering myths and legends to be factual accounts of their remote past. In particular, creation myths take place in
4898-421: Is a condition of the human mind and not a stage in its historical development." Recent scholarship, noting the fundamental lack of evidence for "nature mythology" interpretations among people who actually circulated myths, has likewise abandoned the key ideas of "nature mythology". Frazer saw myths as a misinterpretation of magical rituals, which were themselves based on a mistaken idea of natural law. This idea
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5056-465: Is a form of understanding and telling stories that are connected to power, political structures, and political and economic interests. These approaches contrast with approaches, such as those of Joseph Campbell and Eliade , which hold that myth has some type of essential connection to ultimate sacred meanings that transcend cultural specifics. In particular, myth was studied in relation to history from diverse social sciences. Most of these studies share
5214-460: Is about them, and they appear in Wizards and Witches , Fairies and Elves , Dwarfs , Spells and Bindings and Giants and Ogres . Nonetheless, a series characteristic was that attention was also given to folklore tales, legends and fairy tales originating from other parts of the world (the until then fairly unknown ones from Eastern Europe in particular) besides the ones from Western Europe alone such as
5372-399: Is also known to have been published by Tokyo -based Burai Shuppan in 2006. But as with the earlier referenced Icelandic release, it remains unclear whether or not it had been a standalone one-off, or if it had been part of a larger publication effort. The Far-Eastern releases though, concerned in both cases smaller-sized paperback budget-price releases with completely redesigned covers. Over
5530-576: Is divided into the following four chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. UK edition: "Legends of Valo u r" (1985, ISBN 0705408841 ) Dutch edition: "Heldensagen" (1985, ISBN 9061828554 ) German edition: "Heldensagen" (1985, 1995, ISBN 9061828554 , 3896040081 ); the only second-edition title to carry the original cover illustration French edition: "Légendes chevaleresques" (1985, ISBN 2734403102 ) Russian edition: "Legendy doblesti" (1996, ISBN 5300007927 ) This book opens with one of many stories in
5688-474: Is divided into the following four chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. UK edition: "Water Spirits" (1985, ISBN 0705408906 ) Dutch edition: "Watergeesten" (1985, ISBN 9061828619 ) German edition: "Wassergeister" (1986, 1995, ISBN 9061828619 , 3896040057 ) French edition: "Les Génies des eaux" (1986, ISBN 2734403498 ) Russian edition: "Dukhi vod" (1996, ISBN 5300007099 ) Magical Beasts opens with
5846-462: Is known that there have been at least nine Time-Life Books printings between 1988 and 1992 alone. Except for the Dutch-language edition, which took considerably longer, the other Time-Life European edition releases lagged about six to twelve months behind the release of the North-American source publications. This also held true for the UK edition, as additional editorial work was required to convert
6004-423: Is nobody's truth. Myths are somebody's truth." One theory claims that myths are distorted accounts of historical events. According to this theory, storytellers repeatedly elaborate upon historical accounts until the figures in those accounts gain the status of gods. For example, the myth of the wind-god Aeolus may have evolved from a historical account of a king who taught his people to use sails and interpret
6162-472: Is often thought to differ from genres such as legend and folktale in that neither are considered to be sacred narratives. Some kinds of folktales, such as fairy stories , are not considered true by anyone, and may be seen as distinct from myths for this reason. Main characters in myths are usually gods , demigods or supernatural humans, while legends generally feature humans as their main characters. Many exceptions and combinations exist, as in
6320-614: Is sometimes known as "mythography", a term also used for a scholarly anthology of myths or of the study of myths generally. Key mythographers in the Classical tradition include: Other prominent mythographies include the thirteenth-century Prose Edda attributed to the Icelander Snorri Sturluson , which is the main surviving survey of Norse Mythology from the Middle Ages. Jeffrey G. Snodgrass (professor of anthropology at
6478-510: Is sometimes used specifically for modern, fictional mythologies, such as the world building of H. P. Lovecraft . Mythopoeia ( mytho- + -poeia , 'I make myth') was termed by J. R. R. Tolkien , amongst others, to refer to the "conscious generation" of mythology. It was notoriously also suggested, separately, by Nazi ideologist Alfred Rosenberg . Comparative mythology is a systematic comparison of myths from different cultures. It seeks to discover underlying themes that are common to
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6636-571: The Iliad , Odyssey and Aeneid . Moreover, as stories spread between cultures or as faiths change, myths can come to be considered folktales, their divine characters recast as either as humans or demihumans such as giants , elves and faeries . Conversely, historical and literary material may acquire mythological qualities over time. For example, the Matter of Britain (the legendary history of Great Britain, especially those focused on King Arthur and
6794-452: The Republic . His critique was primarily on the grounds that the uneducated might take the stories of gods and heroes literally. Nevertheless, he constantly referred to myths throughout his writings. As Platonism developed in the phases commonly called Middle Platonism and neoplatonism , writers such as Plutarch , Porphyry , Proclus , Olympiodorus , and Damascius wrote explicitly about
6952-791: The Theologia Mythologica (1532). The first modern, Western scholarly theories of myth appeared during the second half of the 19th century —at the same time as "myth" was adopted as a scholarly term in European languages. They were driven partly by a new interest in Europe's ancient past and vernacular culture, associated with Romantic Nationalism and epitomised by the research of Jacob Grimm (1785–1863). This movement drew European scholars' attention not only to Classical myths, but also material now associated with Norse mythology , Finnish mythology , and so forth. Western theories were also partly driven by Europeans' efforts to comprehend and control
7110-611: The Colorado State University ) has termed India's Bhats as mythographers. Myth criticism is a system of anthropological interpretation of culture created by French philosopher Gilbert Durand . Scholars have used myth criticism to explain the mythical roots of contemporary fiction, which means that modern myth criticism needs to be interdisciplinary . Professor Losada offers his own methodologic, hermeneutic and epistemological approach to myth. While assuming mythopoetical perspectives, Losada's Cultural Myth Criticism takes
7268-589: The Dragon Throne . The Dragon Kings governed wind and water and for the rain they sent the Chinese people loved them. No such love was present for European dragons . While not always evil as seen with the Laidly Worm , dragons were nearly always a threat, and even when they were not, they guarded treasures that man sought, whether gold or water or something else. They had to be destroyed and Christianity, "the hammer of
