Theresa Bane
Author of Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures
Works by Theresa Bane
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Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- author
- Relationships
- Bane, T. Glenn
- Short biography
- Bane is the author of “Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and Cultures,” “The Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology,” “Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology,” “Actual Factual: Dracula,” “Haunted Historic Greensboro,” “Folktales and Ghost Stories of North Carolina’s Piedmont,” “Folklore and Food,” and numerous RPG (role-playing game) supplements, including co-authoring the “Bare Bones Multiverse” core rulebook and “Bare Boney Beyond”. She has also written a dark humor book entitled “The Bloodthirsty Weasels: On the Loose and Buck Wild” as well as regularly writing content and satirical articles for on-line magazines and gaming supplements. Recently she has delved in audio books and has been the Associate Producer on Patricia Brigg’s “Dragon Bones” and “Dragon Blood,” as well as “Vampire Empire: The Greyfriar,” “Riftwalker” and “Kingmaker” by Clay and Susan Griffith, all of which are produced by Buzzy Multimedia.
When not writing, Bane travels educating audiences about the differences between traditional mythology and horror fiction. A diehard gamer originally from the NY/NJ area, she currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, T. Glenn Bane. - Places of residence
- North Carolina, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- North Carolina, USA
Members
Reviews
One of my primary questions going into this book was, "What exactly is a demon?"
Bane's definition of demon appears to be "anything anyone has ever called a demon". Fallen angels, pagan gods, Japanese youkai, goetic demons and various mythological figures all make appearances. The Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and cultures has thousands of entries that span several different cultures.
Entries include the name (and variations) of the demon and some mention of where it comes from show more (its culture, religion, grimoire, et cetera). Where possible, physical descriptions of the demon, and information on its behavior are also included. Some demons, especially those from goetic grimoires, also have information on what they might be summoned for or how they interact with people. Unfortunately, there are no pictures or illustrations.
Each entry is individually sourced (often including the relevant page numbers), which I really liked. I'm not very familiar with demons and demonology, and so I can't say with any authority how accurate these entries are. I can, however, check the sources given, both in the entries and in the extensive bibliography.
I wouldn't suggest this book as the only reference one would need (I'd be hesitant to suggest any single book for that), but I do think it's a good place to start. It's very helpful if you need to get a brief overview of a demon, and an idea of where to look for further research.
Note: I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. This has no bearing on the content of my review. show less
Bane's definition of demon appears to be "anything anyone has ever called a demon". Fallen angels, pagan gods, Japanese youkai, goetic demons and various mythological figures all make appearances. The Encyclopedia of Demons in World Religions and cultures has thousands of entries that span several different cultures.
Entries include the name (and variations) of the demon and some mention of where it comes from show more (its culture, religion, grimoire, et cetera). Where possible, physical descriptions of the demon, and information on its behavior are also included. Some demons, especially those from goetic grimoires, also have information on what they might be summoned for or how they interact with people. Unfortunately, there are no pictures or illustrations.
Each entry is individually sourced (often including the relevant page numbers), which I really liked. I'm not very familiar with demons and demonology, and so I can't say with any authority how accurate these entries are. I can, however, check the sources given, both in the entries and in the extensive bibliography.
I wouldn't suggest this book as the only reference one would need (I'd be hesitant to suggest any single book for that), but I do think it's a good place to start. It's very helpful if you need to get a brief overview of a demon, and an idea of where to look for further research.
Note: I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. This has no bearing on the content of my review. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I received this book from LibraryThing as an Early Reviewer book.
This is a pretty great resource. There's a very broad definition of "fairy" being used, which means that just about any kind of magical creature you can imagine makes an appearance. There is a definite British bias, but there are examples from a wide variety of cultures of creatures that fall broadly under the "fairy" umbrella. The focus is on human-shaped creatures, but there are a few others in there as well. I wouldn't use show more this as the only source for non-European creatures, but it does offer an excellent starting point.
The entries themselves are clear and concise, varying in length from a couple of sentences for minor examples to a page or more for large subjects (the entry for "Fairy" is six and a half columns of text, including the long list of variant names). Sources are offered at the end of every entry, which is extremely valuable for judging the relevance of the information to whatever use you're putting it. The entries are written as though discussing actual entities, not literary constructions - but the citations help mitigate the bias that introduces.
