Myth: A Biography of Belief

by David A. Leeming

Exploring classic works such as the Song of Songs , the Tao Te Ching , the Rg Veda , the New Testament, and the Indonesian myth of Hainuwele , A Biography of Belief reveals 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, History, Religion, Mythology

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

aka David Adams Leeming

Reviews

[Deniz Cem Önduygu]

A very heterogeneous read; analytical, critical and modernist on one page, obscurant, mystical and postmodernist on the other.

Best part: the psychoanalysis of Western culture throughout the periods of the Earth Goddess and of the Sky God.
Worst part: the treatment of science as just another myth factory marked by a superficial understanding of physics.

[Jonas]

I'm so confused about this book I couldn't understand it for whole pages at a time.

[Jenifer Hanen]

A set of four essays on topics of mythic belief. A short overview of the myths of religion.

[David Melbie]

I enjoyed this book a lot. Leeming has said it all in a nice little bundle here. Very easy to read and full of all the stuff that I believe in. . . --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.