The Golden Bough

Description

The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion. It attempts to define the shared elements of religious belief to scientific thought, discussing fertility rites, human sacrifice, the dying god, the scapegoat and many other symbols and practices which have influenced the 20th century. Its thesis is that old religions were fertility cults that revolved around the worship of, and periodic sacrifice of, a sacred king. Specifically, that man progresses from magic through religious belief to scientific thought.

Part of the Encyclopaedia Britannica’s Great Books of the Western World set.

This book has 1,012 pages in the PDF version, and was originally published in 1890.

Production notes: This ebook of The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion was published by Global Grey in 2019.