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Los mitos hebreos
Robert Graves (1895-1985) emprendió -en colaboración con Raphael Patai, destacado antropólogo, folklorista y especialista en temas bíblicos- una investigación sistemática de los elementos mitológicos presentes en el Génesis a la luz de la antropología moderna. El análisis de esos mitos (la Creación, la caída de Lucifer, el nacimiento de Adán y Eva, la caída del hombre, el paraíso, el Diluvio o la Torre de Babel) adquieren su pleno sentido a la luz de la comparación con las diversas tradiciones de Grecia, Mesopotamia, Egipto o Persia. Los Mitos Hebreos agrega a la descripción de cada uno de los mitos la referencia a las fuenRobert Graves (1895-1985) emprendió -en colaboración con Raphael Patai, destacado antropólogo, folklorista y especialista en temas bíblicos- una investigación sistemática de los elementos mitológicos presentes en el Génesis a la luz de la antropología moderna. El análisis de esos mitos (la Creación, la caída de Lucifer, el nacimiento de Adán y Eva, la caída del hombre, el paraíso, el Diluvio o la Torre de Babel) adquieren su pleno sentido a la luz de la comparación con las diversas tradiciones de Grecia, Mesopotamia, Egipto o Persia. Los Mitos Hebreos agrega a la descripción de cada uno de los mitos la referencia a las fuentes y el complemento de comentarios explicativos.tes y el complemento de comentarios explicativos.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1963
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1129 people want to read
About the author
Robert Graves
634 books2,053 followersRobert von Ranke Graves was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. Born in Wimbledon, he received his early education at King's College School and Copthorne Prep School, Wimbledon & Charterhouse School and won a scholarship to St John's College, Oxford. While at Charterhouse in 1912, he fell in love with G.H. Johnstone, a boy of fourteen ("Dick" in Goodbye to All That) When challenged by the headmaster he defended himself by citing Plato, Greek poets, Michelangelo & Shakespeare, "who had felt as I did".
At the outbreak of WWI, Graves enlisted almost immediately, taking a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. He developed an early reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about his experience of front line conflict. In later years he omitted war poems from his collections, on the grounds that they were too obviously "part of the war poetry boom". At the Battle of the Somme he was so badly wounded by a shell-fragment through the lung that he was expected to die, and indeed was officially reported as 'died of wounds'. He gradually recovered. Apart from a brief spell back in France, he spent the rest of the war in England.
One of Graves's closest friends at this time was the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was also an officer in the RWF. In 1917 Sassoon tried to rebel against the war by making a public anti-war statement. Graves, who feared Sassoon could face a court martial, intervened with the military authorities and persuaded them that he was suffering from shell shock, and to treat him accordingly. Graves also suffered from shell shock, or neurasthenia as it is sometimes called, although he was never hospitalised for it.
Biographers document the story well. It is fictionalised in Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. The intensity of their early relationship is nowhere demonstrated more clearly than in Graves's collection Fairies & Fusiliers (1917), which contains a plethora of poems celebrating their friendship. Through Sassoon, he also became friends with Wilfred Owen, whose talent he recognised. Owen attended Graves's wedding to Nancy Nicholson in 1918, presenting him with, as Graves recalled, "a set of 12 Apostle spoons".
Following his marriage and the end of the war, Graves belatedly took up his place at St John's College, Oxford. He later attempted to make a living by running a small shop, but the business failed. In 1926 he took up a post at Cairo University, accompanied by his wife, their children and the poet Laura Riding. He returned to London briefly, where he split with his wife under highly emotional circumstances before leaving to live with Riding in Deià, Majorca. There they continued to publish letterpress books under the rubric of the Seizin Press, founded and edited the literary journal Epilogue, and wrote two successful academic books together: A Survey of Modernist Poetry (1927) and A Pamphlet Against Anthologies (1928).
In 1927, he published Lawrence and the Arabs, a commercially successful biography of T.E. Lawrence. Good-bye to All That (1929, revised and republished in 1957) proved a success but cost him many of his friends, notably Sassoon. In 1934 he published his most commercially successful work, I, Claudius. Using classical sources he constructed a complexly compelling tale of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius, a tale extended in Claudius the God (1935). Another historical novel by Graves, Count Belisarius (1938), recounts the career of the Byzantine general Belisarius.
During the early 1970s Graves began to suffer from increasingly severe memory loss, and by his eightieth birthday in 1975 he had come to the end of his working life. By 1975 he had published more than 140 works. He survived for ten more years in an increasingly dependent condition until he died from heart
At the outbreak of WWI, Graves enlisted almost immediately, taking a commission in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He published his first volume of poems, Over the Brazier, in 1916. He developed an early reputation as a war poet and was one of the first to write realistic poems about his experience of front line conflict. In later years he omitted war poems from his collections, on the grounds that they were too obviously "part of the war poetry boom". At the Battle of the Somme he was so badly wounded by a shell-fragment through the lung that he was expected to die, and indeed was officially reported as 'died of wounds'. He gradually recovered. Apart from a brief spell back in France, he spent the rest of the war in England.
One of Graves's closest friends at this time was the poet Siegfried Sassoon, who was also an officer in the RWF. In 1917 Sassoon tried to rebel against the war by making a public anti-war statement. Graves, who feared Sassoon could face a court martial, intervened with the military authorities and persuaded them that he was suffering from shell shock, and to treat him accordingly. Graves also suffered from shell shock, or neurasthenia as it is sometimes called, although he was never hospitalised for it.
Biographers document the story well. It is fictionalised in Pat Barker's novel Regeneration. The intensity of their early relationship is nowhere demonstrated more clearly than in Graves's collection Fairies & Fusiliers (1917), which contains a plethora of poems celebrating their friendship. Through Sassoon, he also became friends with Wilfred Owen, whose talent he recognised. Owen attended Graves's wedding to Nancy Nicholson in 1918, presenting him with, as Graves recalled, "a set of 12 Apostle spoons".
