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Myths—stories about gods or godlike beings—are found all over the world in both primitive and more complex societies. Even a modern society like our own retains a large heritage of myths, which crop up again and again in books, paintings and music.
No one can expect to know every important myth ever written down and certainly note those which come from such different cultures as, for example, Polynesia or Japan. The details of even relatively familiar myths—like those of the Ancient Greeks—have an infuriating habit of slipping away just when you come across a reference to them. So one invaluable function of this Companion is to identify the god who figure in the major myths of the world. The book is laid out alphabetically by the names of the gods to make looking them up an easy task, and there are a number of indexes as well as a full cross-referencing system. World-renowned experts have advised on the entries in their particular fields.
But myths are also stories in the own right, some of the world's greatest stories, and this book tries to reflect that fact. Wherever possible, Mr. Barber has given a substantial account of each figure, so that this is as much a collection of tales as a reference book.
Pauline Bayne's superb illustrations fully enhance this dual value. Because they are based as much as possible on the earliest references from each culture, the pictures give an accurate portrayal of how the gods were imagined. At the same time, they can be seen quite independently as beautiful accompaniments to the text.
—from the dust jacket
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