Book Review #1 -- Comparative Mythology by Jann Puhvel

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.