7426-508: The Linkedin page of Tom Corry, Time-Life's then-Vice President of Product Management (1984–90) and under whose auspices the series was launched, it was "the largest selling book series Time-Life ever produced." The idea for the series was conceived after the publisher's management took note of the popularity in the home market of its preceding Enchanted World myths and folklore book series. A polling of its customer database revealed that there
7584-522: The Mysteries of the Unknown series was discontinued however, as an additional distribution channel had in the meantime become employed as well, the regular retail bookstore channel. The added revenue that channel generated caused series volumes to remain reprinted over and over again, well into the late-1990s. The series' lifespan was additionally lengthened by the publication licenses extended to third-party home market publishers, like Barnes & Noble Books,
7742-722: The Red Branch , he proved himself the greatest champion of Conchobar mac Nessa , King of Ulster. Cuchulain, the son of Lugh fought bravely for his king and became a warrior without peer, although he was killed by Maeve who tricked him into breaking his various vows or geis . After Cuculain's death, Ireland was plunged into chaos, though later, as the Fenian cycle told, order was restored. Leading men milder and more civilized, but just as valiant, High King Cormac Mac Art and his Fianna protected Ireland from invasion. Even there conflicting vows could spell doom as when Grianne betrayed her husband
7900-672: The Sidhe , the Tuatha Dé Danann and the children of the Dagda . Though friendly enough to their mortal counterparts, they eventually withdrew from their sight and were replaced in mortal interactions by their smaller cousins. Leshy , polevik , and other nature spirits continued to haunt the wilds of the world. They were all very unpredictable; some were friendly to humans and used their powers to help them with their household chores while others were cruel and delighted in tormenting mortals. Inevitably,
8058-596: The oculi , or eyes, of Greek Triremes , but the function remained the same; keep a lookout for evil. Anointing a ship with wine replaced the pagan custom on smearing ships with animal and even human blood. There were limits, as seen with how Christian priests were rarely let on board for fear of angering the old gods. Lakes and rivers held their powers too in the form of Nixes and Undines . The Japanese told of Urashima and Europeans of selkies and mermaids; daughters of foam-born Aphrodite, they were carved on churches as warning against lust. The book contains 143 pages and
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#17328845557648216-477: The unicorn was the most respected. It epitomised beauty and purity but courage as well because it would never let itself be taken alive. Its cousins included China's ki-lin and the Persian karkadann which, unlike their European counterpart, respectively embodied only gentility or ferocity. All, however, could be tamed by maidens. Unicorn horns also had the power to cure poison and disease; in their desire to obtain
8374-477: The 1995 second-edition German-language hardcover without a dust jacket release, licensed to Augsburg -based publisher Weltbild Verlag [ de ] , carrying the series title Die geheimnisvolle Welt der Mythen und Sagen (" The mysterious world of myths and sagas ") and featuring deviant cover art. Moscow -based publisher Terra followed suit one year later with a licensed Russian-language first edition, entitled Зачарованный мир (" Zacharovannyĭ mir "),
8532-446: The 33-volume series, including the "Master Index", was either 144 or 160 pages in length (the 176-page volume 11 excepted), heavily illustrated and with pictorial essays on specific topics within each volume and were as a rule issued without a dust jacket. Executed in hardcover, each volume was bound in black faux leatherette, the cover endowed in silver printed text imprints, and with a square shaped illustration glued on. Time-Life Books
8690-652: The Amsterdam subsidiary, or, in rarer cases, by the American mother company as had been the case for the Spanish-language edition. Where Mysteries of the Unknown was concerned, interest turned out to be ample. Mediterranean Europe saw three editions in translation besides the French one. In Greece the series was partially released by Athens -based Alkyon Publications (as Παραψυχολογία , 1990–91, eleven known published volumes in dust jacket, but published out-of-order ), Italy saw
8848-485: The Arthurian legends or the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, even though they remained over-represented in the series. Christendom is often related to the decline. Though The Enchanted World describes it as humankind's greatest shield against those magics and beings of magic that would prove hostile to it, it proved detrimental even to good magic as people ceased to believe in the old gods in favor of Christ. According to
9006-665: The Barnes & Noble reprint run was beyond the two known titles listed below. An out-of-the-ordinary home market release concerned the Chinese-language versions Time-Life Books issued a year earlier in North America on behalf of the Chinese-speaking populace. As with the Barnes & Noble edition and already rare to begin with, it is hard to ascertain the scope of this release beyond the four known titles listed below. Contrary to
9164-624: The Brazilian Mistérios do desconhecido edition published by Abril Livros opreating out of Rio de Janeiro (1992–96, 24 volumes ), likewise in a format edition that was a Portuguese-language copy of the originating home market publication – a salient detail was that mother country Portugal had not seen its own edition released. The second known Latin-American edition was the 1992-93 Misterios de lo desconocido Spanish-language publication released in Argentina by Editorial Atlántida S.A. ,
9322-491: The Danish and Norwegian editions have both their retail, and magazine newsstand channel ISBNs listed where known. While the series was being released for the first time, the publisher had enabled its subscribers to separately order a in silver imprinted hardboard slipcase, executed in black faux leather in emulation of how the books themselves were executed and able to hold three volumes. Already relatively rare to begin with when it
9480-483: The European "Time-Life Books B.V." Amsterdam branch (as specified in the colophons of the UK volumes), which managed to stay in business a few years longer after the American "Time-Life Books, Inc." mother division had gone defunct in 2001 as a dedicated book publisher. As with the German second-edition release, this British second-edition was only a partial reprint of the series (only six second-edition titles are known), likewise featuring deviant cover art but furnished with
9638-596: The French edition did not, the German edition carried Dutch ISBNs, confusingly the very same ones as the Dutch-language counterparts if there were any. Contrary to the French and Dutch editions though, which only saw one print run each, but like in the USA, the series was a popular one in the German-speaking territories (Germany having been the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm after all, having their folk tales featured heavily in
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#17328845557649796-687: The Ganges under the name of Ganga , Mimir 's well gave Odin his wisdom, the Nile and the Jordan River built civilizations, and everywhere people sought the Fountain of Youth . Water Spirits then points out that the creation myths of many cultures imagine the universe coming out of the watery deep and that many cultures recalled a time when the world was washed clean of sinners by the Great Flood . Humans began taking
