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Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws by Adrienne Mayor

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Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws

And Other Classical Myths, Historical Oddities, and Scientific Curiosities

by Adrienne Mayor

Length 11 hours 2 minutes

Language English

Narrators Nancy Crane & Adrienne Mayor

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Bookseller recommendation

“As much as you think you know about ancient history and mythology, there is always more to discover. This is perfectly shown in Adrienne Mayor’s work, and Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is no exception. The ancient mediterranean is full of mythological creatures in stories, but some are present in historical accounts. What did those historians actually see? Where did those ideas come from? Were there actually flying snakes in the Sinai Peninsula or did Herodotus see the bones of prehistoric birds in an area where scorpions are occasionally thrown about by the wind? Prepare to have some questions addressed that you never thought you’d ask in this riveting collection of essays. ”
— Maggie • Quail Ridge Books

Summary
About the author
About the narrators

Adrienne Mayor and Nancy Crane narrate this treasury of astonishing mythic marvelsAdrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.The book explores such subjects as how mirages inspired legends of cities in the sky; the true identity of winged serpents in ancient Egypt; how ghost ships led to the discovery of the Gulf Stream; and the beauty secrets of ancient Amazons. Other pieces examine Arthur Conan Doyle's sea serpent and Geronimo's dragon; Flaubert's obsession with ancient Carthage; ancient tattooing practices; and the strange relationship between wine goblets and women's breasts since the times of Helen of Troy and Marie Antoinette. And there's much, much more.Showcasing Mayor's trademark passion not to demythologize myths, but to uncover the fascinating truths buried beneath them, Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a wonder cabinet of delightful curiosities.

History Nonfiction

Adrienne Mayor's books include The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, Gods and Robots: Myths, Machines, and Ancient Dreams of Technology, and The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World (all Princeton). She is a research scholar in classics and the history of science at Stanford University. Nancy Crane is a London-based American actor whose television credits include The Crown and Avenue 5 and who has appeared in Olivier-winning West End productions of Tennessee Williams's Summer and Smoke and Lucy Kirkwood's Chimerica. She is the narrator of The Sacred Andean Codes by Marcela Lobos, among other audiobooks.