Tales from Slavic Myths

Rating:
Summary: Move over Edith Hamilton
Review: "Cultural worship of Gods was an inextricable part of everyday life for the ancient Slavs. The ancient Slavic mind was open to nature and the material manifestations of weather..." With these introductory remarks from Tales from Slavic Myths, welcome to the world of ancient mythology---Slavic style. Edith Hamilton may not have touched on most of the Slavic gods featured in this book but, nonetheless, these Slavic myths deserve a rightful place in the canon of ancient mythology. These tales, penned by Ivan Hudec, former Minister of Culture, are presented along with 97 original color illustrations by Dr. Karol Ondreicka. This beautiful hardbound book may be a bit pricey (and is thus understandably published in a limited edition) but worth every cent of its price tag. These ancient tales are retold in a larger-print, easy-to-read style; however, it would behoove the reader unfamiliar with mythology to read the latter section of the book first where some introductory info can be found. The book unfortunately lacks a formal introduction, but does have an extensive afterword by Dusan Caplovic (of the Slovak Academy of Sciences) who provides a lot of detail about the cradleland origins and evolution of Christianity in the Slavic lands. There are also maps and legends of ancient Slavic pagan sites; a detailed bibliography and a very helpful and interesting "Slavic pantheon of mythological divinities." Throughout the text, side bars of background information help fill in the gaps, too. Indeed, "...the spiritual world and imagery of the Early Slavs was fabulously rich" and anyone interested in early Slavic history needs to know these tales. Even contemporary readers of Slavic literature will run across an occasional mention to one of these mythological figures (Czech author Jachym Topol mentions "Baba Yaga" in his recent novel, CitySisterSilver). So curl up one chilly evening, turn off the TV and lose yourself in the wild/magical world of Slavic mythology!