Charles John Tibbits wrote a brief introduction of the origin of myths and legends. He traces it back to animism. He wrote that investing life in all things, living or inanimate, probably arose from the language used to describe or name things. Some words are expressive of gender and because the items have genders, there is a possibility that qualities were given to the object as time passed.
This a collection of 30 of those stories which originated from that concept. They are listed below:
Gaffer Death
The Legend of Paracelsus
Hans in Luck
The Grey Mare in the Garret
The Water Spirit
Peter Klaus
The Legend of Rheineck
The Cellar of the Old Knights in the Kyffhauser
The Fisherman and his Wife
The Mouse Tower
The Dancers
The Little Shroud
The Arch Rogue
Brother Merry
Fastrada
The Jew in the Bush
The Elves
The Conclave of Corpses
Legends of Rubezahl, or Number-Nip
The Hunter Hackelnberg and the Tut-Osel
The Alraun
The Goose-Girl
Hans Jagenteufel
The Waits of Bremen
The Flaming Castle
The Monks at the Ferry
Doctor All-Wise
The White Maiden
The Sturgeon
St. Andrew's Night
Tibbits gave a longer introduction about the book and the series of books about myths and folktales from different parts of the world than the previous book I reviewed (Folk-lore and Legends; Scandinavian). This is the first book in the said eight-book series. The translator also included his comments in the stories although he doesn't provide extensive analyses.
This book will be a great resource for anyone who's interested in mythology or folklore and legends. I'm giving this book a 9 out of 10 rating.
