African Myths of Origin

Didn't like the author that much. His assumptions were clearly based on orientalist notions of both africa and the middle east. Too many of his sources were european travelers/historians who wrote down local myths, which made those sources very suspicious to me. Funnily enough, when the book used so......more

Well presented as an anthology of all the "creation" or "origin" folklore of different African nations. The book is sorted into regions and then by similar stories (e.g. the origin of the Hunter, the story of the first cattle herdsman...) with a good explanation at the start of each chapter I read th......more

A collection of about seventy myths from the African continent, mostly dealing with the origins of the world, humanity, or particular tribes and cities. These are retellings, not the actual texts or transcriptions translated, and some are put together from multiple versions, so it is more of an Afri......more

9/10 Dozens upon dozens of miniature epics and national mythologies, all brimming with pathos, love, violence and humour.......more

This little book covers a surprising amount of territory, doing what would seem impossible, namely giving some sense of the pulse of a continent. It does so by limiting its scope to myths of "origin", either cosmic or social. The narratives are presented without commentary or adornment. My only compl......more