The Myth of the Eternal Return

A landmark work in the history of religions from a pioneer in the field

First published in English in 1954, this founding work in the historical study of religions secured the North American reputation of the Romanian emigre-scholar Mircea Eliade. Referring to an astonishing number of cultures and drawing on scholarship in no fewer than half a dozen European languages, The Myth of the Eternal Return illuminates the religious beliefs and rituals of a wide variety of ancient cultures and argues that understanding them still has the power to enrich our conception of what it means to be human.

Author Biography

Mircea Eliade (19071986) was the Sewell L. Avery Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. His books include Images and Symbols, Shamanism, and Yoga (all Princeton). Jonathan Z. Smith (19382017) was the Robert O. Anderson Distinguished Service Professor of the Humanities at the University of Chicago.