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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Non-Christian religions > Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions

Para-Narratives in the Odyssey - Stories in the Frame (Hardcover): Maureen Alden Para-Narratives in the Odyssey - Stories in the Frame (Hardcover)
Maureen Alden
R4,047 Discovery Miles 40 470 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Readers coming to the Odyssey for the first time are often dazzled and bewildered by the wealth of material it contains which is seemingly unrelated to the central story: the main plot of Odysseus' return to Ithaca is complicated by myriad secondary narratives related by the poet and his characters, including Odysseus' own fantastic tales of Lotus Eaters, Sirens, and cannibal giants. Although these 'para-narratives' are a source of pleasure and entertainment in their own right, each also has a special relevance to its immediate context, elucidating Odysseus' predicament and also subtly influencing and guiding the audience's reception of the main story. By exploring variations on the basic story-shape, drawing on familiar tales, anecdotes, and mythology, or inserting analogous situations, they create illuminating parallels to the main narrative and prompt specific responses in readers or listeners. This is the case even when details are suppressed or altered, as the audience may still experience the reverberations of the better-known version of the tradition, and it also applies to the characters themselves, who are often provided with a model of action for imitation or avoidance in their immediate contexts.

Druid Mysteries - Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century (Paperback): Philip Carr-Gomm Druid Mysteries - Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century (Paperback)
Philip Carr-Gomm
R504 R454 Discovery Miles 4 540 Save R50 (10%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

In this beautifully-written guide, Chief Druid Philip Carr-Gomm shows how the way of Druids can be followed today. He explains-- The ancient history and inspiring beliefs of the ancient Druids-- Druidic wild wisdom and their tree-, animal- and herb-lore-- The mysteries of the Druids' seasonal celebrations-- The Druids' use of magic and how their spirituality relates to paths such as Wicca. This guide will show how the wild wisdom of the Druids can help us to connect with our spirituality, our innate creativity, the natural world and our sense of ancestry. The life-enhancing beliefs and practices of this spiritual path have much to offer our 21st-century world.

The History of the Atzec & Inca: Two Illustrated Reference Books - Discover the History, Myths and Cultures of the Ancient... The History of the Atzec & Inca: Two Illustrated Reference Books - Discover the History, Myths and Cultures of the Ancient Peoples of Central and South America, with 1000 Photographs (Hardcover)
Charles Phillips, David M. Jones
R665 R612 Discovery Miles 6 120 Save R53 (8%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

This boxed set of two encyclopedias charts the rise and fall of the ancient American empires - including the Chavin, Paracas, Moche, Olmec and Zapotec. It is an absorbing guide to the lost world of the peoples of the sun, their awe-inspiring history, myths and culture. You can explore dozens of vitally important World Heritage sites, including Teotihuacan, Cuzco and the Nazca lines. It describes burial practices, mummies, ritual sacrifice and the importance of gold as well as exploring the impact on native religion of the coming of Christianity. 1000 stunning photographs, statues, sculptures, paintings, maps and illustrations reveal an amazing visual history. This two-volume comprehensive and authoritative history describes the political, military and social world of ancient America. It explores the region's vivid mythology, including tales of creation, earth and sky; legends of the gods, goddesses and heroes; and stories of fertility, harvest and the afterlife. The first book focuses on the Maya and Aztec civilizations of Mexico and Central America, and the second on the Inca Empire that stretched the length of South America. Taking in many other cultures, this is a perfect introduction to the subject and also a stunning visual record of a fascinating period that has helped to shape our world.

Religion of the Romans (Hardcover): J Rupke Religion of the Romans (Hardcover)
J Rupke
R2,197 Discovery Miles 21 970 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

The gods were the true heroes of Rome. In this major new contribution to our understanding of ancient history, Jorg Rupke guides the reader through the fascinating world of Roman religion, describing its unique characteristics and bringing its peculiarities into stark relief.

Rupke gives a thorough and engaging account of the multiplicity of cults worshipped by peasant and aristocrat alike, the many varied rites and rituals daily observed, and the sacrifices and offerings regularly brought to these immortals by the population of Ancient Rome and its imperial colonies.

This important study provides the perfect introduction to Roman religion for students of Ancient Rome and Classical Civilization.

