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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Look At a Vanishing Mythology,
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This review is from: Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans: The Epic Tradition of the Ainu (Hardcover)
I was lucky enough to find this for $12 in a small rural used bookstore and was exposed to one of the richest collections of mythology I've ever seen. The Ainu myths were transmitted by storytellers claiming to be posessed by the entities telling the stories, so most were collected in a first person format where the god/hero/monster istelf is telling you the story. The stories are dripping with beautiful details, like the water and fire fans that the elemental godesses fight with, the evil river dragons, or the social customs of the Ainu that are mentioned in passing and taken for granted. Gary Snyder provides a well-written introduction, though as usual he puts a little too much stock in the 'deeper truth' of the myths. If you can find this at a sane price and value glimpses of the ancient world, I recommend it heartily.
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Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans: The Epic Tradition of the Ainu by Donald L. Philippi (Hardcover - 1979)
Used & New from: $56.00
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