Puhvel, Jaan. Comparative Mythology. Johns Hopkins Paperback edition,
1989. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1987. Print.
Jaan Puhvel's Comparative Mythology is a comparison
study of Indo-Iranian and Indo-European myth over the centuries from Vedic
India through medieval Baltic Prussia, working its way through Vedic and epic
India through ancient and epic Iran, through Greece and Rome, through the Celts
and the Germanic-Norse to the mythologies of the Baltic-Slavs. He bases the progression on the theory of monogenesis,
that there is an origin from which the others evolved. This fits with the theories of the
proto-Indo-Europeans originating in the Balkan steppes and migrating south and
east through ancient Iran and India, and westward through Greece, Rome and
throughout western and northern Europe.
Puhvel divides the book into three parts: The first part sets
forth the definition of the study of myth within the context of this book as
well as describing the creation myths from the ancient Near East and what is
meant when using the terms Indo-Iranian and Indo-European in the context of
this comparison study. The second part
recounts the various myths from the Indo-Iranian/Indo-European cultures. In the third part, Puhvel gets down to
comparing specific themes across cultures, such as god and warrior, king and
virgin, and horse and ruler and their roles within the specific cultures and
their similarities and their differences.
Having an interest in mythology in general and Indo-European
studies specifically, I find the book interesting and informative, if not
exactly engaging. This book reads like
the lecture series is represents without the benefit of being able to engage
with others in the class in real time.
Perhaps Puhvel's humor is not as dry when he is speaking as it is in
writing. However, if I could make only
one suggestion to improve its readability, I would suggest including a
pronunciation guide. One is bogged down
stumbling through the unfamiliar deity names of the various cultures (for me,
it was the Vedic names that posed the biggest challenge). Its inclusion as one of the choices for the Indo-European
studies portion of the Dedicant's Program gives me the opportunity for a broad
overview of the many myths across the Indo-European spectrum and shows the
mythological timeline as it developed and evolved in some cases over the centuries
and throughout the Indo-European cultures.
I do recommend this book as a good way to familiarize
yourself with the various Indo-European cultures and their inter-related myths.
