The Secret of the Totem

by Andrew Lang

Overview

This vintage book contains a fascinating investigation into totems and totenism in tribal societies, with a special focus on their use by Australian Aborigines. Written by Andrew Lang, it explores the origins of totenism and its relationship with ancestor worship and the natural order, and offers interesting and unique insights into its role and purpose. The chapters of this book include: “The Origin of the Totem”, “Method of Inquiry”, “Theory of Primal Promiscuity”, “The Arunta Anomaly”, “The Theories of Dr. Durkheim”, “The Author’s Theory”, “Rise of Phratries and Totem Kins”, “A New Point Explained”, etcetera. Many vintage texts such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive, and it is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now, in an affordable, high-quality, modern edition. It comes complete with a specially commissioned biography of the author.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783752409437
Publisher:	Outlook Verlag
Publication date:	08/04/2020
Pages:	138
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.32(d)

About the Author

Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 - 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.Lang was born in Selkirk. He was the eldest of the eight children born to John Lang, the town clerk of Selkirk, and his wife Jane Plenderleath Sellar, who was the daughter of Patrick Sellar, factor to the first duke of Sutherland. On 17 April 1875, he married Leonora Blanche Alleyne, youngest daughter of C. T. Alleyne of Clifton and Barbados. She was (or should have been) variously credited as author, collaborator, or translator of Lang's Color/Rainbow Fairy Books which he edited.