Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend

This is an EXCELLENT resource for the student of folklore, mythology, the occult, or anyone interested in the origin of our stories, myths, legends, and important symbologies. Reformatting of the book from the original text provides the reader with a more smooth and thorough definition. Useful illustrations come in handy as well when a visual guide is necessary. All in all a great addition to my occult library.

I have owned a copy of this reference book for many years. Although somewhat dated, it remains solid scholarship. Recently, when my adolescent niece expressed an interest in myth and legend, I ordered a copy for her because I could not part with mine. This dictionary of myth and folklore reports things I never thought I would need to know, such as types of magic and sources of legends. Did you know that bibliomancy is the name of the practice of divining the future by flipping through a Bible or other sacred book and pointing to a passage? This dictionary includes an extensive range of entries, among them are: duck dance, dogheaded people, fearsome critters, eeny-meeny-miny-mo, Gog and Magog, incubus, happy hunting ground, lizard, midsummer men, mandrake, wampum, tongue twisters, soul cakes, and wanga. If you are curious, this dictionary is indispensible.

This is the kind of book that you can randomly flip through and always find something interesting, and can read about customs and ideas that are totally different than one's own. The diversity among human beliefs is indeed amazing and is an indication that the human mind adapts and invents concepts that are very different depending on the situation in which individuals find themselves. On the other hand, there are common themes in all of these myths that point to the necessity for the employment of certain concepts that are universal. A gigantic book, it probably would only be read from cover to cover by those who intend to specialize in the study of mythology both from an anthropological and historical point of view. But it is fair to bet that anyone who opens this book will walk away with a deeper appreciation of all human cultures, wherever they may be, and at all levels of technological development. Lack of space prohibits a detailed review of all the articles I read, but some of the more interesting entries that I ran across include: 1. "Ababinili". This is the name of the supreme being of the Chickasaw Indians, and the god of the fire apart from the Sun. This belief is an indication again that the concept of an ultimate being is pretty universal among all cultures. Apparently the Chickasaws believed that Ababinili caused a great flood also, although this fact is not discussed in this article. 2. "abdominal dance". An article discussing the origin of "belly dance", as it is called in some cultures. Interestingly, in some areas it was not done as a seductive movement or to provoke a sexual response. In Asia for example, it was symbolic of the pain of motherhood. 3. "African and New World Negro folklore". The author discusses the "Tortoise and the Hare" story which interestingly was held by some African peoples. He compares it with the European version, with the tortoise winning in both versions. However, in the African version, the tortoise wins by employing his wits. This "brains over brawn" version of this story is fascinating given the bias towards logical thinking in European culture. 4. "bagpipe". The origin of bagpipes goes back to the emperor Nero, who reportedly played it. Bagpipes were played by the Romans in their colonization of Britain. 5. "barber's pole". There was a time when barbers were also surgeons, thus the red and white strips on the pole: white for bandages to symbolize the healing process. 6. "chain tale". This is a folktale based on a series of numbers, characters, events, etc. Supposedly the game of chess originated in a chain tale involving numbers in geometric progression. The inventor requested in payment one grain of wheat for the first square, two for the second, four for the third, eight for the fourth, and so on. 7. "Dalai Lama". The Tibetian monk of highest rank, who is the incarnation of Avalokita, whose spirit passes into a child at the death of each Dalai Lama. 8. "euphemism". This came from the belief tha

This reference work is not specific to any particular mythos, pantheon, or people, but encompasses beliefs of the entire world. If one wishes to be as general as fire, or as obscure as rakshasa, he will find what he is looking for: and if not, this will tell him he needs a resource more specific to what he is after.