Inconsistencies in Greek and Roman Religion: Transition and Reversal in Myth and Ritual. Tome IIThis is the second of a two-volume collection of studies on inconsistencies in Greek and Roman religion. Their common aim is to argue for the historical relevance of various types of ambiguity and dissonance. While the first volume focused on the central paradoxes in ancient henotheism, the present one discusses the ambiguities in myth and ritual of transition and reversal. After an introduction to the history of the myth and ritual debate (with a focus on New Year festivals and initiation) in the first chapter, the second and third chapters discuss myth and ritual of reversal-Kronos and the Kronia, and Saturnus and the Saturnalia respectively; the fourth treats two women's festivals-that of Bona Dea and the Thesmophoria; the fifth investigates the initiatory aspects of Apollo and Mars. In the background is the basic conviction that the three approaches to religion known as 'substantivistic', functionalist and cultural-symbolic respectively, need not be mutually exclusive. |
Contents
Chapter I | 13 |
THE RISE AND GROWTH OF MYTH AND RITUAL THEORY | 20 |
OUT AND OUT MYTH AND RITUAL THEORISTS | 37 |
INITIATION A MODERN COMPLEX | 48 |
EPPURE SI MUOVE MYTH AND RITUAL PARI PASSU | 74 |
Chapter II | 80 |
KRONOS AND THE KRONIA | 89 |
THE FESTival of revERSAL | 115 |
The king must die Ritual reenactments | 210 |
THE ROMAN FESTIVAL FOR BONA DEA AND | 228 |
THE THESMOPHORIA | 235 |
MYTH | 250 |
BACK TO BONA DEA | 261 |
TWO FESTIVALS ONE PARADOX | 274 |
CONCLUSION | 284 |
Roscher and AFTER | 290 |
THE AMBIGUity of the KrONIA AND RELATED FESTIVALS | 122 |
THE KING OF A PRIMEVal reverSED WORLD | 129 |
SATURNUS AND THE SATURNALIA | 136 |
THE CARNIVALESQUE SIGNS | 150 |
Licence | 157 |
ORIGINS | 164 |
THE CONTINUING STORY OF MYTH | 190 |
A structuralisT VIEW | 296 |
THE SOCIAL ROOTS OF A STRUCTURAL ANALOGY | 313 |
RITUAL | 320 |
Kindred FUNCTIONS DIFFERENT IMAGES | 328 |
335 | |
345 | |
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Common terms and phrases
ambiguity ancient antaphrodisiac Apollo argued Artemis aspects Athens Auffarth Augustus Baudy Bömer Bona Dea Brelich Bremmer Burkert centre ceremony chaos chthonic Coarelli comedy complex connected Consualia context cult cultural death Demeter Detienne Dis Pater discussion Dumézil elements Eliade emperor evidence explained expression female fertility Fest festival of Bona FGrHist Frazer function gladiatorial Glay goddess gods Graf Greece Greek Hesiod human sacrifice idem imagery initiation initiatory instance interpretation Iupiter king Kronia Kronos literature lugos lustratio Macrob male marginal marriage Mars matrons meaning mundus munera myrtle myth and ritual mythical nature Nilsson Odysseus Opalia origin paradox Paris period pharmakos Plut Plutarch primeval recent references Religion reversal rites role Roman Rome Saturn Saturnalia Saturnia regna Saturnian scholars sexual slaves social society specific status studies symbol term theory Thesmophoria tion Utopia Varro ver sacrum Versnel Vestal Virgins Vestals virgins wine Wissowa women