(9) EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY:

JOYCE TYDLESLEY – PENGUIN BOOK OF MYTHS & LEGENDS OF ANCIENT EGYPT (2010)

 

“I am a cowboy in the boat of Ra…
‘Who was that
dog-faced man? ‘they asked, the day I rode from town…
Go get my eyelids of red paint.
Hand me my shadow,
I’m going into town after Set”

I’ll never tire of quoting Ishmael Reed’s poem when it comes to Egyptian mythology – or of Egyptian mythology itself.

What’s not to love about those funky animal-headed gods and those slinky goddesses? Especially the goddesses – lithe and svelte in their form-fitting dresses, with their golden skin and painted eyes, they would not look out of place as supermodels on a modern catwalk. Or what’s not to love how the gods kept shifting and swapping out with each other as they rose and fell within the pantheon?

So of course one of my special mentions for books of mythology by subject is for Egyptian mythology, particularly as my Top 10 Mythology Books or special mentions by book doesn’t feature any specific books on the subject. Yes – as usual Barbara Walker’s Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets has numerous entries on subjects of Egyptian mythology, as does the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols.

Hence my keynote book for this special mention is a specific book on the subject of Egyptian mythology by Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley, among her other books on Egyptian history and focus on Egyptian female figures.

 

RATING:
A-TIER (TOP-TIER)