Customer Reviews

Heaven, Heroes and Happiness: The Indo-European Roots of Western Ideology

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author makes a wondeful effort of compiling knowledge and research from many fields - archaelogy, anthropology, linguistics, mythology - to name a few. An excellent introduction to Indo-European culture and language both for the formal Indo-Europeanist, and for someone new to this area of study. The style is clear, and many good examples are given to explain the various themes. I highly recommend this book to anyone, even those who are not formal linguists or Indo-Europeanists.

Extensive research has gone into the writing of this book. There are footnotes on practically every page. I recommend taking notes and posing questions to oneself as one reads. It is extremely enlightening and life-changing in it's impact on the reader.

In this work, Shan Winn summarizes up the generally accepted views of Indo-European comparative mythology, archaeology, and so forth. Summarizing the theories of Georges Dumezil, Marija Gimbutas and others, as well as critically reviewing the less accepted theories of Colin Renfew etc. In general, we are treated to a wonderful summary of thoughts plus a few of the author's own. This is a book I can recommend to beginners along with J P Mallory's IN SEARCH OF THE INDO-EUROPEANS: Language, Archaeology, and Myth.

At the same time, I that this book shows how much need there is for rethinking some of Gimbutas's mythological theories in the light of Victor Turner's field work and theories (especially his theories regarding liminality and communitas (see The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure (Lewis Henry Morgan Lectures) (Foundations of Human Behavior)), and the role of the non-inheritance gender in non-hierarchical elements of society. However, this is hardly something that can be held against the author since it is a matter of a need for greater interdisciplinary studies in relation to this field. In my view Dr Turner's field work and theories in relation to it substantially undermine Gimbutas's theories regarding mythology and non-stratified, matrifocal (and sometimes what she even claims to be matriarchal) Old European society. Consequently I mention this as a caution for people trying to read introductions to this field to branch out into related ones, such as anthropology, as well. I certainly wouldn't expect a book written for non-specialists to venture into this area however.

On the whole, this is one of the best beginner books out there, as an ideal complement to JP Mallory's book mentioned above, and a useful book to read before getting onto more specialized books like Jaan Puhvel's Comparative Mythology or the works of Georges Dumezil. It neatly summarizes the state of the consensus regarding Indo-European comparative mythology and so forth. The writing is clear and easy to understand. He makes the case well (though see the above caveat).

On the whole, I'd highly recommend this work.

This is a very well researched overview of the state of Indo-Europen studies in the cultural/mythological, linguistic and archeological fields. The overview is based on the seminal works of the classical Indo-Europeists, XX-th century giants such as Gorges Dumezil and Maria Gimbutas, and the current state of the contemporary research.

As a rare treat, in conditions of the usual Judeo-Christian bias in popular culture, especially in the US, the author rigorously, and in great details shows that the Indo-European roots of our civilization are much more deep and strong than the influence of the Semitic cultures. In many cases, what was thought to be a genuine input of Judeo-Christianity, in reality were just a clumsy borrowings from the Indo-European sources.

Shan Winn brings impeccable academic credentials to his highly referenced study of the origins of Indo-European cultures and some of the socio-religious ideas arising in the earliest periods which served as a kind of template for dissemination of these ideas in more modern times. Winn sums up his views on the "clash of cultures" between the sedentary agricultural and largely matriarchical cultures of southeastern Europe and the pastoral patriarchical invaders from the eastern steppes by positing that the "goddess-based" cultures were "subverted" by male dominated warlike invaders beginning abut 3500 B.C. To this extent Winn, writing in 1995, mirrors the findings of his mentor at UCLA Marija Gimbutus and the more tendentious feminists, Merlin Stone (When God was a Woman, 1978), Starhawk (The Spiral Dance, 1979), Riane Eisler (The Chalice and the Blade, 1988), Anne Baring (The Myth of the Goddess, 1993). Winn has a much less ambitious sociological agenda than these writers. He mainly is interested in the introduction of a "tripartite" view of society and religion from these early times and the effects of the duality of good versus evil introduced from Zoroastrianism. Along the way, he has a few observations pertinent to the beginnings of Christianity (the trinity, virginity and the virgin birth, the Holy Ghost, the afterlife) which in themselves warrant a reading of the book for those who are interested in the ancient roots of Christian theology. He hints at earlier neolithic influences on the typical Western world views and some features of Western society which can be traced to non Indo-European roots. In the main, Winn sticks to his themes of identifying an original Indo-European homeland and tracing the spread of tripartite and dualistic ideology practiced among these early societies. He does this in a very readable and popular style. For these reasons the book deserves five stars. But one would have liked for him to have delved a bit more deeply into the background and introduction of religious themes in Judeo-Christian thought and pagan religion. But then, Winn is primarily an archeologist, not a theologian, and he has the good judgement to remain within his field of expertise.

Loved the book. I would recommend to anyone interested in history! One of a kind!