All humanity is described by its stories. They are as rich and varied as the landscapes and creatures with which we share our planet. It is our capacity for language and our need for storytelling that allow us to make sense of our existence.This book not only travels across the surface of the world with its tales from every continent - it also travels through time itself. Retelling our oldest stories shaped by our distant ancestors, but still remembered even today, the journey begins with creation myths from every part of the world. Our timeline then brings us to mythological tales from the pantheons who populated this and their divine worlds, and who once were believed to influence the lives of everyone. More recent history offers the vast store of folk tales characterizing cultures that have emerged in the last few hundred years, and new stories continue to be created.