Mythologist explores sacred landscapes in ‘Staff of Laurel’ | Book Talk
“Staff of Laurel, Staff of Ash: Sacred Landscapes in Ancient Nature Myth” by Wooster mythologist and classicist Dianna Rhyan is a rich collection of reflections about the natural world.
Rhyan’s lyrical writing brings together her observations of nature, particularly in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, with fascinating concepts of folklore. In addition to Greek and Roman mythology, Rhyan reaches back some 4,000 years to her prime resource, the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, which she summarizes in the chapter “Expedition to the Cedar Forest.” In a lament to deforestation, an ancient text calls it “profanity against the sanctuary.”
Rhyan cites Homer and Heraclitus in a chapter called “The Mother of God,” which examines the sacred places that are hidden from or prohibited to those ineligible to visit. “Helix” likens a strand of woodbine to the sensualism that pervades stories of Zeus and the goddess Inanna.
The analogies of gardens to the female, nurturing ancient goddesses and nymphs are countered by a subsequent chapter, “He Filled the Tigris,” which depicts the masculine and forceful river-gods and compares the Cuyahoga to the Tigris.
Rhyan’s writing is enchanting in a literal sense. As she stresses, “Staff of Laurel, Staff of Ash is not an academic book,” but it has great depth and is an ideal companion to the oppression of winter.
“Staff of Laurel, Staff of Ash” (192 pages, softcover) costs $17.95 from John Hunt Publishing. Rhyan earned a Ph.D. in ancient Greek and Latin and works as a counselor in Wooster. “Mestra the Shapeshifter: Ancient Heroine of the Sacred Grove” is scheduled for release in summer 2024.
‘Marty; Marty; Marty’
There are three Marty Krals. Actually, there are certainly more, but Ashland resident Marty Kral writes about three in “Marty; Marty; Marty: One Name; Three Stories.”
The first Marty is Kral’s grandfather; the second, his uncle. Kral’s father’s name is Milan; he was the younger brother of Marty No. 2. The book is by turns a family history and a memoir. That it was written while Kral was enduring the brutal chemotherapy to treat his colon cancer adds a keen gravity.
The first Marty Kral was born in 1904 in what was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and now is Slovakia. Kral speculates on his grandfather’s marriage to an American, which may have been arranged to gain entry to the United States and subvert the Quota Act.
Kral gets family history from his uncle, Marty No. 2, and includes handed-down photos of relatives. The pride in his Slovakian heritage is evident in his exposition on the early Slovakian community in Cleveland and a chapter called “Holiday Traditions,” with recipes in the back of the book for such dishes as chicken paprikash and dumplings.
“Marty; Marty; Marty” (262 pages, softcover) costs $21.95 from online retailers. Marty Kral is the director of bands and chair of the music department at Ashland High School.
Events
Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library: Rajiv Nagaich, public television host and expert in U.S. elder law, joins the Online Author Talk series to discuss “Your Retirement: Dream or Disaster: How to Avoid the Hidden Traps in Retirement Planning Advice,” 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Register at smfpl.org.
Hudson Library & Historical Society (96 Library St.): Sung-Yoon Lee, scholar of Korean and East Asian studies, talks about “The Sister: North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the Most Dangerous Woman in the World,” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, historian Gareth Russell gives a virtual presentation of “The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court.” At 2 p.m. Saturday, in recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, historians Elizabeth B. White and Joanna Sliwa give an in-person talk abut “The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust.” Register at hudsonlibrary.org.
Twinsburg Public Library (10050 Ravenna Road): Abby Collette, author of the Ice Cream Parlor mystery series, hosts the 50-Book Challenge kickoff party, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Register at twinsburglibrary.org.
Cleveland Public Library (Martin Luther King Jr. branch, 1962 Stokes Blvd.): Cleveland financial adviser Frank Legan discusses “The Humanity Factor: A Heart-Driven Approach to Your Finances and Your Future,” 5 p.m. Thursday.
Dover Public Library (525 N. Walnut St.): Korey Loughry signs “I Was Arrested: A Candid Memoir of One Cardiac Arrest Survivor,” 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Register at doverlibrary.org.
Marvin Memorial Library (29 W. Whitney Ave., Shelby): An Author Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Barnes & Noble (7900 Mentor Ave., Mentor): Lynn Ellen signs the paranormal romance “Returning to Hattie,” 1 p.m. Saturday.
B-Side (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights): Katie Daley launches her poetry collection “Any Closer to Home,” 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Email information about books of local interest, and event notices at least two weeks in advance to BeaconBookTalk@gmail.com and bjnews@thebeaconjournal.com. Barbara McIntyre tweets at @BarbaraMcI.
Book Talk: ‘The Musical Mozinskis’ explores family dynamics
Book Talk: ‘Alchemy of a Blackbird’ is inventive historical novel
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: ‘Staff of Laurel’ explores sacred landscapes in myth | Book Talk
