A work of both art and scholarship, Sacred Animals is a magnificent gift for animals lovers of all ages.
From the beginning of time, people have watched and wondered at the animals with which they share the earth. Over the centuries thousands of stories have sprung up around animals, many based in truth, others the products of pure imagination, but all of them celebrating the magic and mystery of the natural world.
As she did in the best-selling The Book Of Goddesses, Kris Waldherr has combed the world's major mythologies to create a stunning multicultural collection of images and information. Dazzling full-color portraits of legendary creatures and mythical beasts are accompanied by lively, well-researched commentaries that explore each of sixteen animals' special significance in the traditions of diverse cultures and religions.
BOOK EXCERPT:
Introduction
SACRED ANIMALS WAS CREATED out of my love and respect for animals everywhere. It is intended as a celebration of their many shapes and sizes, strengths and talents, as revealed in mythology and folklore from around the world. In an earlier book, The Book of Goddesses, I explored the powers and beauties of women as described in goddess myths. In Sacred Animals I’ve sought to do the same for the animal kingdom.
The rich diversity of animals and their myths remind us of nature’s generosity of form and function. As I worked on this book, I encountered this bounty at every turn, especially as I began the process of deciding which animals to feature within these pages. How could I choose to include cat but not dog? Or invite fox over wolf? In the delicately balanced ecosystems that make up our world, no one animal is more important than another. I have tried to reflect this natural balance in the sampling of animals and myths included here.
This book is organized into four sections representing the four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Four animals are included in each section, each associated with a particular element in folklore around the world. Though there is a wonderful variety among these myths, it is amazing how many aspects of animal legends resonate with one another, even though the cultures that created them may be vastly different and thousands of miles apart.
As you enter the world of Sacred Animals, I hope that these sacred stories will speak to you as they have to other insightful people since the beginning of time.
—Kris Waldherr
From the beginning of time, people have watched and wondered at the animals with which they share the earth. Over the centuries thousands of stories have sprung up around animals, many based in truth, others the products of pure imagination, but all of them celebrating the magic and mystery of the natural world.
As she did in the best-selling The Book Of Goddesses, Kris Waldherr has combed the world's major mythologies to create a stunning multicultural collection of images and information. Dazzling full-color portraits of legendary creatures and mythical beasts are accompanied by lively, well-researched commentaries that explore each of sixteen animals' special significance in the traditions of diverse cultures and religions.
BOOK EXCERPT:
Introduction
SACRED ANIMALS WAS CREATED out of my love and respect for animals everywhere. It is intended as a celebration of their many shapes and sizes, strengths and talents, as revealed in mythology and folklore from around the world. In an earlier book, The Book of Goddesses, I explored the powers and beauties of women as described in goddess myths. In Sacred Animals I’ve sought to do the same for the animal kingdom.
The rich diversity of animals and their myths remind us of nature’s generosity of form and function. As I worked on this book, I encountered this bounty at every turn, especially as I began the process of deciding which animals to feature within these pages. How could I choose to include cat but not dog? Or invite fox over wolf? In the delicately balanced ecosystems that make up our world, no one animal is more important than another. I have tried to reflect this natural balance in the sampling of animals and myths included here.
This book is organized into four sections representing the four elements: earth, air, water, and fire. Four animals are included in each section, each associated with a particular element in folklore around the world. Though there is a wonderful variety among these myths, it is amazing how many aspects of animal legends resonate with one another, even though the cultures that created them may be vastly different and thousands of miles apart.
As you enter the world of Sacred Animals, I hope that these sacred stories will speak to you as they have to other insightful people since the beginning of time.
—Kris Waldherr
