Mythical Stone

About the Book

Unlike most cultures, the Japanese culture has preserved its native myths as a connected system, and as a system Japanese myths have much to say about the human condition in the cosmos. The series, Mythological Essays by Prof. Metevelis explores what this myth system seeks to tell us. Volume One, Mythical Stone, focuses on how the substance of stone works in the genesis and structure of the cosmos, and how it relates to establishing the human condition. The volume also delves into how stone came to possess its mythical qualities.

The series of essays took twenty years and long residence in Japan to research. It treats Japanese myths in the context of world mythology, and is interdisciplinary, oriented toward mythologists, historical folklorists, historians of religion, archaeoastronomers, Japanologists, and anyone interested in East Asian culture or history.

About the Author

Peter Metevelis is a folklorist who holds degrees in oriental languages, history, and religious studies. He has resided in Japan nearly twenty years, ten of them teaching in colleges while he did research in Japanese mythology.