I am reading J Frazer's 'The Golden Bough' and am totally caught in the web of magic, myth and mystery that he has put down in such detail. Of kings and priests, of trees and tree spirits, of goddesses and their lovers...all ancient civilisations were so rich and detailed in their practice of religion that it seems kind of a waste to let it all die out.
Dont get me wrong. Some of it had to. Thank god, we no longer kill our kings (or rulers/presidents/prime ministers), a year into their monarchy!! Or punish women for their husbands'lack of fishing skills -- some communities believed that if a man went out to fish and caught none, it was because his wife had been unfaithful!!
Naturally it would be disastrous to turn back the clock to such a horrific time in our history. What would be interesting however would be to know more, understand why these things were so commonly believed and followed among people living as far apart as India and Finland. What was it that tied our myths together? And what was it that kept them apart?
