Grandfather Mountain: Stories of Gods and Heroes from Many Cultures

Grandfather Mountain Grandfather Mountain takes ancient stories and brings them to life in a style that is both accessible to modern readers and respectful of their origins. The book contains tales from the Seneca, Yoruba, Maori, Aztec, Greek, English, Shinto, and Celtic traditions. These are stories of men and boys, both human and magical, and of their heroic journeys and adventures. Readers will learn of Crow and the stories he brought down from Grandfather Mountain, of how Quetzalcoatl created the first humans, and of the wars between Ireland's fairy folk before the advent of humans. Stories are powerful, and the value of a multi-cultural anthology such as this is that it introduces ideas and archetypes that are not always prominent in modern western culture. This book is aimed towards boys, and gives them colorful examples of boys and men who are powerful not only as warriors, but also as storytellers, healers, and even tricksters. Such images and characters are vital for boys in a modern world often lacking in appropriate role models. This is especially true when the cultural expectations of manhood that boys encounter may be out of joint with what they truly feel with their own hearts and souls. In addition, these stories teach the value of qualities such as fidelity, bravery, and kindness. In this way, such mythological stories serve the same function as the religious teaching stories that are ubiquitous in the world's religions. Even if you are one of the increasing numbers of parents who are raising their children in the Freethinker or New Atheist traditions, it is important for them to be literate in the religious stories and symbolism that have become part of modern culture, and a familiarity with world mythologies can provide a solid foundation for understanding religious symbolism. One caution for parents: These are ancient stories and many were composed in violent times; they do contain scenes of killing and death that, while not graphic, may be inappropriate for very young children.

This is a wonderful anthology presenting the adventures of gods and heroes taken from cultures worldwide and exploring the quests that challenge all males as they take that first hesitant step into manhood as presented by a grandfather. While I love this book and the illustrations, I do have mixed feelings. The author meant to portray strong male role models to help our sons find their way in ever changing expectations from society. However, too many creation tales were chosen (notice I have meantioned symbols for creation twice now) and not enough hero tales actually depicting any real lessons. At times, the story jumps around resulting in a very unclear tale that left one dissatisfied. Merlin and the Giants was one such tale and unfortunately the banal narration left me wanting more after I had excitedly started reading what promised to be a beautiful story. A pronunciation guide for the foriegn words would have been especially helpful and I am surprised it wasn't included. Still, the small borders of luscious richly detailed illustrations depicting crucial moments of the story and the larger full page spreads make for beautiful eye candy. That alone makes this book well worth it and I am very pleased to add it to my growing collection of Barefoot books. You should also get the companion book, Grandmothers' Stories: Wise Woman Tales from Many Cultures