Folk Tales Of The Cosmos [Hardcover]

2024 Storytelling World Award winner for Best Anthology

A compelling collection of folk tales of the night sky.

Discover the Greek myths that are laid before you in the stars. Explore the folk tales of other cultures that have their own stories of the stars to guide the ancients in planting, navigating, and knowing when the beasts migrate across the plains. Start your own adventure to answer the question, 'Whose constellation is it anyway?'

'Janet Dowling is magic and her stories bring the wonders of the night sky onto the page. She has journeyed from Polar ice to Pacific islands in search of tales which will re-enchant the heavens under which we all live and which so many of us forget.' - Jeremy Harte, The Folklore Society

Janet Dowlinghas been a professional storyteller for almost 20 years, researching and telling stories to audiences across the world. She is a member of the Norman Locker Observatory where she helps in the planetarium, as well as telling stories of the stars which aids star constellation recognition. She has performed 'Lust and Revenge; passion of the night skies' around the UK as well as her family-friendly show 'The other night sky', which tells tales from other cultures. Janet lives in Sidmouth and this is her third title for The History Press.

• Folk tales about the sun, moon, planets and constellations
• How the same cluster of stars have inspired different cultures
• Explains the importance of knowing the night sky throughout history and how folk tales helped
• Greek myths of constellations; North American, native Austalian and native African
• Stories of seasonal change in the skies; changing perceptions of hunter-gatherers, the building of civilization and astronomy
• Includes the Chinese story of the moon, which gave the name to their space mission
• Told by a professional storyteller
• Published in association with Thl“3