Pacific Mythology [antikvár]

Preface This first Encyclopedia of Pacific Mythology covers countries and islands from Thailand to Tahiti, from Japan to Java and from New Zealand to New Britain. As no single person can be an expert in the mythologies of all these nations, nor, supposing such a scholar could be found, would it be possible for him to include all the mythologies of the Pacific in one volume, it is offered with apologies for any shortcomings. A severe selection had to be made, and another problem faced: the available literature on Pacific mythology is very unequal. The myths of countries like Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand have been well described, but many other mythologies are still waiting for competent scholars to catalogue them. The reader should not underestimate the creative verbal arts, the oral and written traditions, religions and rituals even in the smallest islands. As soon as a scholar begins his research, it is like excavating a palace full of treasures. The language, the folktales, proverbs, songs, myths and legends of every single people in the Pacific is well worth studying, collecting and publishing. In recent times more detailed research has begun into the 'ethnobotany', the arts and knowledge of the medicine-men and midwives, the wise herbalists and other healers. This has already brought to light not only new knowledge of the native plants of the Pacific islands but also of their medicinal application. Besides legends and natural history, the local scholars are also mines of information on their 'ethnohistory', another subject that requires at least one volume all to itself. 'Learning is like an ocean without beaches,' one scholar told me, as he was gazing out over the sunny ocean. Jan Knappért