Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies - by Willow Winsham (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Following the hugely popular Treasury of Folklore: Seas and Rivers and Woodlands and Forests comes Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies, an exploration of the mysteries of the stars, skies, and heavens above.

People have gazed up at the same stars for millennia, trading stories about them, conjuring gods and goddesses, mapping the constellations, and navigating the complex human world below. The tales, traditions, and myths included here traverse countries and continents and have been chosen to highlight how humans are linked through time and place, with shared dreams, fears, and ways of rationalizing the unknown.

Under the Stars and Heavens section Willow delves into rosy fingered dawn and the hubris of Icarus, the Greek myths surrounding the constellations and the omen of meteors, the trials of the Hawaiian goddess Hina and the legend of the rabbit in the moon. In Skies we are introduced to winged Pegasus and the trials of the Firebird, the Witch of Westray and stories of storms, the mysteries of the Northern Lights and unexplained UFOs.

Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies is a fascinating portal into a rich history of myths surrounding the sky, an aspect of the natural world that continues to fascinate and confound.

About the Author

Willow Winsham is a historian of witchcraft, specializing in English witchcraft cases. She is co-author of the popular Treasury of Folklore: Seas and Rivers and Woodlands and Forests. She is author of Accused: British Witches throughout History and England's Witchcraft Trials. She is co-founder of #FolkloreThursday, a popular website and Twitter account that brings fascinating tales and traditions from all corners of the globe to its followers every Thursday.