9954-579: The Internet and other artistic fields . Myth criticism, a discipline that studies myths (mythology contains them, like a pantheon its statues), is by nature interdisciplinary: it combines the contributions of literary theory, the history of literature, the fine arts and the new ways of dissemination in the age of communication. Likewise, it undertakes its object of study from its interrelation with other human and social sciences, in particular sociology , anthropology and economics . The need for an approach, for
10112-531: The Latin fatum/fate and fatare/enchant. Fairie correctly refers to their lands or magic. In contrast to mortals, beings who sought order, these magical beings were said to be very fickle and unpredictable. Even members of the usually good Seelie Court were prone to mischief. The chief classifications were the trooping and solitary fairies the aristocrats and peasants of their kind. Among the Trooping fairies are mentioned
10270-517: The North-American volumes, the Danish and Norwegian counterparts were furnished with two ISBNs as it is customary in these countries to distinguish between books sold through magazine newsstand channels and books sold through the retail bookstore channel if both channels are selected by the publisher in question as means of distribution. Of volume 12 "Hauntings" at least, is known that it had also seen its "Sálfarir" Icelandic-language counterpart edition published in 1991 by Almenna bókafélagið [
10428-553: The Soviet school, and the Myth and Ritual School . The critical interpretation of myth began with the Presocratics . Euhemerus was one of the most important pre-modern mythologists. He interpreted myths as accounts of actual historical events, though distorted over many retellings. Sallustius divided myths into five categories: Plato condemned poetic myth when discussing education in
10586-488: The Time-Life logo on the spine and front cover of the individual books. Had the German reiteration effort already been modest in scope, the UK effort turned out to be far more modest with its only three known second-edition title releases. Both the UK and German reiterations were specifically intended for the regular bookstore retail channel. Contrary to the ubiquitous availability of the first edition Time-Life series volumes on
10744-510: The Time-Life release in edited form), enjoying multiple reprints; of the first title, "Zauberer und Hexen", for example, is known that there have been at least five printings. The European edition releases lagged only slightly behind the release of the US source publications. A decade after the publication of the series by Time-Life Books, the European other-language editions were joined by two other, latter-day foreign language editions. The first concerned
10902-479: The UK and German used-book markets (as they are on all other territory markets as well for that matter, the English-language ones in particular), their higher edition volumes are a lot more uncommon. Still, by becoming one of Time-Life's most widely disseminated series in translation, it was testament to the worldwide appeal and popularity (and thus financial success) the Mysteries of the Unknown series enjoyed at
11060-410: The ad campaign stood out for its vigor and longevity as it touted a plethora of variant commercials, many of which currently featured on YouTube . The overall marketing campaign, which included the commercial concepts, even won series project manager Corry a Diamond Echo marketing award. A non-exhaustive selection of this series of commercials includes among others, And while new titles additions to
11218-507: The aid of devil himself. Some wizards earned their powers legitimately and used them responsibly; Roger Bacon is one example, as revealed in one tale . Others, such as Michael Scot , gambled their souls by attending the Scholomance , the school of black magic. Still others, such as Faustus , took the quick and easy way and made deals with the Devil , always with grisly results. Concurrent with
11376-609: The assumption that history and myth are not distinct in the sense that history is factual, real, accurate, and truth, while myth is the opposite. Mysteries of the Unknown Mysteries of the Unknown is a series of books about the paranormal , published on the North-American home market by Time-Life Books from 1987 through 1992. Each book focused on a different topic, such as ghosts , UFOs , psychic powers and dreams . Book titles included The UFO Phenomenon , Witches and Witchcraft , Hauntings , and more. According to
11534-517: The book about creatures of the night. The first story is an old Danish tale. Following is an excerpt: "Within this hall, hearths and torches blazed warm and bright, and drinking horns passed freely among the warriors of the Scylding clan; bards intoned the praises of their chieftain, Hrothgar, the valorous King; harpists sang of warmth and light. Outside the hall, however, solitary in the cold and dark, another kind of being walked. Although manlike, that being
11692-460: The books in translation – interested parties in other language territories where no edition in translation was considered, were offered the opportunity to acquire the original English-language version via mail through their nearest Time-Life Books subsidiary as was standard operating procedure for the company at the time, typically by taking out a series subscription. Per the book colophons, these European licenses could have been extended by either
11850-630: The case of Melusine , the love failed when the mortal husband broke the wife's trust. The book contains 143 pages and is divided into the following four chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. UK edition: "Fairies and Elves" (1986, 2005, ISBN 0705408817 , 1844471845 ) Dutch edition: "Feeën en elfen" (1984, ISBN 9061828538 ) German edition: "Feen und Elfen" (1984, ISBN 9061828538 ) French edition: "Les Elfes et les fées" (1984, ISBN 2734402890 ) Russian edition "Fei i ėlʹfy" (1996, ISBN 5300005258 ) This book about ghosts opens starting with one of
12008-448: The company decided to distribute their publications through regular bookstore retail channels as well alongside their hitherto traditional DTC-only channel, such as the Barnes & Noble bookstores. It resulted for the time being in a decided recovery of the company's overall book sales which went a long way to explain the long-lived availability of Mysteries of the Unknown series well into
12166-427: The company's book series promotional direct mailings henceforth. As was customary for Time-Life Books at the time when a subscription was taken out, the first book sent (typically the "Mystic Places" volume in this case, though other volumes were later offered up for assessment as well) was done so on a ten-day trial basis at a reduced price, after which each bi-monthly next installment could be assessed by customers on
12324-465: The concept of the Oedipus complex in his 1899 The Interpretation of Dreams . Jung likewise tried to understand the psychology behind world myths. Jung asserted that all humans share certain innate unconscious psychological forces, which he called archetypes . He believed similarities between the myths of different cultures reveals the existence of these universal archetypes. The mid-20th century saw
