Absorbing compilation of vintage tales surrounding such figures as William Tell, Saint Patrick, the Pied Piper, the Knights of the Holy Grail, and the Man in the Moon, complete with introductory essays on their mythological or historical origins. 5 plates of illustrations; 11 line drawings.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Compendium of Fascinating Stories,
By Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
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This review is from: Curious Myths of the Middle Ages: The Sangreal, Pope Joan, The Wandering Jew, and Others (Dover Books on Anthropology and Folklore) (Paperback)
I was interested in this book because it covered stories with which I was already familiar--the Wandering Jew, Pope Joan, the Grail--and for which I am always interested in finding new resources. The bonus was that I discovered deeper roots for stories I only knew superficially--the Pied Piper, Prester John, William Tell--and I learned of fascinating myths I barely recognized--the Seven Sleepers, Melusina, the Swan Maidens, etc.
Like the Victorian scholar he was (this was originally published in 1894), Rev. Baring-Gould is expert at tracing the roots of the various stories and legends. He then carries the stories forward and shows how the root story can become a basis for related myths across cultures and countries. For example, how the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus inspires the story of Rip Van Winkle. It is difficult not to see the silliness of some fervored believers of the truth of some of these stories when it is so easy to trace the variations from country to country. Sometimes the root story is not even the best known or most widely believed. On the other hand, Rev. Baring-Gould can sometimes be a little cavalier with his judgements which, again, is quite typical of his time. And anyone not familiar with the Victorian scholarly writing style will certainly be turned off. I enjoy it myself, though even I found some of the passages pushing on a little long. Rev. Baring-Gould also has the facility with various languages (Latin, Greek, French, etc.) which was common for an educated European at the time. He quotes from these sources often and, using them untranslated, leaves those less familiar with these languages (like myself) in the dark. Still, this is a compendium of interesting medieval myths that reads quite well considering its age. Anyone interested in these stories will find much of interest here that will impact their understanding of how they have made it (or not) into today's compendium of myth.
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
glib, but fun,
By beau's mom (Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Curious Myths of the Middle Ages: The Sangreal, Pope Joan, The Wandering Jew, and Others (Dover Books on Anthropology and Folklore) (Paperback)
it should really be 3.5 stars. the stories/myths/etc. are fascinating. i could have used perhaps a bit more detail in the history aspect, but i'm really picky. this would probably be a 4 for someone who likes an easy trot through legends. like i said, it is a fun read, so go ahead and enjoy it!
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