Myth and Reality

217 Pages·1963·2.445 MB·English

by  Mircea Eliade

WORLD PERSPECTIVES
Volumeasl reapduyb lished
I APPROACHETSO Goo JacqueMsa ritain
II AccENTO N FoRM LancelLoatw Whyte
IIIS coPEO F ToTALA RCHITECTURE WalteGrr opius
IV RECOVEROYF FAITH SarvepaRlaldih akrishnan
v WoRLDI NDISVIIBLE Konrad Adcnauer
VI SociETYA NDK NOWLEDGE V.G ordoCnh ilde
VII THE TRANSFORMATOIFOM NASN LewiMsu mford
VIIIM AN AND MATERIALIS;\f FredH oyle
IX THE ARTO FLo VING EricFhr omm
X DYNAMICOSF FAITH PaulT illich
XI MATTERM,I NDA NDM AN EdmundW . Sinnott
XII MYSTICISCMH:R ISTIAANND B uDDHIST
DaiseTtezi taSruoz uki
XIIIM AN'sW ESTERNQ uEsT Denidse R ougemont
XIV A:.IERICHAuNM ANISM HowardM umfordJ ones
XV THE MEETINoGF L ovEA NDK NoWLEDGE
MartiCn. D 'Arcy
RicHL ANDSA NDP ooR GunnarM yrdal
XVI
HINDUISMI:T s1 1EANINFGO RT HE LIBERATION
XVII
OFT HES PIRIT SwamiN ikhilananda
XVIIIC AN PEOPLLEE ARNT O LEARN? BrocCkh isholm
XIX PHYSICASN D PHILOSOPHY WernerH eisenberg
XX ARTA NDR EALITY JoycCea ry
XXI SIGMUNDF REUD'Msi sSION EricFhr omm
XXII MIRAGEOF HEALTH ReneD ubas
XXIIII ssuEOsF FREEDG:\1 HerberJt.M uller
XXIV HUMANISM MosesH adas
XXV LIFE RoberMt. Mad ver
XXVI IMPLICATOIFOP Ns YCHICRAELS EARCH
GardneMru rphy
XXVII ALFRENDo RTH\ VHITEHEAHox:s R EFLECTIONS
ON MAN ANDN ATURE RuthN andaA nshen
XXVIII THE AcEO FN ATIONALISM HansK ahn
XXIX VOICEOSF M AN MarioP ei
XXX NEw PATHSI NB IOLOGY AdolPfo rtmann
BOARD OF EDITORS
of
WORLD PERSPECTIVES
CHIANMGo NLIN
RICHARCDo uRANT
WERNERH EISENBERG
ERNESjTA CKH
RoBERMT. M AcivER
jACQUEMSA RITAIN
J.Ro BEROTP PENHEIMER
I.I .R ABI
SARVEPARLALDIH AKRISHNAN
ALEXANDSEARC HS
WORLD PERSPECTIVESV oluTmhei rty-one
·
PlananneEddd itbyeR dU THN ANDAA NSHEN
MYTH ANDR EALITY
MIRCEAE LIADE
/
TranslfartotemhFd er ench
byW illaTrrda sk
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HARPER & ROW, PUBLISRHSE
NewY orakn Edv aonns t
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MYTH A:'\'D REALITY. Copyri©g 1h9t6 3b yH arp&e rR ow,P ulbiessrh,
IncpooarrtePdr.i ntient dh eU nitSetda st oefA mericAall.r ighrtes­
servNeodp .a rotft hsib oomka yb eu seodr r eprodiunac neydm anner
whatesvoewri thowurti tpteemrnis sieoxnc eipntt hcea soefb riqeufo ­
tatieomnbdsoi eidnc ritaitrciaclal nedrs e evwisF.o ri nrfmoatoina ddress
HarperR ow,P ulbiessrh,I ncpooarrtde,4 9E ast S3t3erredt ,
&
NewY or1k6 N,. Y.