Following his marriage and the end of the war, Graves belatedly took up his place at St John's College, Oxford. He later attempted to make a living by running a small shop, but the business failed. In 1926 he took up a post at Cairo University, accompanied by his wife, their children and the poet Laura Riding. He returned to London briefly, where he split with his wife under highly emotional circumstances before leaving to live with Riding in Deià, Majorca. There they continued to publish letterpress books under the rubric of the Seizin Press, founded and edited the literary journal Epilogue, and wrote two successful academic books together: A Survey of Modernist Poetry (1927) and A Pamphlet Against Anthologies (1928).
In 1927, he published Lawrence and the Arabs, a commercially successful biography of T.E. Lawrence. Good-bye to All That (1929, revised and republished in 1957) proved a success but cost him many of his friends, notably Sassoon. In 1934 he published his most commercially successful work, I, Claudius. Using classical sources he constructed a complexly compelling tale of the life of the Roman emperor Claudius, a tale extended in Claudius the God (1935). Another historical novel by Graves, Count Belisarius (1938), recounts the career of the Byzantine general Belisarius.
During the early 1970s Graves began to suffer from increasingly severe memory loss, and by his eightieth birthday in 1975 he had come to the end of his working life. By 1975 he had published more than 140 works. He survived for ten more years in an increasingly dependent condition until he died from heart
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September 11, 2020
1. …the first function of mythology [is] to evoke in the individual a sense of grateful, affirmative awe before the monstrous mystery that is existence.The above list is from Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation by Joseph Campbell, and I find it to be universally valid in the case of mythologies. However, as Joe goes on to say, the second and third functions have now been taken over by the secular state, and the fourth has become largely pedagogical. This creates a tension within the individual, who has to manage her life in light of the first function, which is still valid - all the more so, because we find that the second function has become largely redundant (except, maybe, for people like the flat-earthers) and the third, highly problematic and politically charged in a world in social turmoil.
2. The second function of mythology is to present an image of the cosmos, an image of the universe round about, that will maintain and elicit this experience of awe. [or] …to present an image of the cosmos that will maintain your sense of mystical awe and explain everything that you come into contact with in the universe around you.
3. The third function of a mythological order is to validate and maintain a certain sociological system: a shared set of rights and wrongs, proprieties or improprieties, on which your particular social unit depends for its existence.
4. …the fourth function of myth is psychological. That myth must carry the individual through the stages of his life, from birth through maturity through senility to death. The mythology must do so in accords with the social order of his group, the cosmos as understood by his group, and the monstrous mystery.
I believe the solution to this disconnect is the serious study of myth - putting aside all of one's political, social and gender-related baggage. Ever since I have encountered Campbell in my early twenties, I have been doing this. And it has proved richly rewarding. Books by Robert Graves are a significant addition to the corpus of literature which treats myths seriously; though his emphasis is exclusively on the third (and historic) function.
The book under review is a fascinating look at the mythology of the Hebrew people, from which the Torah and the Old Testament of the Bible are derived, covering the book of Genesis. Of course, the compilers of the Bible edited out quite a few of the parts to make their concept of a patriarchal and monolithic God "standard", but the old stories do give us a glimpse of their tribal past, where animism and the goddess had a larger say, and the god of Judaism was just one among many tribal deities.
My main takeaways from the book:
1. The creation myth is much more detailed than the one we see in the Bible - and shows its relation to the earlier myths of the Sumerians, Babylonians and the other Middle East and Mediterranean people. And the huge gap in logic between the first chapter of Genesis and the second, which narrates the tale of Eden, is absent in these myths, where the process of the creation of mankind is explained in much more detail.
2. The editors of the Bible have taken great pains to make it totally patriarchal. (They have not been wholly successful, as matrilineal descent comes popping out at various places.) The tale of Lilith, Adam's first wife, who refused to adopt a subservient sexual position while copulating is really an eye-opener! That she was converted to a demon who forces men to ejaculate during sleep, eats unborn foetuses, and has lascivious sex with devils on the shores of the Red Sea is a shining example of how men are terrified of assertive female sexuality. (We have so many frightening female demons in India too, the yakshi, the chudail, et al... and Mother Kali to subdue them.)
3. There are so many fantastic beasts like the Leviathan, the Rahab, the Behemoth, the Reem, the Ziz etc. which don't get their due in Judaic and Christian religion, maybe because they undermine the supposed authority of the omnipresent God. But they are really much more fascinating than anything one is likely to encounter in the didactic Bible. I need to read more on them!
4. All the various sons and daughters from those "begats" who lived for centuries are actually various tribes the Jews fought with, made treaties with, subjugated, was subjugated by, and merged with in their belligerent history. The tales are later constructions to make sense of and justify the actions of the Hebrew tribes.
5. The Edomites (as depicted metaphorically in the person of Esau) was definitely short-changed by the Israelites (in the guise of Jacob). Chapters and chapters of Genesis are an attempt to justify this con job; however, it is not wholly successful, as one comes away with sympathy for the cheated Esau. This unsuccessful justification of deception is, I have seen, a common feature in most myths; the most prominent being the Greek and the Indian ones.
February 24, 2017
Allora: la narrazione e le informazioni fornite sono impeccabili. L'argomento invece è pesante.
Noi siamo abituati a un vecchio testamento edulcorato, alla figura di un dio e di patriarchi buoni da sempre, invece se si leggono i testi originali si nota che sono una masnada di violenti e vendicativi.
Iniziamo da dio, che compare non si sa come in un mondo già esistente fatto di terre e divinità-animali, spesso femminili, che lui si occupa meticolosamente di distruggere. Quindi "in principio era dio" è leggermente riduttivo: in principio c'erano un sacco di personaggi, spesso legati a rappresentazioni di civiltà matriarcali, che sono state annichilite da questo nuovo venuto.
L'astio nei confronti della femminilità è presente sempre. Lasciamo stare Eva e la sua gravissima colpa dell'aver donato la conoscenza agli esseri umani, ma anche quando Giacobbe mente serenamente e di sua sponte al padre per rubare la primogenitura ad Esaù ecco che dobbiamo spostare la cattiva azione su una donna, la madre, che si vuol fare credere abbia convinto e costretto il povero uomo a mentire. Ovviamente poi molti episodi sono rivisitazioni di mitologie precedenti.
