Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy

by Mircea Eliade, Wendy Doniger (Contribution by)

Overview

The foundational work on shamanism now available as a Princeton Classics paperback

Shamanism is an essential work on the study of this mysterious and fascinating phenomenon. The founder of the modern study of the history of religion, Mircea Eliade surveys the tradition through two and a half millennia of human history, moving from the shamanic traditions of Siberia and Central Asia—where shamanism was first observed—to North and South America, Indonesia, Tibet, China, and beyond. In this authoritative survey, Eliade illuminates the magico-religious life of societies that give primacy of place to the figure of the shaman—at once magician and medicine man, healer and miracle-doer, priest, mystic, and poet. Synthesizing the approaches of psychology, sociology, and ethnology, Shamanism remains the reference book of choice for those interested in this practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691210667
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	09/15/2020
Series:	Princeton Classics , #114
Pages:	648
Sales rank:	505,843
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

Mircea Eliade (1907–1986) was the Sewell L. Avery Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. His books include Myth of the Eternal Return and Yoga (both Princeton). Wendy Doniger is the Mircea Eliade Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. Her books include The Hindus and The Ring of Truth.

Table of Contents

Forward to the 2004 Edition xi

Foreward xvii

Note on Othography xxix

CHAPTER 1: General Considerations. Recruiting Methods. Shamanism and Mystical Vocation 3

CHAPTER 2: Initiatory Sickness and Dreams 33

CHAPTER 3: Obtaining Shamanic Powers 67

CHAPTER 4: Shamanic Initiation 110

CHAPTER 5: Symbolism of the Shaman's Costume and Drum 145

CHAPTER 6: Shamanism in Central and North Asia: I. Celestial Ascents. Descents to the Underworld 181

CHAPTER 7: Shamanism in Central and North Asia: II. Magial Cures. The Shaman as Psychopomp 215

CHAPTER 8: Shamanism and Cosmology 259

CHAPTER 9: Shamanism in North and South America 288

CHAPTER 10: Southeast Asian and Oceanian Shamanism 337

CHAPTER 11: Shamanic Ideologies and Techniques among the Indo-Europeans 375

CHAPTER 12: Shamanic Symbolisms and Techniques in Tibet, China, and the Far East 428

CGAPTER 13: Parallel Myths, Symbols, and Rites 466

CHAPTER 14: Conclusion 495

Epilogue 508

List of Works Cited 513

Index 571

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Eliade writes of the shamans with [a] masterly combination of sympathy and detachment."—New York Times Book Review

"Eliade is the most informative guide to the modern mythologies."—Frank Kermode, New Statesman

"A close and detailed yet comparative study of shamanism. . . . [It] has become the standard work on the subject."—Times Literary Supplement

"Clearly the best work on Shamanism published so far."—Review of Religion

Editorial Reviews

"Clearly the best work on Shamanism published so far."

The Review of Religion

"[A] close and detailed yet comparative study of shamanism. . . . [It] has become the standard work on the subject and justifies its claim to be the first book to study the phenomenon over a wide field and in a properly religious context."

Times Literary Supplement

"Eliade writes of the shamans with that masterly combination of sympathy and detachment. . . . . [His] findings will almost certainly be echoed by great voices of the future."

New York Times Book Review

"Eliade is the most informative guide to the modern mythologies."—-Frank Kermode, New Statesman

From the Publisher

Eliade is the most informative guide to the modern mythologies.

New Statesman - Frank Kermode

[A] close and detailed yet comparative study of shamanism. . . . [It] has become the standard work on the subject and justifies its claim to be the first book to study the phenomenon over a wide field and in a properly religious context.

Time Magazines Literary Supplement

Eliade is the most informative guide to the modern mythologies.
— Frank Kermode

New Statesman