Gods, goddesses, and myths of creation;: A thematic source book of the history of religions

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 Australian Supernatural Beings -- Nzambi, The High God Of The Bakongo -- The Supreme Being Of The Isoko (southern Nigeria) -- Ngai, The High God Of The Kikuyu -- Leza, The High God Of The Ba-ila Of Northern Rhodesia -- The Supreme Being Of The Herero -- Raluvhimba, The High God Of The Venda -- Wakan Tanka, The Supreme Deity Of The Dakota -- The Great Spirit Of The Lenape -- Tirawa, The Supreme God Of The Venda -- The Maori Supreme Being (polynesia) -- The Universal Mother And Supreme Deity (kagaba People, Colombia) -- A South American Epiphany Of The Sun God (apinayie Tribe, Brazil) -- The Master Of The Caribou (naskapi Indians, Labrador Peninsula) -- Hainuwele And The Creative Murder (ceram, New Guinea). Enki, A Sumerian High God -- The Egyptian High God In The Age Of The Coffin Texts, (coffin Texts, 714) -- Atum, A Bisexual High God (coffin Texts, I, 161, Ff.) -- Debate Between Osiris And The High God (book Of The Dead, Chapter 175) -- Amenhotep Iv And The Hymn To Aten -- Varuna, The All-knowing God (rig Veda, I, 25, 1-3, 7-14) -- King Varuna Is There ... (atharva Veda, Iv, 16, 1-6) -- Varuna And Indra (rig Vda, Iv, 42, 1-7, 10) -- What God Shall We Adore With Our Oblation? (rig Veda, X, 121,1-10) -- Indra : Who As Soon As Born Supassed The Gods In Power (rig Veda, Ii,12,1-5, 13). A Vedic Hymn To The Goddess Earth (atharva Veda, Xii,1, Selections) -- Vishnu, The Cosmic God (vishnu Puriana, 3,17,14-34) -- Krishna's Epiphany (bhagavad Giitia, Xi, Selections) -- To Each Generation The Tathiagata Announces His Name And Declares That He Has Entered Nirviana (saddharmapundarika, Xv, 268-72) -- The Bodhisattva's Infinite Compassion (shikshiasamuccaya, 280-2, Vajradhvaha-siutra) -- The Sun Goddess Amaterasu And The Storm God (susa-no-o (nihongi, I, 40-5). To Pythian Apollo (the Homeric Hymns, Iii, 179 Ff.) -- The Earth, Mother Of All (the Homeric Hymns, Xxx) -- Hercules : His Labours, His Death, His Apotheosis (apollodorus : The Library, Ii; Iv, 8-vii,7) -- Demeter And The Founding Of The Eleusian Mysteries (the Homeric Hymns : To Demeter, Ii, 185-299) -- Zalmoxis, The God Of The Getae (herodotus : History, Iv, 93-6) -- Zarathustra Presents A Summary Of The Doctrine (giathia : Yasna 45) -- Giathia Of The Choice : Zarathustra Reveals The Exemplary Choice Which Took Place At The Beginning Of The World (giathia : Yasna 30 -- The Second Giathia Of The Choice (giathia : Yasna 31). Continued : Muhammad Speaks Of Allah : There Is No God But He .. (koran, Ii, 256-9 ; Vi, 102-3) -- Allah Is All-knowing, All Powerful : The Creator! (koran, Xxvii, 61-5; Xxx, 47-54; Xxxv, 36-9) -- Allah Is The First And The Last, The Creator, Maker, And Shaper ... He Has Knowledge Of Everything (koran, Lvii, 1-5; Lviii, 7-8; Lix, 23-5) -- Allah Is Light (koran, Xxiv, 34-44). Creation By Thought (winnebago Indians Of Wisconsin) -- Omaha Cosmogony : At The Beginning The World Was In God's Mind -- Creation From Mere Apperance (uitoto Of Colombia, South America) -- Io And The Maori Cosmogony -- Polynesian Theogony And Cosmogony (society Islands) -- An Earth-diver Creation Myth (maidu Indians Of California) -- The Beginning Of The World (yauelmani Yokuts Of California) -- An African Cosmogony (boshongo, A Central Bantu Tribe Of The Lunda Cluster) -- The Maya-quichie Genesis (popol Vuh, Chapter 1) -- Japanese Cosmogony (nihongi And Ko-ji- Ki) -- Egyptian Cosmogony And Theogony (the Book Of Overthrowing Apophis) -- Mesopotamian Cosmgony (enuma Elish) -- Who Can Say Whence It All Came, And How Creation Happened? (rig Veda, X, 129) -- Indian Cosmogony (the Laws Of Manu, I, 5-16) -- The Creation Of The World According To The Upanishads -- Hesiod's Throgony And Cosmogony (theogony, 116-210) -- Zorastrian Dualist Cosmogony : Ohrmazd And Ahri-man (greater Bundahishn, I, 18-26). The Cast Skin : A Melanasian Myth -- The Stone And The Banana : An Indonesian Myth -- The Moon And The Resurrection : An Australian Muyth -- The Cruel Bird : An Australian Myth -- Maui And Hine-nui-te-po : A Polynesian Myth -- The Flood Narrative From The Gilgameshe Epic -- A Myth Of The Deluge From Ancient India (shatapatha-briahmana, 1, 8, 1-6). First Part, Consisting Of Chapters 1 And 2, Of The Author's From Primitives To Zen. Bibliography: P. 158-161. Originally published as From Primitives to Zen , this comprehensive anthology contains writings vital to all the major non-Western religious traditions, arranged thematically. Here are colorful descriptions of deities, creation myths, depictions of death and the afterlife, teachings on the relationship between humanity and the sacred, religious rituals and practices, and prayers and hymns. Mircea Eliade, a recognized pioneer in the systematic study of the history of the world's religions, includes excerpts from the Quran, the Book of the Dead, the Rig Veda, the Bhagavad Gita, the Homeric Hymns, and the Popol Vuh, to name just a few. Oral accounts from Native American, African, Maori, Australian, Aborigine, and other peoples are also included. Here is fascinating reading for anyone interested in the world's religions and myths. In an outstanding collection, Eliade demonstrates humanity's diversity as well as the universal threads that unite us all. The first part of From Primitives to Zen, this volume offers a comprehensive picture of the divinities of primitives; the gods of the Ancient Near East, India, and Japan; Greek gods and heroes; the Iranian supreme being and Allah, god of Islam. Also included are the world's myths of beginnings: the creation of the world and of man, the origin of death, and the story of the primeval flood Pt. 1. Gods, goddesses, and the myths of creation Pt. 2. Man and the sacred Pt. 3. Death, afterlife, and eschatology Pt. 4. From medicine men to Muhammed.