Some of the best stories haven't been published recently. In fact, some haven't even been published by their original authors, in the truest sense of the word. This week, let's look at word-of-mouth myths.
Authors: Edith Hamilton, Florence Sakade and Yoshisuke Kurosaki
Titles: "Mythology" (1940) and "Japanese Children's Favorite Stories" (1953)
Number of Pages: 497 in "Mythology" and 112 in "Japanese Children's Favorite Stories"
But wait, there's more: Myths from anywhere and Aesop's Fables (6th century B.C.)
Myths are part of almost every aspect of academia. There are critiques of them in the field of psychology through research on our collective consciousness. There's dissection of them in an English literature sense, with Joseph Campbell's concept of the Hero's Journey. And there's even a whole department on campus devoted to the ancient Mediterranean world and their myths — the Classics Department.
I find folktales utterly fascinating. There are always unique differentiations between cultures — little specifications here and there. Take some cultures' use of boats and others' of canoes, for example. But, what is most striking when reading different fables are the commonalities between them. There's love and war, power and weakness; these are the magical elements that capture the spirit and faith of all civilizations.
Two of my favorite books on myth include both Western and Eastern lore. The critically acclaimed "Mythology" depicts Greek, Roman and Norse myths. Hamilton's book is a seminal text on the world of classics, and is often used in classes. But it's not like any other boring textbook, I assure you. It's an easily understood and breezy introduction to Greek gods, creation and tales of love and adventure. It includes stories such as "Jason and the Golden Fleece," stories of heroes before and during the Trojan War and much more.
Hamilton herself is considered the greatest female classicist. Born in Germany, her father inspired her to study classics as well as Latin, French, German and Greek at the age of seven. After completing college, she toured Europe and studied in Germany. She faced considerable gender inequality and had to fight to be in classes as well as earn her doctorate. And yet, she still endeavored to capture the spirit of the Mediterranean world in her 10 books.
On the other side of the world, my other highlighted work captures 20 of the most popular Japanese children's stories. Passed down from generation to generation, important ideals of hard work and kindness are relevant in any time and place. The authors, Kurosaki and Sakade, have arranged four books on Japanese folktales, including a sequel to "Japanese Children's Favorite Stories."
Some of my favorite stories from these books include the journey of troubled souls and underdogs. In "Mythology," Hamilton tracks the life of Hercules, who although born of gods, is nearly killed by Hera as a baby. After being driven mad by Hera, he kills his own wife and children and thus, sets out to redeem himself through 12 labors. Meanwhile, in Japan, there is Issun-Boushi, or One-Inch Boy. Sent by heaven to an old childless couple, he was literally 1 inch tall when born and was often ridiculed. However, despite his small stature, he became a warrior and protected many innocent people.
Why are children's stories and myths relevant to us? As young adults, we are eager to learn about the diverse world and to find our place in it. What better way than to read the stories of civilizations past? And, there are always more fun options to explore in this category. From the Mediterranean to Japan — from the Middle East's "One Thousand and One Nights" to Africa's "Anansi the Spider" to China's "Mulan" to Aesop's Fables, to Grimm's Fairy Tales — the list of possibilities is endless.
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Alexandria Chu is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Alexandria.Chu@tufts.edu.
