Handbook of Egyptian Mythology

Spanning ancient Egyptian culture (ca. 3200 B.C.E. to C.E. 400), the Handbook of Egyptian Mythology is the only complete survey of Egyptian mythology of its kind available in English.In this comprehensive introduction to Egyptian mythology, author Geraldine Pinch shows how the mythology of Ancient Egypt must be pieced together from a variety of written and visual sources. Relationships between deities changed, and the Egyptian myths were never gathered by priests into an "authorized version."Handbook of Egyptian Mythology provides a brief discussion about the nature of myths; the concept of time in Egyptian mythology; a historical overview of the sources of Egyptian myth; and a dictionary of deities, themes, and concepts, which concentrates on the prominent gods and goddesses in Egyptian myth. The book also includes references to general works on Egyptian culture, religion, and myth; translations of ancient texts; and a selection of literature influenced by Egyptian myth.Includes 119 A-Z entries that address major deities, characters, themes, rituals, and beliefsIncludes a chronology of the mythological universe explaining time and mythic time in the culture