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The Golden Bough: The Annotated Edition by James George Frazer - A Comprehensive Guide to Religion and Mythology

Jeffery Bell

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Published in The Golden Bough (Annotated) James George Frazer

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The Golden Bough is a seminal work in the field of comparative religion and mythology. Written by the Scottish anthropologist James George Frazer, it was first published in 1890 and has since been translated into more than 20 languages. The book is a comprehensive study of the beliefs and practices of ancient and modern cultures, with a particular focus on the role of ritual and magic in human society.

The Annotated Edition of The Golden Bough, published in 1981, is the definitive version of the work. It includes Frazer's original text, as well as extensive annotations by leading scholars in the field of religious studies. The annotations provide additional context and commentary, making the book more accessible to a wider audience.

The Golden Bough (Annotated)

by James George Frazer

5 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	2768 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	1344 pages
Screen Reader	:	Supported

Key Concepts

The Golden Bough is a vast and complex work, but it can be boiled down to a few key concepts:

Sympathetic magic: The belief that like causes like, and that by imitating something, one can influence it.
Contagious magic: The belief that things that have been in contact with each other continue to influence each other, even after they are separated.
Taboo: A prohibition against ng something that is considered harmful or dangerous.
Totem: An animal or plant that is believed to be the ancestor or guardian of a particular clan or tribe.
Myth: A story that is believed to be true, but that is not based on historical fact.

Structure

The Golden Bough is divided into 12 parts, each of which deals with a different aspect of religion and mythology. The parts are as follows:

The Magic Art and the Evolution of Kings
Taboo and the Perils of the Soul
The Dying God
Adonis, Attis, Osiris
The Scapegoat
Balder the Beautiful
From the Divine King to the Roman Emperor
The Myth of Osiris
The Killing of the Divine King
The Golden Bough
The Dying God in Folklore
The Slain God

Significance

The Golden Bough has had a profound influence on the study of religion and mythology. It was one of the first works to take a truly comparative approach to the subject, and it has helped to shape our understanding of the role of ritual and magic in human culture. The book has also been used to support a wide range of theories about the origins of religion, from the evolutionary theory of E.B. Tylor to the psychoanalytic theory of Sigmund Freud.

The Golden Bough is a classic work of scholarship that is still relevant today. It is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the study of religion and mythology, and it is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the origins of human culture.