Myths and Dreams

Name: Myths and Dreams
Author: Edward Clodd

By Edward Clodd

Open in WeRead

Explore more books like this:

Archaeology & Anthropology Mythology, Legends & Folklore

About This Book

The author surveys how early peoples construed the natural world through myth and how dreams contributed to beliefs in the supernatural. Part one traces mythic origins and growth, treating personification of sun, moon, stars, earth, storms, metamorphosis into animals, totemism, and survivals in historical and Hebrew traditions. Part two examines dreams and primitive thought, addressing language limits, confusion of names and things, the attribution of soul-like forces to brutes, plants, and objects, theories of disease and a double self, and the use of dreams as omens and modes of communication with gods. Comparative ethnographic examples illustrate psychological processes underlying religious ideas.

About the Author

Edward Clodd

Edward Clodd was an English author and prominent figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for his contributions to the fields of mythology, evolution, and linguistics. He explored the intersection of science and culture in works such as "Pioneers of Evolution from Thales to Huxley," which traces the development of evolutionary thought. Clodd also delved into the origins of language and writing in "The Story of the Alphabet," reflecting his interest in the evolution of human communication. His writings often aimed to make complex scientific ideas accessible to the general public, contributing to the broader discourse on science and society during his time.