The Lessons of Nature in Mythology

by Rachel S. McCoppin

Overview

This examination of myths from around the world focuses on the role nature plays within mythology. Creation myths from myriad cultures recognized that life arose from natural elements, inextricably connecting human life to the natural world. Nature as portrayed in myth is unpredictable and destructive but also redemptive, providing solace and wisdom. Mythology relates the human life cycle to the seasons, with spring, summer, fall and winter as metaphors for birth, adulthood, old age and death.

The author identifies divinities who were direct representations of natural phenomena. The transition of mythic representations from the Paleolithic to Neolithic period is discussed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476622156
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/29/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Rachel S. McCoppin is a professor of literature at the University of Minnesota Crookston. She has published in the areas of mythology, comparative literature, and multicultural pedagogy in scholarly books and journals.
Rachel S. McCoppin is a professor of literature at the University of Minnesota Crookston. She has published in the areas of mythology, comparative literature, and multicultural pedagogy in scholarly books and journals.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction: The Land Is the Myth
1. Emerging from the Earth
2. The Earth Goddess, the Male Seed and the Harvest
3. Divine Nature
4. Untamed Nature and the Unfettered Human
5. Trees of Knowledge and Botanical Metamorphosis
6. The Seasonal Life Cycle and Myths of Destruction
Conclusion
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

McCoppin has written a lucid and accessible examination of the role of nature in the overt and implied contexts of world mythologies...an admirable job of comparing and contrasting themes across a wide range of mythologies...recomended”—Choice.

From the Publisher