Encyclopedia of Gods & Deities - Korean & Southeast Asian Mythology: An Illustrated Guide to Shamanism, Sacred Pantheons & Creation Myths of Korea, Thailand, ... (Gods & Deities Collection Book 10)

Unveil the Sacred Powers of Korea & Southeast Asia
Step into a world where heavenly rulers descend to establish kingdoms, sacrificed maidens become the first rice, warrior spirits defend cities and royal dynasties, serpent-born ancestors emerge from rivers and seas, mountain guardians watch over villages, and divine powers govern fertility, storms, healing, birth, death, fortune, and the changing seasons. Encyclopedia of Gods & Deities – Korean & Southeast Asian Mythology invites you into the sacred imagination of nine interconnected traditions—a vast mythic world shaped by Korean shamanism, Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship, Thai and Cambodian religious devotion, Lao foundation legends, Burmese nat cults, Malaysian ancestral belief, Indonesian cosmology, and the diverse indigenous traditions of the Philippines.

From Dangun, Hwanung, Bari Gongju, Jacheongbi, and the household gods of Korea to Liễu Hạnh, Thánh Gióng, Mae Phosop, Thao Wessuwan, Lokeshvara, Khun Borom, Thagyamin, Dewi Sri, Nyai Roro Kidul, Bathala, Apolaki, and Mayari, this richly illustrated volume explores how sacred traditions across the region imagined creation, divine ancestry, rulership, protection, fertility, sacrifice, prosperity, justice, death, and cosmic order.

Discover Shamans, Guardian Spirits, Divine Ancestors & Sacred Heroes
Rather than offering disconnected summaries, this encyclopedia enters the internal logic of each tradition. It reveals how divine power was connected to sacred mountains, royal foundation myths, rice cultivation, monsoon rains, rivers and oceans, village boundaries, household hearths, ancestral descent, spirit possession, fertility rites, temple worship, agricultural festivals, journeys to the underworld, and the continuing relationship between human communities and the unseen beings surrounding them.

These stories show how creator gods, celestial rulers, rice goddesses, water mothers, guardian nats, mountain spirits, ancestral founders, bodhisattvas, deified warriors, culture heroes, household protectors, and underworld judges shaped ideas of kingship, agriculture, warfare, healing, childbirth, travel, morality, death, renewal, and communal survival. From Korea’s shamans and Jeju goddesses to Myanmar’s flamboyant nat spirits, Bali’s water temples, Java’s divine wayang figures, Borneo’s omen birds, and the ancestral powers of the Philippine highlands, mythology transformed fields, forests, mountains, rivers, palaces, shrines, homes, and entire kingdoms into landscapes alive with sacred presence.

Striking Illustrations That Restore Sacred Presence
Every figure is rendered through powerful, detailed artwork that emphasizes mythic gravity, cultural identity, ritual authority, and divine presence. Radiant rice goddesses stand beside creator fathers and sacrificed daughters; heavenly kings descend through clouds; warrior nats ride horses and elephants; compassionate bodhisattvas bless kingdoms; ocean queens rise from curling waters; ancestral spirits receive offerings; and formidable guardians confront disorder, illness, famine, and death.

Each illustration moves beyond generic fantasy to capture the distinctive character of the tradition it represents—from Korean ceremonial robes and Cambodian sacred sculpture to Burmese nat imagery, Lao royal symbolism, Balinese temple iconography, Javanese wayang forms, Torajan cosmology, Iban ritual dress, and the gold, textiles, weapons, and sacred objects of the precolonial Philippines. These visual interpretations restore the presence these figures carried in shrines, temples, spirit houses, royal chronicles, harvest rituals, festivals, processions, performances, pilgrimages, household worship, and oral tradition, allowing readers to encounter them not as distant names, but as commanding powers from one of the richest and most diverse mythological regions in the world.