Just got seriously burned purchasing the book “Gods of love and ecstasy. The traditions of Shiva and Dionysus” by Alain Danielou. I thought I was going to get an interesting discussion of comparative myth when what I go was some zealot making almost Olympian leaps to conclusions based on little to no evidence. I’ve read a lot on myth and religion but have never quite encountered a text that was as close to rambling incoherent nonsense.
I feel like I may just throw this brand new book in the trash. Which is something I’ve never done before.
So, does anyone know of any good books that dig into myth and religion from a scholarly perspective? I’d love to find a better history of Hinduism but my interest is not limited geographically. I’ve read a lot of the basics. Love Joseph Campbell. Love Ronald Hutton and his book “Stations of the sun” which examines the British calendar year is such an interesting way to view religion. I’ve heard it said that myth is only important if it makes the calendar meaning that the most important myths are celebrated or otherwise observed.
I’ve found that myth is so varied even within a single culture that it’s hard to find good collections of myths that really give you a sense of where they came from or how they were collected. A collection of Nez Perce coyote tales remains one of my favorites. And I can’t forget Bart Ehrmann breaking down the Bible into a more understandable form.
by TheGuyFromCaddyshack