LIBRARY OF CO:'\'ORESS CATALOO CARD NUMBER: 631-6508
Contents
\VoRPLEDR SPECTIVETsh-iSWseh raMitee asn s
IX
I.T HES TRUCTOUFMR YET HS 1
IIM.A GIACN DP RESTOIFG" EO RIGINS" 21
IIIM.YT HASN DR ITEOSFR ENEWAL 39
IV.E scHATOALNODGC Yo sMOGONY 54
/ v. TIMCEA NB EO VERCOME 75
,V I.M YTHOLOOGNYT,OO LGYH,I STORY 92
VIIM.Y THOLOOGFIM EESM ORAYN DF oRGETTI1N4G1
VIIGIR.E ATNAENSDDS E CADEONFCM EY THS 139
IX.S uRVIVAANLDCS A MOUFLOAFGM EYST HS 162
I.M YTHASN DF AITRAYL ES 195
Appendix
IIB.A SBIICB LIOGRAPHY 203
Appendix
VII

WorlPde rpesctvies
WhaTth siS eriMeesa ns
Iti tsh teh eosfiW so rld ePcetristvpheamsta ni isn t hpeor cess
ofd eveilnoagpn ewc onsciowuhsinciehns, s s opfhi itasep parent
spiriatnudma olr acla ptivity, cant hheeuv meanrnta ucael ly lift
abovaen db eyotnhdfe e airg,n oraanncdie s,o lawthiiocbnhe set
itt odaIyti. s tthoi s ncaosncsecneitso stu,ost nhicso ncoefp t
manb oronu otf a univerpseer cetihvoreudga h f revsihs ioofn
realtihtaWyto, r lPde presctiivdsee sd icated.
Onltyh osspei riatnudia nlt ellectuaolu erlp eoacwdhhe or s of
havaep aterinnti hteiyxs t enosfmi aonnh' osr izoanrse intvoi ted
particiintp haiSteser :it ehsowsheo a raew are otfr uthttahhte
beyotnhdde i visiavmeonnmeges nst heerxei asp trsi morudniia­l
tivpeo wesri nwceea rael blo und tobgyae tchoemrm ohnu ­
manimtoyr feu ndamentaanlyu ntihtaydn o mgoaf;t howsheo
recogtnhiatzthec e e nitfgruaflo rwchei hcahss c aetretadn adt om­
izemda nkimnuds bte r eplabcyae ndi netgratsitnrugur caetn d
procceaspsa obflb ee stomweianngi anngdp urpoonse ex istence;
thowsheo r ealtihzaet sictis,ewe nhlcefenn o itn heidbb iytt he
limitaotfii tosn msoe wtnh loodgowyh,e cnh astaennhdeu dm bled,
commimtasnt o iannd etermriannaogtfeye e utn deramecdo nse­
quentcheamsta yfl owf rom it.
ThiSse ries etnodp eoaivtnootar rse aloifwt hyi cshc ientific
theyoh rarse veaolnelodyn aes peIctit ts.h ceo mmitmteotn hti s
realtihtalyte nudnsi veirnstatelona ts cienmtoisostrt i'gsai nnda l
solyi tthaorugBhyat c.nk owledtghifinrsga nwkels yh arlels tore
scniceteo t hgree afta miolfhy u maans pirabtywi hoincmshe n
Lopteof ultfihlelm seilntv heweso rclodm munaistt hyi innkagn d
sentbieeinntFg osro. u prr obliestmo d sicovaep rr incoifdp ilfe-
IX
WORLD PERSPECTIVES
X
ferentainadty ieroten l atilocunisedhn iopu tgohj uisftayn d to
puifrys cienpthiifilco,s aonpdah liolct hkenro lwedgbeo,td hi s­
cursainvdie n ttuiivbeya, c ceptthieniignr t erdepeTnhdiiessn ce.
thcer iisnic so nsciomuasdnaeer stsi ctuhlraotutegh hcer iisni s
scieTnhcies.t hinese wa wakening.
Each voplerusmeetn httseh ouagnhdbt e loifei fta su thor and
pointtots h wea yi n whrieclhi gpihoinl,o saorpsthc,yi ,e enccoe­,
nomipcosl,i atnidhc iss tmoarycy o nstituftoermo fht uhmaatn
actiwvhiitctyha ktehsfe u llaensdmt o spter ciascec ooufnv ta ri­
ousnepsoissb,si lciotmyp,l eaxniddt iyffi cyu.Tl htuWso rlPde r­
spectievndeesa vtoord se fine that ecuomfte hnmeii cnadl power
andh eawrhti cehn abmlaents h rohuigmshy stergiroeuastt noe ss
re-crheilasit fee .
