«The Big Book of Myths of Asia» invites you to dive into the captivating myths, legends, and amazing folklore traditions of four countries in this region: Japan, Korea, China, and India. This vibrant gift edition includes four bestsellers from the series «Myths of the World. The Most Fabulous Stories of Humanity»: - «Japanese Myths» - «Korean Myths» - «Myths of China» - «Myths of India». «It's not the gods who bake the pots,» the ancient Greeks would say, — but the legendary Chinese emperor Huang Di taught his subjects to build houses and roads, cast bells, and fire those very pots himself. In the fantastic realm of Asian myths, gods behave like humans, and sages resemble deities; noble rulers often do not disdain simple work, and honesty and hard work are always rewarded, for in the land of a thousand gods, there is always someone to keep an eye on the emperor, the peasant, and even the housewife. Moreover, this world is populated by countless magical beings: fox spirits, cat demons, sacred turtles, phoenixes, tigers, unicorns, and of course, dragons — many dragons! Under the cover, you will find myths about the Jade Emperor, the sun goddess Amaterasu, and the triad Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva, the divine hero Hwanung and the strongman Kintaro, about the Hindu demons asuras and Japanese yokai. How to recognize fox spirit possession by kitsune? How did the division into castes arise, and how did humans become mortal? Where did the hare on the Moon come from, and can you taste chaos? Answers to these and many other questions can be found on the pages of this book, and the colored and black-and-white illustrations will enrich the great mythological journey through Asia. This collection will help unravel the complex Asian pantheons, key images, and plots of the mythologies of these countries, many of which inspire modern popular culture: from manga and anime to the cult game «Genshin Impact» and Korean horrors.
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