The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion: Volume I

As can be seen from the title above, I did like The Golden Bough. I think that it is one of the greatest works in universal literature in the broadest sense, comparable with Thucydides's History, Machiavelli's The Prince or Newton's Principia Mathematica. It shows the process by which mankind constructed its magical beliefs, and some of the religious and mythological ones, by an irrefutable and logical array of laws, using a truly scientific approach instead of relying on void rhetoric like many of the modern studies. And still it is not too difficult to read; only the examples are a little tedious to pass through, but they are a scientific imperative. Moreover, Frazer is not just the greatest historian of religions, but a very competent prose writer, and sometimes a philosopher: he explains his inductions with fine skill, and will surprise the reader with a couple of beautiful descriptions, and some deeply incisive considerations about society and human nature. I am aware that this work has unfortunately come under some criticism recently, but I am certain that time will restore this work in its due place. It is very easy to discard any work with a few merely rhetorical comments, but not surprisingly it is impossible to dismantle only one of Frazer's reasonings. And leaving aside political correctness, of course there is social and philosophical evolution, the former is what we demand from the politicians and call "progress". This does not of course give reason to any racist or imperialist reasoning, but the world is unfair and different regions with different natural resources imply different socioeconomic possibilities. Besides, Frazer shows us that "savagery" is a necessary step in human progess, and he does not scorn primitive cultures at all, as can be seen in passages such as the chapter called "Our Debt to the Savage". Actually, political correctness can be crueler than truth; I think that we should neither encourage immobilism, nor reject such valuable a book like The Golden Bough. All this is about Sir James Frazer's great work, but this edition I bought isn't the best one available to say the least. The pages are not well glued to the cover, and a few have even their margins off. So you may want to look for another slightly less economic edition, you won't regret it since The Golden Bough will be a valuable addition to your bookshelf.

First of all, this edition I bought isn't the best one available to say the least. The pages are not well glued to the cover, and a few have even their margins off. So you may want to look for another slightly less economic edition, you won't regret it since The Golden Bough will be a valuable addition to your bookshelf. Now I'll discuss the content--the edition gets one star. As can be seen from the title above, I did like The Golden Bough. I think that it is a great work of universal scientific literature. It shows the process by which mankind constructed its magical beliefs, and some of the religious and mythological ones, by a logical array of laws, using a truly scientific approach instead of relying on void rhetoric like so many other studies. And still it is not too difficult to read; only the examples are a little tedious to pass through, but they are a scientific imperative. Moreover, Frazer is not just one of the greatest historians of religions, but a very competent prose writer, and sometimes a philosopher: he explains his inductions with fine skill, and will surprise the reader with a couple of beautiful descriptions, and some deeply incisive considerations about society and human nature. I am aware that this work has unfortunately come under some criticism, but I am confident that time will restore this work in its due place. It is very easy to discard any work with a few merely rhetorical comments, but not surprisingly it is not so easy to dismantle Frazer's reasoning. About the supposedly politically un-correctness of the work, actually Frazer shows us that "savagery", as he plainly calls it, is a necessary step in human progress, and he does not scorn primitive cultures at all, as can be seen in passages such as the chapter called "Our Debt to the Savage".

Although it is trendy to slam The Golden Bough for its author's assumptions, nothing can take away the magnitude of the scholarship or the impact of the text. It was the first time any work of religious anthropology had made any sort of cultural impact, and its signifigance to artists of the Jazz Age and later decades is tantamount. Picasso's work is filled with images from The Golden Bough, and all of Hemingway's obsession with bulls and bullfights is explained by reading Frazer. The work itself is an exhaustive reference for thousands of relgious ceremonies around the world, and their interrelated symbolism and meaning. Flying directly in the face of the historical philosophies of parallel, isolated cultural development in vogue in the 19th century, the book shows that human spiritual belief orbits around the same ideas, needs and urges across the planet and through the ages. The symbolism of worship in Iron Age Norway is the same as Middle Ages Mirconesia, with all the interconnectedness this implies. It is very easy to work around the author's 19th century cultural assumptions and glean the information. Reading The Golden Bough, along with Joseph Campbell, will give a very good baseline for any historical religious study. Frazer's work also dovetails beautifully with Jung's study of archetypal symbols. The combination of the two wil go a long way towards sorting out the symbolism in any 20th Century literature.

