Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ian Myles Slater on A New Beginning for an Old Problem, September 24, 2003
This is the now classic attempt to identify the mysterious god / plant / substance of the Sanskrit Vedas as the fly agaric mushroom, a fungus known to have mood-altering hallucinogenic properties when properly prepared and consumed. Wasson argues that the cryptic descriptions of the Soma can be explained by the shape and colors of the mushroom, while its effects explain its association with divine powers, and its use in the sacrificial rituals to contact the gods. The conclusion has been widely accepted, and bitterly disputed, with a number of opponents returning, armed with new information, to earlier proposals.
The earlier views are the subject of a substantial section of this thick volume, a survey of the nineteenth and twentieth century literature by Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, who is now writing as Wendy Doniger. In later writings, Doniger has supported more strongly Wasson's conclusion that Soma was originally a fungus, although admitting to some uncertainty as to which fungus, and to whether the sacred species might have shifted with time and availability. This survey is in itself a useful reference, and Doniger's translations of the some of the Rig-Veda Soma Hymns in her selection from "The Rig-Veda" for the Penguin Classics is a helpful companion as well.
(For the full set of such hymns, I know of only one English version, R.T.H. Griffith's aging complete translation of the Rig Veda -- second edition 1896 -- which, among other problems, accepted Max Mueller's identification of Soma with the Ephedra plant. The theory would make more sense if the species Mueller named was in fact the pharmacologically active Ma Huang variety, instead of just a relative.)
The whole issue is confused by difficulty of disentangling references to Soma as a ritual substance used in offerings to the Devas (the gods), as a substance the control of which was disputed by the Devas and their rivals the Asuras (roughly Titans, relatives and, mostly, enemies of the gods), and as a god itself, sometimes identical with the Moon. As such it forms a parallel to Agni, the fire-god, which is sometimes the actual sacrificial fire, sometimes an abstraction of it, and sometimes a deity with its own myths and cult.
Anyone interested in the subject of "entheogens" (a term coined after the appearance of Wasson's study, and in part as a response to it) should definitely read this book carefully, not least because it is so frequently quoted, quoted out of context, misquoted, and misrepresented -- and I am only talking about those who claim to agree with it.
So far as I am aware, there is still room for a major study, by someone other than an declared opponent of Wasson's thesis, of how closely the older Iranian material on "Haoma" (the expected, and documented, equivalent of the Sanskrit name) does or does not parallel the Vedic texts. It is possible, at least in theory, that more than one plant served the function, and received the name, in the period of Indo-Iranian linguistic unity. (The on-line "Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies" offered a series of articles on aspects of the problem in 2002-2003, which are available in pdf format; some fairly technical, but with up-to-date bibliograpy.)
I would add that while I sympathize with Wasson's endorsement of orthodox Hindu hostility toward alcohol, which already appears in the Vedic texts, it seems quite clear that fermented drinks also filled the ideological role of Soma in other Indo-European cultures. For example, a serious modern comparison of the Indra's theft or recovery of Soma from the Asuras, with the aid of, or in the shape of, an eagle, to Odin's theft of the Mead of Poetry from the Giants, in the form of an eagle, is greatly to be desired. Especially if it is undertaken by a scholar with a full command of the diverse versions of the myth in Indian literature, and an open approach to modern theories of mythic narrative.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Divine Mushroom., February 20, 2006
_SOMA: Divine Mushroom of Immortality_, No. 1 in the Ethno-mycological Studies series, by maverick investment banker turned ethnomycologist R. Gordon Wasson is a fascinating account of the role played by the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) in the religious development of the Indo-European (Aryan) peoples. Wasson, who wrote extensively on the role of hallucinogenic mushrooms, developed a fascination with the mushroom when he and his wife Valentina Pavlovna, a Russian pediatrician, came upon some wild mushrooms and noticed their entirely different response to the mushrooms. Wasson who was of Western European ancestry was a natural mycophobe; however, his wife, a Russian, picked the mushrooms and later used them in her food. Together Wasson and Valentina Pavlovna wrote a book detailing their experiences with the mushroom called _Mushrooms, Russia & History_. Wasson also was to undergo a hallucinatory experience with a shaman in Mexico leading to his writing about the role of the hallucinogenic mushroom in Mesoamerica.
