A treasure trove of stories from the ancient world, retold by one of Ireland's greatest storytellers. This classic collection of myths and legends includes stories from all the major ancient civilizations, and some lesser known ones: Egypt and Greece, and Babylon and Rome, alongside Ireland and Iceland, India and Finland, China and Japan, Mexico, Peru and Polynesia. The tales range from creation stories to heroic epics, and feature Isis, Gilgamesh, Hercules and Pandora, to name but a few. This edition faithfully preserves Padraic Colum's original language. His lyrical rhythm and melody represent the very best of traditional storytelling. Includes Padraic Colum's essay, 'The Significance of Mythology'.