Tales from Slavic Myths [Hardcover]

Ivan Hudec (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0865164517 | ISBN-13: 978-0865164512 | Publication Date: February 1, 2001

The world of Slavic myths is now accessible to English-language readers. These myths, now supplanted by Christian belief, are important to understanding the development of Slavic civilization and character. Slavic Myths is an incomparable general introduction to the topic. The book also features Professor Ondreicka's outstanding artwork, showcasing the high artistic culture of the Slovak Republic.

Slavic Myths presents careful re-tellings of essential Slavic mythology. No other title offers an introduction to Slavic mythology in such an accessible and charming form. The tales and the importance of comparative mythology in the study of history and culture are placed in context in an epilog supplied by Dr. Dusan Caplovic, Vice-President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and a noted anthropologist. The book also includes a pantheon of Slavic gods and deities, bibliography, index, and a map of prehistoric Slavic sites.

Also available:

Slovak Tales for Young and Old: Pavol Dobsinsky in English and Slovak - ISBN 0865165319
Illustratrated Slovak History - ISBN 0865164266

For over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 134 pages
• Publisher: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865164517
• ISBN-13: 978-0865164512
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,771,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Move over Edith Hamilton, November 10, 2001

By 

slovakgirl5 (Cleveland, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tales from Slavic Myths (Hardcover)

"Cultural worship of Gods was an inextricable part of everyday life for the ancient Slavs. The ancient Slavic mind was open to nature and the material manifestations of weather..." With these introductory remarks from Tales from Slavic Myths, welcome to the world of ancient mythology---Slavic style. Edith Hamilton may not have touched on most of the Slavic gods featured in this book but, nonetheless, these Slavic myths deserve a rightful place in the canon of ancient mythology. These tales, penned by Ivan Hudec, former Minister of Culture, are presented along with 97 original color illustrations by Dr. Karol Ondreicka. This beautiful hardbound book may be a bit pricey (and is thus understandably published in a limited edition) but worth every cent of its price tag. These ancient tales are retold in a larger-print, easy-to-read style; however, it would behoove the reader unfamiliar with mythology to read the latter section of the book first where some introductory info can be found. The book unfortunately lacks a formal introduction, but does have an extensive afterword by Dusan Caplovic (of the Slovak Academy of Sciences) who provides a lot of detail about the cradleland origins and evolution of Christianity in the Slavic lands. There are also maps and legends of ancient Slavic pagan sites; a detailed bibliography and a very helpful and interesting "Slavic pantheon of mythological divinities." Throughout the text, side bars of background information help fill in the gaps, too. Indeed, "...the spiritual world and imagery of the Early Slavs was fabulously rich" and anyone interested in early Slavic history needs to know these tales. Even contemporary readers of Slavic literature will run across an occasional mention to one of these mythological figures (Czech author Jachym Topol mentions "Baba Yaga" in his recent novel, CitySisterSilver). So curl up one chilly evening, turn off the TV and lose yourself in the wild/magical world of Slavic mythology!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Artwork, October 13, 2005

By 

A. Glowacki (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tales from Slavic Myths (Hardcover)

When I first received the book, I was a little disappointed. For an expensive book, it's very thin and has large print, which makes it look like a children's book.
However, the artwork is absolutely beautiful! Most of the myths in it are ones that I haven't read anywhere else. It also divides the myths into seperate eras - ex The Stone Age, The Iron Age, etc.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars yes, sir, that's my baby, August 10, 2006

By 

Bruce D. Wilner "Bruce David Wilner" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tales from Slavic Myths (Hardcover)

Well, it isn't actually my baby, really, but I thought that sounded really spiffy and was likely to catch the reader's eye. This book is gorgeous; I was positively floored by it. For those detractors who complain about the huge typeface and the scant content, may I point out that [a] the typeface isn't quite that huge--certainly not big enough to warrant the comparison to a children's book--and [b] the copious (not to mention, extremely helpful) marginal notes add the equivalent of, perhaps, another fifty pages. The material is extremely well organized and--insofar as I was thitherto wholly ignorant of Slavic mythic archetypes--utterly absorbing. One wonders why the table of contents succeeds (rather than precedes) the first page of the first chapter, but I divagate. The professors who collaborated on this opus did a slam-bang job of opening a secret world unto the ignorant Western European (or his American kith) and for that I heartily thank them.