Tales of Darkness

The Mythology of Evil

Häftad, Engelska, 2009

AvRobert Ellwood

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This title explores the causes of evil in myth, encompassing themes such as defilement, the figure of the trickster, evil people both within and outside the society, and traumatic initiations. Evil, an undeniable yet inexplicable force in human existence, is often defined as that which ought not to be, yet is - so it must be destroyed, or contained, or lived with. Myths of evil function to universalize the human condition, to show the tension between the ideal and the real, to reveal but not allegorize that condition, and to go some way to assist humanity in understanding, combating and coping with evil within its societies. "Tales of Darkness" explores the causes of evil in myth, encompassing themes such as defilement, the figure of the trickster, evil people both within and outside the society, and traumatic initiations. Robert Ellwood then looks at 'cures' for evil: laughter, sacrifice, the flood, the hero's quest, initiation, the saviour, divine wisdom and the end of days.This is a fascinating examination of how people have dealt with evil, not philosophically but in terms of the myths, ancient and modern, which present stories convergent with our own, from creation myths to "Star Wars".

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2009-12-10
Mått138 x 216 x 10 mm
Vikt225 g
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor176
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN9780826436610

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Introduction: The Abomination of Desolation: Confronting Evil, and Myth; Part I. Evil Is Abroad; 1. Defilement; 2. Evil People; 3. Space Invaders; 4. The Way Things Are; 5. Couldn't It Have Happened Differently?; 6. Trickster's Gameplan; 7. Traumatic Initiations; 8. The Hero's Dragon; 9. Evil Under Analysis; Part II. The Road Back: Curing Evil; 10. Laughter and Wisdom; 11. Through Death to Life; 12. The Hero Victorious; 13. The Meaning of War; 14. The End of Days; 15. Summing Up; Bibliography; Notes; Index.

"Despite its possibly foreboding title, this book is a delight to read. Bob Ellwood marshals an extraordinarily wide range of material from every continent (except Antarctica) and from antiquity to the present. Star Wars and Star Trek, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer stand beside, for example, trickster stories from indigenous peoples, stories from ancient Babylon, Greece, and Japan, and the lives of the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Never pedantic, Ellwood manages to set the mythology of evil in a full, rich context of lived experience that includes fraternity initiations, witchcraft crazes, boot camp, and much, much more. Throughout it all the lesson of the volume is clear. We learn more about evil and how to deal with it from stories than we do from philosophical analysis. That is because after all life is not a set of philosophical propositions; it is a set of stories." - Greg Alles, McDaniel College, USA