Indian myth and legend

About this book

Mackenzie’s collection presents Indian sacred stories and epic legends alongside explanations of their religious and historical setting, for readers seeking both narrative and context. In his account of Yama, the ruler of the dead, he considers how Vedic beliefs about the god may have developed and raises the possibility of Babylonian influence. Abhimanyu’s death in the Mahabharata becomes a stark battlefield scene, told through a succession of comparisons that give the episode the force of oral narration. Elsewhere, discussion of tribes and ancient alliances shows the book’s interest in the history behind the legends.