Myth A Biography of Belief [Paperback]

Exploring classic works such as theSong of Songs, theTao Te Ching, theRg Veda, the New Testament, and the Indonesian myth ofHainuwele,Myth: A Biography of Beliefreveals the cultural energies that ancient mythmakers sought to corral in their creations. David Leeming argues that myths are, by definition, evolving creations that live on in the work of modern-day mythmakers such as W.B. Yeats, Virginia Woolf, and Albert Einstein. Leeming provides an engaging new outlook on the role of myth in the works of these and other contemporary artists and scientists. The similarities between modern concepts like the Big Bang and ancient myths of creation illustrate our continuing need to confront the mysteries of existence by way of metaphor and narrative. Leeming suggests that myth and factual knowledge do not negate, but complement each other. Whether it is the American Dream, alien abduction, or belief in virgin birth and resurrection, these living myths play a very therapeutic role in the development of a healthy society.

Elegant contributions to the vast literature on mythology, these well informed and thoroughly documented studies enhance our understanding of this elusive topic. --Library Journal(part of dual review)

Leeming brings myth out of the past and smartly into the present.... Challenges readers to look beyond antiquity and to recognize how artists, writers and scientists help create the modern and postmodern myths through which we achieve self-understanding. --Publishers Weekly

David Leeming has provided us in this compact book a compelling account of the powers of myth to inform the human condition and ultimately to provide meaning as myth persists from ancient time to the present. Here, the reader will enter into the mythic worlds of classic religious texts, into debates about science and modernism, and perhaps most importantly, into the realm of myth's endurinlƒ