Creation stories : landscapes and the human imagination / Anthony Aveni.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Aveni, Anthony F., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Creation--Mythology.

Creation.

Mythology--Sociological aspects.

Mythology.

Ethnoscience.

Genre:

Myths.

Informational works.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 220 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

New Haven ; London : Yale University Press, [2021]

Biography/History:

Anthony Aveni, the Russell Colgate Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Astronomy and Anthropology and Native American Studies at Colgate University, helped develop the field of archaeoastronomy and is widely considered one of the founders of Mesoamerican archaeoastronomy. He is the author of Star Stories: Constellations and People and In the Shadow of the Moon: The Science, Magic, and Mystery of Solar Eclipses.

Summary:

An accessible exploration of how diverse cultures have explained humanity’s origins through narratives about the natural environment Drawing from a vast array of creation myths—Babylonian, Greek, Aztec, Maya, Inca, Chinese, Hindu, Navajo, Polynesian, African, Norse, Inuit, and more—this short, illustrated book uncovers both the similarities and differences in our attempts to explain the universe. Anthony Aveni, an award-winning author and professor of astronomy and anthropology, examines the ways various cultures around the world have attempted to explain our origins, and what roles the natural environment plays in shaping these narratives. The book also celebrates the audacity of the human imagination. Whether the first humans emerged from a cave, as in the Inca myths, or from bamboo stems, as the Bantu people of Africa believed, or whether the universe is simply the result of Vishnu’s cyclical inhales and exhales, each of these fascinating stories reflects a deeper understanding of the culture it arose from as well as its place in the larger human narrative.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Prologue

Introduction

Part One. Mountains

Part Two. Waterways

Part Three. Caves

Part Four. Islands

Part Five. Extremes

Epilogue

Notes

Acknowledgments

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based online resource; title from PDF title page (Ebook Central, viewed April 29, 2021).

ISBN:

0-300-25823-2

9780300258233

OCLC:

1245850911