12482-497: The credibility of the theories discussed within. The book series broke the sales record for the company, which enabled the New York Times to report that one year into its release 700,000 copies of the first, "Mystic Places", volume had already been sold on the home market alone, whilst being just one of the eventual 33-volume series, and without even taken into account the additional sales in international markets. Each volume in
12640-577: The cultures, stories and religions they were encountering through colonialism . These encounters included both extremely old texts such as the Sanskrit Rigveda and the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh , and current oral narratives such as mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas or stories told in traditional African religions . The intellectual context for nineteenth-century scholars
12798-412: The dawn of time, but magical creatures grow weaker and eventually disappear as humans spread and demystify the world, though there is always the promise that the magic will return once again. The books' subject matter often overlap; for example, while King Arthur and his knights only have one book completely devoted to them, Fall of Camelot , they often appear in other books. Half of Legends of Valor
12956-491: The divine beast. There came the day, however, that Pan , the goat god, died and the beast gods's decline began. This was seen in how animalistic Fomorians of Ireland had lost their magic and were forced to ruling with brute force. They and Balor , their king, were routed by his grandson Lugh of the Long Hand , champion of the ascendant Tuatha de Danaan . Magic was dying as Europe was Christianized, but there were other places in
13114-569: The door, it proved to be locked". The book contains 143 pages and is divided into the following four chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. UK edition: "Ghosts" (1985, ISBN 0705408833 ) Dutch edition: "Spoken" (1985, ISBN 9061828546 ) German edition: "Gespenster" (1985, ISBN 9061828546 ) French edition: "Fantômes et revenants" (1985, ISBN 2734403072 ) Russian edition: "Privideniia" (1996, ISBN 5300008273 ) Written by Brendan Lehane , Legends of Valor centers primarily on Cúchulainn and
13272-408: The dragon race", proved one of the most powerful weapons against them because it promised a world in which dragons, creatures of appetite, could have no place. Some saints killed their dragons, such as Saint Margaret , while other saints, such as Carantoc , tamed theirs. Regardless of the good intentions of men like Carantoc, however, peaceful coexistence between man and dragon was almost impossible as
13430-437: The early 1980s as one of his first assignments at Time-Life prior to his involvement with The Enchanted World and Mysteries of the Unknown ), in which a series was introduced in detail to a potential subscriber; having taken out a subscription once, a customer was then registered in Time-Life Books' customer database, at the time a crucial business model marketing tool for the company, making that customer eligible for receiving
13588-489: The editorial staff seemed to be justified in their skepticism as initial sales were less than stellar when the series was launched in the early summer of 1987, until happenstance intervened. On 16-17 August 1987 the Harmonic Convergence event took place which sparked a massive upsurge in worldwide interest in the topics covered by the Time-Life series, and sales took off with Corry recalling that "[r]ight after that, in
13746-535: The eponymous publishing arm of the aforementioned bookstore chain. In 1989-90 while the series publication was still ongoing, a locally developed German-language Geheimnisse des Unbekannten Mystische Reise zur 6. Dimension board game was released twice in Germany by Time-Life Books B.V. as the only known such companion release, and a further indication of the series' popularity in Germanophone Europe. Pursuant
13904-430: The fairies weakened in the wake of humanity. This was in changelings ; a fairy mother would exchange her child with a human child, perhaps to add the vigor of humanity to a weakening race. Also, the friendly meetings which had characterized their relationship with mortals grew increasingly rare. Husbands of swan maidens often won their wives only through deceit. True love was possible between fairies and mortals but, as in
14062-445: The fall of '87, we couldn’t print enough books." As for the skeptical editors and despite them having never embraced the subject matter, Corry did credit them for their usual steadfast adherence of subjecting the series to the same rigors of investigation and annotation as any of their historical titles, resulting in that the Mysteries of the Unknown series also employed the same basic scientific principles in genuine attempts to validate
14220-465: The fight was not yet over because they left descendants with whom mortals would do battle. Cadmus 's dragon was one example. Chinese dragons and other Asian dragons were an exception to all this; unlike their western cousins , they never lost their semi-divine status and, again unlike them, they were mostly benevolent. The creator goddess Nu Kua was herself partly dragon, and the Emperor of China sat on
14378-676: The finest heroes in all Christendom and beyond. Despite the Christian kingdom of Camelot being at peace, such men were needed as giants, dragons, and witches made Britain a place of wonder and danger. Some magical beings, such as the Lady of the Lake , proved friends. However, those who would harm the innocent were kept at bay due to Arthur's Knights, chief among them Lancelot , the Lady's son. Lancelot's love for Guinevere , Arthur's Queen, would bring down Camelot which
14536-493: The first example of "myth" in 1830. The main characters in myths are usually non-humans, such as gods , demigods , and other supernatural figures. Others include humans, animals, or combinations in their classification of myth. Stories of everyday humans, although often of leaders of some type, are usually contained in legends , as opposed to myths. Myths are sometimes distinguished from legends in that myths deal with gods, usually have no historical basis, and are set in
14694-402: The foremost functions of myth is to establish models for behavior and that myths may provide a religious experience. By telling or reenacting myths, members of traditional societies detach themselves from the present, returning to the mythical age, thereby coming closer to the divine. Honko asserted that, in some cases, a society reenacts a myth in an attempt to reproduce the conditions of
14852-673: The horns, humans drove unicorns to extinction. The text mentions other beasts such as the manticore , mermecolion , barometz , basilisk , and peryton . The book contains 143 pages and is divided into the following three chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. UK edition: "Magical Beasts" (1985, ISBN 0705408868 ) Dutch edition: "Fabeldieren" (1985, ISBN 9061828570 ) German edition: "Fabeltiere" (1985, 1995, ISBN 9061828570 , 3896040073 ) French edition: "Bestiaire magique" (1985, ISBN 2734403285 ) Russian edition: "Volshebnye zhivotnye" (1996, ISBN 5300006629 ) Mythology Myth
15010-423: The influential development of a structuralist theory of mythology , led by Lévi-Strauss . Strauss argued that myths reflect patterns in the mind and interpreted those patterns more as fixed mental structures, specifically pairs of opposites (good/evil, compassionate/callous), rather than unconscious feelings or urges. Meanwhile, Bronislaw Malinowski developed analyses of myths focusing on their social functions in
