Treasury of Folklore - Seas and Rivers

Treasury of Folklore: Seas & Rivers is just that: an attractive volume filled with sacred stories, myths, and folk tales sourced from around the world, topped off with woodcut-styled illustrations. I liked the sheer diversity of the tales (from The Little Mermaid to Mami Wata to kelpies and selkies) and the sensitivity with which these were handled, but I particularly liked the stories of Greek myth — I never knew about Hera, Argus, and the peacock! What will differentiate this one from other compendiums of folklore, I think, is that special care is paid here to talk about respect for other cultures and environmental concerns, so you can tell that its author cares both about the content and the people represented within it.

I really enjoyed this compendium of folklore focussing on rivers, lakes and the sea. Some of the stories and folk creatures mentioned I have heard of but a lot of them were from other cultures and it was particularly interesting to learn of the similarities between folk stories on different continents, and how they were subtly different. The one thing I would have liked that could have made this better would have been a few more examples of the actual stories told.

It is worth noting that this is not a collection of folklore tales, but an overview of folklore surrounding seas, rivers and oceans. It is still a fascinating read and an excellent introduction to these kinds of tales. There is good background information on the cultures these tales stem from and it is all told with such care. Clearly well-researched. And there are reading suggestions to dive further into the actual tales described throughout.