Insomma, si tratta di rileggere il catechismo senza abbellimenti a posteriori. La scrittura è molto buona, le note esaustive, il punto di vista neutrale. Ottimo libro, degno successore de I miti greci
Noi siamo abituati a un vecchio testamento edulcorato, alla figura di un dio e di patriarchi buoni da sempre, invece se si leggono i testi originali si nota che sono una masnada di violenti e vendicativi.
Iniziamo da dio, che compare non si sa come in un mondo già esistente fatto di terre e divinità-animali, spesso femminili, che lui si occupa meticolosamente di distruggere. Quindi "in principio era dio" è leggermente riduttivo: in principio c'erano un sacco di personaggi, spesso legati a rappresentazioni di civiltà matriarcali, che sono state annichilite da questo nuovo venuto.
L'astio nei confronti della femminilità è presente sempre. Lasciamo stare Eva e la sua gravissima colpa dell'aver donato la conoscenza agli esseri umani, ma anche quando Giacobbe mente serenamente e di sua sponte al padre per rubare la primogenitura ad Esaù ecco che dobbiamo spostare la cattiva azione su una donna, la madre, che si vuol fare credere abbia convinto e costretto il povero uomo a mentire. Ovviamente poi molti episodi sono rivisitazioni di mitologie precedenti.
Insomma, si tratta di rileggere il catechismo senza abbellimenti a posteriori. La scrittura è molto buona, le note esaustive, il punto di vista neutrale. Ottimo libro, degno successore de I miti greci
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July 28, 2011If you want a deeper understanding of the first 61 stories in Genesis then this book is a great place to start. With the help of eminent scholar Raphael Patai Mr. Graves analyzes Hebrew mythology. The first stories about the flood, the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve etc are examined against the backdrop of Sumerian Mythology. All those elements were in Sumeria prior to their inclusion into the Hebrew Bible. The flood in Sumeria was caused by man being too loud it was Enki who communicated to Utanpishtim to build the Ark. Enlil was good with it after wards. Ea also tells Adapa the first man that when visiting the Gods he must not eat any of their food for fear it may be poisoned. It turns out that wanted to give Adapa the food of immortality. Gods creation myth had several parallels in common with Egyptian and Sumerian mythology. In all three mythologies there is a separation of firmaments. Lilith is Sumerian mythology is part of a race of demons that seduces people at night and then drinks their blood. These demons are called Lillin. In midrashic mythology Lilith is one who does not submit too Adam's authority. She ends up cavorting with demon.
Through out the book Hebrew mythology is measured up against many other mythologies. Often times parallels are found and differences explained. Often times it is very evident that cultures borrowed extensively from each other. Some times myths traveled from Canaan to Greece and sometimes it was the other way around. Going back through time it seems that there have been Canaanite Settlements in Greece and there have been Greek settlements in Canaan. Myths travel along with people.
The sojourn in Egypt is analyzed with a backdrop in History. There was a general in Egypt who was sold by his parents for corn. He helped Egypt defeat troops and was in charge of granaries. In fact many people in Canaan have been promoted to high position.
In all Robert Graves does a great job of explaining the Bible in it's cultural context. Of course his material may be dated as much new material has been un earthed thanks to Archaeological excavations.
Through out the book Hebrew mythology is measured up against many other mythologies. Often times parallels are found and differences explained. Often times it is very evident that cultures borrowed extensively from each other. Some times myths traveled from Canaan to Greece and sometimes it was the other way around. Going back through time it seems that there have been Canaanite Settlements in Greece and there have been Greek settlements in Canaan. Myths travel along with people.
The sojourn in Egypt is analyzed with a backdrop in History. There was a general in Egypt who was sold by his parents for corn. He helped Egypt defeat troops and was in charge of granaries. In fact many people in Canaan have been promoted to high position.
In all Robert Graves does a great job of explaining the Bible in it's cultural context. Of course his material may be dated as much new material has been un earthed thanks to Archaeological excavations.
March 5, 2017
Il mito è sempre servito quale convalida di leggi sconcertanti, di riti e di costumi sociali in genere.
Basterebbe mandare a memoria questa frase e potremmo evitare di leggere tutte le mitologie di tutti i popoli.
Ma leggere I miti ebraici è, forse, più istruttivo/illuminante/affascinante/stimolante che leggere tutte le altre mitologie di tutti gli altri popoli, perché (giratela pure come la volete girare) stiamo parlando della base della nostra cultura attuale. Oh, certo, il diritto è di matrice romana (per fortuna, almeno quello è rimasto, vorrei proprio vedervi rinunciare ai crostacei) ma in gran parte del mondo la religione continua a odorare delle carni dell’ariete sacrificato da Abramo sul monte Moria.
Graves e Patai sono stati asciutti, chirurgici, hanno presentato i miti così come sono e le varie versioni del medesimo mito, poi per ognuno hanno definito e spiegato qualche aspetto, fatto qualche parallelo con altre mitologie (Noè = Deucalione, anyone?), fatto anche l’occhiolino chiarendoti cose che conoscevi già.
Non sto a farvi la sinossi, ma vorrei puntare il riflettore su due aspetti che emergono imperiosi dalla lettura di questo libro:
- il monoteismo è il risultato di una mitica lotta combattuta nel pantheon (e questo succede in tutte le mitologie) e che si è risolta con la vittoria del protettore della tribù più forte, oppure che la tribù ha eletto a dio unico per rafforzare il potere della casta sacerdotale: non ricordo di aver mai letto, nella Bibbia, che non esistono altri dei, ma ricordo benissimo di aver letto che Israele non doveva adorare altri dei oltre a Yaweh/Elohim/Adonai (e pure sul plurale Elohim potremmo discutere per ore);
- l’eliminazione sistematica delle dee dal pantheon, l’annientamento del matriarcato e della prostituzione sacra, la riprovazione nei confronti della libertà sessuale delle donne da parte di una tribù di pastori nomadi non si sono esaurite nel 700 a.C., se ci pensiamo bene...