15168-547: The initiative in sea quests, however, as seen with Jason and his Argonauts . He was faithful to the gods and led a crew of heroes across the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Seas. Regardless of his initial faithfulness to the gods, those same gods destroyed Jason but turned the Argo into a constellation. That was a testimony to how fickle the gods could be, because sea gods were viewed in relation to their seas. Poseidon , for example,
15326-408: The inspirational Enchanted World series, which had not been widely translated into other languages, its Mysteries of the Unknown spawn was. UK as well as French, German, and Dutch-language editions are known to have been released in the overlapping time-span by the local "Time-Life Books B.V." Amsterdam subsidiary branch as otherwise exact copies of their US counterparts where book format execution
15484-515: The king by sleeping with his champion Diarmuid . The rest of the story centers on the "Brotherhood of the Round Table ". Heroes still lived but they were different from their forebears, most notably in the moralizing effects of chivalry . A knight was expected to be kind to women, to show mercy to defeated foes, and to refuse no plea for help. Horses also gave men greater mobility. Under the salvific influence of Christianity , Arthur and his men were
15642-705: The knights of the Round Table ) and the Matter of France , seem distantly to originate in historical events of the 5th and 8th centuries, respectively, and became mythologised over the following centuries. In colloquial use, "myth" can also be used of a collectively held belief that has no basis in fact, or any false story. This usage, which is often pejorative , arose from labelling the religious myths and beliefs of other cultures as incorrect, but it has spread to cover non-religious beliefs as well. As commonly used by folklorists and academics in other relevant fields, such as anthropology , "myth" has no implication whether
15800-462: The last eight volumes in translation – most likely because of disappointing sales. On the other hand, it was standard issued with a dust jacket, contrary to the English, and other-language editions, which were normally issued without one for series subscribers, whereas individual title bookstore retail copies were issued with one. The same branch was also responsible for the similarly released French, German and UK English-language editions, of which
15958-519: The late 1990s. As had been customary with the Time-Life Books series publications, each of the original US first-print series volumes had received two ISBNs (the second one usually eight numbers higher), with the lower number indicating the retail/DTC copies whereas the higher ones indicate the library binding ("lib. bdg.") copies as specified in the book colophons – which remained adhered to for later with higher newly assigned ISBNs endowed revised editions as well, if there were any. Neither of
16116-602: The latter were also intended for all territories outside the USA/Canada and indistinguishable from the US source publications, save for their ISBNs and the use of the British versus the American spelling. Unlike their Dutch counterpart, the French and German-language series editions were completed in their entirety as Les mondes enchantés and Verzauberte Welten (" Enchanted Worlds " – plural in both cases) respectively. Both editions were Amsterdam branch publications and while
16274-446: The legends of Apep , Tiamat , Jörmungandr , Nidhoggr , and Typhon . Born before time began, these creatures were sons of chaos, and so the gods did battle with them, for only when they were beaten could order prevail and the universe be born. Across various cultures, the same story was told with Set and Ra , Marduk , Thor , and Zeus playing the same role. The gods ultimately did prevail and these cosmic dragons were destroyed but
16432-462: The lower number indicating the retail (with dust jacket)/DTC copies whereas the higher ones indicate the library binding ("lib. bdg.") copies as specified in the book colophons . The popularity of the Enchanted World series, resulting in multiple reprint runs for most of the individual titles, led to the subsequent followup publication of the 1987-91 Mysteries of the Unknown series. Despite
16590-401: The main series, Time-Life Books published the near-concurrent 24-volume companion series, Collector's Library of the Unknown , from 1991 through 1993 as well. These concerned deluxe facsimile faux-leather bound reproductions of eyewitness accounts written by people who had firsthand experience with any of the events covered in the main series or by experts on any of these matters. Though smaller,
16748-521: The many ghost stories contained throughout the book. A short excerpt is: "Late one spring night in the last century, a certain Englishman found himself, to his astonishment, standing in the garden outside his house. It was quite bewildering. He remembered falling asleep in his bed, but he had no memory of waking and walking out the door. Yet here he was, shivering in the chill, his bare feet buried in rain-soaked grass. Another surprise awaited him: when he tried
16906-465: The myth-ritual theory, myth is tied to ritual. In its most extreme form, this theory claims myths arose to explain rituals. This claim was first put forward by Smith , who argued that people begin performing rituals for reasons not related to myth. Forgetting the original reason for a ritual, they account for it by inventing a myth and claiming the ritual commemorates the events described in that myth. James George Frazer —author of The Golden Bough ,
17064-583: The mythical age. For example, it might reenact the healing performed by a god at the beginning of time in order to heal someone in the present. Similarly, Barthes argued that modern culture explores religious experience. Since it is not the job of science to define human morality, a religious experience is an attempt to connect with a perceived moral past, which is in contrast with the technological present. Pattanaik defines mythology as "the subjective truth of people communicated through stories, symbols and rituals." He says, "Facts are everybody's truth. Fiction
17222-430: The myths of multiple cultures. In some cases, comparative mythologists use the similarities between separate mythologies to argue that those mythologies have a common source. This source may inspire myths or provide a common "protomythology" that diverged into the mythologies of each culture. A number of commentators have argued that myths function to form and shape society and social behaviour. Eliade argued that one of
17380-553: The narrative may be understood as true or otherwise. Among biblical scholars of both the Old and New Testament, the word "myth" has a technical meaning, in that it usually refers to "describe the actions of the other‐worldly in terms of this world" such as the Creation and the Fall. Since "myth" is popularly used to describe stories that are not objectively true , the identification of a narrative as
17538-507: The newsstand channel with one of them accompanied by a 30-minute VHS -tape that dealt with the underlying topic. As a matter of fact, this also applied to the Spanish edition as Folio co-published the series with specialized Madrid partwork publisher Ediciones del Prado who had already marketed the newsstand variant of the publication in a similar way two years before Hobby & Work would do. The Nordic countries too, received their share of
