The Lit List – myths, heroes and mythical beasts from around the world

Last time we focused on Classical Greek and Roman myths. Here we have ten of the best renditions of myths from the rest of the world.

1. The Poetic Edda by Anon. Old Norse. Check out The Cowboy Hávamál (see video below) for a Wild West re-working by Dr Jackson Crawford, a scholar of Scandinavian studies.
2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman. References Irish, Norse, Slavic, African and Middle Eastern deities.
3. The Ghost Bride by Yangste Choo. Mandarin Chinese.
4. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James. African.
5. The Golum and the Jinni by Helen Wecker. Brings together Jewish and Arabian mythical beings.
6. Fox by Dubravka Ugrešić. The fox as a creature of myth in the East and the West.
7. The Trickster trilogy by Eden Robinson. Canadian First Nations.
8. The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey. The mermaid in Caribbean folklore.
9. Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan. Dragons and Chinese celestial beings.
10. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Sylvia Moreno Garcia. Mayan.

If you liked this literary list, see here for more Lit Lists and book reviews.

Love reading? Want to meet like-minded people? Pop along to the Burton Book Club for novel chat.