Book Reviews
Short book reviews on at least: 1 Indo-European
studies title, 1 preferred ethnic study title and 1 modern Paganism title.
These titles can be selected from the recommended reading list in the Dedicant
Program manual or the ADF web site, or chosen by the student, with prior
approval of the Preceptor. (325 word min. each)
A
History of Pagan Europe is a book that gracefully melds the mythology and
tales of different cultures with the important historical facts throughout the
ages. I greatly appreciate having
both parts included in a way that helps foster the understanding of the lore
while also showing the importance of the historical data. This book begins by
explaining the evolution of the term “Pagan.” It seems like a simple matter, but it seems like an
appropriate place to start.
Understanding how a single word has changed and developed over time
seems to set the mood for the book in general.
From
this introduction the book moves on to explore the different deities that are
important through the ages, giving excellent brief explanations of the deities
and their purposes, ranging from those that are incredibly familiar like
Poseidon and Isis to the more obscured names of history such as Eileihya. It manages to share pieces of mythology
from each culture and explain the history tied to each of them, including the
kingdom or region involved and the events of that time. It compares different cultures in the
process, comparing everything from the Greeks to the Egyptians in a way that
shows how universal some messages are.
It explores the changes and modifications of temples and places of
worship, as well as the different types and reasons behind sacrifice.
The book also explains the rise of different
ideas, thoughts, and religions from Philosophy to Christianity to Islam all
across the globe. It also
discusses some of the political issues and changes such as the different kings
throughout the ages and the wars that were happening at the times. For me, these parts were a lot less
entertaining to read, but they seemed important nonetheless. It also blended the two topics together
by discussing the deification of royalty throughout the ages. I do appreciate that the author is very
honest about the fact that some of the details are still sketchy and not well
known. His exploration into the
different ceremonies and the family members roles and purposes in them I found
incredibly fascinating.
Overall,
I believe that this book gives a fair, unbiased overview of many of the
cultures of Pagan Europe as well as their deities, practices, and
cultures. It makes a clear
connection between the lives of the people and the roles their faith played in
them. Most importantly, the book
is incredibly easy to understand and tells the history in a manner that it
almost feels like you’re reading a story.
It was a very refreshing change from many of the other books I have
tried to read that left me feeling like I was reading a textbook well above my
level of intellect. (455 words)
Jones, Prudence and Nigel Pennick. A History of
Pagan Europe. Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1995.
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