Do solo 4* a questo libro perché avrei voluto di più, non mi è bastato, è servito solo a voler scovare altri testi sulla mitologia cananea e babilonese (cabala e talmud già mi solleticavano) per scoprire le origini comuni delle credenze mediorientali e la loro diversificazione nel tempo, a cercare qualcosa sugli Hyksos che non sia fantastoria, a capire la transizione dal politeismo al monoteismo, e a sondare le basi religiose del sessismo.
A proposito, riflettiamo su questo mito, visto che lo conosciamo tutti: il serpente inganna Eva, che mangia il frutto dell’albero proibito e ne dà da mangiare ad Adamo e, per questa disubbidienza, vengono cacciati dall’Eden. Ebbene: il serpente con una logica adamantina non fa che proporre un miglioramento, Eva ha deciso di scegliere la conoscenza piuttosto che conformarsi a precetti imposti, Adamo ha solo imitato la sua donna.
La donna è stata punita per aver desiderato di elevarsi intellettualmente.
Significativo, nevvero?
Basterebbe mandare a memoria questa frase e potremmo evitare di leggere tutte le mitologie di tutti i popoli.
Ma leggere I miti ebraici è, forse, più istruttivo/illuminante/affascinante/stimolante che leggere tutte le altre mitologie di tutti gli altri popoli, perché (giratela pure come la volete girare) stiamo parlando della base della nostra cultura attuale. Oh, certo, il diritto è di matrice romana (per fortuna, almeno quello è rimasto, vorrei proprio vedervi rinunciare ai crostacei) ma in gran parte del mondo la religione continua a odorare delle carni dell’ariete sacrificato da Abramo sul monte Moria.
Graves e Patai sono stati asciutti, chirurgici, hanno presentato i miti così come sono e le varie versioni del medesimo mito, poi per ognuno hanno definito e spiegato qualche aspetto, fatto qualche parallelo con altre mitologie (Noè = Deucalione, anyone?), fatto anche l’occhiolino chiarendoti cose che conoscevi già.
Non sto a farvi la sinossi, ma vorrei puntare il riflettore su due aspetti che emergono imperiosi dalla lettura di questo libro:
- il monoteismo è il risultato di una mitica lotta combattuta nel pantheon (e questo succede in tutte le mitologie) e che si è risolta con la vittoria del protettore della tribù più forte, oppure che la tribù ha eletto a dio unico per rafforzare il potere della casta sacerdotale: non ricordo di aver mai letto, nella Bibbia, che non esistono altri dei, ma ricordo benissimo di aver letto che Israele non doveva adorare altri dei oltre a Yaweh/Elohim/Adonai (e pure sul plurale Elohim potremmo discutere per ore);
- l’eliminazione sistematica delle dee dal pantheon, l’annientamento del matriarcato e della prostituzione sacra, la riprovazione nei confronti della libertà sessuale delle donne da parte di una tribù di pastori nomadi non si sono esaurite nel 700 a.C., se ci pensiamo bene...
Do solo 4* a questo libro perché avrei voluto di più, non mi è bastato, è servito solo a voler scovare altri testi sulla mitologia cananea e babilonese (cabala e talmud già mi solleticavano) per scoprire le origini comuni delle credenze mediorientali e la loro diversificazione nel tempo, a cercare qualcosa sugli Hyksos che non sia fantastoria, a capire la transizione dal politeismo al monoteismo, e a sondare le basi religiose del sessismo.
A proposito, riflettiamo su questo mito, visto che lo conosciamo tutti: il serpente inganna Eva, che mangia il frutto dell’albero proibito e ne dà da mangiare ad Adamo e, per questa disubbidienza, vengono cacciati dall’Eden. Ebbene: il serpente con una logica adamantina non fa che proporre un miglioramento, Eva ha deciso di scegliere la conoscenza piuttosto che conformarsi a precetti imposti, Adamo ha solo imitato la sua donna.
La donna è stata punita per aver desiderato di elevarsi intellettualmente.
Significativo, nevvero?
March 13, 2021
Robert Graves investiga y recrea los mitos hebreos desde diferentes fuentes, y así es más fácil entender qué historias son ficciones tardías, qué historias provienen de la mitología fenicia, mesopotámica, egipcia o griega. Un libro para entender qué tiene base arqueológica y qué tiene base mítica, y que el monoteísmo es una influencia tardía. Buen texto.
April 3, 2019
Zanimljivo koncipirano
February 6, 2014
I referred to this book as part of my comparative research of ancient Judaism and Hinduism. There are many striking parallels. This angle is a road less trodden in the West. But I have found that there are many connections. Far too many to be a coincidence.
Hebrew Myths is a well researched book and its importance in regard to understanding Genesis cannot be over-emphasized. A brilliant contribution by Graves and Patai. Kudos to them.
Hebrew Myths is a well researched book and its importance in regard to understanding Genesis cannot be over-emphasized. A brilliant contribution by Graves and Patai. Kudos to them.
September 26, 2015
An entertaining, fresh, unorthodox look at the myths of Genesis by Israeli folklorist Raphael Patai and the polymathic Robert Graves.
November 15, 2018
great look into the dramatic stories of Genesis book. the mysteries of cosmic and human struggles. a great source when you sit down to write a thriller
July 27, 2025
Premessa: non sono una fan delle religioni monoteiste, non sono una fan della Bibbia e tutte le volte che sento una storia del nuovo o vecchio testamento mi vengono i brividi…
Detto ciò aggiungo anche che ho comprato questo libro perché l’autore mi è piaciuto moltissimo come trattava i miti greci e non potevo perdermi un testo dove spiegava un altra religione (seppur monoteista)!
