The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice
"Intelligent and charming,The Return of the Lightdraws you into an ancient, still thriving world of mystery and magic, where humans strive to make sense of nature and come up with ingenious and often fun tales to explain the winter solstice.Carolyn McVickar Edwards lays a foundation of knowledgeable yet accessible scholarship, then recounts each tale in the various cultures' unique styles, often with snappy dialogue, often with a haunting poignancy.Whether you're new to comparative mythology or an old hand, you're sure to enjoy and appreciate Edwards' respectful yet lively look at how the mystery of change resonates throughout our stories and rituals, bringing meaning to our myths and our lives." -Pamela Jaye Smith, mythologist and filmmaker, founder of MYTHWORKS(tm)"Each story is a glimpse into the imagery and mysteries of another culture-from a female Santa Claus in Italy to a girl marrying the sun in Africa, to the North American Raven creating light.  Read the stories one day as a meditative journey or read them to your kids, or read one after another. They tell of an inner journey too, the universal journey from light to dark and back to light again. As Carolyn says, myths are the soul stories of a particular culture.  Each of her commentaries creates a tone, paints the landscape, and deepens our journey through these other worlds.  Wonderful stories for the holidays or for any day of the year." -ELLIE FIDLER M.F.A., artist, lecturer and teacher of art and mythology, and theSolstice and Seasonal Myths and Mysteriesseries at the University of California extension, Santa Cruz, and in Berkeley, California"The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solsticehonors the power of storytelling and will enhance the experience of the Winter Solstice through its stories and fables, ritual and ceremony.  It gives us ways to look at this time of year with renewed meaning." -Angeles Arrien, Ph.D., cultural anthropologist, author ofThe Four-Fold Way and Signs of Life--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.