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  <title><![CDATA[When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[<p>Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these &quot;myths&quot; did not begin as fiction.</p><p> This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for millennia within nonliterate societies. Geologists' interpretations of how a volcanic cataclysm long ago created Oregon's Crater Lake, for example, is echoed point for point in the local myth of its origin. The Klamath tribe saw it happen and passed down the story--for nearly 8,000 years.</p><p> We, however, have been literate so long that we've forgotten how myths encode reality. Recent studies of how our brains work, applied to a wide range of data from the Pacific Northwest to ancient Egypt to modern stories reported in newspapers, have helped the Barbers deduce the characteristic principles by which such tales both develop and degrade through time. Myth is in fact a quite reasonable way to convey important messages orally over many generations--although reasoning back to the original events is possible only under rather specific conditions.</p><p> Our oldest written records date to 5,200 years ago, but we have been speaking and mythmaking for perhaps 100,000. This groundbreaking book points the way to restoring some of that lost history and teaching us about human storytelling.</p>]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Elizabeth Wayland Barber]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these &quot;myths&quot; did not begin as fiction.</p><p> This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for millennia within nonliterate societies. Geologists' interpretations of how a volcanic cataclysm long ago created Oregon's Crater Lake, for example, is echoed point for point in the local myth of its origin. The Klamath tribe saw it happen and passed down the story--for nearly 8,000 years.</p><p> We, however, have been literate so long that we've forgotten how myths encode reality. Recent studies of how our brains work, applied to a wide range of data from the Pacific Northwest to ancient Egypt to modern stories reported in newspapers, have helped the Barbers deduce the characteristic principles by which such tales both develop and degrade through time. Myth is in fact a quite reasonable way to convey important messages orally over many generations--although reasoning back to the original events is possible only under rather specific conditions.</p><p> Our oldest written records date to 5,200 years ago, but we have been speaking and mythmaking for perhaps 100,000. This groundbreaking book points the way to restoring some of that lost history and teaching us about human storytelling.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2005</published>
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  <read_at>Sun Oct 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is an enthralling exploration of mythmaking and how pre-literate human minds made sense of their world.  As an avid history nerd, I have had innumerable occasions to lament the way present day lack of understanding consistently maligns past cultures and eras.  We are so beguiled by our own clev...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33747189">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Jessie]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth]]>
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  <average_rating>4.08</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>25</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these &quot;myths&quot; did not begin as fiction.</p><p> This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for millennia within nonliterate societies. Geologists' interpretations of how a volcanic cataclysm long ago created Oregon's Crater Lake, for example, is echoed point for point in the local myth of its origin. The Klamath tribe saw it happen and passed down the story--for nearly 8,000 years.</p><p> We, however, have been literate so long that we've forgotten how myths encode reality. Recent studies of how our brains work, applied to a wide range of data from the Pacific Northwest to ancient Egypt to modern stories reported in newspapers, have helped the Barbers deduce the characteristic principles by which such tales both develop and degrade through time. Myth is in fact a quite reasonable way to convey important messages orally over many generations--although reasoning back to the original events is possible only under rather specific conditions.</p><p> Our oldest written records date to 5,200 years ago, but we have been speaking and mythmaking for perhaps 100,000. This groundbreaking book points the way to restoring some of that lost history and teaching us about human storytelling.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2005</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Jan 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Feb 27 19:28:04 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jan 28 10:10:49 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Not quite what I expected, but very educational nonetheless. I wish I had learned this angle of myth interpretation back in my college Classical Mythology course - would have made it much more interesting. The authors have developed quite a detailed system for explaining HOW and why myths were origi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/16566816">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Therese]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.08</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>25</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these &quot;myths&quot; did not begin as fiction.</p><p> This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for millennia within nonliterate societies. Geologists' interpretations of how a volcanic cataclysm long ago created Oregon's Crater Lake, for example, is echoed point for point in the local myth of its origin. The Klamath tribe saw it happen and passed down the story--for nearly 8,000 years.</p><p> We, however, have been literate so long that we've forgotten how myths encode reality. Recent studies of how our brains work, applied to a wide range of data from the Pacific Northwest to ancient Egypt to modern stories reported in newspapers, have helped the Barbers deduce the characteristic principles by which such tales both develop and degrade through time. Myth is in fact a quite reasonable way to convey important messages orally over many generations--although reasoning back to the original events is possible only under rather specific conditions.</p><p> Our oldest written records date to 5,200 years ago, but we have been speaking and mythmaking for perhaps 100,000. This groundbreaking book points the way to restoring some of that lost history and teaching us about human storytelling.</p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[The authors make a strong case for interpreting myths as stories about real events and experiences. Drawing on geology, astronomy, linguistics, archaeology, and literature, they find kernels of truth in various widespread myths (for instance, flood stories and versions of the Prometheus story) and p...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7140456">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>18430865</id>