Bene, ho dovuto interrompere la lettura perché non ne potevo più di leggere di personaggi biblici asserviti completamente ad un Dio onnipotente e onnipresente che chiede loro cose quasi senza cuore (vedi Abramo ed Isacco), oppure di sentire vecchi (campano tutti almeno 150 anni!) che benedicono o maledicono parenti o amici perché gliel’ha detto Dio… insomma non ce l’ho fatta più…
“Miti” piatti e ripetitivi, pagine di genealogie noiose un Dio che si impone in maniera molto importante!
L’unica cosa che salvo sono le spiegazioni ad ogni mito! Graves è sempre chiaro e ti aiuta a comprendere meglio il perché di tutto!
Mi dispiace ma forse ho forzato la mano leggendo un libro che già sapevo che non mi sarebbe interessato
Detto ciò aggiungo anche che ho comprato questo libro perché l’autore mi è piaciuto moltissimo come trattava i miti greci e non potevo perdermi un testo dove spiegava un altra religione (seppur monoteista)!
Bene, ho dovuto interrompere la lettura perché non ne potevo più di leggere di personaggi biblici asserviti completamente ad un Dio onnipotente e onnipresente che chiede loro cose quasi senza cuore (vedi Abramo ed Isacco), oppure di sentire vecchi (campano tutti almeno 150 anni!) che benedicono o maledicono parenti o amici perché gliel’ha detto Dio… insomma non ce l’ho fatta più…
“Miti” piatti e ripetitivi, pagine di genealogie noiose un Dio che si impone in maniera molto importante!
L’unica cosa che salvo sono le spiegazioni ad ogni mito! Graves è sempre chiaro e ti aiuta a comprendere meglio il perché di tutto!
Mi dispiace ma forse ho forzato la mano leggendo un libro che già sapevo che non mi sarebbe interessato
September 17, 2022
A good reading to understand how myths have been effective on the faith . The links between Sumerian , Babylon , Egyptian and many Mediterranean myths borrowing from each other and how they have been used/changed to create justifications for historical acts later.It is interesting to see many connections through these justifications and how the struggle of land and wealth has been the driver for many attributes of belief. Worth to read .
Mitlerin inanç sistemleri üzerinde nasıl etkili olduğunu görmek açısından iyi bir okuma. Sümer , Babil , Mısır ve bir çok Akdeniz mitinin birbirlerinden nasıl ödünç aldıklarını ve tarihteki aksiyonlar için haklılık oluşturmak üzere nasıl kullanıldıklarını veya değiştirildiklerini iyi anlatmış . Bu haklı çıkarmalar ile mitler arası ilişkileri ve toprak-servet mücadelesinin inanç sistemleri için nasıl bir etken olduğunu görmek ilginç. Okuması keyifli bir kitap.
Mitlerin inanç sistemleri üzerinde nasıl etkili olduğunu görmek açısından iyi bir okuma. Sümer , Babil , Mısır ve bir çok Akdeniz mitinin birbirlerinden nasıl ödünç aldıklarını ve tarihteki aksiyonlar için haklılık oluşturmak üzere nasıl kullanıldıklarını veya değiştirildiklerini iyi anlatmış . Bu haklı çıkarmalar ile mitler arası ilişkileri ve toprak-servet mücadelesinin inanç sistemleri için nasıl bir etken olduğunu görmek ilginç. Okuması keyifli bir kitap.
June 27, 2023
Un maravilloso trabajo clásico, como todos los libros de Graves.
June 16, 2024
Un repaso muy completo sobre los mitos contenidos en el Génesis y sus referencias históricas
November 21, 2025
Ya hay que ser friki para que te guste tanto este libro.
January 9, 2018
Conoscevo Graves da i suoi “Miti greci”, libro citatissimo in qualsiasi trattato abbia a che fare con la mitologia: un libro sicuramente frutto di ricerche accurate nonché foriero di nuove prospettive sulla mitologia greca, ma a mio avviso fin troppo audace nelle sue conclusioni. Comunque un must. E’ quindi con una certa circospezione che mi sono avvicinata ai “Miti ebraici”: sebbene la tesi di una “mitologia di base” comune a tutti i popoli del Mediterraneo, risalente ai Babilonesi mi interessasse moltissimo (perché, per quel poco che ne so io sull’argomento è una tesi molto azzeccata, visto che ci sono storie e vicende di personaggi che si ritrovano secolo dopo secolo, popolo dopo popolo, cultura dopo cultura, cambiando solo di nome e di setting religioso, se così si può dire) non volevo ritrovarmi in qualcosa di troppo audace. Invece Graves, guidato o tenuto a freno dal suo altrettanto altamente competente co-autore Raphael Patai, percorre con approccio laico buona parte dell’antico testamento (quella dei “miti) evidenziandone i collegamenti con miti precedenti (babilonesi) o miti che ne hanno ripreso le vicende (greci). E così la storia di Noè la troviamo già narrata in Gilgamesh e poi nel mito greco di Pirra e Deucalione; il serpente della mitologia nordica che racchiude il mondo compare anche nel Levitico; palme o alberi della vita decorati come alberi di Natale (“con colori vermiglio e oro”); giganti; padri che uccidono i primogeniti perché gli viene predetto che i loro figli li elimineranno una volta cresciuti; i bisticci tra Abramo e Sarah che ricordano quelli di Giove e Giunone; i letti di tortura a Sodoma che sono come quelli di Procuste; Dinah che ricorda Elena di Troia e così via. Una carrellata di personaggi pregni di destino e umanità, che spesso mostrano lati che nella mia limitatissima educazione cattolica, mai e poi mai avrei creduto si potessero trovare in testi sacri: gelosie, tradimenti di tutti i tipi, infanticidi, menzogne, desideri, incesti. Non li ho trovati simpatici (ma a pensarci bene, non ho trovato “simpatico” nemmeno uno degli dei greci) ma mi è piaciuto lo riscontrare sentimenti di incredulità o di dolore che avrei provato anch’io se mi fossi trovata nelle loro situazioni e mi è piaciuto vedere come ne venivano a capo. Ho detestato Giuseppe con tutte le mie forze mentre mi sono innamorata di Esaù al primo istante; Giacobbe l’ho trovato un piagnone unico (persino Dio gli preferisce Esaù!) mentre le donne, ahilasso, purtroppo sono tutte alquanto scialbine e acidine. Uno studio molto interessante che raccoglie in maniera sistematica, accurata e ben referenziata tutti gli intrecci e i punti comuni della mitologia mediterranea. Adesso però voglio leggere anche il libro della Elena Loewenthal in materia.
