Water Spirits (The Enchanted World Series) by Time-Life Books

Water Spirits (The Enchanted World Series) Reviews

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  ♥ℳelody

  Honestly not what I was expecting? Kinda a let down after searching for a copy for so long. I've had my eye on a few others in this series ever since I got a copy of
  Wizards and Witches which is beautiful and so fun but after finally getting this one I think I might pass on the rest. :(
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  Ashley T

  I have read a lot of folklore focused books, and this is one of the best I’ve read. Not only is the book beautiful, but the writing and breadth of stories were superb. I bought the book used, and unfortunately someone removed 10 pages from the section about pirate ship lore. I’m really tempted to buy another copy online and then start collecting the other books in this series. A wonderful find, and it would make a fantastic gift!
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  Rex Hurst

  Water Spirits opens with the story of a man who saved the life of a mermaid who blessed him with the power to heal and to break witchcraft and cursed him so that every generation one man from his family would drown. This was done to illustrate people's fear of the sea as a mysterious and fickle place that could from one moment give life and in the other death. Water was hailed as the source of life; the Hindus worshiped the Ganges under the name of Ganga, Mimir's well gave Odin his wisdom, the Nile and the Jordan River built civilizations, and everywhere people sought the Fountain of Youth. Many culture’s creation myths relate the universe forming out of the chaotic watery deep. In addition, nearly every culture here has a Great Flood myth. The one presented in this volume is that of Gilgamesh, who is told the tale by the immortal survivor Utnapishtim.
  Heroes began enterprising in sea quests. Jason and his Argonauts, for example, paid the correct homage to the gods and led a crew of heroes across the Seas. While Odysseus, whose men forgot to or openly stole from the Gods, was punished with ten years of wandering and danger. Regardless of his initial faithfulness to the gods however, those same gods destroyed Jason and turned the Argo into a constellation. That was a testimony to how fickle the gods could be, because sea gods were viewed in relation to their seas. Poseidon, for example, was as arbitrary as the enchanted seas and magic islands he ruled.
  
  In later days, sailors no longer worshiped the sea gods but still lived in fear of the sea's power. For example, ships were still launched on Woden's Day and not on Thor's Day for fear of storms and thunder. Figureheads replaced the eyes, of Greek ships, but the function remained the same - keeping a lookout for evil. Anointing a ship with wine replaced the pagan custom on smearing ships with human blood.
  
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  P.S. Winn

  An enchanting book by the amazing Time-Life books. Readers should know that a book put out by Time-Life is always interesting, with great text, wonderful pictures and an amazing ride into the unknown.
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  Katrin

  the second in the series i read, ten more to follow! again i loved it. stories from allover the world, illustrations, beautiful paintings.. a map or a detailed glossary would be nice, otherwise this is a beautiful book for everyone enjoying mythical stories and ancient lore.
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  Athena

  I don't own this one yet, that's why it's in the to-read section. I do know however that it will be just as wonderful as it's counterparts.
  
  My review for all of these books in this series is the same.
  
  Time-Life has once again done an outstanding job putting together a series. From cover to cover they are thoughtful, beautiful books. I'm starting to sound generic, but it's true.
  I'm a DK fan, I like white backgrounds and side notes with clear sections for every subject. This series has none of that. What they do have is an old book feel. Timeless artwork, thoroughness, and very well written makes these a must on my occult/paranormal bookshelf at home. I've been collecting the series slowly over several years and still have a few books to go. I refuse to go on amazon and buy them. It's all in the hunt for me. There is no subject they have left untouched. I highly recommend them.
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  Shaxar

  One of my more favorite ones in this series. =3
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  Jason Prodoehl

  This book is in the Enchanted World series that I enjoy so much. It tells of myths and legends having to do with water, Ancient Greece (Jason and the Argonauts and Odysseus), Cornwall, Ancient Sumeria (Gilgamesh), Norway, Denmark, Scotland, Japan, Switzerland. Famous legends like the Flying Dutchman, and several others about ghost ships. The writing is excellent, the illustrations were not as engaging as other books in the series. Still an enjoyable read to be transported into legends about the sea and lakes.
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  Francis Opila

  Memior of a woman's solo sea-kayak trip through the Inside Passage, starting in Ketchikan, AK and ending in her home town Bellingham, WA. Her story is about dealing with fear, connecting with Nature (including whales, otters, cedar trees) and people along the way. Some very good natural history asides, some very poetic writing, some parts were a little disjoint, some a little boring, but all in all, a worthwhile read.
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  Thomas

  A series of short articles and stories.