The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion

[andrasnm]

"This is an introduction to a long forgotten book, available in abridged and unabridged form. The subject of the Golden Bough akin to Joseph Campbell's theme is comparative religion and seeing myth and mythology as a common bond, rather than the divisive force that pulls people apart."

This is an excerpt from my squiddo lens (yeah I know) a new toy on the net....
Here is the whole thingy

[alchemistra]

Thank you, Andras, for bringing this wonderful book to our attention. I remember how awed I was the first time I picked up a copy of this book at the library many years ago. James Frazer's, The Golden Bough, is a classic work of the study and comparison of mythological and religious stories.

James Frazer's, The Golden Bough chronicles the many different myths of the dying and resurrecting gods in a naturalist approach to hermeneutics. The book caused considerable outrage by early critics because of the implications given by the comparison of the Christian story to the pagan stories of the dying and rising gods. Many of the thinkers of the day, including Frazer, took the naturalist approach to the interpretation of these myths. The persepective was of one of viewing the myths as part of common fertility rites and associated with seasonal changes or the cyclic nature of natural phenomena on Earth. Stories of both male and female deities were subject to the naturalist approach to interpretation, including Osiris, Baldur, Dionysis, Innana, Persephone, and others.

Some have said that wasn't until the twentieth century that the internal approach to interpretation came to be predominate. Hermeneutics from the internal viewpoint, relates the myths of the dying and ressurecting gods to a spiritual, transformative process. This change in perspective, on a wide-scale, came about largely because of the rise of theological and mystical organizations like the Golden Dawn and HPB's Theosophical Society. Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, and even CS Lewis, were all writers who works reflect an internal approach to the universal myths of dying and ressurecting gods, albeit a little differently for each.

I tend to believe that both viewpoints were embraced by those, both ancient and modern, who truly understood the meaning of the mythological stories. A viewpoint that could not or would not be accessible to all, anciently, since the true nature of the mysteries was confined to initiates only. The modern viewpoint of which is growing every day, because of the reasons listed above.

Thank you so much for providing a link to the online text of James Frazer's, The Golden Bough.

[CS Thompson]

This is an excellent point. As Porphyry says before beginning his...

[alchemistra]

CS, I read your response on the main page. For some odd reason your response did not show up correctly on the forum discussion. But, yes, that is correct, Hekas, Hekas, este bebeloi! Away, away, all the profane! Porphyry was speaking about the Eleusinian mysteries, I believe. Initiation into the mysteries came in stages. Participants had to undergo a (symbolic) ritual purification which consisted of being immersed in the sea. Then they would be subjected to the strange ritual enactment of the mysteries in stages. This process would sometimes take years.

[andrasnm]

You guys are way over my head. I am not a scholar and my approach to the myth is simpler. (not that there is anything wrong with the scholarly examination of this subject).
My main lesson on myth was described by my teacher's guru; "All legends, have some foundations in reality".
This is why I joined your fine group and this is why I love Joseph Campbell and the Golden Bough.

[alchemistra]

Not at all, andras, and I am certainly no scholar either. I was mainly pointing out the perspective from which each writer was examining the myths. Fraser from the viewpoint of seeing the myths reflected in nature, as symbolic of the cylic changes in nature. Joe Campbell, and others identifying myths as symbolic of a spiritual process. I think they symbolize both.

[andrasnm]

Yes I think you are right in your observation...it is seldom that anything is either this or that. Most things are between of a shade of dark and light........

alchemistra said:

Not at all, andras, and I am certainly no scholar either. I was mainly pointing out the perspective from which each writer was examining the myths. Fraser from the viewpoint of seeing the myths reflected in nature, as symbolic of the cylic changes in nature. Joe Campbell, and others identifying myths as symbolic of a spiritual process. I think they symbolize both.

[CS Thompson]

The "ringing the changes" concept could be summarized as "nothing is ever this or that."

[andrasnm]

you mean, as in bell ringing?

[CS Thompson]

That's probably the origin of it (I didn't make the phrase up, so I'm not sure).
There's a lot more on the concept in the "Relationship Theory" essay on this site.