July 18, 2019
Interesting though somewhat annoying when Graves repeatedly uses the word "Palestine" or "Palestinians" when referring to the time-period of the Hebrew Bible -over at least 1,000 years before the Philistines, for whom Palestine was named by the Roman conquerors after two major Judean uprisings, arrived as part of the migrations of the "Sea Peoples" to the eastern Mediterranean coastline.
April 17, 2023
I would give it five stars, except this edition has many extremely embarrassing typos, that it desperately needs an editor. There's no excuse for such shoddiness. Otherwise, it's an amazing read if you want to read the Genesis myths from a Jewish/Hebrew viewpoint, and a great introduction to the vast repository of Jewish myths that lie outside the TANAKH and the Bible.
July 20, 2021
This book has the utility of giving some sense of the wide variety of stories that circulated concerning the episodes that make up the book of Genesis. The question of its worthwhileness, however, is dominated by the negative correlate of the same. The authors are clearly operating in a paradigm to which the historical criticism of the 19th century is central, and which seems to regard the writers and, more importantly, the redactors of the book as it has actually come down to us as more or less blindly attaching more or less awkwardly-fitting sources to one another. One senses here the legacy of the anti-Semitism of 19th century German liberal Protestant academia. This means that Graves and Pitai count as 'relevant': dubious historical kernels (going back deep into the bronze age), non-Hebrew traditions in the ancient Near East, contradiction within the canon of Hebrew scriptures, and the vast accretions of post-biblical commentary down to the end of the middle ages at least. What they do not count as 'relevant' is the actual deliberate work of the writers and redactors in reshaping the 'mythological' corpus. There is the general sense that a story is 'explained' if it can be seen as a shoddy attempt to reconcile contradictory opinions, a historical memory, or a borrowing, but not that explanation can ever consist in taking the text seriously.
Here is an example, after which I could not be bothered to continue the book. The authors introduce a Greek parallel to the sacrifice of Isaac: the Cadmean story of Athamas and Phrixus.
Of course, the parallel does not solve these problems, because the episode just isn't a retelling of the Cadmean myth, precisely because it just is a part of the patriarchal history and the book of Genesis more broadly. The 'problems' here are actually not raised by Genesis at all; all are ill-formulated on the basis of the text we actually have. What Graves and Pitai want to do is to look beyond the text to a wildly speculative 'reality', and claim that they have thereby explained the text. It is a mixture of incredulity (that they can get behind the text) and cynicism (that the text itself is an accident, rather than a deliberate artefact). How it is possible that God's promise to Abraham and his faithfulness, his and Sarah's attempt to get an heir on their own terms, or the constant tension between election and primogeniture through the entire patriarchal history- or indeed the Christian interpretation of the binding as a prefigurement of the Crucifixion - could be less relevant than some speculative Phoenecian mythological prototype or Canaanite child sacrifice is beyond me.
The book is modelled on, and intended as a companion volume to, Graves' The Greek Myths. But the book of Genesis is very unlike the body of myths that circulated in Greece, because it is a deliberately edited canon. This is probably the most significant factor that makes Hebrew literature different from other contemporary literatures, and it is here completely ignored. The book is even by hypothesis centred around (part of) this canon, yet wants to efface it, qua canon, at every turn. It adds almost nothing to one's reading of Genesis - which, again, because it is the canon that is so important, is surely what the reader wants. It might have been possible to write a book that looked at the mythological climate within which the canon was established (then why include Rabbinic commentaries down through late antiquity and the middle ages?), but it would have to have been written quite differently, and it would have to have taken seriously that establishment as a deliberate and indeed frequently profound and successful affair.
These programmatic flaws cannot be salvaged, because even as an encyclopaedic volume it is annoying. The sources are from much too long a span of time for them to be so combined in the presentation of the 'myths' - to actually find the provenance, one must first identify the usually several sources by their anacronyms, then check the anacronyms in the bibliography, where one might not be given any kind of dating at all.
Here is an example, after which I could not be bothered to continue the book. The authors introduce a Greek parallel to the sacrifice of Isaac: the Cadmean story of Athamas and Phrixus.
This parallel solves three important problems raised by Genesis: first, since Abraham was not founding a city, what emergency prompted him to sacrifice his grown-up son? Next: why was his first-born Ishmael not chosen in preference to Isaac? Lastly: did the quarrel for precedence between Sarah and Hagar, so important in the introductory chapters, bear any relation to the sacrifice?
Of course, the parallel does not solve these problems, because the episode just isn't a retelling of the Cadmean myth, precisely because it just is a part of the patriarchal history and the book of Genesis more broadly. The 'problems' here are actually not raised by Genesis at all; all are ill-formulated on the basis of the text we actually have. What Graves and Pitai want to do is to look beyond the text to a wildly speculative 'reality', and claim that they have thereby explained the text. It is a mixture of incredulity (that they can get behind the text) and cynicism (that the text itself is an accident, rather than a deliberate artefact). How it is possible that God's promise to Abraham and his faithfulness, his and Sarah's attempt to get an heir on their own terms, or the constant tension between election and primogeniture through the entire patriarchal history- or indeed the Christian interpretation of the binding as a prefigurement of the Crucifixion - could be less relevant than some speculative Phoenecian mythological prototype or Canaanite child sacrifice is beyond me.
The book is modelled on, and intended as a companion volume to, Graves' The Greek Myths. But the book of Genesis is very unlike the body of myths that circulated in Greece, because it is a deliberately edited canon. This is probably the most significant factor that makes Hebrew literature different from other contemporary literatures, and it is here completely ignored. The book is even by hypothesis centred around (part of) this canon, yet wants to efface it, qua canon, at every turn. It adds almost nothing to one's reading of Genesis - which, again, because it is the canon that is so important, is surely what the reader wants. It might have been possible to write a book that looked at the mythological climate within which the canon was established (then why include Rabbinic commentaries down through late antiquity and the middle ages?), but it would have to have been written quite differently, and it would have to have taken seriously that establishment as a deliberate and indeed frequently profound and successful affair.
