The Slavic Myths

Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak

A Pulitzer- nominated author and one of the great public intellectuals of Slavic culture bring to life the unfamiliar myths and legends of the Slavic world

In the first collection of Slavic myths for an international readership, Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapšak expertly weave together a retelling of the ancient stories with nuanced analysis to illuminate their place at the heart of Slavic tradition. Slavic cultures are far-ranging, yet they are connected by tales of adventure and magic with deep roots in a common lore. Though less familiar to us than the legends of ancient Egypt, Greece and Scandinavia, in the world of Slavic mythology we find much that we can recognize: petulant deities, demons and fairies, witches, a supreme god who can hurl thunderbolts. Gods gather under the World Tree, reminiscent of Norse mythology’s Yggdrasill. The vampire – usually the only Serbo-Croatian word in any foreign-language dictionary – and the werewolf emerge from the shallow graves of Slavic belief.

In their careful analysis and sensitive reconstructions of the myths, Charney and Slapšak unearth the Slavic beliefs before their distortion first by Christian chroniclers and then by 19th-century scholars seeking origin stories for their newborn nation states. They reveal links not only to the neighbouring pantheons of Greece, Rome, Egypt and Scandinavia, but also the belief systems of indigenous peoples of Australia, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Specially commissioned illustrations inspired by traditional Eastern and European folk art bring the stories and their cultural landscape to life.

ISBN 978-0-500-02501-7

In collaboration with c. 200 illustrations

Dr Gareth Moore is the bestselling author of The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book, Brain Games for Clever Kids, The Mindfulness Puzzle Book series, The Mammoth Book of New Sudoku and many more titles.

23.4 x 14.9cm

256pp paperback

ISBN 978 0 500 480915

October £16.99

The British Museum Puzzle Book

Dr Gareth Moore

Solve intriguing and challenging puzzles based on the world-renowned British Museum collection

The Rosetta Stone, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Assyrian reliefs, the Lewis Chessmen: many mysteries of the past are found within the walls of the British Museum, home to some of the most magnificent treasures in the world. Now you can learn more about its famous artefacts as you work your way through this beautifully designed, generously illustrated puzzle book.

Created by the internationally renowned puzzle expert Dr Gareth Moore, this enticing mix of general knowledge, brainteasers, word games, crosswords and decipherment challenges offers a wealth of insight into the Museum’s widely varied collection. The puzzles are arranged in six thematic sections: the British Museum, Everyday Living, Bestiary, Myth and Magic, the Written Word, and Treasure. Additional facts about the Museum and its objects are provided throughout the book, affording readers a wider understanding of the role of the Museum today.

Making history accessible to all, and with new insights for general readers, this richly entertaining book is perfect for puzzlers and armchair historians everywhere.

Miranda Aldhouse-Green is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Archaeology at Cardiff University. She is the author of numerous books, including Exploring the World of the Druids, The Quest for the Shaman, The Celtic Myths and Bog Bodies Uncovered, which won the Society for American Archaeology’s Popular Book Award in 2016 and the Archaeological Institute of America’s Felicia A. Holton Book Award in 2017.

125 illustrations

19.8 x 12.9cm

256pp paperback

ISBN 978 0 500 297261

July

£14.99

Sacred Britannia

The Gods and Rituals of Roman Britain

Miranda Aldhouse-Green

New in B-format paperback

A timely and up-to-date account of religion in Roman Britain

Two thousand years ago, the Romans sought to absorb into their empire what they regarded as a remote, almost mythical island on the very edge of the known world –Britain. The expeditions of Julius Caesar in 55 and 54 bc and the Claudian invasion of ad 43 brought fundamental and lasting changes to the island. Not least among these was a pantheon of new Classical deities and religious systems, along with a clutch of exotic eastern cults including Christianity. But what of Britannia and her own home-grown deities? What cults and cosmologies did the Romans encounter and how did they in turn react to them?

In this original and innovative account, Miranda Aldhouse-Green balances literary, archaeological and iconographic evidence to illuminate the complexity of religion and belief in Roman Britain, and the two-way traffic of cultural exchange and interplay between imported and indigenous cults. Despite the remoteness of this period, many of the forces, tensions, ideologies and issues of identity at work are still relevant today.

‘Rarely has a book about the ancient world felt as relevant to our present times’ Current Archaeology

‘A treasure-house of learning and a pleasure to read’ History Today

Alistair Moffat was born in Kelso, Scotland. He is an award- winning writer and historian, was director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and is former rector of the University of St. Andrews. He is founder of Borders Book Festival and co-chairman of the Great Tapestry of Scotland. His many books include The Highland Clans and Scotland’s Forgotten Past.

23 illustrations

19.8 x 12.9cm

400pp paperback

ISBN 978 0 500 297254

July

£14.99

Before Scotland A Prehistory

Alistair Moffat

New in B-format paperback

A pioneering look at early Scotland that transforms prehistory into gripping narrative history

The story of the land that became Scotland is one of dramatic geological events and impressive human endeavour. Alistair Moffat’s gripping narrative explores the origins of the country’s past, ranging from the great thaw at the end of the Ice Age – which was instrumental in shaping Scotland’s magnificent landscape – through the megalith builders, the Picts, to the accession of King Constantine II. Moffat deploys his knowledge with wit and deftness, interweaving the story with numerous special features on topics as diverse as cave drawings of dancing girls, natural birth control, the myth of Atlantis and the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence – all of them valuable, sometimes quirky, additions to the whole picture.

Before Scotland is essential reading for anyone interested in the people, events and monuments that make up Scotland’s intriguing past.

‘There’s a timelessness about people and landscape which is brought out quite brilliantly here’ Barry Cunliffe

‘As fresh and warm as a dram of uisge beatha’ Focus

‘Vivid and compelling’ The Sunday Herald