The Philosophy of the Mozi - The First Consequentialists (Paperback): Chris Fraser The Philosophy of the Mozi - The First Consequentialists (Paperback)
Chris Fraser
R1,014 R912 Discovery Miles 9 120 Save R102 (10%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Mohism was an ancient Chinese philosophical movement founded in the fifth century BCE by the charismatic artisan Mozi, or "Master Mo." Its practitioners advanced a consequentialist ethics, along with fascinating political, logical, and epistemological theories, that set the terms of philosophical argumentation and reflection in China for generations to come. Mohism faded away in the imperial era, leaving the impression that it was not as vital as other Chinese philosophical traditions, yet a complete understanding of Confucianism or Daoism is impossible without appreciating the seminal contribution of Mohist thought. The Philosophy of the Mozi is an extensive study of Mohism, situating the movement's rise and decline within Chinese history. The book also emphasizes Mohism's relevance to modern systems of thought. Mohism anticipated Western utilitarianism by more than two thousand years. Its political theory is the earliest to outline a just war doctrine and locate the origins of government in a state of nature. Its epistemology, logic, and psychology provide compelling alternatives to contemporary Western mentalism. More than a straightforward account of Mohist principles and practice, this volume immerses readers in the Mohist mindset and clarifies its underpinning of Chinese philosophical discourse.

Votive Body Parts in Greek and Roman Religion (Hardcover): Jessica Hughes Votive Body Parts in Greek and Roman Religion (Hardcover)
Jessica Hughes
R2,918 Discovery Miles 29 180 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This book examines a type of object that was widespread and very popular in classical antiquity - votive offerings in the shape of parts of the human body. It collects examples from four principal areas and time periods: Classical Greece, pre-Roman Italy, Roman Gaul and Roman Asia Minor. It uses a compare-and-contrast methodology to highlight differences between these sets of votives, exploring the implications for our understandings of how beliefs about the body changed across classical antiquity. The book also looks at how far these ancient beliefs overlap with, or differ from, modern ideas about the body and its physical and conceptual boundaries. Central themes of the book include illness and healing, bodily fragmentation, human-animal hybridity, transmission and reception of traditions, and the mechanics of personal transformation in religious rituals.

Epilegomena to the Study of Greek Religion (Paperback): Jane Ellen Harrison Epilegomena to the Study of Greek Religion (Paperback)
Jane Ellen Harrison
R788 Discovery Miles 7 880 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Originally published in 1921, this book was written by Jane Ellen Harrison (1850-1928). A pioneering British classical scholar and linguist, she was also prominent in the development of the early feminist movement. The text summarises the results of Harrison's work on the origins of Greek religion and indicates the bearing of these results on modern religious questions. It is divided into three main sections: 'Primitive ritual', Primitive theology', and 'The religion of to-day'. Notes are incorporated throughout. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the works of Harrison, anthropology and Ancient Greece.

Prophecy, Fate and Memory in the Early Medieval Celtic World (Paperback): Jonathan Wooding, Lynette Olson Prophecy, Fate and Memory in the Early Medieval Celtic World (Paperback)
Jonathan Wooding, Lynette Olson; Contributions by Bernard Mees, Tomas O. Carragain, Meredith Cutrer, …
R673 Discovery Miles 6 730 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

Prophecy, Fate and Memory in the Early and Medieval Celtic World brings together a collection of studies that closely explore aspects of culture and history of Celtic-speaking nations. Non-narrative sources and cross-disciplinary approaches shed new light on traditional questions concerning commemoration, sources of political authority, and the nature of religious identity. Leading scholars and early-career researchers bring to bear hermeneutics from studies of religion and literary criticism alongside more traditional philological and historical methodologies. All the studies in this book bring to their particular tasks an acknowledgement of the importance of religion in the worldview of antiquity and the Middle Ages. Their approaches reflect a critical turn in Celtic studies that has proved immensely productive across the last two decades.

Medicine in Ancient Assur - A Microhistorical Study of the Neo-Assyrian Healer Kisir-Assur (Hardcover): Troels Pank Arboll Medicine in Ancient Assur - A Microhistorical Study of the Neo-Assyrian Healer Kisir-Assur (Hardcover)
Troels Pank Arboll
R3,770 Discovery Miles 37 700 Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In Medicine in Ancient Assur Troels Pank Arboll offers a microhistorical study of a single exorcist named Kis ir-Assur who practiced medical and magical healing in the ancient city of Assur (modern northern Iraq) in the 7th century BCE. The book provides the first detailed analysis of a healer's education and practice in ancient Mesopotamia based on at least 73 texts assigned to specific stages of his career. By drawing on a microhistorical framework, the study aims at significantly improving our understanding of the functional aspects of texts in their specialist environment. Furthermore, the work situates Kisir-Assur as one of the earliest healers in world history for whom we have such details pertaining to his career originating from his own time.

Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism (Paperback): Jonathan Klawans Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism (Paperback)
Jonathan Klawans
R1,325 Discovery Miles 13 250 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Though considered one of the most important informants about Judaism in the first century CE, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus's testimony is often overlooked or downplayed. Jonathan Klawans's Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism reexamines Josephus's descriptions of sectarian disagreements concerning determinism and free will, the afterlife, and scriptural authority. In each case, Josephus's testimony is analyzed in light of his works' general concerns as well as relevant biblical, rabbinic, and Dead Sea texts. Many scholars today argue that ancient Jewish sectarian disputes revolved primarily or even exclusively around matters of ritual law, such as calendar, cultic practices, or priestly succession. Josephus, however, indicates that the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes disagreed about matters of theology, such as afterlife and determinism. Similarly, many scholars today argue that ancient Judaism was thrust into a theological crisis in the wake of the destruction of the second temple in 70 CE, yet Josephus's works indicate that Jews were readily able to make sense of the catastrophe in light of biblical precedents and contemporary beliefs. Without denying the importance of Jewish law-and recognizing Josephus's embellishments and exaggerations-Josephus and the Theologies of Ancient Judaism calls for a renewed focus on Josephus's testimony, and models an approach to ancient Judaism that gives theological questions a deserved place alongside matters of legal concern. Ancient Jewish theology was indeed significant, diverse, and sufficiently robust to respond to the crisis of its day.

The Lessons of Nature in Mythology (Paperback): Rachel S McCoppin The Lessons of Nature in Mythology (Paperback)
Rachel S McCoppin
R989 R734 Discovery Miles 7 340 Save R255 (26%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This examination of myths from around the world focuses on the role nature plays within mythology. Creation myths from myriad cultures recognized that life arose from natural elements, inextricably connecting human life to the natural world. Nature as portrayed in myth is unpredictable and destructive but also redemptive, providing solace and wisdom. Mythology relates the human life cycle to the seasons, with spring, summer, fall and winter as metaphors for birth, adulthood, old age and death. The author identifies divinities who were direct representations of natural phenomena. The transition of mythic representation from the Paleolithic to Neolithic periods is discussed.

Mystery of the Egyptian Temple (Paperback): Scott Peters Mystery of the Egyptian Temple (Paperback)
Scott Peters
R295 Discovery Miles 2 950 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Romance of the Perilous Land - A Roleplaying Game of British Folklore (Hardcover): Scott Malthouse Romance of the Perilous Land - A Roleplaying Game of British Folklore (Hardcover)
Scott Malthouse; Illustrated by John Mccambridge, Alan Lathwell, David Needham
R776 R671 Discovery Miles 6 710 Save R105 (14%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

Romance of the Perilous Land is a roleplaying game of magic and adventure set in the world of British folklore, from the stories of King Arthur to the wonderful regional tales told throughout this green and pleasant land. It is a world of romantic chivalry, but also of great danger, with ambitious kings, evil knights, and thieving brigands terrorising the land, while greedy giants, malevolent sorcerers, and water-dwelling knuckers lurk in the shadows. As valiant knights, mighty barbarians, subtle cunning folk, and more, the players are heroes, roaming the land to fight evil, right wrongs, and create their own legends.

Ancient Mythological Images and their Interpretation - An Introduction to Iconology, Semiotics and Image Studies in Classical... Ancient Mythological Images and their Interpretation - An Introduction to Iconology, Semiotics and Image Studies in Classical Art History (Hardcover)
Katharina Lorenz
R2,379 Discovery Miles 23 790 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

When we try to make sense of pictures, what do we gain when we use a particular method - and what might we be missing or even losing? Empirical experimentation on three types of mythological imagery - a Classical Greek pot, a frieze from Hellenistic Pergamon and a second-century CE Roman sarcophagus - enables Katharina Lorenz to demonstrate how theoretical approaches to images (specifically, iconology, semiotics, and image studies) impact the meanings we elicit from Greek and Roman art. A guide to Classical images of myth, and also a critical history of Classical archaeology's attempts to give meaning to pictures, this book establishes a dialogue with the wider field of art history and proposes a new framework for the study of ancient visual culture. It will be essential reading not just for students of classical art history and archaeology, but for anyone interested in the possibilities - and the history - of studying visual culture.

