Tales of Darkness: The Mythology of Evil

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Evil, an undeniable yet inexplicable force in human existence, is often defined as that which ought not to be, yet is - so it must be destroyed, or contained, or lived with. Myths of evil function to universalize the human condition, to show the tension between the ideal and the real, to reveal but not allegorize that condition, and to go some way to assist humanity in understanding, combating, and coping with evil within its societies. Tales of Darkness explores the causes of evil in myth, encompassing themes such as defilement, the figure of the trickster, evil people both within and outside the society, and traumatic initiations. Robert Ellwood then looks at "cures" for evil: laughter, sacrifice, the flood, the hero's quest, initiation, the savior, divine wisdom and the end of days. This is a fascinating examination of how people have dealt with evil, not philosophically but in terms of the myths, ancient and modern, which present stories convergent with our own, from creation myths to Star Wars.

Reviews

"Despite its possibly foreboding title, this book is a delight to read. Bob Ellwood marshals an extraordinarily wide range of material from every continent (except Antarctica) and from antiquity to the present. Star Wars and Star Trek, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Buffy the Vampire Slayer stand beside, for example, trickster stories from indigenous peoples, stories from ancient Babylon, Greece, and Japan, and the lives of the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Never pedantic, Ellwood manages to set the mythology of evil in a full, rich context of lived experience that includes fraternity initiations, witchcraft crazes, boot camp, and much, much more. Throughout it all the lesson of the volume is clear. We learn more about evil and how to deal with it from stories than we do from philosophical analysis. That is because after all life is not a set of philosophical propositions; it is a set of stories." - Greg Alles, McDaniel College, USA

Author Bio

Robert Ellwood was Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California from 1967 until his retirement in 1997. He is author or editor of over 25 books, including textbooks in world religions and religious studies, histories, and works on spirituality.