The index is wonderful, allowing you to look up creatures by name, type, origin, or role. It does seem a little redundant to list every entry in the index when they're also simply listed alphabetically in the text itself, but that's a small quibble. The index also lists variant names, particularly useful for those Celtic creatures with so many different appellations it's impossible to keep them all straight. The introduction is nice, but not particularly enlightening.
My biggest complaint really is format. I'd love this to be bound in hardcover with a spine that will lay flat - a tight perfect binding is hard to use as a reference resource. Still, that's a small thing compared to the contents of the book, which are quite good. This will go straight into my writing reference collection, and I expect to make good use of it. show less
This is a pretty great resource. There's a very broad definition of "fairy" being used, which means that just about any kind of magical creature you can imagine makes an appearance. There is a definite British bias, but there are examples from a wide variety of cultures of creatures that fall broadly under the "fairy" umbrella. The focus is on human-shaped creatures, but there are a few others in there as well. I wouldn't use show more this as the only source for non-European creatures, but it does offer an excellent starting point.
The entries themselves are clear and concise, varying in length from a couple of sentences for minor examples to a page or more for large subjects (the entry for "Fairy" is six and a half columns of text, including the long list of variant names). Sources are offered at the end of every entry, which is extremely valuable for judging the relevance of the information to whatever use you're putting it. The entries are written as though discussing actual entities, not literary constructions - but the citations help mitigate the bias that introduces.
The index is wonderful, allowing you to look up creatures by name, type, origin, or role. It does seem a little redundant to list every entry in the index when they're also simply listed alphabetically in the text itself, but that's a small quibble. The index also lists variant names, particularly useful for those Celtic creatures with so many different appellations it's impossible to keep them all straight. The introduction is nice, but not particularly enlightening.
My biggest complaint really is format. I'd love this to be bound in hardcover with a spine that will lay flat - a tight perfect binding is hard to use as a reference resource. Still, that's a small thing compared to the contents of the book, which are quite good. This will go straight into my writing reference collection, and I expect to make good use of it. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
A good beginner's guide to vampire mythology, but so many issues with it.
Firstly, was this not proofread? So many typos and mistakes in the text itself it's almost embarrassing. I can understand one typo, maybe even forgive two. But there were so many I stopped counting.
Secondly, for an encyclopedia it is very inconsistent. It's more of a dictionary than an encyclopedia, really. However the spelling guides are very inconsistent (why did you give me the spelling guide for a common English show more word like 'salt' but not for the Polish word Werzelya??). The way that the writing is executed is also very inconsistent - some entries span paragraphs and others are only one sentence long. This just feels like it was a very rushed project with very little actual work done.
Thirdly, I cannot condone the use of the word Gypsy when we all agreed years ago that this word is a slur. Please, use Romani. This book was published in 2010, when we knew even then that the word 'gypsy' was not OK to use.
Again, great if you're starting off as a vampire enthusiast. But not something I would keep in my home long term. show less
Firstly, was this not proofread? So many typos and mistakes in the text itself it's almost embarrassing. I can understand one typo, maybe even forgive two. But there were so many I stopped counting.
Secondly, for an encyclopedia it is very inconsistent. It's more of a dictionary than an encyclopedia, really. However the spelling guides are very inconsistent (why did you give me the spelling guide for a common English show more word like 'salt' but not for the Polish word Werzelya??). The way that the writing is executed is also very inconsistent - some entries span paragraphs and others are only one sentence long. This just feels like it was a very rushed project with very little actual work done.
Thirdly, I cannot condone the use of the word Gypsy when we all agreed years ago that this word is a slur. Please, use Romani. This book was published in 2010, when we knew even then that the word 'gypsy' was not OK to use.
Again, great if you're starting off as a vampire enthusiast. But not something I would keep in my home long term. show less
A great reference for those interested in such things. Just yesterday I was reading a novel and came across a name that I was able to look up and get satisfactory information about. There are two things in particular I like about this book -- the straightforward writing and the sources added to each entry. There's also a lengthy bibliography, which I always enjoy. One criticism, however, is that this reads more like a dictionary than an encyclopedia. The author was deliberately brief in show more order to cover a large number of entries, so each entry is concise and introductory. Still, this will be a useful addition to my reference materials. Just remember, though, that this book is a first stop in research, not the last. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.You May Also Like
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