The Masks of God, Vol. 1: Primitive Mythology
by Joseph Campbell
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joseph CampbellEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-11-01
ISBN: 0140194436
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of The Masks of God, Vol. 1: Primitive Mythology
Book Review: The Genesis of Mythology
Summary: 5 Stars
In this wonderful book, the first volume of Campbell's monumental Masks of God series, we are given a look at the earliest myths and beliefs of man, from the cave dwellers to surviving indigenous tribes of today, and how these myths changed and developed over time, influencing later myths. While I might disagree somewhat with the title (since "primitive" is a fairly relative term anyway), I cannot deny that this is a superb and well-researched book and is amongst the greatest of Joseph Campbell's work. Early on, the work goes into the development of animistic world views, followed by some information on the religion of the Neolithic agriculture socieites. From this, we are given insight into both the "sacred kings" and the ritual of love-death, both central to agriculture people to this very day. The beliefs of the Polynesians, Native Americans, peoples of the ancient Near East and many other societies were given to show the relationships of these myths. Following this was another section on hunting societies, which explained the role of the shaman in great detail. Again, this ties directly to modern day cultures and peoples, as many cultures both in Siberia and further afield still rely upon Shamanism. From that, we go on to animal masters (a central concept in shamanism), the buffalo dance, bear worship (this can still be seen today amongst the Ainu, Siberians and other Arctic people) and cave paintings. The next section of the book "The Archaeology of Myth" was also particularly interesting, showing various stages of both Paleolithic and Neolithic mythology. Ultimately Campbell closed out the book talking about the functioning of myth and such. Over all, this is a wonderful book and I simply cannot repeat that enough. It shows the development of myth and religion in our earliest ancestors and ultimately how universal the legacy that they left us is. The beliefs of ancient people, both agriculturalists and hunter-gatherers, are still with us today. Shamanism, bear worship, animism, the great serpent, death-rebirth myths. All of these things are universal phenomena, showing up amongst cultures as far afield as the Saami, Arunta, Kikuyu, Karen, Cree and Yanomami. Just think about how the serpent shows up in mythology, from the rainbow serpent of the Koori to Damballah in Voudon to the Aztec's Quetzalcoatl. Or about how the Saami and Ainu have similar bear worship ceremonies. This book shows the common origins of mythology, and I strongly recommend it. I found the chapters of shamanism and the early hunter-gatherers to be particularly interesting, but the whole book is just a great read. And Joseph Campbell is (or rather was) a superb writer, as well as being an expert on comparative mythology, so this book is enjoyable to flip through. If you have an interest in mythology, religion, anthropology, history and/or archaeology, this book is a must. In fact, if you enjoy this book I recommend the remaining books in the "Masks of God" series.
Summary of The Masks of God, Vol. 1: Primitive Mythology
The author of such acclaimed books as Hero With a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth discusses the primitive roots of mythology, examining them in light of the most recent discoveries in archaeology, anthropology, and psychology
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