Scandals, Scoundrels, Deception, and Depravity - Genesis and the Sovereign (Paperback): David Hall Scandals, Scoundrels, Deception, and Depravity - Genesis and the Sovereign (Paperback)
David Hall
R304 Discovery Miles 3 040 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Old Norse Mythology-Comparative Perspectives (Paperback): Pernille Hermann, Stephen A. Mitchell, Jens Peter Schjodt, Amber J... Old Norse Mythology-Comparative Perspectives (Paperback)
Pernille Hermann, Stephen A. Mitchell, Jens Peter Schjodt, Amber J Rose
R710 Discovery Miles 7 100 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Old Norse mythology is elusive: it is the label used to describe the religious stories of the pre-Christian North, featuring such well-known gods as Odin and Thor, yet most of the narratives have come down to us in manuscripts from the Middle Ages mainly written by Christians. Our view of the stories as they were transmitted in oral form in the pre-Christian era is obscured. To overcome these limitations, this book assembles comparisons from a range of theoretical and analytical perspectives-across media, cultures, and disciplines. Fifteen scholars from a wide range of fields examine the similarities of and differences of the Old Norse mythologies with the myths of other cultures. The differences and similarities within the Old Norse corpus itself are examined to tease out the hidden clues to the original stories.

Greek Myths in Roman Art and Culture - Imagery, Values and Identity in Italy, 50 BC-AD 250 (Hardcover): Zahra Newby Greek Myths in Roman Art and Culture - Imagery, Values and Identity in Italy, 50 BC-AD 250 (Hardcover)
Zahra Newby
R3,289 Discovery Miles 32 890 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Images of episodes from Greek mythology are widespread in Roman art, appearing in sculptural groups, mosaics, paintings and reliefs. They attest to Rome's enduring fascination with Greek culture, and its desire to absorb and reframe that culture for new ends. This book provides a comprehensive account of the meanings of Greek myth across the spectrum of Roman art, including public, domestic and funerary contexts. It argues that myths, in addition to functioning as signifiers of a patron's education or paideia, played an important role as rhetorical and didactic exempla. The changing use of mythological imagery in domestic and funerary art in particular reveals an important shift in Roman values and senses of identity across the period of the first two centuries AD, and in the ways that Greek culture was turned to serve Roman values.

Picus Who Is Also Zeus (Paperback): Rendel Harris Picus Who Is Also Zeus (Paperback)
Rendel Harris
R760 Discovery Miles 7 600 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Originally published in 1916, this book was written by the renowned British biblical scholar, archaeologist and manuscript specialist J. Rendel Harris (1852-1941). The text is composed of nine loosely connected essays following the theme of Boanerges, a 1913 work by Harris. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in mythology and the works of Harris.

Orion's Door - Symbols of Consciousness & Blueprints of Control - The Story of Orion's Influence Over Humanity... Orion's Door - Symbols of Consciousness & Blueprints of Control - The Story of Orion's Influence Over Humanity (Paperback)
Neil Hague
R889 Discovery Miles 8 890 Ships in 10 - 15 working days
The Celtic Wheel of the Year - Christian & Pagan Prayers & Practices for Each Turning (Paperback): Meg Llewellyn The Celtic Wheel of the Year - Christian & Pagan Prayers & Practices for Each Turning (Paperback)
Meg Llewellyn
R325 R305 Discovery Miles 3 050 Save R20 (6%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
The Druids, The - Esoteric Wisdom of the Ancient Celtic Priests (Paperback): Rudolf Steiner The Druids, The - Esoteric Wisdom of the Ancient Celtic Priests (Paperback)
Rudolf Steiner; Translated by C.Von Armin
R269 Discovery Miles 2 690 Ships in 9 - 17 working days
Atalanta - The heroic story of the only female Argonaut (Paperback): Jennifer Saint Atalanta - The heroic story of the only female Argonaut (Paperback)
Jennifer Saint
R467 R427 Discovery Miles 4 270 Save R40 (9%) Ships in 9 - 17 working days

