The Origins of the World's MythologiesOxford University Press, 13 груд. 2012 р. This remarkable book is the most ambitious work on mythology since that of the renowned Mircea Eliade, who all but single-handedly invented the modern study of myth and religion. Focusing on the oldest available texts, buttressed by data from archeology, comparative linguistics and human population genetics, Michael Witzel reconstructs a single original African source for our collective myths, dating back some 100,000 years. Identifying features shared by this "Out of Africa" mythology and its northern Eurasian offshoots, Witzel suggests that these common myths--recounted by the communities of the "African Eve"--are the earliest evidence of ancient spirituality. Moreover these common features, Witzel shows, survive today in all major religions. Witzel's book is an intellectual hand grenade that will doubtless generate considerable excitement--and consternation--in the scholarly community. Indeed, everyone interested in mythology will want to grapple with Witzel's extraordinary hypothesis about the spirituality of our common ancestors, and to understand what it tells us about our modern cultures and the way they are linked at the deepest level. |
Зміст
The Laurasian Story Line Our First Novel | |
Comparison of Language | |
Australia Melanesia and SubSaharan Africa | |
Characteristics | |
PanGaean Mythology | |
Laurasian Mythology in Historical Development | |
Outlook | |
Notes | |
Bibliography | |
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Загальні терміни та фрази
Ainu America Amerindian ancestors ancient Andaman Andamanese animals archaeological areas Asian Australia Austronesian Baumann Berezkin Campbell CavalliSforza cave Central China Chinese comparison culture deity detailed discussed earlier early earth East eastern Eliade emergence Eurasia Eurasian example fire flood myth genetic gods Gondwana Gondwana mythologies Gondwana myths Greek Guinea haplogroups heaven hero historical Homo sapiens Homo sapiens sapiens Indian indicate IndoEuropean Indra influence isolated Izanami Japan Japanese killing Kojiki language families later Laurasian myth Laurasian mythology linguistic Maya Melanesian Mesoamerica modern humans motif mtDNA mythemes Neanderthal Nihon Shoki North northern Nostratic origin PanGaean Polynesian populations primordial recent reconstructed religion Ṛgveda ritual sacrifice Sahul shamans Siberian similar societies South spread Stone Age story line subSaharan Africa Tasmanian texts theory Thompson traditions tree tribes typical Vedic Vedic India Walter and Fridman Witzel Wunn