Forests of the Vampires: Slavic Myth (Myth and Mankind)

Of all the peoples who fought for supremacy on the vast eastern European plains, the Slavs have proved the most enduring. They spread out from homelands beyond the Carpathian Mountains, settling territory south into the Balkins and as far west as the Elbe River. Equally impressive is their spiritual journey which began with the worship of ancient pagan gods and matured with the dawn of the Christian age. But despite manifold cultural and religious changes, traces of their spirit have survived: in the great epics of their ancient heroes; in their belief in the earth's healing power; and in the magical stories which fill the forbidding landscape with fantastical characters. These include the vampire whose wretched specter still stalks our world today. Of all the peoples who fought for supremacy on the vast eastern European plain, the Slavs have proved the most enduring. They spread out from homelands beyond the Carpathian Mountains, settling territory south into the Balkans and as far west as the Elbe River. Equally impressive is their spiritual journey which began with the worship of ancient pagan gods and matured with the dawn of the Christian age. Tales from this volume include the vampire whose wretched specter still stalks our world today A dramatic series that captures, culture by culture, the information that never makes it into the history books: strange stories, mystic rites, angry gods, vision quests. Created, edited, and designed by Duncan Baird Publishers "First Time-Life English language printing 1999." Includes bibliographical references (p. 144) and index Impressive is the Slavs spiritual journey which began with the worship of ancient pagan gods and matured with the dawn of the Christian age http://www.archive.org/details/forestsofvampire00phil