Mythology: Library Resources

Contents:

• Reference Sources  (General and Comparative, Specific Cultures)
• Tips for finding books in the Pace Library
• Library Databases and other Online Sources
• Citing Your Sources

Reference Sources

The following sources can provide background information for research on mythological themes and characters. If no library is listed before the call number, the resource can be found at both the Birnbaum and Mortola Libraries.

General and Comparative Works

Bulfinch's Mythology    http://www.bartleby.com/bulfinch

Good overview of Classical Mythology. The seminal book in the field.

Companion to Literary Myths, Heroes and Archetypes   Birnbaum Ref PN56.M95 D4813 1992

Signed articles discuss the treatment of mythological themes and archetypes in literature.

Dictionary of World Mythology   Birnbaum BL303.C66 1980

Characters and concepts from seven major mythical traditions (West Asia, South and Central Asia, East Asia, Europe, America, Africa and Oceania).

Encylopedia Mythica      http://www.pantheon.org

From the website: "This is an encyclopedia on mythology, folklore, legends, and more.  It contains over 5700 definitions of gods and goddesses, supernatural beings, and legendary creatures and monsters from all over the world."

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica    Birnbaum Ref Encyclopedia Case, Mortola Ref AE5 .E5 1998 (see also Britannica Online)

Contains lengthy articles on Myth and Greek Mythology, with suggestions for further reading.

Facts on File Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend   Birnbaum Ref BL303.M45 1988

A to Z listing of characters from mythological traditions dating from the Ancient Near East to the present.

Giants, Monsters and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend and Myth   Birnbaum Ref GR825.R67 2000

Covers supernatural beings from various traditions.  Cross references help to identify related creatures.

Guide to the Gods    Birnbaum Ref BL473.L43 1992

Presents a "worldwide overview of deities" arranged by category (e.g. Primordial Beings, Water Gods).

Larousse World Mythology  Birnbaum Ref BL311.G683

Articles about the world's mythologies arranged geographically.

Mythologies    Mortola Ref BL311.D513 1991 (v.1-2)

Essays on mythological topics written by French mythological scholars.

The Perseus Digital Library     http://www.perseus.tufts.edu

The Perseus site is an online digital library of resources for studying the ancient world. The library's materials include ancient texts and translations, philological tools, maps, extensively illustrated art catalogs, and secondary essays on special tools. Perseus is hosted by Tufts University but is a collaborative effort of a number of academic institutions and museums.

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Specific Cultures

Dictionary of Classical Mythology    BL715.G713 1986

Guide to characters in classical mythology.  Includes maps and genealogical tables.

Dictionary of Creation Myths     Mortola Ref BL325.C7 L44 1995

Description to come

Dictionary of Native American Mythology    Birnbaum Ref E98.R3 G46 1992

Describes aspects of Native North American mythology.  Includes maps and a lengthy bibliography.

Dictionary of Roman Religion   Birnbaum Ref BL798.A35 1996

Characters and concepts from Roman religion. Many articles include suggestions for further reading.

Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend    BL930.D58 1998

A "general guide to the myths and legends of the Russian Empire at its greatest extent."

Everyman's Dictionary of Non-Classical Mythology    Birnbaum Ref BL303.S9 1962

Covers mythological figures of the Near East, Europe, India, Persia, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Irish Literature, Mythology, Folklore and Drama     http://www.luminarium.org/mythology/ireland/

Comprehensive Irish Literature site including a long list of links to Celtic Mythology and Folklore.

Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece    Birnbaum Ref BL782.B36

Provides a narrative genealogy of the Ancient Greek dieties.

Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt    Birnbaum Ref BL2428.L8713 1980

A guide to the symbolic and mythological beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians, arranged alphabetically.

Myth, Legend and Romance: An Encyclopaedia of Irish Folk Tradition    Birnbaum Ref GR153.5.O16 1991

Summarizes elements of the Irish storytelling tradition.

Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary    Ref BL715.B445 1991

Articles profile female characters in Greek and Roman mythology.

Tips for finding books in the Pace Library

The Pace Library Catalog lists the books, videos and other materials that the Library owns, and tells you where to locate those materials. Some Subject searches you may want to try include:

Mythology
Mythology, Classical	Mythology, Celtic
Mythology, Greek	Mythology in Literature

If you find a book that you are interested in, note the Location (i.e. specific campus library) and Call Number (this gives you the shelf location) of the book so that you will be able to find it in the Library.  Religion and Mythology Call Numbers usually begin with BL.  For more information on finding books, please see the Library's guide to Using the Pace Library Catalog.

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Library Databases and other Online Sources

To find journal articles on mythology, start with the library databases.  To access the databases, go to the library home page and click on "Databases."  Use the pull-down menus provided to choose a database to search.  Some library databases will contain full-text articles, while others -- including MLA -- provide only citations and abstracts.  The following databases may prove useful:

Academic Search Premier

Provides full text for more than 3,430 scholarly publications covering academic areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.

INFOMINE    http://infomine.ucr.edu/

A collection of scholarly Internet resources, arranged by subject.  INFOMINE was developed by the University of California, Riverside.

JSTOR

Contains back issues of scholarly journals.  To find mythology articles, search in Language and Literature journals.

 Librarians' Index to the Internet    http://lii.org/

Though specifically intended for users of public libraries, this annotated subject directory links to more than 9,000 high-quality Web resources.

Magill on Literature Plus

Contains editorially reviewed critical analyses and brief plot summaries of the most studied works in the history of literature.

MLA Bibliography and Literature Resource Center

Modern Language Association International Bibliography for literature in modern languages. Indexes articles from 1963 to the present. Literature Resrouce Center is a fulltext database that now provides access to MLA Bibliography as well as a large collection covering biographies, Collection of Works, and Articles.

The Scout Report Archives    http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/archives/

Search for critical evaluations of Websites that have appeared in previous editions of the Scout Report.

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Citing Your Sources

To avoid the appearance of plagiarism, you will need to cite all of your information sources using a standard citation format, such as MLA.  For information on MLA citation format, see the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Birnbaum Ref. Reserve, Mortola Ref. Desk, Mortola Ref. LB2369 .G53 1999).

Additional information about citing resources is available on the Library's How to Cite Resources page.  If you are unsure of which citation format to use, please ask your instructor.  For more information on plagiarism, see the "Student Resources" on the Library's Plagiarism Facts for Faculty and Students page.

Still Need Help? Ask a Librarian!