These five stories make up a pentology of tales set in Ireland, India, Japan, North America and the African Sahel. It is during periods of extreme crisis that the lineaments of a societyÕs mythology come into focus and so while the tales are an exploration of different spiritual world views theyÕre set in situations where communities feel their existence is threatened. The tales are influenced in style by both mythology and fairy tale and follow NietzscheÕs view that myth communicates an idea of the world, but as a succession of events, actions and sufferings. The mood of different cultures is often reflected in their visual art and for each story I have a cover image and one or two embedded images evocative of the ÔmoodÕ of the culture. This work is inspired by the first three volumes of Joseph CampbellÕs Masks of God series where he makes use of mythological narrative in his explication of the evolution of human consciousness and in delineating the character of the worldÕs major cultures.