The Golden Bough (Complete)
James Frazer
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The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a wide-ranging comparative study of mythology and religion, written by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854–1941). It offered a modernist approach, discussing religion dispassionately as a cultural phenomenon, rather than from a theological perspective. Although most of its theories have subsequently been exploded (the most famous one being that of the relationship between magic, religion and science), its impact on contemporaneous European literature was substantial.
The Golden Bough attempts to define the shared elements of religious belief, ranging from ancient belief systems to relatively modern religions such as Christianity. Its thesis is that old religions were fertility cults that centered around the worship of, and periodic sacrifice of, a sacred king. This king was the incarnation of a dying and reviving god, a solar deity who underwent a mystic marriage to a goddess of the earth, who died at the harvest, and was reincarnated in the spring. Frazer claims that this legend is central to almost all of the world’s mythologies, and he offers a plethora of colourful examples from all over the world. Moreover, his book is written in an admirable style, seldom excelled by his more modern colleagues. (From Wikipedia, with small additions by Måns Broo) (42 hr 43 min)
Chapters
Preface & Chapters I & II | 43:16 | Read by hefyd |
Chapters III.1 & III.2 part 1 | 47:42 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter III.2 part 2 | 49:43 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter III.3-4 | 39:06 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter IV | 41:35 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter V.1-2 | 55:20 | Read by Jim Eastman |
Chapter V.3-4 | 18:05 | Read by Leon Mire |
Chapter VI | 26:47 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter VII | 52:39 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter VIII & IX | 48:42 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter X | 48:36 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter XI & XII | 36:06 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter XIII & XIV | 44:54 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XV & XVI | 24:32 | Read by Christie Nowak |
Chapter XVII | 36:14 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter XVIII | 59:11 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XIX | 29:05 | Read by Mira Cheskis |
Chapter XX part 1 | 36:56 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XX part 2 | 42:34 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXI part 1 | 38:28 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXI part 2 | 39:30 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXII | 1:05:19 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXIII & XXIV | 1:17:38 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXV - XXVII | 37:19 | Read by Sheila Morton |
Chapter XXVIII part 1 | 43:25 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXVIII part 2 | 1:00:16 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXIX - XXXI | 42:47 | Read by Tysto |
Chapter XXXII & XXXIII | 42:03 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXXIV - XXXVI | 31:42 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XXXVII & XXXVIII | 41:50 | Read by Leon Mire |
Chapter XXXIX | 32:45 | Read by Leon Mire |
Chapter XL - XLII | 29:16 | Read by Leon Mire |
Chapter XLIII & XLIV | 40:12 | Read by Sarah Jennings |
Chapter XLV | 47:31 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLVI | 44:35 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLVII part 1 | 28:11 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLVII part 2 | 25:45 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLVII part 3 | 34:22 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLVIII part 1 | 37:14 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLVIII part 2 | 27:59 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLIX part 1 | 31:34 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter XLIX part 2 | 27:06 | Read by hefyd |
Chapter L | 52:22 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LI | 18:52 | Read by Andrew Coleman |
Chapter LII | 1:03:38 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter LIII | 45:57 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter LIV & LV | 46:06 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter LVI | 50:47 | Read by Måns Broo |
Chapter LVII | 1:00:12 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LVIII & LIX | 56:36 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LX & LXI | 1:06:07 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXII part 1 | 48:39 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXII part 2 | 1:09:53 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXIII | 34:29 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXIV | 31:04 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXV | 34:27 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXVI | 45:35 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXVII part 1 | 50:36 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXVII part 2 | 34:40 | Read by JoeD |
Chapter LXVIII & LXIX | 46:05 | Read by hefyd |
Reviews
Matthew ferrari
this is great, i have the books but its hard to sit down and read them🤣🤣
A LibriVox Listener
Frazer's learning is impressive--and even this abridgement seems exhaustive. His imperialstic outlook and condescension to natives, ancient and modern, is annoying, but his scholarship is still relevant. It has inspired writers of fiction and scholars alike.
Mike Means
..a favorite listen. Several times now.