I’ve been back and forth with a few books, uncertain of how exactly to commit to a book for my DP Indo-European book report. My first one (Jaan Puhvel’s Comparative Mythology) was a bust. The second on my list (In Search of the Indo-Europeans) was also text-book-dense. History was never my forte, and my getting older hasn’t changed that much.
Now, religion and philosophy? I can dig into some religion and philosophy.
I’m taking a momentary pause from the search for the perfect IE history book (keeping my copy of A History of Pagan Europe nearby) and taking on a fascinating book, A World Full of Gods: An Inquiry into Polytheism.
I wouldn’t consider the book a light read, but it is certainly more fitting to my temperament. Plus, as someone whose early years were spent worshiping and developing a religious identity in a monotheistic tradition, I feel the need to address the differences between a “one God” and “many gods” system head-on.
It may be a bit out of order for the DP calendar set forth in Rev. Dangler’s Wheel of the Year, but it feels right for me now.
Comments
2 responses to “History Waits… The Gods Call!”
That is one book I have yet to read but keep meaning to. The book had some critics within ADF, but I think most people have found value within. I'll be interested to know what you think of it once finished!
I've been book-hopping, too. I made all the way through Drawing Down the Moon (and loved it!), but now I'm halfway through Comparative Mythology and maybe ten percent through A History of Pagan Europe and not making much progress on either… I've been temporarily distracted by Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism. I was lucky enough to snag the last copy of this out-of-print gem from a local bookseller, and it was so worth the hunt. Anyway, I think that (for me anyway) the DP reading is all about learning, and I'm definitely doing that. I'll get to the written reports when I feel like I'm ready to do my best work.