The Golden Bough is a classic in the truest sense of the word. Well-written, compendious in its scholarship, profound in its influence, shocking in its implications, Frazer has penned one of mankind's great unread books. With the works of Darwin and Hubble, Frazer's hefty tome quietly demolishes traditional notions of the world and our place within it. His introductory study of magic in primitive societies, many sadly vanished in the intervening century, is fascinating reading for anyone interested in Wicca, the New Age, or the Occult. Frazer's scope then expands voluminously, to include such topics as totemism, divine kingship, tree worship, and, most significantly, dying and reviving gods. Without ever mentioning Jesus specifically, Frazer places him squarely in the midst of a long procession of resurrected Middle Eastern gods that include Osiris, Tammuz, Dionysus, and Attis, demonstrating amply that the Christ myth is a fairly typical example of the primitive religio! us beliefs characteristic of that locale and period. While hardly a quick read (Frazer's dignified style does require some self-acclimatization after the passage of nine undignified decades), The Golden Bough rewards both the careful sequential reading and the occasional random foray. Frazer's many thousands of examples of odd and provocative customs remain fascinating even as scholarly interpretation of their significance evolves. All in all, a book of which no genuine intellectual, and certainly no born-again Christian, can afford to be ignorant.

Frazer's classic "The Golden Bough" may justifiably be called the foundation that modern anthropology is based on. While it has been discredited in some areas since it's 1st publication, it has stood the test of time remarkably well. It's still the best book I know of to explain the origins of magical & religious thought to a new student of comparative religions. I would especially suggest it to anyone interested in mythology, supernatural magic or religion, especially any of the modern neo-pagan religions. More than one critic has said that it should be required reading for everyone.Originally, Frazer sought to explain the strange custom at an Italian sacred grove near the city of Aricia. He wanted to know why it was custom there for a priest of Diana to continually guard a sacred tree with his life. Why was it required that this pagan priest murder anyone who dares to break a branch from the tree & why were so many willing to risk their lives to do so? What power did this broken branch have that made it a symbol of the priests own coming death? Why could the priest only be relieved of his position by being ritually murdered & who in their right mind would strive to take his place?What Frazer discovered in his search for answers went well beyond what he expected to find. He very quickly found himself surrounded by ancient pagan beliefs & magic rituals that were as old as mankind & just as widespread. He slowly reveals to us, by way of hundreds of examples, that ancient or primitive man was bound up in a never ending web of taboos & restrictions that regulated his existence here on earth. Every move, spoken word or even thought could swing the powers of the divine for or against pagan man. Every action was bound by religious code & any mistake could invoke supernatural retribution. The entire world, it seemed, was a reflection of the mystic other world that pagan man worshipped & everything here was symbolic of something there.While studying this idea Frazer covers many other perplexing questions about culture & belief that have affected our lives. For example, he explains the origins of many of our holidays. He reveals the original symbolism & meaning of the Christmas tree & mistletoe & tells us what they represent. He explains the pagan origins of Halloween & why it's necessary to placate the spirits who visit your home that night. He solves the question of why Easter isn't a fixed holiday but is instead linked to the Spring Equinox & just what colored eggs have to do with anything. In short he covers just about every known superstition or tradition & relates it back to it's pagan beliefs.What emerges from this collection of superstition & folktales isn't a chaotic mess of mumbo-jumbo but is instead a fully expounded religious system. Frazer shows again & again that these traditional customs & continuations of ancient rites are the basis for a religious system pre-dating any of our own. We