Synopses & Reviews
'Here be dragons' was the traditional warning used by ancient mapmakers to indicate dangerous, or simply unknown, lands. These were the dwelling places of fantastical beasts, creatures such as dragons, sea serpents, unicorns, griffins and mermaids. Throughout the ages, such beasts have been viewed in complex and contradictory ways because they embody both our fear and our fascination of the unpredictable natural world around us. They appear in the earliest myths and accompany the heroes of medieval romance and folktales. Whether as the symbolic creatures of myth, or as the marvellous beasts of medieval legend and travellers' tales, fantastic animals have always inspired art and literature. Today they feature among the many marvels that populate the alternative worlds of fantasy and the outer reaches of cyberspace. Drawing on sources as diverse as myth, history and folklore, this book explores the ways in which mythical beasts continue to inhabit our fantasies and to define our constantly changing relationship to both real and imagined worlds.
Synopsis
'Here be dragons' was the traditional warning used by medieval mapmakers to refer to dangerous and unknown lands. These were the dwelling places of fantastical beasts - dragons, sea serpents, unicorns, griffins and mermaids which to this day inhabit a world of fantasy beyond the horizon and to the outer reaches of cyberspace. These beasts of legend have been a constant source of inspiration for art and literature throughout history, and provide insight into ever-changing human relationships with both the real and imagined worlds.
Drawing on sources as diverse as myth, history and folklore, Here Be Dragons: Mythical Beasts from Cartography to Cyberspace focuses upon three of these creatures, the unicorn, the mermaid, and the dragon, in a series of thematic chapters organised according to their legendary dwelling place, be this land, sea, or air.
Through this original approach, this study traces the history of mythical creatures from the medieval period to the modern day. It places particular emphasis on the role of the internet, computer games, and the cyberspace community, and in doing so, demonstrates that the core medieval myth surrounding these creatures remains static within the ever-increasing arena of mass marketing and the internet.
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Synopsis
Drawing on historical sources, myth and folklore, Fantastic Creatures in Mythology and Folklore explores the roles of fantastical beasts - particularly the unicorn, the mermaid, and the dragon - in a series of thematic chapters organised according to their legendary dwelling place, be this land, sea, or air.
Through this original approach, Juliete Wood provides the first study of mythical beasts in history from the medieval period to the present day, providing new insights into the ways these creatures continue to define our constantly changing relationship to both real and imagined worlds. It places particular emphasis on the role of the internet, computer games, and the cyberspace community, and in doing so, demonstrates that the core medieval myth surrounding these creatures remains static within the ever-increasing arena of mass marketing and the internet.
This is a vital resource for undergraduates studying fastastic creatures in history, literature and media studies.
Synopsis
The first book to explore mythical beasts in history and how these fantastical creatures are transformed in modern legends and folklore.
Synopsis
'Here be dragons' was the traditional warning used by ancient mapmakers to indicate dangerous, or simply unknown, lands. These were the dwelling places of fantastical beasts, creatures such as dragons, sea serpents, unicorns, griffins and mermaids. Throughout the ages, such beasts have been viewed in complex and contradictory ways because they embody both our fear and our fascination of the unpredictable natural world around us. They appear in the earliest myths and accompany the heroes of medieval romance and folktales. Whether as the symbolic creatures of myth, or as the marvellous beasts of medieval legend and travellers' tales, fantastic animals have always inspired art and literature. Today they feature among the many marvels that populate the alternative worlds of fantasy and the outer reaches of cyberspace. Drawing on sources as diverse as myth, history and folklore, this book explores the ways in which mythical beasts continue to inhabit our fantasies and to define our constantly changing relationship to both real and imagined worlds.
Table of Contents
1. Back to the Future
2. Unicorns in the Garden
3. Under the Sea
4. Dragons on the Wing
5. New Beasts for Old
6. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index