"Gathering a wide range of traditional African ""myths,"" this collection offers tales of heroes battling mighty serpents and monstrous ""birds,"" brutal family conflict and ""vengeance,"" and desperate migrations across vast and alien lands. From the inventive wiles of animal-creators to the story of a cripple who rose to found an ""empire,"" all the narratives concern origins. Belcher has assembled a kaleidoscopic picture spanning the centuries and the entire continent of ""Africa,"" with prefaces to each ""section,"" ""maps,"" suggestions for further ""reading,"" and an index."