Synopses & Reviews
Primitive man's discovery of the ability to change matter from one state to another brought about a profound change in spiritual behavior. In The Forge and the Crucible, Mircea Eliade follows the ritualistic adventures of these ancient societies, adventures rooted in the people's awareness of an awesome new power.
The new edition of The Forge and the Crucible contains an updated appendix, in which Eliade lists works on Chinese alchemy published in the past few years. He also discusses the importance of alchemy in Newton's scientific evolution.
About the Author
Mircea Eliade (1907-1986) was the Sewell L. Avery Distinguished Service Professor at the Divinity School and professor in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago. He was one of the most influential scholars of religion of the 20th century and one of the worlds foremost interpreters of religious symbolism and myth. Eliade was the author of many works of scholarship and fiction, including A History of Religious Ideas and ten novels.
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface to the Phoenix Edition
1. Meteorites and Metallurgy
2. Mythology of the Iron Age
3. The World Sexualized
4. Terra Mater. Petra Genitrix
5. Rites and Mysteries in Metallurgy
6. Human Sacrifices to the Furnace
7. Babylonian Symbolisms and Metallurgical Rituals
8. 'Masters of Fire'
9. Divine Smiths and Civilizing Heroes
10. Smiths, Warriors, Masters of Initiation
11. Chinese Alchemy
12. Indian Alchemy
13. Alchemy and Initiation
14. Arcana Artis
15. Alchemy and Temporality
Postscript
Appendices
Index