Myths of the Seasons

Before the relentless power of time, both people and immortal gods bow down, scholars struggle with its mysteries, and philosophers ponder. This book invites you to get acquainted with the sacred calendar of humanity and understand how people from different cultures and civilizations – from pre-Columbian America to modern China – have tried to make sense of the flow of time through the change of seasons and natural cycles.

You will learn how ancient Indians and Greeks imagined time, what makes the day of the winter solstice so special, where the tradition of dressing up for Halloween comes from, and how it is connected to the Celtic Samhain.

Under a bright cover await myths and legends about Stingy Jack, who deceived the devil and became a restless spirit, the one-eyed winter old woman Beira, the Japanese snow woman Yuki-onna, kidnapped by Hades, Persephone, and her grieving mother Demeter; about the beautiful youth Adonis, the resurrected god of beauty and fertility, and about the Blue Corn Maiden of the Hopi Indians.