The Hero's Quest and the Cycles of Nature - An Ecological Interpretation of World Mythology

This examination of the heroic journey in world mythology casts the protagonist as a personification of nature--a "botanical hero" one might say--who begins the quest in a metaphorical seed-like state, then sprouts into a period of verdant strength. But the hero must face a mythic underworld where he or she contends with mortality and sacrifice--embracing death as a part of life. For centuries, humans have sought superiority over nature, yet the botanical hero finds nothing is lost by recognizing that one is merely a part of nature. Instead, a cyclical promise of continuous life is realized, in which no element fully disappears, and the hero's message is not to dwell on death.

About the author

Rachel S. McCoppin is a professor of literature at the University of Minnesota Crookston. She has published in the areas of mythology, comparative literature, and multicultural pedagogy in scholarly books and journals.

Product details

• Authors: Rachel S. Mccoppin, McCoppin Rachel S.
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 25.10.2016
• EAN: 9781476662015
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-6201-5
• No. of pages: 232
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 12 mm
• Weight: 331 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology, RELIGION / Ancient, Folklore, myths & legends, Mythology, Ancient religions & mythologies, Ancient religions and Mythologies, Folklore studies / Study of myth