On the Origin of Myths in Catastrophic Experience, vol. 1: Preliminaries

On the Origin of Myths in Catastrophic Experience, vol. 1: Preliminaries PDF Author: Marinus Anthony van der Sluijs
Publisher: All-Round Publications
ISBN: 1999438329
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
Creation myths around the world reveal an intricate network of recurrent motifs. Many of these are counterintuitive and not widely known, describing a time when the sky was low, the stars did not yet shine, multiple suns appeared, the moon was brighter than the sun, no land existed, deities and mortals maintained frequent contact, a 'world axis' in the form of a tree, ladder or giant man connected the earth with the sky, a devastating flood or fire ended the old order, and so forth. The present work, in multiple volumes, aims to find an origin for this cross-culturally and internally consistent body of traditions in a series of extraordinary natural events relating especially to the earth's transition from the last glacial period to the Holocene. This first volume sets the stage for the interdisciplinary hypothesis. Essential lines of research receive a historical introduction: comparative mythology, catastrophism and the study of the mythical world axis in relation to the earth's rotation. Various astronomical and meteorological interpretations that are not strictly catastrophist are explored for several types of myths about the sun, the moon and the world axis, but leave many of the most intriguing traditions unexplained. It is argued that a structural core of the worldwide mythology of 'creation and destruction', in which the cosmic axis takes pride of place, points to a specific period of dramatic natural circumstances in real prehistoric time. A new synopsis is provided of this universal mythological substrate. It emerges that the mythical world axis cannot have been based on a single object seen or imagined at one of the poles, as has usually been supposed. This surprising conclusion paves the way for the innovative geomagnetic theory proposed in volume 2.

On the Origin of Myths in Catastrophic Experience, vol. 1: Preliminaries

On the Origin of Myths in Catastrophic Experience, vol. 1: Preliminaries PDF Author: Marinus Anthony van der Sluijs
Publisher: All-Round Publications
ISBN: 1999438329
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 442

Get Book Here

Book Description
Creation myths around the world reveal an intricate network of recurrent motifs. Many of these are counterintuitive and not widely known, describing a time when the sky was low, the stars did not yet shine, multiple suns appeared, the moon was brighter than the sun, no land existed, deities and mortals maintained frequent contact, a 'world axis' in the form of a tree, ladder or giant man connected the earth with the sky, a devastating flood or fire ended the old order, and so forth. The present work, in multiple volumes, aims to find an origin for this cross-culturally and internally consistent body of traditions in a series of extraordinary natural events relating especially to the earth's transition from the last glacial period to the Holocene. This first volume sets the stage for the interdisciplinary hypothesis. Essential lines of research receive a historical introduction: comparative mythology, catastrophism and the study of the mythical world axis in relation to the earth's rotation. Various astronomical and meteorological interpretations that are not strictly catastrophist are explored for several types of myths about the sun, the moon and the world axis, but leave many of the most intriguing traditions unexplained. It is argued that a structural core of the worldwide mythology of 'creation and destruction', in which the cosmic axis takes pride of place, points to a specific period of dramatic natural circumstances in real prehistoric time. A new synopsis is provided of this universal mythological substrate. It emerges that the mythical world axis cannot have been based on a single object seen or imagined at one of the poles, as has usually been supposed. This surprising conclusion paves the way for the innovative geomagnetic theory proposed in volume 2.

Myths, Martyrs, and Modernity

Myths, Martyrs, and Modernity PDF Author: Jitse Dijkstra
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004193650
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 762

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Book Description
This volume in honour of Jan N. Bremmer contains the contributions of numerous students, colleagues, and friends offered to him on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Throughout his career, Bremmer has distinguished himself as an internationally renowned scholar of religion both past and present, including first and foremost Greek and Roman religion, but also early Christianity and post-classical developments in religion and spirituality. In line with these three main areas of Bremmer’s research, the volume is divided into three parts, bringing together contributions from distinguished scholars in many fields. The result is a diverse book which provides a broad spectrum of original ideas and innovative approaches in the history of religions, thus reflecting the nature of the scholarship of Bremmer himself.

The Myth of the Eternal Return

The Myth of the Eternal Return PDF Author: Mircea Eliade
Publisher: Bollingen
ISBN:
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 210

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Book Description
A founding work of the history of religions. Eliade references a number of cultures and draws on scholarship published in half a dozen European languages to render both intelligible and compelling the religious expressions and activities of a wide variety of archaic and "primitive" religious cultures. Eliade argues that understanding this view is necessary to enrich our contemporary imagination of what it is to be human. --

The Decline of the West

The Decline of the West PDF Author: Oswald Spengler
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780195066340
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
Spengler's work describes how we have entered into a centuries-long "world-historical" phase comparable to late antiquity, and his controversial ideas spark debate over the meaning of historiography.

Latin-American [mythology]

Latin-American [mythology] PDF Author: Hartley Burr Alexander
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 624

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Book Description
Myths, legends, heroes, and gods from Native Americans in Central and South America.

The Ethnic Origins of Nations

The Ethnic Origins of Nations PDF Author: Anthony D. Smith
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN: 9780631161691
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
This book is an excellent, comprehensive account of the ways in which nations and nationhood have evolved over time. Successful in hardback, it is now available in paperback for a student audience.

Theory and History of Folklore

Theory and History of Folklore PDF Author: Vladimir I︠A︡kovlevich Propp
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 9781452902210
Category : Folk literature, Russian
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description


The Sumerians

The Sumerians PDF Author: Samuel Noah Kramer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226452328
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
“A readable and up-to-date introduction to a most fascinating culture” from a world-renowned Sumerian scholar (American Journal of Archaeology). The Sumerians, the pragmatic and gifted people who preceded the Semites in the land first known as Sumer and later as Babylonia, created what was probably the first high civilization in the history of man, spanning the fifth to the second millenniums B.C. This book is an unparalleled compendium of what is known about them. Professor Kramer communicates his enthusiasm for his subject as he outlines the history of the Sumerian civilization and describes their cities, religion, literature, education, scientific achievements, social structure, and psychology. Finally, he considers the legacy of Sumer to the ancient and modern world. “An uncontested authority on the civilization of Sumer, Professor Kramer writes with grace and urbanity.” —Library Journal

Pentagon 9/11

Pentagon 9/11 PDF Author: Alfred Goldberg
Publisher: Office of the Secretary, Historical Offi
ISBN:
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 330

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Book Description
The most comprehensive account to date of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and aftermath, this volume includes unprecedented details on the impact on the Pentagon building and personnel and the scope of the rescue, recovery, and caregiving effort. It features 32 pages of photographs and more than a dozen diagrams and illustrations not previously available.

Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays

Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays PDF Author: Bronislaw Malinowski
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
ISBN: 1473393124
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
This vintage book comprises three famous Malinowski essays on the subject of religion. Malinowski is one of the most important and influential anthropologists of all time. He is particularly renowned for his ability to combine the reality of human experience, with the cold calculations of science. An important collection of three of his most famous essays, "Magic, Science and Religion" provides its reader with a series of concepts concerning religion, magic, science, rite and myth. This is undertaken in an attempt to form a definite impression and understanding of the Trobrianders of New Guinea. The chapters of this book include: "Magic, Science and Religion", "Primitive Man and his Religion", "Rational Mastery by Man of his Surroundings", "Faith and Cult", "The Creative Acts of Religion", "Providence in Primitive Life", "Man's Selective Interest in Nature", etcetera. This book is being republished now in an affordable, modern edition - complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.