Description

About The Book : This classic four-volume series-from a pioneering ethnographer, first published in 1910-remains a foundational work of comparative mythology and religion for scholars and armchair anthropologists alike. Exploring the interconnections between myth and ritual in how and whom we may marry-as group marriage gave way to individual marriage-questions about religion and social structure became intertwined. In any case, this is a fascinating look at the social underpinnings common to all peoples around the globe. Volume I features a reprint of Frazer's groundbreaking 1887 work Totemism-covering the religious side of totemism; Volume II continues Frazer's ethnographic survey of totemism, here covering totemism in the South Pacific, India, and Africa.Volume III continues Frazer's ethnographic survey of totemism, here covering totemism in the United States, Canada, and Central and South America, with a special emphasis on the guardian spirits and secret societies of American Indian tribes.Volume IV includes the author's summary and conclusion, errata, maps, and the index to the full work.