Table Of ContentRITESA ND SYMBOLS OF INITIATION
and
TheM ysteorfBi ierst hR ebirth
thtee ozftt hbioso ikps r inted
on1 00r%e cypcalpeedr
RITESA ND SYMBOLS
OF INITIATION
and
TheM ysteorfBi ierst hR ebirth
MIRCEA ELIADE
Translaftreodmt heF rench
byW illaRr.dT rask
· HARPER COLOPHON BOOKS
Harper& R ow,P ublishers
NewY orkH,a gerstowSna,nF rancisLcoon,d on
THE LIBRAROYF RELIGIOANN DC ULTURE
GeneErdailt Boern:j aNmeml son
RITESA ND SYMBOLS OF INITIATION
Copyrig©h t1 95b8y M irceEal iade
Printiendt heU niteSdt atoefsA merica.
Allr ighitnst hibso oka rer eserveNdo. p arto ft heb ookm ayb e
useodr r eproduicnea dn ym annewrh atsoevweirt howurti ttpeern
missieoxnc eptt hiecn a soef b rieqfu otatieomnbso diine dc ritical
articalnedrs e vieFwosr.i nformatiaodnd reHsasr pe&r R ow,P ub
lishers, Inco1r0pE oarsa5tt3 erdSd,t reeNte,wY orkN,. Y.1 0022.
Thibso okw asfi rsptu blisbhyeH da rpe&r B rotheirn1s 95u8n der
thet itBlier antdh RebiIrtit sh .h erreep rinbtyea dr rangement.
FirsHAtR PER COLOPHON editipounb lish1e9d7 5by
Harpe&r Row,P ublishIenrcs.,N, e w YorkN,. Y.1 0022.
58-10374
LibraorfyC eagresCsa talCoagr dN umber:
76 777 87 98 0 12I t
CONTENTS
FOREWORD vii
INTRODUCTION ix
I INITIATIMOYNS TERIEISN P RIMTIIVER ELIGIONS 1
PreliminRaermya rkTsh-e SacreGdr ound-Separation
frotmh eM otherT-heK urnai Initiation Mystery--Supreme
Beinagn dI nitiaAtmioonng t heY uin-Symboloifs m
InitiaDteoartyh -Meanoifn tgh eI nitiaOtrodreya ls
InitiaatnidCo onl lecRteigveen eration
II THE INITIATOROYR DEALS 21
TheB ull-RoaanrdeC ri rcumcision--SymobfoS luibsimn
cision-IniitniT aiteirdorena lF uego-ScenaroifoI sn iti
atorDye ath-BeSiwnagl lobwyea d M onster
IIIF ROM TRIBAL RITTOES SECRETC ULTS 41
InitiaotfiG oinr ls-DegrienFe esm alIen itiations-An
ExtanAtu stralSieacnr Ceutl t-InitiSaytmobroyl iosfm s
Returtnot heW omb--SymboliosfmN ewB irthi nI ndian
Initiations-MMeualntiinpoglfse tShyem boliosfmt he
Embryo
IV INDIVIDUAILN ITIATIOANNSD SECRETS OCIETIES6 1
Descetnott heU nderworalndd H eroiIcn ittiioans-Initi
atorSyy mboloifst mh Sey mplegadnedsi-vIidIunailt inast:i o
NorthA merica-KwaklDi anuctinSgo ciieets-MenS'ecsr et
Societineist-iIaMtootriyCf osm mont oP uberRtiyt easn d
SecrSeotc ieties
V HEROICA ND SHAMANICI NITIATIO·N S 81
GoingB erse-rCkuchulaiInnni'tsi a-tiSoynmboliosfm
MagicaHle a--t-ShamanIinci tiations-IOnridteiaaoltfso ry
v
vi CONTENTS
SiberiSahna mans-PublRiict eosf S hamanIinci tiations
TechniqoufeE sc stasy-InitioaftA iuosntsr alMieadni cine
Men-AsiatIincfl uencienAs u stralia
VI PATTERNS OF INITIATIOINN HIGHERR ELIGIONS 103
IndiaT-raceosfP uberRittye si nA ncieGnrte ece-Eleusis
andt heH elleniMsytsitcee rsi-ChristiaanndiI tnyi tiation
-Survivaolf InitiatMoortyi fisn ChristiEaunr ope
Patteronfs I nitiaatnidoL ni teraTrhye mes-Concluding
Remarks-Epilogue
NOTES 137
INDEX 167
FOREWORD
Thibso okr eprestehnteHs a skeLlelc turwehsi cIh w asp riv
1956
ilegteodd elivaettr h eU niverosfiC thyi caignot hef allo f
undetrh et it"lPea tteornfsI nitiatIinop nr.e"p artihnetg e xt for
publicaIt ihoanv,ea ddeadn I ntroducatnidso onm en oteansd
bibliograprhiecfaelr enbcuetIs h ,a vaed herteodt hep resentation
demandbeydt heo rigionraaldl e livAesrI yc .o nceiivtte,h ebo ok
isa ddrestsoea dn yn onspeciraelaidsietnr t ereisntt ehdes piritual
histoorfhy u maniIttyi .sf otrh irse astohna Ith avlei mitmeyds elf
tod epicttihncego mplpehxe nomenoofin n itiaotnilioynn broadest
outliMnoer.ed etaislteudd ioefcs e rtaians pecatrsec ontaiinn ed
someo fm y earlpiuebrl icatIis ohnasrl.el1t utrno t hep robline m
a bookn owi np reparaDtieoant,h Iannidt iation.
