Dictionary of World Gods and Goddess

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Although to the ancients, myths were simply accounts of the doings of deities that they believe actually existed, today's students see these same stories as a body of literature. The distinction is one that students should understand, for though the stories are interesting for their own sake, and retain and essential appeal to the human imagination, they are equally important for what they have to say about the past. Mythology : Gods and Goddesses is a two-part programme that seeks to introduce students to both aspects of mythology, the historical and the literary. The stress of the program is on giving students an idea of the nature of the Greek and Roman gods and of the importance of these gods in the lives of the ancients. In most cases, no attempt is made to tell the entire myth; rather the emphasis is on telling just enough of the most important stories, most draw from Bulfinch's Mythology, to introduce the student to the principal figures in Classical mythology and to whet their appetites to read the myths for themselves. Although Greek and Roman gods and goddesses have been well covered in reference books, few sources try to encompass a complete worldview. Basing his compilation on standard religious reference books, including specialized titles for lesser-known sects, the author of this number of deities from Sumerian, Egyptian, Australian Aboriginal, Akkadian-Babylonian, Hindu, Hittite-Hurrian, Greek, Hebrew, Mayan, Celtic, and Buddhist Hindu, Zoroastrian, Jain, Muslim religions, among others. The main body of the work consists of alphabetically arranged entires listed under the most common form of the deity. Principal gods and goddesses (e.g. Istar, Thor, Zeus) are indicated by entry headings in all capitals letters and are given a lengthier treatment (a half to a full page) noting origin, known period of worship, synonyms, centre of cult, are references, literary sources, description and importance. Other entries are generally one to two paragraphs in length. The six page bibliography is divided geographically and by major religion. Besides listing all the deities alphabetically, the index categorizes deities by culture and function (e.g. fire, messengers). Coverage is impressive, few other reference works include the Western Semitic local goddess of healing Thatmanitu, the Phrygian river god Sangarios, the Lithuanian corn goddess Gabjauai, the polynesian creator god Quat, or the Aztec minor fertility goddess Matlalcueye. This volume is a solid consolidation of information and is recommended for high-school, public, and academic Libraries.About the AuthorT. Rengarajan, commitment to the cause of legal education, and his dedication in the propagation of Hinduism, place him on a high pedestal among the contemporary Hindu religious writers. His books have been received wide appreciation from different publishers in India. He has written nearly 65 books of which nearly 31 books were published. Compulsive writer, his eluci-dation of complexities of Hinduism, his commentaries on points of Hindu religious characters and his unambiguous presentation are highly value by the publisher. He was awarded fellowship from United Writers Association Chennai and awarded Life Time Achievement award 2004 for his contribution of Hinduism and other Indian religions in 2004-05. His name is under recommendation for different awards bases on religious subjects. He actively participated in Social activities, Secretary Public Grievance Radrssing Society. He had submitted number of Parliamentary bills to Government of India, Delhi. He has been awarded Hony. Doctorate from International Educational and Center, USA for his work on Hinduism and Other Indian Religion Under Comparative studies.