Mythology is the study of the imaginative traditions through which man attempts to understand and control the world about him. This comprehensive and accessible survey of the world's principal myths is the result of extensive research and brings out the distinctive character and force of each individual story and shows its specific link with the social patterns and religious beliefs of the country and/or time to which it belongs. All the major mythological systems are examined, from non-literate societies to complex cultures and from the ancient world to the present: from Voodoo to Christianity, from ancient Egypt and classical Greece to modern Germany and Japan. Over 400 illustrations, many of them in colour, show myths brought to life in art, and feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. In addition, specially commissioned maps illustrate the location and spread of the primary mythological systems.