More than 2500 detailed entries provide a comprehensive insight into mythology, one of the most influential strands of social and literary history. Drawn from every continent, from the Americas and the Middle East to Europe and Asia, the origins and historical significance of central figures and legends are examined, and recurring motifs traced throughout the ages and around the world. Thoughout history and across the world, human beings have used myths to articulate their feelings about the gods, the birth of the universe, good and evil, sex, the nature of society, death and the afterlife. Myths bind together the societies that create them and offer a window into mankind's creative, poetic and philosophical imagination.