17696-478: The other Germanophone countries) editions on the other hand, were released in their entirety, albeit that volume 33, the "Master Index", was passed over in all cases. The UK edition also served for the series' dissemination in the Commonwealth of Nations , Anglophone Canada excepted which was served with the US home market edition. Wile the French edition did not, the German edition carried Dutch ISBNs, confusingly
17854-436: The publisher's "Weltbild-Sammler Editionen" collection, mentioning the original German series title as subtitle. Somewhat confusingly, as there was some overlap in volume titles reissued, Predita continued their second-edition release by reprinting some of its volumes under the same ISBN with redesigned versions of their covers around this time as well, but now under its "H+L Verlag, Köln" imprint. The German reiteration effort
18012-478: The rationalization of myths, putting themes formerly imbued with mythological qualities into pragmatic contexts. An example of this would be following a cultural or religious paradigm shift (notably the re-interpretation of pagan mythology following Christianization ). Interest in polytheistic mythology revived during the Renaissance , with early works of mythography appearing in the sixteenth century, among them
18170-535: The real world. He is associated with the idea that myths such as origin stories might provide a "mythic charter"—a legitimisation—for cultural norms and social institutions . Thus, following the Structuralist Era ( c. 1960s –1980s), the predominant anthropological and sociological approaches to myth increasingly treated myth as a form of narrative that can be studied, interpreted, and analyzed like ideology, history, and culture. In other words, myth
18328-446: The retail copies, after the regular retail bookstore channel became employed by the publisher for their book publications as well from 1991 onward, alongside their hitherto traditional Direct-to-Customer (DTC)-only distribution method. As had been customary with the Time-Life Books series print publications, each of the original US first-edition series volumes had received two ISBNs (the second one usually eight numbers higher), with
18486-444: The sake of greed, revenge, or even just cruel pleasure. They more often than not placed themselves in the service of the devil and served as his perfect followers. The Witches' Sabbath was their chief pleasure. Lehane closes that as time marched on and witches retreated from humankind, their magic was forgotten and relegated to stories for scaring children. Even so, their ancestors, the sleeping wizards, are still alive and waiting for
18644-463: The same basis. In addition, US customers who responded by telephone to the television ads were in 1990 rewarded with a free gift consisting of the "Psychic Powers" video tape, which was not included in the above-mentioned ten-tape series released five years later, and therefore remained an actual exclusive. Until 1990 that first book sent came additionally with a free bonus gift in the form of a deck of ESP determination cards. After 1989 that deck of cards
18802-501: The scholar wizards were their more humble cousins, the witches . Unlike their male counterparts, their magic retained links to the natural world. Some witches were good and were called white witches , cunning folk , and fairy doctors. They tended to be good Christians and they used their powers for good; their spells were often indistinguishable from prayers. The White Paternoster is just one example. They were needed to counterbalance and oppose their evil sisters who used their powers for
18960-458: The series as taped audio cassette books, with new ISBNs. Despite the fact that Time-Life Books had largely withdrawn from book publication in 2003, the subsequent iteration of the publisher did release two additional Mysteries of the Unknown single-book titles on an ad-hoc basis, being largely a rehashing of the considerable editorial effort that was undertaken for the main series thirty years earlier. The titles thus released were, For almost
19118-545: The series in translation variants. Coined Mystikkens verden , the series saw a partial publication in Denmark and Norway, as with their southern neighbors in a book format copied from the source material. The Danish edition was released by Copenhagen publisher Lademann A/S [ dk ] (1990–93, 28 volumes ), whereas the Norwegian edition was released by Oslo -based Gyldendal Norsk Forlag AS (1991–92, 12 volumes). Like
19276-460: The series volumes. In 2006, the excerpt book was reissued ( ISBN 0760781095 ) by Barnes & Noble on behalf of their bookstore chain, again fully licensed by then-owner of Time-Life Books, Direct Holdings Americas Inc. Home market DTC sales started to slow down from 1991 onward and it was the subsequent year decided to stop adding new titles to the series in order to free up the editorial staff for new series projects. This did not mean that
19434-587: The series was halted in 1992, sales and associated activities, of which the latter-day Sirtis commercial was but one, continued unabated right up to the point where Time-Life Books, Inc. ended its very existence in December 2003 after having already become defunct two years earlier. The television ad campaigns were complementary to Time-Life's standard operating procedure of sending out elaborate multi-sheet direct mailings to their already existing customer database (which incidentally, had been professionalized by Corry in
19592-449: The series was that its books were written as stories, taking place from an " in-universe " perspective, presenting its subjects as real people, places, and things. Related to such things having once been real, a common thread through several of them was its documentation of the alleged decline of magical things from "when the world was young" to the modern day. The subjects - dragons, dwarfs, giants - are presented as being potent and strong at
19750-511: The series, this text does not concentrate on the decline of magic, though it does state that in the beginning, beings of pure magic (not exactly gods but more than mortal) freely intermingled with mortals (the friendship of Arawn and Pwyll is one example) only to separate themselves later on. They were known to the Norse as the Alfar or elves in English and sometimes as fairies , a word that derives from
19908-424: The series, this was because Christianity was centered around a god of reason and that it promised a clearly defined universe of order and stability, a universe where there could be only one god. Magic could hardly thrive under such circumstances. It continued to exist either in opposition to Christianity or, more often, in connection to in-between places and in-between things. The series states that magic had always had
20066-457: The story of man who saved the life of a mermaid who promptly blessed him with the power to heal and to break witchcraft and cursed him so that every generation one man from his family would drown. This was done to illustrate people's fear of the sea as a mysterious and fickle place that could from one moment give life and in the other death. Water was hailed as the source of life; the Hindus worshipped
20224-421: The symbolic interpretation of traditional and Orphic myths. Mythological themes were consciously employed in literature, beginning with Homer . The resulting work may expressly refer to a mythological background without itself becoming part of a body of myths ( Cupid and Psyche ). Medieval romance in particular plays with this process of turning myth into literature. Euhemerism , as stated earlier, refers to
