Hermeneutics: Studies in the History of Religions – serie

This book presents a comprehensive survey of the complex indigenous religions of the Americas, both North and South, as they were in the past and as they still exist in some societies.

"The real history of man is the history of religion." The truth of the famous dictum of Max Muller, the father of the History of Religions, is nowhere so obvious as in Tibet. Western students have observed that religion and magic pervade not only the forms of Tibetan art, politics, and society, but also every detail of ordinary human existence. And what is the all-pervading religion of Tibet? The Buddhism of that country has been described to us, of course, but that does not mean the question has been answered. The unique importance of Stephan Beyeris work is that it presents the vital material ignored or slighted by others: the living ritual of Tibetan Buddhists. The reader is made a witness to cultic proceedings through which the author guides him carefully. He does not force one to accept easy explanations nor does he direct one's attention only to aspects that can be counted on to please. He leads one step by step, without omitting anything, through entire rituals, and interprets whenever necessary without being unduly obtrusive.Oftentimes, as in the case of the many hymns to the goddess Tara, the superb translations speak directly to the reader, and it is indeed as if the reader himself were present at the ritual.

"While focusing on the central problem of evil, O'Fiaherty illuminates every aspect of Hindu thought." (Choice). "This is Dr. O'Flaherty's third book on Indian mythology, and the best yet. The range and number of myths handled is dazzling ...Moreover, her fluent and lucid style make reading a pleasure ...a major contribution to the study of religion in general and Hinduism in particular." (Times Literary Supplement). "This scholarly work is a welcome and valuable addition to Hindu studies because it corrects the widespread belief that Hindu thought does not recognize the problem of evil. The author shows conclusively that the mythology of tribal societies and the Puranas deal with this question extensively. She traces certain conceptual attitudes towards evil from the Vedic period to the present day." (Library Journal). "O'Flaherty has accomplished an important double task. She has reoriented our thinking on the Indian experience of evil as it has been given literary expression in the mythological texts of the Sanskrit tradition and to a lesser extent in the Tamil and tribal traditions as well.She has also provided, in this rich and exquisitely crafted book, a new set of vantage points from which to re-read familiar Indian myths and encounter new ones...Origins is both a superb piece of scholarship and a lively, witty and engagingly written book." (South Asia in Review). "The author performs a brilliant feat in her textually exegetical and hermeneutical handling of the numerous and many-faceted myths. The study is highly pertinent and valuable ...The authorial translations from the Hindu and Pali texts are refreshing ...and her comments are illuminating. Thus the Hindu view of evil comes out as something not simplistic and arbitrary but as an approach which is careful, complex, and richly eclectic...This is a highly readable volume written with verve, sparkle and occasional light touches of decent humor." (Asian Student). "For serious students of mythology, theology and Hinduism, this book is must reading." (Religious Studies Review).

Goddess worship has long been a significant aspect of Hinduism. In this book David Kinsley, author of The Sword and the Flute--Kali & Krsna: Dark Visions of the Terrible and the Sublime in Hindu Mythology, sorts out the rich yet often chaotic history of Hindu goddess worship.

The trickster appears in the myths and folktales of nearly every traditional society. Robert Pelton examines Ashanti, Fon, Yoruba, and Dogon trickster-figures in their social and mythical contexts and in light of contemporary thought, exploring the way the trickster links animality and ritual transformation; culture, sex, and laughter; cosmic process and personal history; and, divination and social change.

With a New Preface Kali and Krsna are two of Hinduism's most popular deities, representing dramatically different truths about the nature of the sacred. The cruel and terrible Kali is thought to be born of wild, aboriginal roots. She is the goddess of thieves and often associated with human blood sacrifice. Krsna, in contrast, is the divine lover and inimitable prankster who plays a bewitching flute to draw all to him. But Kali and Krsna have much more in common than their contrasting personalities suggest. Kinsley shows that Krsna's flute can be interchangeable with Kali's sword, revealing important perceptions of the divine in the Hindu tradition.

Saint Francis: Nature Mystic, by Edward A. Armstrong, explores the origins and significance of the remarkable natural history woven into the Franciscan Legend. Although Saint Francis is today celebrated as the Christian saint most closely identified with compassion for animals, plants, and the elements, Armstrong shows that this reputation has been too often romanticized and insufficiently studied. By examining the nature stories in Francis’s biographies—the wolf of Gubbio, the sermon to the birds, and countless other tales—he asks whether they reflect fact, folklore, or a deliberate hagiographical construction designed to present Francis as a new kind of saint.Armstrong situates Francis’s devotion to the natural world within the broader intellectual, cultural, and religious traditions of medieval Europe. He traces influences from Celtic Christianity, monastic poverty movements, troubadour culture, and Joachim of Fiore, while also exploring how Francis’s early companions and later biographers reshaped his image to serve ecclesiastical needs. The study illuminates Francis not only as a mystic whose piety embraced all of creation, but also as a figure shaped by complex historical forces. By combining perspectives from history, theology, folklore, psychology, and natural science, Armstrong recovers the depth of Francis’s vision and challenges us to see him as both a child of his age and a pioneer whose reverence for creation still resonates powerfully in an era of ecological concern.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.