Gods Behaving Badly
by John McKie
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Pub Date Nov 08 2023 | Archive Date Sep 27 2024
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Description
Across the world and throughout history, mythological gods have captivated human imagination, embodying both the light and dark sides of existence.
While some deities are known for their virtue, many display a striking range of behaviours—some benevolent, others brutal. From acts of kindness and creation to vengeance, deception, and manipulation, these gods reflect the complexities of human nature.
In this book, you will meet diverse gods like the African goddess Oshun, who plays a crucial role in the world's creation, and the Polynesian trickster Maui, whose mischievous acts often aim to benefit humanity.
Explore the contrasting temperaments of Norse gods, such as the mighty Thor, whose brute strength is wielded with noble intentions, and Loki, a master of cunning and deceit driven by self-interest. Discover the unpredictable use of magic and shapeshifting among these deities—like Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, who frequently transforms into animals or objects, often with dubious motives.
A universal theme emerges across these mythologies: a belief in life after death, where rewards or punishments are meted out based on virtue—or in some cases, social standing. While some gods dispense justice, others themselves endure eternal punishments for their transgressions.
Advance Praise
This is a beautifully written and clearly organised account of just forty out of the great number of ancient religious mischief-makers from a wide variety of civilisations. They are clever, wily and ruthless. The short-named Norse gods, Odin and Freya vie for our attention against the nearly impossibly long-named Aztec gods, Chalchiuhtlicue and Huitzilopochtli. Half of the naughty gods and goddesses in the book were unknown to me and may well be new to other readers. They are all the more interesting for this. They can meet unexpected misfortunes and endings. Queen Medb led Irish armies into battle only to be killed by a lump of hard cheese. The Aztec god Tezcatlipoca has his foot bitten off by the earth goddess of multiple mouths, Tlazolteol. The Greek goddess Aprhodite’s jealous husband, Hephaestus, designed a golden bed equipped with chains to ensnare his rivals. The book is full of quirky and amusing detail about the world’s mythological deities. The Dictionary of Ancient Deities contains 10,000 entries. With Gods Behaving Badly, John McKie provides an excellent, far briefer, introduction to the pantheon of naughty deities.
Clare Roskill
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9781915953469 |
| PRICE | £4.10 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 257 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1084098
Over the millennia, there have been hundreds of mythological gods belonging to many different civilizations. Only a few of them are completely virtuous and most of them indulge in some form of bad behavior, some more than others. They can murder, cheat, trick, and otherwise take revenge on both humans and deities alike. Some are condemned, while others escape with impunity.
A fun and informative look at the bad side of mythological deities.
Adrianna H, Reviewer
“Gods Behaving Badly” by John McKie
I really liked this book. There was so much interesting lore of different cultures gods and talks about the good and bad of the gods and how some gods get vilified and other nefarious acts are brushed under the rug. I definitely recommend people to read this book. I liked how the book was structured and wasn’t confused when the subject was changed. I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars.
Reviewer 421976
An interesting read, not exactly a page turner but it not written to be. A welcome change to my usual reading preferences
Selena N, Educator
I LOVE this book.
Not only does it give information and stories about gods and goddesses I have heard of, but also introduces many of other cultures that I was not aware of. It goes further, and describes how many are similar in many cultures. I am so excited to share this book with my students. We study beginning of civilizations to the early 1400s and look at many different cultures in this study. I can share gods and goddesses from other cultures now, not just the ones in Greece, Rome, and Norse lands.
I was given the opportunity to read this book by NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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