20382-832: The tale of Saint Martha and Tarasque shows. The dragonslayers rose up to destroy them as well. Saint George is the most famous example. A dragonslayer could expect to win gold, women, and everlasting glory, but it was usually a quest for survival. In the end, humans civilized the world and drove dragons to extinction. The book contains 143 pages and is divided into the following four chapters, which each contain sub-chapters and side bar stories. UK edition: "Dragons" (1985, ISBN 0705408825 ) Dutch edition: "Draken" (1984, ISBN 906182852X ) German edition: "Drachen" (1985, 1995, ISBN 906182852X , 389604009X ) French edition: "Dragons et serpents" (1985, ISBN 2734402955 ) Russian edition: "Drakony" (1996, ISBN 5300006203 ) Unlike other books in
20540-464: The term "myth" altogether for purposes of avoiding placing pejorative overtones on sacred narratives. In present use, "mythology" usually refers to the collection of myths of a group of people. For example, Greek mythology , Roman mythology , Celtic mythology and Hittite mythology all describe the body of myths retold among those cultures. "Mythology" can also refer to the study of myths and mythologies. The compilation or description of myths
20698-471: The texts from American-spelled English into British-spelled English. The Amsterdam subsidiary maintained administrative satellite offices in the UK, Germany and France which facilitated the series publication by Time-Life Books themselves. In those European countries where Time-Life Books did not have a physical presence, another path was usually taken to market their publications; extending publication licenses to local publishers who showed interest in releasing
20856-577: The time to awaken. The book contains 143 pages and is divided into the following three chapters, which each contain sub-chapters and side bar stories. UK edition: "Wizards and Witches" (1984, 2003, ISBN 0705408809 , 1844471829 ) Dutch edition: "Heksen en tovenaars" (1984, ISBN 9061828511 ) German edition: "Zauberer und Hexen" (1984, ISBN 9061828511 ) French edition: "Sorcières et magiciens" (1984, ISBN 2734402831 ) Russian edition: "Kolduny i vedʹmy" (1996, ISBN 530000538X ) Dragons opens recounting
21014-421: The time. In order of publication; the US, UK and German editions have their first (Time-Life) edition ISBN(s) listed first, followed by the higher edition ISBNs where applicable. Where listed, the US "076070..." ISBNs concern the 1997 editions in dust jacket for the Barnes & Noble retail bookstore chain. The US editions have both their (1st and revised edition) retail, and library binding ISBNs listed, whereas
21172-405: The two versions nor their later reprints were furnished with dust jackets. However, in 1997 a separate printing was commissioned by Barnes & Noble as retail exclusives for their bookstore chain, and while these were otherwise nearly indistinguishable from the main home market releases, safe for the copyright colophons, they were endowed with dust jackets. It is unknown however, what the extent of
21330-402: The universal appeal of the subject matter, the series has not been widely translated into other languages, though French, German, and Dutch-language editions are known to have been near-concurrently released by the local "Time-Life Books B.V." Amsterdam branch. Truncated, the Dutch-language edition (as Het Rijk der Fabelen , which literally translates as " The Realm of Fables "), did not see
21488-483: The variant – polystratic; an Erzählstoff in which transcending interpretations of what can be experienced are combined into a hyleme sequence with an implicit claim to relevance for the interpretation and mastering of the human condition." Scholars in other fields use the term "myth" in varied ways. In a broad sense, the word can refer to any traditional story , popular misconception or imaginary entity. Though myth and other folklore genres may overlap, myth
21646-405: The very same ones as the Dutch-language counterparts, save volume 12, if there had been any. Contrary to the French and Dutch editions though, which only saw one print run each, yet like in the US, the series was a popular one in the UK and the German-speaking territories in particular, enjoying multiple reprints; of the first German-language title, "Mystische Stätten" (="Mystic Places"), for example,
21804-679: The volumes were also truncated to 98 pages. The precise extent of that publication effort is unknown however. Rounding out the international other-language editions, are the ones known to have been released in the Far East, again under a full license from Time-Life Books, Inc. A partial series release in translation was published in one batch in mainland China in February 2002 by Lijiang Publishers, Guilin , as part of their "鏖战位置丛书 (Tiao zhan wei zhi cong shu)" collection. At least five such volume releases are known. A single Japanese-language release of volume 24
21962-573: The volumes were on purpose executed in a style similar to the main series in order to reinforce the kinship between the two series. Additionally, a subsequent ten-tape Time Life Video World of the Supernatural documentary series release on the VHS home video format had followed suit in 1995 ( OCLC 35275139 ), which was like the progenitor book series supported by a television ad campaign. One year later subsidiary Time-Life Audiobooks reissued (part of)
22120-739: The winds. Herodotus (fifth-century BCE) and Prodicus made claims of this kind. This theory is named euhemerism after mythologist Euhemerus ( c. 320 BCE ), who suggested that Greek gods developed from legends about humans. Some theories propose that myths began as allegories for natural phenomena: Apollo represents the sun, Poseidon represents water, and so on. According to another theory, myths began as allegories for philosophical or spiritual concepts: Athena represents wise judgment, Aphrodite romantic desire, and so on. Müller supported an allegorical theory of myth. He believed myths began as allegorical descriptions of nature and gradually came to be interpreted literally. For example,
22278-421: The wizards retreated from human sight. As Christianity came to define the world, the use of magic became much more difficult and even dangerous. It was now no longer an art to be understood instinctively, but a science that required years of study, and perhaps presumed too much: to reshape the order of reality was to challenge God (the author of that reality), and, more often than not, a wizard found himself taking
22436-405: The word mȳthos with the suffix - λογία ( -logia , 'study') in order to mean 'romance, fiction, story-telling.' Accordingly, Plato used mythología as a general term for 'fiction' or 'story-telling' of any kind. In Anglicised form, this Greek word began to be used in English (and was likewise adapted into other European languages) in the early 19th century, in a much narrower sense, as
22594-500: The world of the Ulster Cycle , and later on King Arthur and the Matter of Britain . Other heroes briefly mentioned are Perseus , Sigurd , and Roland from Greek myth , Volsunga saga , and the Matter of France / Song of Roland , respectively. In detailing the life of Cuchulain, Lehane writes that in the early world, tribes needed champions to protect them and lead them in battle. The king could not risk his life, so in his place
22752-511: The world such as Asia where magic yet held sway and dog men , monopods , and Blemmyes . It also recounts that many flying animals, both mundane and magical, commanded respect for reason that they were able to escape the mundane world by flight. Pegasus , the roc , simurghs , firebirds , the phoenix , and even ordinary birds like the raven in mythology and the robin were revered. Other flying animals were also known such as griffins , harpies and tengus . Of all magical beasts, however,