    <user>
    <id>1011106</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kathy]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.08</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>25</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these &quot;myths&quot; did not begin as fiction.</p><p> This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for millennia within nonliterate societies. Geologists' interpretations of how a volcanic cataclysm long ago created Oregon's Crater Lake, for example, is echoed point for point in the local myth of its origin. The Klamath tribe saw it happen and passed down the story--for nearly 8,000 years.</p><p> We, however, have been literate so long that we've forgotten how myths encode reality. Recent studies of how our brains work, applied to a wide range of data from the Pacific Northwest to ancient Egypt to modern stories reported in newspapers, have helped the Barbers deduce the characteristic principles by which such tales both develop and degrade through time. Myth is in fact a quite reasonable way to convey important messages orally over many generations--although reasoning back to the original events is possible only under rather specific conditions.</p><p> Our oldest written records date to 5,200 years ago, but we have been speaking and mythmaking for perhaps 100,000. This groundbreaking book points the way to restoring some of that lost history and teaching us about human storytelling.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2005</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Apr 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Tue Apr 15 12:04:17 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read this book because of my experience with Ms. Barber's prehistoric textile investigations.   Of course, this book has myth (not textiles) as its subject and, while I found the information interesting and clearly presented, I have to say I think she has done more complex and thought provoking wo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18430865">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>12801352</id>
    <user>
    <id>746637</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Sally]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Bellevue, WA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.08</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>25</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these &quot;myths&quot; did not begin as fiction.</p><p> This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for millennia within nonliterate societies. Geologists' interpretations of how a volcanic cataclysm long ago created Oregon's Crater Lake, for example, is echoed point for point in the local myth of its origin. The Klamath tribe saw it happen and passed down the story--for nearly 8,000 years.</p><p> We, however, have been literate so long that we've forgotten how myths encode reality. Recent studies of how our brains work, applied to a wide range of data from the Pacific Northwest to ancient Egypt to modern stories reported in newspapers, have helped the Barbers deduce the characteristic principles by which such tales both develop and degrade through time. Myth is in fact a quite reasonable way to convey important messages orally over many generations--although reasoning back to the original events is possible only under rather specific conditions.</p><p> Our oldest written records date to 5,200 years ago, but we have been speaking and mythmaking for perhaps 100,000. This groundbreaking book points the way to restoring some of that lost history and teaching us about human storytelling.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2005</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jan 17 18:51:51 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 17 18:51:51 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[An interesting book by scholars intersted in the historical origins of myths; however, I found them rather narrow in that they consider their own approach to mythology the only valid one (forget symbolic interpretation, etc.).]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12801352]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[<p>Why were Prometheus and Loki envisioned as chained to rocks? What was the Golden Calf? Why are mirrors believed to carry bad luck? How could anyone think that mortals like Perseus, Beowulf, and St. George actually fought dragons, since dragons don't exist? Strange though they sound, however, these &quot;myths&quot; did not begin as fiction.</p><p> This absorbing book shows that myths originally transmitted real information about real events and observations, preserving the information sometimes for millennia within nonliterate societies. Geologists' interpretations of how a volcanic cataclysm long ago created Oregon's Crater Lake, for example, is echoed point for point in the local myth of its origin. The Klamath tribe saw it happen and passed down the story--for nearly 8,000 years.</p><p> We, however, have been literate so long that we've forgotten how myths encode reality. Recent studies of how our brains work, applied to a wide range of data from the Pacific Northwest to ancient Egypt to modern stories reported in newspapers, have helped the Barbers deduce the characteristic principles by which such tales both develop and degrade through time. Myth is in fact a quite reasonable way to convey important messages orally over many generations--although reasoning back to the original events is possible only under rather specific conditions.</p><p> Our oldest written records date to 5,200 years ago, but we have been speaking and mythmaking for perhaps 100,000. This groundbreaking book points the way to restoring some of that lost history and teaching us about human storytelling.</p>]]>
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