These programmatic flaws cannot be salvaged, because even as an encyclopaedic volume it is annoying. The sources are from much too long a span of time for them to be so combined in the presentation of the 'myths' - to actually find the provenance, one must first identify the usually several sources by their anacronyms, then check the anacronyms in the bibliography, where one might not be given any kind of dating at all.
December 14, 2025
Creo que es indudable que vivimos en una ragión donde la cultura está permeada por el pensamiento católico y, aunque no seamos conscientes de ello, existen una serie de preconcepciones y dogmas que a nosotros nos parecen totalmente naturales e incuestionables. Este sustrato cultural es consecuencia de una evolución cultural más o menos continua donde la religión ha jugado un papel decisivo en la politica y filosofía de cada época.
Desde que en el año 380 Teodosio erigiera el cristianismo como religión oficial del imperio romano, la Biblia se vería avocada a ser el libro más influyente de la historia. Solidificandose como uno de los pilares de nuestra cultura y forma de pensar.
Sin embargo, siempre me chocó la diferencia entre el Dios del antiguo y nuevo testamento. En el catolicismo se presenta como un padre, dispuesto a perdonar y a entregarse por la humanidad. En cambio, en el antiguo testamento se presenta un cacique no omnipotente ni siempre justo, que elige a sus campeones no por ser buenos o tener las mejores cualidades, sino por seguir una obediencia ciega.
Ya había leído sobre la creación de la Biblia y como se había alterado según las necesidades políticas de la época hasta que se conformara el canon. Era consciente de la importancia que dan el judaísmo a la palabra y a la correcta interpretación de los textos (no por algo se dedican a estudiar no solo su Biblia sino los comentarios que se han hecho sobre ella). Y aún así no era consciente del gran abismo entre la forma de pensar que buscan transmitir estos textos y el mensaje que nos ha llegado a nosotros que se supone seguimos teniendo estos textos en nuestro canon.
Desde que en el año 380 Teodosio erigiera el cristianismo como religión oficial del imperio romano, la Biblia se vería avocada a ser el libro más influyente de la historia. Solidificandose como uno de los pilares de nuestra cultura y forma de pensar.
Sin embargo, siempre me chocó la diferencia entre el Dios del antiguo y nuevo testamento. En el catolicismo se presenta como un padre, dispuesto a perdonar y a entregarse por la humanidad. En cambio, en el antiguo testamento se presenta un cacique no omnipotente ni siempre justo, que elige a sus campeones no por ser buenos o tener las mejores cualidades, sino por seguir una obediencia ciega.
Ya había leído sobre la creación de la Biblia y como se había alterado según las necesidades políticas de la época hasta que se conformara el canon. Era consciente de la importancia que dan el judaísmo a la palabra y a la correcta interpretación de los textos (no por algo se dedican a estudiar no solo su Biblia sino los comentarios que se han hecho sobre ella). Y aún así no era consciente del gran abismo entre la forma de pensar que buscan transmitir estos textos y el mensaje que nos ha llegado a nosotros que se supone seguimos teniendo estos textos en nuestro canon.
May 2, 2020
2018 yılında son okuduğum betikti. Adem'in Yaratılışı ulamışına kadar kısımlarda çok sıkıcıydı. Adem'in Yaratılışı'ndan Yusuf'un Ölümü'ne kadar geçen ulamışları, Tevrat ışığında okudum. Adem'in ilk eşi Lilith olduğunu inanıyorum çünkü Türk Söylence (Ulamış) Bilimi'nde benzer karakter olan Al Karısı var. Birbirinden uzak iki coğrafyada aynı karakterin varlığına rastlıyorsak o karakterin gerçekliğini kanıtlıyor. Ayrıca Nuh ve Büyük Tufan filminde geçen gözcülerin ulamışını okudum. Tevrat onların melek-insan (tönkür-kişi) karışımı dese de bence cin-insan (çor-kişi) karışımı olabilir çünkü tünkürlerde cinsiyet yok.
Ayrıca da sapkınlığıyla ünlense de İbraniler'in sözlü edebiyat geleneği çok güçlüdür. Bu betiği okuyarak ortak ulamışlarda tek kaynak üzerinde beslenmenin önüne geçtim. Yarın öbür gün Adem'in Yaratılışı diye bir dizi yapsam isimler konusunda İbrani Ulamışları'na gerçek hikayeyi de Kur'an'a baş vurarım. Bu konuda Farslar, çok güçlü sentez yaptığı için Yusuf ve Meryem dizileri başarılı oldu."
Ayrıca da sapkınlığıyla ünlense de İbraniler'in sözlü edebiyat geleneği çok güçlüdür. Bu betiği okuyarak ortak ulamışlarda tek kaynak üzerinde beslenmenin önüne geçtim. Yarın öbür gün Adem'in Yaratılışı diye bir dizi yapsam isimler konusunda İbrani Ulamışları'na gerçek hikayeyi de Kur'an'a baş vurarım. Bu konuda Farslar, çok güçlü sentez yaptığı için Yusuf ve Meryem dizileri başarılı oldu."
February 1, 2025
If you read the old testament cover to cover and you found it too short, then this is the book for you. This is the extended edition with director commentary of the book of Genesis alone, and it is almost as long as the entire bible (I exaggerate).
I found the beginning of the book the most interesting. Robert Graves recounts the creation myths, the myths of the flood, the tale of Lilith and seeks their origin in similar Mesopotamian and Greek myths. As the book progresses it is closer to the Genesis narrative and it starts getting tedious. The author does a great job of narrating the tales that is more engaging than my copy of the King James Bible but the commentary is excessive. These tales have fewer parallels in other mythologies and Graves focuses more on interpretation and historical origins - according to his own opinions. Mostly, he enjoys bashing the Midrashic commentary of which I know nothing and I have no opinion.
