Gods, Goddesses & Myths of Creation: A Thematic Sourcebook of the History of Religions

by Mircea Eliade (editor)

Born in Bucharest, Rumania, Eliade studied at the Univ. of Bucharest & at the Univ. of Calcutta with Surendranath Dasgupta. After taking a doctorate in 1933 with a dissertation on yoga, he taught at the Univ. of Bucharest &, after the war, at the Sorbonne in Paris. From '57, he was professor of the history of religions at the Univ. of Chicago. He was at the same time a writer of fiction, appreciated especially in Western Europe, where several of his novels & volumes of short stories appeared in French, German, Spanish & Portuguese.
This book is made up of the first two chapters (Part 1) of his From Primitives to Zen: A Thematic Sourcebook of the History of Religions (1967).
In his typical fashion, Eliade here has created a well organized sourcebook for the study of comparative mythology & religion. The book is organized by section & includes summaries from various scholars or translations of important mythic texts. Among others, you will find here portions of the Avestas, portions of the Rig Veda & the Uppanishads, various myths of creation from around the world etc. Additionally Homeric hymns, works by Hesiod & even parts of the Koran are included.--Christopher R. Travers

Genres: Religion, Philosophy, Nonfiction, History, Romanian Literature, Mythology

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Romanian-born historian of religion, fiction writer, philosopher, professor at the University of Chicago, and one of the pre-eminent interpreters of world religion in the last century. Eliade was an intensely prolific author of fiction and non-fiction alike, publishing over 1,300 pieces over 60 years. He earned international fame with LE MYTHE DE L'ÉTERNAL RETOUR (1949, The Myth of the Eternal Return), an interpretation of religious symbols and imagery. Eliade was much interested in the world of the unconscious. The central theme in his novels was erotic love.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

This selection of religious myths was probably assigned for Elaine Pagels' class entitled "Creation Myths in Genesis" offered during the first semester of 1977/78 at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.