In every culture of the world myths help explain our origins, the world'screation, gods and monsters, demons, the afterlife, and the underworld.This compelling account gathers together themes and stories from everypart of the globe to show how myths share many common patterns, andhow through them the human imagination is expressed in all its diversity.A treasury of images drawn from all cultures—both iconic and littleknown—helps explain what is important about these myths, their symbols,and the stories they tell. A directory at the end of the book summarizes theprincipal types of myth from around the world (Native American, Judeo-Christian, Greek, Nordic, Aboriginal, and so forth) and includes familytrees that show exactly how various supernatural beings are related.