Plants have a remarkable mythology dating back thousands of years. From the ancient Greeks to contemporary Indigenous cultures, human beings have told colorful and enriching stories that have presented plants as sensitive, communicative, and intelligent. This book explores the myriad of plant tales from around the world and the groundbreaking ideas that underpin them. Amid the key themes of sentience and kinship, it connects the anemone to the meaning of human life, tree hugging to the sacred basil of India, and plant intelligence with the Finnish epic
The Kalevala. Bringing together commentary, original source material, and colorful illustrations, Matthew Hall challenges our perspective on these myths, the plants they feature, and the human beings that narrate them.
Mục lục
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: A Botanical Mythology
1. Roots
2. Gods
3. Metamorphosis
4. Legend
5. Sentience
6. Violence
Epilogue: Imagination and Beyond
A Guide to the Texts
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Giới thiệu về tác giả
Matthew Hall is Associate Director of Research Services at Victoria University of Wellington, in New Zealand. He is the author of
Plants as Persons: A Philosophical Botany, also published by SUNY Press.