22910-487: Was a "decent interest" among customers in having a more mysterious and metaphysical book series as well, according to Tom Corry. Not only that, but the publisher also played into the era's growing popular fascination with the para, or supernatural, which eventually culminated in the long-running and hugely successful 1993-2000 X-Files television series and the many motion picture emulators it spawned afterwards. Corry recalled that management "thought we could probably squeeze
23068-479: Was all about, with its contents partially lifted from volumes 2 and 6. A much more substantial 436-page excerpt paperback edition was released in 1997 by the Quality Paperback Book Club (New York) publisher, under a full license from Time-Life Books, Inc. Titled "Mysteries of the Unknown" ( ISBN 0783549121 ), after its series namesake, it had its chapters roughly organized along the lines of
23226-629: Was already grievously exhausted by the Grail Quest. In searching for the Holy Grail , the Knights of the Round Table did prove themselves the very best heroes of all times but the loss of so many good men in the quest crippled Camelot and left it vulnerable to decay from within. Arthur's bastard son Mordred , in the end, destroyed the perfect world his father tried to create, though it is promised that one day, Arthur will return . The book contains 143 pages and
23384-557: Was as arbitrary as the enchanted seas and magic islands he ruled. On the contrary, the kinder Ea came from the calmer Persian Gulf to teach men civilization and agriculture whilst the consistently cruel Rán ruled the volatile North Sea . The gods would lose their strength, however. In Christian times, sailors no longer worshipped the sea gods but still lived in fear of the sea's power. For example, ships were still launched on Woden's Day/Wednesday and not, for example, on Thor's Day for fear of storms and thunder. Figureheads replaced
23542-1029: Was central to the " myth and ritual " school of thought. According to Frazer, humans begin with an unfounded belief in impersonal magical laws. When they realize applications of these laws do not work, they give up their belief in natural law in favor of a belief in personal gods controlling nature, thus giving rise to religious myths. Meanwhile, humans continue practicing formerly magical rituals through force of habit, reinterpreting them as reenactments of mythical events. Finally, humans come to realize nature follows natural laws, and they discover their true nature through science. Here again, science makes myth obsolete as humans progress "from magic through religion to science." Segal asserted that by pitting mythical thought against modern scientific thought, such theories imply modern humans must abandon myth. The earlier 20th century saw major work developing psychoanalytical approaches to interpreting myth, led by Sigmund Freud , who, drawing inspiration from Classical myth, began developing
23700-466: Was concerned. The 1990-93 Netherlands/Flanders Dutch-language edition though, was not only published out-of-order, but severely truncated as well, as only eight titles are known to have been released in translation, most likely because of disappointing sales. The 1988-93 UK, French (as Mystères de l'inconnu , also disseminated in the other Francophone countries, French-Canada included) and German (as Geheimnisse des Unbekannten , also disseminated in
23858-490: Was fluid, it was relatively easy for mighty wizards such as Finland's Väinämöinen , Taliesin , Manannán mac Lir , Math the Ancient and Gwydion to cast their magic. Magic in those days was almost instinctual and inborn; it was an art. Those days ended with Merlin , the last of the old wizards, famous for his mentorship of King Arthur and the realm of Camelot. When he withdrew from the world, magic itself began to withdraw, and
24016-455: Was issued originally, this slipcase is hard to come by on current used-book markets. The publisher released a 96-page softcover excerpt edition in 1989. Titled "A collection from Mysteries of the Unknown" ( OCLC 21492777 , no ISBN issued), the in Prussian blue wrapped magazine-style book was just that, a sampling for prospective subscribers who were inquisitive about what the main series
24174-717: Was no man. Huge and hairy, it shambled through the night mists of fell and fen, its claws scrabbling from time to time in the dirt as it tore at its hapless prey - hares, ferrets and other small beasts". The book contains 141 pages and is divided into the following four chapters, which each contain sub-chapters. UK edition: "Night Creatures" (1985, ISBN 0705408876 ) Dutch edition: "Wezens van de duisternis" (1985, ISBN 9061828589 ) German edition: "Nachtgeschöpfe" (1985, ISBN 9061828589 ) French edition: "Les Créatures de la nuit" (1985, ISBN 2734403366 ) Russian edition: "Prizraki nochi" (1996, ISBN 5300006017 ) Water Spirits opens with
24332-618: Was primarily concerned with the natural world. It tended to interpret myths that seemed distasteful to European Victorians —such as tales about sex, incest, or cannibalism—as metaphors for natural phenomena like agricultural fertility . Unable to conceive impersonal natural laws, early humans tried to explain natural phenomena by attributing souls to inanimate objects, thus giving rise to animism . According to Tylor, human thought evolved through stages, starting with mythological ideas and gradually progressing to scientific ideas. Müller also saw myth as originating from language, even calling myth
24490-523: Was profoundly shaped by emerging ideas about evolution . These ideas included the recognition that many Eurasian languages—and therefore, conceivably, stories—were all descended from a lost common ancestor (the Indo-European language ) which could rationally be reconstructed through the comparison of its descendant languages. They also included the idea that cultures might evolve in ways comparable to species. In general, 19th-century theories framed myth as
24648-458: Was rather modest in scope, as only about a dozen volumes of the series are known to be released by Predita under both its imprints, whereas that of Weltbild was even more modest with its eight known volumes released. Apart from the two licensed German-language reiterations, some series volumes saw a 2003-04 second-edition in the UK as well from the London -based Caxton Publishing Group , likewise under
24806-515: Was renowned for its exclusive use of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) business model, meaning they sold their book series directly to customers and mailed the individual books to households on a (bi-)monthly basis, typically through subscription, and the Mysteries of the Unknown series was no exception. As usual, the book series was supported by a television ad campaign, which was particularly vigorous in this case (see below ). By 1991 however, Time-Life Books' DTC business model had started to slump, and
24964-532: Was then adopted in Middle French as mythologie . Whether from French or Latin usage, English adopted the word "mythology" in the 15th century, initially meaning 'the exposition of a myth or myths', 'the interpretation of fables', or 'a book of such expositions'. The word is first attested in John Lydgate 's Troy Book ( c. 1425 ). From Lydgate until the 17th or 18th century, "mythology" meant
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