The Plight of a Sorcerer

The Plight of a Sorcerer PDF Author: Georges Dumézil
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520055346
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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The Plight of a Sorcerer

The Plight of a Sorcerer PDF Author: Georges Dumézil
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520055346
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 138

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Book Description


The Head Beneath the Altar

The Head Beneath the Altar PDF Author: Brian Collins
Publisher: MSU Press
ISBN: 1628950129
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 396

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Book Description
In the beginning, says the ancient Hindu text the Rg Veda, was man. And from man’s sacrifice and dismemberment came the entire world, including the hierarchical ordering of human society. The Head Beneath the Altar is the first book to present a wide-ranging study of Hindu texts read through the lens of René Girard’s mimetic theory of the sacrificial origin of religion and culture. For those interested in Girard and comparative religion, the book also performs a careful reading of Girard’s work, drawing connections between his thought and the work of theorists like Georges Dumézil and Giorgio Agamben. Brian Collins examines the idea of sacrifice from the earliest recorded rituals through the flowering of classical mythology and the ancient Indian institutions of the duel, the oath, and the secret warrior society. He also uncovers implicit and explicit critiques in the tradition, confirming Girard’s intuition that Hinduism offers an alternative anti-sacrificial worldview to the one contained in the gospels.

The Past Before Us

The Past Before Us PDF Author: Romila Thapar
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674726510
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 778

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Book Description
The claim that India--uniquely among civilizations--lacks historical writing distracts us from a more pertinent question: how to recognize the historical sense of societies whose past is recorded in ways very different from European conventions. Romila Thapar, a distinguished scholar of ancient India, guides us through a panoramic survey of the historical traditions of North India, revealing a deep and sophisticated consciousness of history embedded in the diverse body of classical Indian literature. The history recorded in such texts as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is less concerned with authenticating persons and events than with presenting a picture of traditions striving to retain legitimacy amid social change. Spanning an epoch from 1000 BCE to 1400 CE, Thapar delineates three strains of historical writing: an Itihasa-Purana tradition of Brahman authors; a tradition composed mainly by Buddhist and Jaina monks and scholars; and a popular bardic tradition. The Vedic corpus, the epics, the Buddhist canon and monastic chronicles, inscriptional evidence, regional accounts, and literary forms such as royal biographies and drama are all scrutinized afresh--not as sources to be mined for factual data but as genres that disclose how Indians of ancient times represented their own past to themselves.

Poetics of the Elements in the Human Condition: Part 2 The Airy Elements in Poetic Imagination

Poetics of the Elements in the Human Condition: Part 2 The Airy Elements in Poetic Imagination PDF Author: Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400928416
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours

The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours PDF Author: Gregory Nagy
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674075420
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 750

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Book Description
The ancient Greeks’ concept of “the hero” was very different from what we understand by the term today. In 24 installments, based on the Harvard course Gregory Nagy has taught and refined since the 1970s, The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours explores civilization’s roots in Classical literature, a lineage that continues to challenge and inspire us.

Defense Acquisition Process

Defense Acquisition Process PDF Author: United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Armed Services
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Defense contracts
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Mitra-Varuna

Mitra-Varuna PDF Author: Georges Dumézil
Publisher: HAU Books
ISBN: 1912808978
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
Georges Dumézil’s fascination with the myths and histories of India, Rome, Scandinavia, and the Celts yielded an idea that became his most influential scholarly legacy: the tripartite hypothesis, which divides Indo-European societal functions into three classes: the sacred sovereign, the warrior, and the producer. Mitra-Varuna, originally published in 1940, concentrates on the first function, that of sovereignty. Dumézil identifies two types of rulers, the first judicial and worldly, the second divine and supernatural. These figures, both priestly, are oppositional but complementary. The title nods to these roles, referring to the gods Mitra, a rational mediator, and Varuna, an awesome religious figure. Stuart Elden’s critical edition, based on the 1988 English translation by Derek Coltman, identifies variations between the first and second French editions and completes—and in places corrects—Dumézil’s references. The editor’s detailed introduction situates Mitra-Varuna within Dumézil’s career, outlines how his treatment of its themes developed over time, and relates the book to the political controversy around his ideas. Two new appendices contain passages that did not appear in the second French edition.

Dragon Fae Bond: A Dragon Shifter Romantasy

Dragon Fae Bond: A Dragon Shifter Romantasy PDF Author: Caethes Faron
Publisher: Branwen Press
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
Fae. Hero. Mate. Three identities I never asked for. My new fae powers should make my work easier, but it seems the obstacles facing me and Deacon have risen to the challenge. If I’m to be the hero my friends are counting on, then I’ll need to embrace my fae identity–and that includes accepting Deacon as my fated mate. I don’t know if we’re ready to take that step, but fate may be tired of waiting. Three identities I never asked for, but they may be the only way to survive. The Dragon Fae series is great for fans of Shannon Mayer, Jen L. Grey, and Lindsay Buroker.

The Mankind Quarterly

The Mankind Quarterly PDF Author: Council for Social and Economic Studies (U.S.)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Ethnology
Languages : en
Pages : 518

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Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World

Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World PDF Author: Reza Zaghamee
Publisher: Mage Publishers
ISBN: 1933823798
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 513

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Book Description
Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World Some of the most fascinating human epochs lie in the borderlands between history and mystery. So it is with the life of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire in the sixth century B.C. By conquest or gentler means, he brought under his rule a dominion stretching from the Aegean Sea to the Hindu Kush and encompassing some tens of millions of people. All across this immense imperium, he earned support and stability by respecting local customs and religions, avoiding the brutal ways of tyranny, and efficiently administering the realm through provincial governors. The empire would last another two centuries, leaving an indelible Persian imprint on much of the ancient world. The Greek chronicler Xenophon, looking back from a distance of several generations, wrote: “Cyrus did indeed eclipse all other monarchs, before or since.” The biblical prophet Second Isaiah anticipated Cyrus’ repatriation of the Jews living in exile in Babylon by having the Lord say, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please.” Despite what he achieved and bequeathed, much about Cyrus remains uncertain. Persians of his era had no great respect for the written word and kept no annals. The most complete accounts of his life were composed by Greeks. More fragmentary or tangential evidence takes many forms – among them, archaeological remains, administrative records in subject lands, and the always tricky stuff of legend. Given these challenges, Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World is a remarkable feat of portraiture. In his vast sweep, Reza S. Zarghamee draws on sources of every kind, painstakingly assembling detail, and always weighing evidence carefully where contradictions arise. He describes the background of the Persian people, the turbulence of the times, and the roots of Cyrus’ policies. His account of the imperial era itself delves into religion, military methods, commerce, court life, and much else besides. The result is a living, breathing Cyrus standing atop a distant world that played a key role in shaping our own.