ABOUT
My name is Courtney, and ancient history and mythology are two of my greatest passions. This annotated bibliography, a collection of resources on a certain topic, was made for an assignment for my Masters of Library & Information Science program, but I had fun collecting resources on one of my favorite topics. While it is aimed at middle school teachers, anyone can use this site if they are looking for more information on mythology. I hope that this gets someone, somewhere, more interested in the fascinating mythologies of the ancient world!
Courtney B. ~ 2018
WHAT IS MYTHOLOGY?
Mythology is "a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person" (Dictionary.com). A myth is, in this case, "a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature" (Dictionary.com). One important thing to keep in mind when studying mythology is that these myths were, and in some cases still are, the religions of their respective people. Here is a list of world mythologies to show how vast and varied this world truly is (x).
The most commonly studied and referenced in pop culture is Greek mythology. As such, most of the sources listed on this site center around the myths of Ancient Greece. The other most well-known world mythologies include Roman (the Romans borrowed most of their mythology from the Greeks and Etruscans, changed the names and some details, and added more unique stories), Egyptian (those deities drawn with animal heads in Egyptian pyramids), Norse (think of the Vikings and Thor), and Hindu (still the most common religion in India). The five pictures on the Home page represent these mythologies in that order.
One thing to keep in mind when reading the original myths is that some material may be deemed inappropriate for a younger audience. The print collections of myths and the videos I have shared on this website are summarized and watered down, but the original texts may not be, depending on the translation. These are still great stories with cultural significance and merit, but be prepared.