ThiSse riiescs o mmitttoae r de -examionfaa lttlih oosnsi ed es
ofh umaenn deawvhoirct hhs ep eciwaalsti asutgt hobt e liheev e
cousladf leelayav sei Idtei .n terpprreestaesnn dpt a setv enitms­
pingoinnh gu malni ifneo ugrr owiWnogr lAdg e aenndv isages
what mmaayny eatt tain when saunum nmboennedidin nnbgey r
necestsqti htqeyu eosftw haitsm osetx alted Iitpnsu prhoisme.
ist oo ffenre wv isitnat se romfsw oralnd dh umadne velopment
whirleef ustiobn egt rtahyie n taitmceo rrelatiounni ­between
versaalnidit nyd ividduyanlaimatinycdf,s o rfmr,e edaonmdd es­
tinEya.c ahu thdoera wlist thh ien rceasrienagl iztahtasitpo inr it
andn atuarrene o ste paraantdae p a;rt thaitni ttuiaonndr eason
musrte gatihnei imrp ortaastn hcmeee anosfp ecreivainndfg u s­
inign nbeeri wnigt ohu treerat yl.i
WorlPde rspeecntdievaevtsoo s rhso twh atth ceo ncepotfi on
wholenuenistsoy,r, g aniisas mh ighaenrdm orceo cnrectoen ­
ception tohfma ant tatenhrdea nte rTghyu.as n e nalrgmeed an­
inogf l ifoefb, i olnoogatys ,i ti sr eveailnte hdte e tsutb oeft he
laborabtuotary si t eixsp eriweintcehtdih noe r ganoifsl mi fe
itsiesal tft,e mpintt ehdSi esr iFeosrt. h per incoiflp ilcfeoe n sists
inth e tenswihoincc ho nnescptiswr iittth h ree alomfm atter.
Thee lemoefnl ti ifsed ominiannt th vee rtye xtoufrn ea teu,r
WORLD PERSPECTIVES
Xl
thurse ndelriifbneigl,o o gayt ,r ans-emspciireTinhcceale la. w osf
lihfaeve t heir origtihne miebrre peyh oynsdim canailf estations
andc ompueslt oc ondseirt hesipri ristouuarIlcn ef .a ctth,e
widenoiftn hgce o ncepftruaamle whoarsk onnolstye rvteord e ­
stoorred er wthirete hsipne bcrtainvceoh fke nso wlebdugte ,h as
alsdoic slosaendag lioeisnm an'pso siiortne gartdhiaenn ga lysis
ands ynthoefes xipse riienan pcaper enstelpya rdaotmeadi onfs
knowlesduggeg estthipeno gs siobfia lnei vteyr meomrbera cing
objecdteisvcer iopftt himeoe na nionflg i fe.
Knwoledigtei, ss howinnt hebsoeo knsol, o ngceorn siinsa t s
maniaptuiloofnm an annadt uarsoe p posite fotrhcee s, nor in
reducotfdi aotnta om ere statisbtuiitasc m aela noosfrl dieberr,­
atimnagn kifnrdo tmh dee strupcotwieovrffe e apro,i nttihneg
wayt owatrhdge o aolft hree habiloiftt hahetu imoanwn i lanld
three biorftf ha iatnhdc onfideinntc hehe u mapne rsTohne.
workpsu blisheendd veaoaltrso ro e vetahlat thc er fyo pra tterns,
systaenmdsa uthoriitsgi reosw ilnegsi sn sisatste hnedt e sire
growsst ronignbe ortE ha satn d\ Vefsottr h ree covoefary d ig­
nitiytn,e graintdsy e lf-rewahliiczahart eth iieon na lierniagbhltse
ofm an wmhaoyn owg uicdhaen gbey m eanosfc onscpiuoru­s
posient hlei ghrta toifeo xnpaelr ience.
Othevri tqaule steixopnlsor reeldat tope r obloefmi sn terna­
tional undaeswr eslatlsat nopd rionbgld eemasl wiintpghr ejcued i
and rtehseu ltteannstia onndas n tagonTihsegm rso.w ipnegr ­
ceptionr esapnodn soifob uirWl oirtlyAd g ep oitnott he new
reality itnhdaitv iptdehruesa oln acnodl letpcheteri svsoeun p ­
plemeanntdi t negreaatceoh t h;et rhattht eh roaflt lo talitarian­
isomf b oth alnedrf itgh hatbs e esnh akientn h ueni verdseasli re
tor ecaptthuaeru et hoorfti rtuyat nhdh umatno ttayMl.ai nkind
canfi nalpllya ictets r unsotit n a proletaaurtihaonr itarianism,
noitn a s eculahruimzaendib somto,hf w hich bheatvreat yheed
spiriptruoapler ritgoyhf ht i osrtyb,u itn a s acrambernottahle r­
huoda ndi nt huen iotfyk nowleTdhginese. w c onsciohuassn ess
creatweidd enoifhn ugm ahno ribzeoynosen vde prayr ochialism,
a