This book principally discusses the role of the hallucinogenic mushroom in the writings of the earliest Indo-Europeans (Aryans), in the Rg Veda (as Soma) and the Zend Avesta (of the Zoroastrians, as Haoma). This book also discusses the role of the fly agaric in Europe, Eurasia, and Siberia among the shamans there. The book is divided into three parts, "Soma: The Divine Mushroom of Immortality" which outlines the role of the fly agaric as Soma in primitive Indo-European religion, "The Post-Vedic History of the Soma Plant" written by Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty which explains various theories concerning the origins of soma in the Rg Veda, and "Northern Eurasia and the Fly-Agaric" which explains the role of the fly agaric among shamans in Siberia as well as in Northern Europe. The book concludes with a series of exhibits from various writings concerning both the fly agaric in Siberia, the linguistic aspects of the fly agaric, and the theory that the fly agaric was the source of the beserk rage of the Scandinavian warriors.
The first section of the book discusses the role of the fly agaric as "soma" in the Rg Veda, the earliest Aryan writings. The author traces the evidence and attempts to show that indeed the soma mentioned in the Rg Veda that was later mysteriously lost was the fly agaric (Amanita muscaria). The author shows evidence in the form of "roots, leaves, blossoms, and seeds of soma", all referring to aspects of the divine mushroom. The author also discusses the role of the fly agaric as the "haoma" mentioned in the Zend Avesta of Zoroaster. In addition, the author mentions the two forms of soma, the first as the mushroom consumed and the second as the urine of an individual who has eaten the mushroom, retaining the hallucinogenic properties of the mushroom. The author also discusses the role of the hallucinogenic mushroom among the Manichaeans and various other early heretical sects. In particular, he notes the Christian revulsion for the mushroom eaters, as can be seen in the writings of Saint Augustine who originally was involved in Manichaeanism. The author also discusses the role of the hallucinogenic mushroom among the Chinese, where it became known as the "divine mushroom of immortality" among the Taoists. This section contains many beautiful pictures illustrating the mushroom in folklore and tradition as well as pictures of the fly agaric itself in its natural environment.
The second section of the book written by Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty relates the various theories which have been proposed to explain the origin of soma. Among others the author discusses theories that linked soma to alcohol and to bhang (marijuana) in ancient Persia. The author relates the development of these theories among Europeans as they sought to understand primitive Indo-European origins in the Nineteenth Century.
The third section of the book discusses the mushroom in Siberia among the shamans, but also the mushroom in Europe. The author notes the practice of the shamans of drinking the urine of an individual who had consumed the hallucinogenic mushroom. He also argues contrary to the beliefs of the comparativist Mircea Eliade that drug use among shamans does not represent a form of decadence and degeneration. Among the Europeans, the author notes the mycophobic tendencies of Western Europeans, arguing that they refer to the mushroom as the "toadstool" and look upon it with disgust. The frog and the snake are also seen as symbols associated with the mushroom and have traditionally been viewed as evil creatures. In contrast, Victorians came to see the toad as a benign creature. The author argues that the mushroom played no role in the development of the Celtic peoples and among the Germans. He also suggests that contrary to a thesis advanced by certain others that the beserk rage of the Scandinavian warriors was not linked to the fly agaric. In addition, while presenting a picture of an early Christian fresco depicting a "mushroom tree" in the Garden of Eden, the author argues that this is not the hallucinogenic mushroom and that the early Christians were not a mushroom cult. There is little reason to think that the Tree of Knowledge represented the hallucinogenic mushroom.
The book concludes with various exhibits from the writings of different individuals referencing the Siberian use of the mushroom. The author also exhibits writings showing the controversy surrounding the alleged use of the mushroom among Scandinavian warriors. Interestingly, during the Second World War, it was rumored that certain Russian soldiers partook of the mushroom in order to provoke battle lust amongst them.
This book provides a fascinating account of the "divine mushroom of immortality". It is an important contribution to our understanding of primitive religion and the role that hallucinogenic substances play in the development of that belief.
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7 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entheogens: Professional Listing, May 2, 1999
By A Customer
"Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality" has been selected for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy
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by Carl A. P. Ruck
by R. Gordon Wasson
by David Spess
