Theresa Bane - Encyclopedia of Mythological Objects

This encyclopedia of mythical items may well be the first of its kind, a volume dedicated wholly to naming and describing in as much detail as provided in the original source material the magical abilities of the possessions and weapons of folkloric heroes and gods. To maintain this books integrity as a useful tool for academics and researchers, I did not include any items from fiction (popular or otherwise), save for those items originating from traditional fairy tales.

As there are no other books of this specific subject matter on the market to compare against, every precaution was taken to ensure that the items chosen for inclusion would prove useful not only to readers and researchers of today but also those of tomorrow and for years to come. For this reason, items that are modern literary and intellectual creations were not included. For instance, as a fan of the popular television show Vampire Diaries , set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls, Virginia (which, according to a map shown in one episode, is set about 12 miles southeast of my own home), I am aware that on the show there is an item said to be difficult to obtain: a daylight ring. This item, according to the lore of the show, when worn by a vampire, allows the creature to walk unharmed and unhindered in daylight. This bit of magic, being original to the mythology of Vampire Diaries and its spinoff companion shows, Originals and Legacies , will not appear in this book.

Items included are those mentioned (if not specifically by name, then at least by excellent description) as the amazing and powerful items utilized by the gods of the worlds various religions. Of these, the ones that most immediately spring to mind, I suspect, would be those from the old Norse religion, most notably Mjolnir, the named hammer of the god of thunder, Thor. Due to Thors popularity in recent times, thanks to modern comics and movie franchises, I imagine that many people are familiar with this weapon, though blissfully unaware of the amount of artistic license that has been taken with it for the sake of contemporary storytelling. Modern moviegoers are likely unaware that, according to the original mythology, Thor needed to wear his iron gloves ( Jarngreipr ) to wield the hammer in order to compensate for its short shaft.

Furthermore, I have also included the items named in the various folklore traditions from around the world, such as the stories of Reynard the Fox and the numerous works devoted to the lore of King Arthur. I did this not because they were works of popular fiction in their day, or because they are still being told centuries later, but because their message is timeless and as relevant to modern readers as it was to the first audience who heard these stories. Society chooses to keep these stories alive and, I imagine, will continue to do so for centuries to come.

As with my previous worksencyclopedic tomes on vampires, demons, fairies, monsters, spirits, giants, and mythic locationsI consulted and utilized every viable reference source that cataloged folklore, legends, mythologies, and world religions. In addition to art reference books, history books, and works of anthropology and sociology, most of my material came directly from the scriptures of our numerous religions.

Often I had to sit back and make hard decisions regarding what items would be included and which would not. There are few people who would rationally argue that Birga (the magical spear of Fionn mac Cumhaill), the endless bag of rice (popular in Japanese lore), or the lasso of sixty loops (from the Persian epic poem Shahnameh ) actually exist. I feel it is safe to say that archaeologists are not holding their breath each time they put a spade into the earth in the hopes that this will be the time they unearth one of these items. However, the gopher-wood ark of Noah is a more complicated matter.

Was the world thrown into watery chaos to literally wipe the slate clean? Many of the world religions have such a tale, and in some of these stories a man built a box-like sailing vessel, collected up two of every animal (as well as his extended family), and survived the global natural disaster. Legend says the ark eventually ran aground in the mountains as the waters receded. It is not the most far-fetched story that comes to us from an ancient religion. In fact, the Old Testament book of Genesis gives fairly precise directions as to how such a vessel should be constructed. Biblical archaeologists have sought to discover this lost ark. Money is spent on expeditions to find it; sane, rational, scientific-minded people believe it is real and is just waiting to be discovered. For me, Noahs ark is less a mythological item and more akin to a crypto-archaeological artifact. As with the King Cheetah or Bigfootcrypto-zoological animals sighted but yet to be proven to exist by scienceI chose to err on the side of restraint and withhold its entry. Many other items are not included in this book based on this line of reasoning.

As a professional vampirologista mythologist who specializes in cross-cultural vampire studiesI work on several books at one time: aside from my primary focus, there are always multiple other books stewing on my mental back burner. As I do my research, I catalog every tidbit of information I can: typing out names and including descriptions, adding a source and page number in case I need to revisit the original material at a future date, and then electronically filing the information away under a broad heading, such as demon, fairy, vampire or (as in this case) item. Eventually, I amass enough information to write my next book, an undertaking that takes about a year to complete once I sit down and set my mind to it.