The heroic story of the only female Argonaut, told by Jennifer Saint, the bestselling author of ELEKTRA (UK, Sunday Times, May 2022) and ARIADNE (UK, Sunday Times, April 2021). 'A brilliant read' Women & Home | 'A spirited retelling' Times | 'Beautiful and absorbing' Fabulous | 'A vivid reimagining of Greek mythology' Harper's Bazaar | 'Jennifer Saint has done an incredible job' Red When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, she brings only disappointment. Left exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis. Swearing that she will prove her worth alongside the famed heroes of Greece, Atalanta leaves her forest to join Jason's band of Argonauts. But can she carve out her own place in the legends in a world made for men? Praise for Jennifer Saint's books: 'A lyrical, insightful re-telling' Daily Mail 'Relevant and revelatory' Stylist 'Energetic and compelling' Times 'An illuminating read' Woman & Home 'A story that's impossible to forget' Culturefly

Black Prometheus - Race and Radicalism in the Age of Atlantic Slavery (Paperback): Jared Hickman Black Prometheus - Race and Radicalism in the Age of Atlantic Slavery (Paperback)
Jared Hickman
R1,841 R1,223 Discovery Miles 12 230 Save R618 (34%) Ships in 12 - 19 working days

How did an ancient mythological figure who stole fire from the gods become a face of the modern, lending his name to trailblazing spaceships and radical publishing outfits alike? How did Prometheus come to represent a notion of civilizational progress through revolution-scientific, political, and spiritual-and thereby to center nothing less than a myth of modernity itself ? The answer Black Prometheus gives is that certain features of the myth-its geographical associations, iconography of bodily suffering, and function as a limit case in a long tradition of absolutist political theology-made it ripe for revival and reinvention in a historical moment in which freedom itself was racialized, in what was the Age both of Atlantic revolution and Atlantic slavery. Contained in the various incarnations of the modern Prometheus-whether in Mary Shelley's esoteric novel, Frankenstein, Denmark Vesey's real-world recruitment of slave rebels, or popular travelogues representing Muslim jihadists against the Russian empire in the Caucasus- is a profound debate about the means and ends of liberation in our globalized world. Tracing the titan's rehabilitation and unprecedented exaltation in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries across a range of genres and geographies turns out to provide a way to rethink the relationship between race, religion, and modernity and to interrogate the Eurocentric and secularist assumptions of our deepest intellectual traditions of critique.

Hellenistic Sanctuaries - Between Greece and Rome (Hardcover): Milena Melfi, Olympia Bobou Hellenistic Sanctuaries - Between Greece and Rome (Hardcover)
Milena Melfi, Olympia Bobou
R4,178 Discovery Miles 41 780 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

Sanctuaries were at the heart of Greek religious, social, political, and cultural life, however, we have a limited understanding of how sanctuary spaces, politics, and rituals intersected in the Greek cities of the Hellenistic and Republican periods. This edited collection focuses on the archaeological material of this era and how it can elucidate the complex relationship between the various forces operating on, and changing the physical space of, sanctuaries. Material such as archaeological remains, sculptures, and inscriptions provides us with concrete evidence of how sanctuaries functioned as locations of memory in a social environment dominated by the written word, and gives us insight into political choices and decisions. It also reveals changes unrecorded in surviving local or political histories. Each case study explored by this volume's contributors employs archaeology as the primary means of investigation: from art-historical approaches, to surveys and fieldwork, to re-evaluation of archival material. Hellenistic Sanctuaries represents a significant contribution to the existing bibliography on ancient Greek religion, history, and archaeology, and provides new ways of thinking about politics, rituals, and sanctuary spaces in Greece.

Pagans and Christians in Late Antique Rome - Conflict, Competition, and Coexistence in the Fourth Century (Hardcover): Michele... Pagans and Christians in Late Antique Rome - Conflict, Competition, and Coexistence in the Fourth Century (Hardcover)
Michele Renee Salzman, Marianne Saghy, Rita Lizzi Testa
R3,276 Discovery Miles 32 760 Ships in 12 - 19 working days

This book sheds new light on the religious and consequently social changes taking place in late antique Rome. The essays in this volume argue that the once-dominant notion of pagan-Christian religious conflict cannot fully explain the texts and artifacts, as well as the social, religious, and political realities of late antique Rome. Together, the essays demonstrate that the fourth-century city was a more fluid, vibrant, and complex place than was previously thought. Competition between diverse groups in Roman society - be it pagans with Christians, Christians with Christians, or pagans with pagans - did create tensions and hostility, but it also allowed for coexistence and reduced the likelihood of overt violent, physical conflict. Competition and coexistence, along with conflict, emerge as still central paradigms for those who seek to understand the transformations of Rome from the age of Constantine through the early fifth century.

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