vi. Reading List: myth & fable
Myth & Fable
If you are new to witch, pagan or occult studies, you might find it odd that myth, fable and folklore is important. The reason this is, is that many, many insights and truths are hidden within the old stories. Some of these have evolved into children’s fairy tales, but they were created for adult entertainment and the passing of knowledge. Some of the insights are obvious – think of the ‘wicked queen’ of snow white as she scrys into her mirror – but others require some inner ‘knowing’ of your own first.
If you are pagan, then mythology is considered essential.
To appreciate the ways of your people, my suggestion is to go and meet the Land spirits of those peoples. Then, read their histories as well as the beliefs they held about creation, heros, women, nature, and more.
If you are serious about your knowledge, it’s ideal to read the myths of other cultures, and yes, even Biblical myths. If you are secure in who you are, you develop a passion for understanding others.
- The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales *
- A Dictionary of English Folklore
- Fairy Tale in the Ancient World
- A Field Guide to Demons, Fairies, Fallen Angels and Other Subversive Spirits
- Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth
- Gods and Myths of Northern Europe
- An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya
- Italian Folktales (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library)
- Irish Folk Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)
- Jade and Iron: Latin American Tales from Two Cultures
- Latin American Folktales (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library.)
- Medieval Folklore : A Guide to Myths, Legends, Tales, Beliefs, and Customs
- Momentos mágicos / Magic Moments
- Myths from Mesopotamia : Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others
- Norse Mythology: A Guide to Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs *
- Norse Myths (Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library)
- The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales
- Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales (A C.G. Jung Foundation Book)
- Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia
- Stories from Ancient Canaan
- Women Who Run with the Wolves *
Individual Gods
There are too many good books on the gods to list. Search for the specific god via Amazon. The ones I list here are for practical use – offering hymns or rituals to certain gods – or they offer a different perspective.
- Inanna, Lady of Largest Heart : Poems of the Sumerian High
- The River Gods of Greece: Myths and Mountain Waters in the Hellenic World
- The Whisperings of Woden: Nine Nights of Devotional Practice
