Throughout human history people have told stories to explain their own existence, what happens after death, and also the natural world and how it was created. This volume tells the story of the peoples of the Americas, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, Eastern Asia and Oceania, and their vast array of mythical characters, animals, places and events. It includes A-Z glossaries of over 500 mythological characters and an introduction whixh examines the parallels in world myths, drawing together the six geographical sections.