“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…