Iw isohn caeg aitnoe xpremsys g ratithuedrteeo t heC hancellor
oft heU niversoifCt hyi cagtoot, h eC ommittfeoert heH askell
Lecturaensdt, o t heD eano ft heF ederaTtheedo logFiaccaullt oyf
theUn iverosfiC thyi cafgootr h eh onotrh atth ecyo nferroendm e
1956
byin vitimneg t og ivteh e HaskeLlelc turThees .B ollingen
Foundathiaosgn e nerouunsdleyr tatkode enf rtahyee x pensoefth e
English tramnasylt ahteTi rouns;t reeessat s suroefmd y gr atitude.
Ial sow istho t hanmky translMart.oW ri,l laRr.dT raskf,o thre
pains het ootko p roviadf ea ithrfeuplr oducotfmi yo tnh ouganhdt
�y texitn s peakabElneg lish.
MIRCEAE LIADE
DepartmeonftH istoorfyR eligions
UniverosfiCt hyi cago
April,1 958
vii
INTRODUCTION
Ith aso ftbeeen ns aitdh aotn eo ft hceh aracteorfit shtmeio cdse m
worlids t hed isappearoafann yc em eaningfruli toefsi nitiation.
Of primairmyp ortainnct er aditisooncali etini etsh,em odem
Westernw orlsdi gnificianintti atiisop nr acticnaolnleyx istent.
Tobe surteh,e s everCahrli sticaonm muniopnrse servienv, a rying
degreevse,s tiogfae m sy stetrhyai tsi nitiaitnso trruyc turBea.p tism
ise ssentani ailnliyt iartiotroeyr; d inattoit ohnep riesthcooodm
prisaensi nitiaBtuitio tnm .u stn otb ef orgotttheaCnth ristianity
triumpinh etdh ew orlandd becamae uni versalr eligioonnl bey
causietd etachietds eflrfo mt hec limaotfet heG reco-Oriental
mysteranide sp roclaiimtesdea l rfe ligioofns alvataicocne ssible
toal l.
Thent,o ow,e m ayw elals kw hethtehrme o demw orladsa whole
cans tijluls tifibea bclayl lCehdr istIfi aan ".m odemm an"d oes
indeeedxis ti,ti si ns of ara sh er efusteors e cognizeh imseinl f
termsf amiltioat rh eC hristviiaenwo fm an or, Eausr opean
scholaerxsp resist ,i n termso f Christian "anthropology."
Modemm an'osr iginahliisnt eywn,e sisn c ompariwsiotnth r adi
tionsaolc ietliieepssr, e ciisnehl iyds e termintaotr ieognah ridm self
asa purelhyi storbeiicnagli, n h isw isht ol ivien a basically
desacralizceods moTso.w haetx temnotd ermna nh ass ucceeind ed
realizinhgi si deailsa nothperro bleimn,t woh icwhe shalnlo t
entehre re.B utt hef acrte maitnhsa hits i deanlol onghears an y
thinignc ommowni tthh Cehr istimaens sagaen,dt haitti se qually
foreitgno t hei magoef h imseclofn ceibvyetd hem ano fthe
traditsioocniaelt ies.
Iti st hrouthgeh i nitiarittieto hna tth em ano ft het raditional
sociectioemse tso k nowa ndt oa ssumteh iism agOeb.v iouthserel y
aren umeroutsype s andc ountlveasrsi aonfit nsi tiactoirorne,s pond
intog differseoncti satlr uctanudr ceulstu ral horizBountts h.eim
portant facits t haaltl p remodesrno ciet(itehsai ts th,o seth at
lastine Wde steErnu ropet ot hee ndo ft hMei ddleA gesa,n din the
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