It took me exactly 1 year to finish the book, which I was reading tale by tale when I had nothing better to do.
I found the beginning of the book the most interesting. Robert Graves recounts the creation myths, the myths of the flood, the tale of Lilith and seeks their origin in similar Mesopotamian and Greek myths. As the book progresses it is closer to the Genesis narrative and it starts getting tedious. The author does a great job of narrating the tales that is more engaging than my copy of the King James Bible but the commentary is excessive. These tales have fewer parallels in other mythologies and Graves focuses more on interpretation and historical origins - according to his own opinions. Mostly, he enjoys bashing the Midrashic commentary of which I know nothing and I have no opinion.
It took me exactly 1 year to finish the book, which I was reading tale by tale when I had nothing better to do.
November 23, 2022
The myths were interesting mixed with crazy. They seem to be a collection from writings of Jewish rabbis during post exile and early medieval times. Most of them seem to be trying to connect Greek myths with the Bible while also filling in “gaps” in the stories in the Bible.
The comments were sometimes helpful, more in how they connect the stories with the broader mythology of the ancient world. But the commentators held to a textual critical perspective of the Bible which lead them to conclude that these myths were originally a part of the canon of scripture and were edited out by the redactors. (Specifically blaming the Deuternomic “author” supposedly in the time of King Josiah) So their comments on the myths in their relation to scripture were largely unhelpful and the cause of many eye rolls.
The comments were sometimes helpful, more in how they connect the stories with the broader mythology of the ancient world. But the commentators held to a textual critical perspective of the Bible which lead them to conclude that these myths were originally a part of the canon of scripture and were edited out by the redactors. (Specifically blaming the Deuternomic “author” supposedly in the time of King Josiah) So their comments on the myths in their relation to scripture were largely unhelpful and the cause of many eye rolls.
December 18, 2022
La forma de narrar estos mítos es bastante peculiar destacando por su estilo escueto. Los autores nos narran un mito, a veces con sus variantes, para luego compararlo con posibles hechos históricos y posibles fuentes de otras mitologías de la época.
Me ha resultado muy interesante ver los relatos del Génesis desde una perspectiva hebrea. Éstos tienen pequeños matices que ,o bien no sabía, o bien no aparecen en la Biblia, porque son comentario de midrashim.
A veces se puede hacer un poco pesado porque los judíos le daban una gran importancia a la genealogía como manera de justificar sus derechos sobre ciertos territorios, pero me ha encantado revisitar los mitos de Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob o José.
Me ha resultado muy interesante ver los relatos del Génesis desde una perspectiva hebrea. Éstos tienen pequeños matices que ,o bien no sabía, o bien no aparecen en la Biblia, porque son comentario de midrashim.
A veces se puede hacer un poco pesado porque los judíos le daban una gran importancia a la genealogía como manera de justificar sus derechos sobre ciertos territorios, pero me ha encantado revisitar los mitos de Noe, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob o José.
April 11, 2021
The Bible as national myth
Robert Graves has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read "I Claudius." Again, I am reminded why he is after reading this book. He, and his co-author, provides an erudite and well researched analysis of the Book of Genesis showing how it redacted regional myths to conform to Josiah us religious reforms, explain the fate of the Hasmonean dynasty, the coming of Greek and, more importantly, Roman dominion and finally give Rabbinic Judaism, through the Midrash and Talmud the fodder for its commentary and ethics. It also shows the inherent tension between a literal interpretation of the Bible and, more reasonable, view of it as myth.
Robert Graves has been one of my favorite authors ever since I read "I Claudius." Again, I am reminded why he is after reading this book. He, and his co-author, provides an erudite and well researched analysis of the Book of Genesis showing how it redacted regional myths to conform to Josiah us religious reforms, explain the fate of the Hasmonean dynasty, the coming of Greek and, more importantly, Roman dominion and finally give Rabbinic Judaism, through the Midrash and Talmud the fodder for its commentary and ethics. It also shows the inherent tension between a literal interpretation of the Bible and, more reasonable, view of it as myth.
January 2, 2022
Una revisión de mitos hebreos contrastados con fuentes históricas, relatos bíblicos y mitología y leyendas de otras culturas que tuvieron conexión en tiempos antiguos con la cultura hebrea. El nivel de erudición de los autores se hace patente por la cantidad de referencias empleadas. Probablemente reviste de mayor interés para quiénes están muy interesados en el tema. Para un lector más general no pierde atractivo, aunque la abundancia de información pueda resultar incluso confusa o abrumadora.
August 14, 2025
Me encanta la gran recopilación y el trabajo que se tomaron en recopilar textos antiguos, curiosidades, mitos, revelando lo que pudieron ser las respuestas que. siempre nos hemos hecho al leer la biblia
Mitos abrahamicos o mitos hebreos, es un muy buen libro, algo extenso, pero bueno en realidad.
8/10
Mitos abrahamicos o mitos hebreos, es un muy buen libro, algo extenso, pero bueno en realidad.
8/10
June 26, 2019
Una exploración a través de un amplia y muy completo repaso de fuentes a los mitos hebreos contenidos en el Génesis, ampliando los puntos de vista que la simple lectura de este ibro traducido e interpretado ya, mediado, oculta.
April 4, 2020
4.5 Stars History of BK. of Genesis
Digging deep into how many fragments of many creation stories became The Book of Genesis. This is an exhaustive amount of work. The results are a a very readable and interesting read..
Digging deep into how many fragments of many creation stories became The Book of Genesis. This is an exhaustive amount of work. The results are a a very readable and interesting read..
September 22, 2023
Some foreknowledge of ancient myths would make this book more understandable. Basically, the book attempts to show the dependency of the content of Genesis to other, either newer or older, myths from other cultures. Obviously, not acceptable to any Bible literalists.
September 22, 2025
there were a few interesting points when talking about the creation narratives in the ANE but the terrible disregard for context and misuse of biblical passages undermined any integrity this author may have had.
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