Can you help me find a good book on African mythological creatures?
June 29, 2013 6:14 PM Subscribe
I've found some kids' books and some extremely brief online articles, but not much more than that. Can you help me find something more in-depth?
You may need to make your search more narrow. For example, the San people have very different mythologies than the Zulu and so forth. If you are trying to find an "African" mythology, then I fear you may not find much.
posted by mrfuga0 at 7:26 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by mrfuga0 at 7:26 AM on June 30, 2013 [2 favorites]
Myths of Ífè, it's old but a good enough starting point for Yoruba cosmology.
The trickster Anansi is an important West African figure with lots of tales told about him. (yeah, yeah, eponysterical . . . I get it)
The San People of southern Africa have a rich cosmology that has lots of magical animals (grasshopper, elan, etc.)
There is of course Egyptian mythology which is rather well documented.
In the Congo there are tales of Gborogboro and Meme, the first two people.
There are not very many books à la Bullfinch's Mythology that cover traditional African belief systems. This is due to various factors: dynamic oral histories, many of these are parts of extant belief systems, Western racism and indifference that has not seen these cosmologies as "worth" being studied and recorded.
But, like what mrfuga0 said, narrow your search and you should be able to find some interesting stuff.
posted by anansi at 9:48 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
The trickster Anansi is an important West African figure with lots of tales told about him. (yeah, yeah, eponysterical . . . I get it)
The San People of southern Africa have a rich cosmology that has lots of magical animals (grasshopper, elan, etc.)
There is of course Egyptian mythology which is rather well documented.
In the Congo there are tales of Gborogboro and Meme, the first two people.
There are not very many books à la Bullfinch's Mythology that cover traditional African belief systems. This is due to various factors: dynamic oral histories, many of these are parts of extant belief systems, Western racism and indifference that has not seen these cosmologies as "worth" being studied and recorded.
But, like what mrfuga0 said, narrow your search and you should be able to find some interesting stuff.
posted by anansi at 9:48 AM on June 30, 2013 [1 favorite]
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It's a mythology textbook, and includes myths from all over the world, but is highly regarded in academic circles.
ISBN: 978-0-7674-1957-4
posted by Master Gunner at 6:49 PM on June 29, 2013 [1 favorite]