About the book
Human beings have always been myth makers. . .
So begins Karen Armstrong's concise yet compelling investigation into
myth: how it has evolved and why it is so essential to our ability to
live well. She takes us from the Paleolithic period and the earliest
mythologies of the hunters up to the "Great Western Transformation" of
the last 500 years, including the recent discrediting of myth by
science. The history of myth is the history of humanity. Our stories
and beliefs, our curiosity, and attempts to understand the world link
us not only to our ancestors but to each other. Today, more than ever,
myths help us make sense of the universe and of ourselves, our
longings and our weaknesses.
Heralding a major series of retellings of the ancient myths by authors
from around the world, Armstrong's characteristically insightful book
is an eloquent introduction to any understanding of myth - and why, if
we dismiss it in the modern age, we do so at our peril.
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About the author
Since leaving her religious order in 1969, KAREN ARMSTRONG has become
one of the world's foremost commentators on religion. Her bestselling
books include her acclaimed memoirs Through the Narrow Gate, which
describes her seven years as a young nun in a Catholic order, and The
Spiral Staircase, as well as the internationally renowned A History of
God, Islam: A Short History, The Battle for God, Holy War and Buddha.
Karen Armstrong lives in London.
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Read an excerpt
What is a Myth?
Human beings have always been mythmakers. Archaeologists have unearthed Neanderthal graves containing weapons, tools and the bones of a sacrificed animal, all of which suggest some kind of belief in a future world that was similar to their own. The Neanderthals may have told each other stories about the life that their dead companion now enjoyed. They were certainly reflecting about death in a way that their fellow-creatures did not. Animals watch each other die but, as far as we know, they give the matter no further consideration. But the Neanderthal graves show that when these early people became conscious of their mortality, they created some sort of counter-narrative that enabled them to come to terms with it. The Neanderthals who buried their companions with such care seem to have imagined that the visible, material world was not the only reality. From a very early date, therefore, it appears that human beings were distinguished by their ability to have ideas that went beyond their everyday experience.
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