Introduction -- All men have need of gods -- Gift of the Nile: the myths of Egypt -- By the rivers of Babylon: the myths of Mesopotamia -- Greek miracle: the myths of Greece and Rome -- An age of axes, an age of swords: the myths of the Celts and Norse -- Bridge to the East -- Radiance of a thousand suns: the myths of India -- Everywhere under heaven: the myths of China and Japan -- Out of Africa: the myths of sub-Saharan Africa -- Sacred hoops: the myths of the Americas and Pacific Islands.