Scan barcode
A review by _its_me_hermione
The Women of Hindu Mythology: A Beginner's Guide to the Goddesses, Heroines and Demonesses in Hinduism's Myths and Folktales by Zayden Stone, Zayden Stone
5.0
Let me introduce you to a book that can be enjoyed by both fiction and non-fiction lovers. If you love to read about mythology, especially Hindu mythology, then this book is the right choice!
I love to read about Hindu mythology. I grew up reading stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and books like Aithihyamala. Therefore I love to read books about folklore and mythology. I loved reading retellings like The Pregnant King, Karna's Wife, etc. So when I found out about this book, I couldn't see a reason to not read it. And I started reading this book the moment I got it!
To put it simply, this book is a collection of stories about the popular and unpopular women of Hindu mythology. This book speaks about thirty-five women who are mentioned in the ancient texts, Ramayana and Mahabharata.
In the Introduction to the book itself, the author mentions the role of Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata in Hinduism.
As soon as I started reading this book, I realised that I was illiterate about Hindu mythology. I didn't know about some of the Goddesses mentioned in the book and even if I knew my knowledge was limited.
The author rather than sticking to only narrating the stories has also included other relevant information. He mentions their origin, the meaning of their names, their powers, their strength, their parentage and many other things. The relationship between different Gods and Goddesses is also mentioned. He also mentions how the stories change according to the geographical regions.
I loved the narrative style. It was gripping and easy to understand. I found the glossary given in the book very useful.
Urmila is one of my favourite characters from the Ramayana and I really enjoyed reading about her in the book!
I love to read about Hindu mythology. I grew up reading stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata and books like Aithihyamala. Therefore I love to read books about folklore and mythology. I loved reading retellings like The Pregnant King, Karna's Wife, etc. So when I found out about this book, I couldn't see a reason to not read it. And I started reading this book the moment I got it!
To put it simply, this book is a collection of stories about the popular and unpopular women of Hindu mythology. This book speaks about thirty-five women who are mentioned in the ancient texts, Ramayana and Mahabharata.
In the Introduction to the book itself, the author mentions the role of Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ramayana and Mahabharata in Hinduism.
As soon as I started reading this book, I realised that I was illiterate about Hindu mythology. I didn't know about some of the Goddesses mentioned in the book and even if I knew my knowledge was limited.
The author rather than sticking to only narrating the stories has also included other relevant information. He mentions their origin, the meaning of their names, their powers, their strength, their parentage and many other things. The relationship between different Gods and Goddesses is also mentioned. He also mentions how the stories change according to the geographical regions.
I loved the narrative style. It was gripping and easy to understand. I found the glossary given in the book very useful.
Urmila is one of my favourite characters from the Ramayana and I really enjoyed reading about her in the book!