Looking for inspiration to get you past writer’s block? Consider consulting dictionaries and encyclopedias on fantasy fiction and mythology subjects.
How to kill a vampire : fangs in folklore, film and fiction
Liisa Ladouceur
133.423 /Ladouceur
Paranormal, Nonfiction
Citing examples from folklore, as well as horror films, TV shows, and works of fiction, this book details all known ways to prevent vampirism, including how to protect oneself against attacks and how to destroy vampires. While offering explanations on the origins and uses of most commonly known tactics in fending off vampirism, the book also delves much deeper by collecting historical accounts of unusual burial rites and shocking superstitions from European history, from the "real" Serbian vampire Arnold Paole to the unique Bulgarian Djadadjii.
The Oxford dictionary of proverbs
REF 398.9 Oxford 2003
Nonfiction
A thematic index allows readers to easily find proverbs on subjects ranging from boasting to weddings. Presented in a thoroughly reader-friendly style yet maintaining the scholarly standards that have characterized earlier editions, this fourth edition is a valuable updating of a well-loved classic reference.
The Penguin book of the undead : fifteen hundred years of supernatural encounters
133.1 /Penguin
Nonfiction
The Penguin Book of the Undead teems with roving hordes of dead warriors, corpses trailed by packs of barking dogs, moaning phantoms haunting deserted ruins, evil spirits emerging from burning carcasses in the form of crows, and zombies with pestilential breath. Spanning from the Hebrew scriptures to the Roman Empire, the Scandinavian sagas to medieval Europe, the Protestant Reformation to the Renaissance, this beguiling array of accounts charts our relationship with spirits and apparitions, wraiths and demons over fifteen hundred years, showing the evolution in our thinking about the ability of dead souls to return to the realm of the living--and to warn us about what awaits us in the afterlife.
The illustrated world encyclopedia of knives, swords, spears & daggers : through history in over 1500 photographs
Harvey J. S Withers
623.441 /Withers
Nonfiction
This comprehensive encyclopedia of edged weapons is both an authoritative reference work & a visual directory, explaining the development of these weapons through the centuries, describing their capabilities & individual specifications.
National geographic guide to the world's supernatural places : more than 250 spine-chilling destinations around the globe
Sarah Bartlett
133 /Bartlett
Nonfiction
"Witches and demons, ghosts and vampires, aliens and voodoo spirit...from spooky to chilling to downright weird, signs of the supernatural have terrified -- and fascinated -- people for centuries. Dare to discover some of the world's most puzzling enigmas in this remarkable book, which reveals a dazzling array of haunted castles, forbidden hideaways and otherwise eerie landmarks."--Description from Amazon.com.
Mysterious Celtic mythology in American folklore
Bob Curran
398.0973 /Curran
Nonfiction
The darkest fears and wildest dreams of people throughout history survive in legends, fairy tales, and bedtime stories. A respected Celtic expert, Bob Curran explores nineteen regional tales from all over the United States and traces their origins to the ancient mythology of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Celtic Europeans brought their folktales with them to America. Once they reached American soil, they adapted their stories, replacing details popular in the old country with those more relevant to the new world. Divided into chapters, these regionally distinct stories trace the beginnings of vampires, headless horsemen, witches, banshees, and other mythical creatures.
The encyclopedia of angels
Rosemary Guiley
202.15 /Guiley
Nonfiction
An A-Z guide to angels of all kinds, the second edition of this title provides a reference to the origins, natures, functions and maifestations of angels. Entries cover topics such as angelologies, individual angels, the importance of angels in major world religions, and encounters with angels.
The complete world of Greek mythology
Richard Buxton
292.13 /Buxton
Nonfiction
Complemented by lavish illustrations, genealogical tables, box features, and specially commissioned drawings, this will be an essential book for anyone interested in these classic tales and in the world of the ancient Greeks.
Also great for fact-checking your understanding of Greek mythology
- Melody
Ireland's immortals : a history of the gods of Irish myth
M. A. (Mark Andrew) Williams
299.16113 /Williams
Nonfiction
Ireland's Immortals tells the story of one of the world's great mythologies. The first account of the gods of Irish myth to take in the whole sweep of Irish literature in both the nation's languages, the book describes how Ireland's pagan divinities were transformed into literary characters in the medieval Christian era--and how they were recast again during the Celtic Revival of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A lively narrative of supernatural beings and their fascinating and sometimes bizarre stories, Mark Williams's comprehensive history traces how these gods - known as the Tuatha De Danann - have shifted shape across the centuries, from Iron Age cult to medieval saga to today's young-adult fiction. We meet the heroic Lug; the Morrigan, crow goddess of battle; the fire goddess Brigit, who moonlights as a Christian saint; the mist-cloaked sea god Manannan mac Lir; and the ageless fairies who inspired J.R.R. Tolkien's immortal elves. Medieval clerics speculated that the Irish divinities might be devils, angels, or enchanters. W. B. Yeats invoked them to reimagine the national condition, while his friend George Russell beheld them in visions and understood them to be local versions of Hindu deities. The book also tells how the Scots repackaged Ireland's divine beings as the gods of the Gael on both sides of the sea--and how Irish mythology continues to influence popular culture far beyond Ireland.
The complete rhyming dictionary revised, including the poet's craft book
Clement Wood
808.1 /Wood
Nonfiction
This simple-to-use, exceptionally complete reference work has been updated, expanded and redesigned to meet the needs of today's most demanding wordsmiths. Included here are over 10,000 new entries--over 60,000 in all, sight, vowel, consonant, and one-, two-, and three-syllable rhymes.
Demons, the devil, and fallen angels
Marie D. Jones
133.42 /Jones
Paranormal
This fascinating look at Satan, evil spirits, and their 10,000-year history has 120 photographs, drawings, and illustrations to bring the portraits of over 200 demons and fallen angels to shivering life. Demons, the Devil, and Fallen Angels also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. It is a comprehensive, clear, and objective look at a subject that fills most people with fear and dread. Yet the presence of dark angels continues to remain a part of our human experience, our popular culture, and our spiritual understandings. Come and explore the shadowy side of existence and its integral part of our nature.
This book has awesome illustrations and contains a wealth of information on demons and the occult.
- Melody
Because you'll need to know the difference between a katana and a short sword.
- Melody