The Forge and the Crucible

239 Pages·2014·3.53 MB·English

by  Mircea Eliade

THE FORGE
AND
THE CRUCIBLE

THE FORGE
AND
THE CRUCIBLE
SecoEnddi tion
MIRCEA ELIADE
Translafrteodm tir Fer encbyh
STEPHECNO RRIN
THEU NIVERSOIFCT HYI CAPGROE SS
ChicaangdoL ondon
Thibso okw aso riginpaulbllyi sbhyeF dl ammaruinodne trh et itle
ForgereotAn lcsh imisCtoepsy.r i©g h1t95b6y E rneFslta mmarion
'Alcheimnty h eP erioofdt heR enaissaanndct eh eR eformation'
(Append0i)xo riginaaplpleya raespd a rotf a l ongaerrt iicnl e
Parabola.
TheU niversoifCt hyi caPgroe sCsh,i ca6g0o6 37
TheU niversoifCt hyi caPgroe sLst,d .L,o ndon
Englitsrha nslaCtoipoynr igh1t9©6 b2y R ide&r C ompany
© 197b8y M ircEelai adAel.lr i ghrtess erved
Publis1h9e6d2P .h oenEidxi ti1o9n7 8
Printientd h eU niteSdt atoefsA merica
82 81
ISBNo:- 226-20390-5
LCN:7 8-55040
Contents
Foreword
7
Prfaecteot hPeh oeEndiitxi on I5
I MeteoarniMdte etsa glyl ur 19
2 MytholotghIyer ooAnfg e 27
3 TheW orlSde xualized 34
4 TerMraat ePre.tG rean itrix 43
5 RitaensMd y steirnMi eetsa glyl ur 53
6 HumaSna critfiotc heFesu rnace 65
7 BabyloSnyimabno lainsdMm est aglilcuarl
Rituals 71
8 'MastoefFr isr e' 79
9 Divine aSnmCdii tvhislH iezrionegs 87
10S miths, WarroifIo nrist,i aMtai9s7ot ne rs
II ChinAelsceh emy 109
12I ndiAalnch emy 127
13A lcheamnyId n itiation 142
14A rcaAnrat is 135
15A lcheamnyTd e mpoyr alit 196
Postscript '79
Appendices 201
Index 235

Foreword
Thefi rsste ctoifto hnsi msa vloll upmree s(etnhtrso ugh the
eyesa h oifs toorfri ealni gaig ornosuo)pfm ythrsi,ta ensd
symbpoelcsu tloit ahcerr tao fft hmei ner,a nsmdme ittahl ­
workIetgr o.e wsi thsoauytit nhgaI at m v erym ucihn t he
debotft hhei stoorfsi caineasnn ctdee chongoytl;h efiinrd ings
havper ovievnda luaBbumltye p .u rpionts hepe r esweonrtk
habse etno tadlilffye rforemnt th eiMrysa .i mh abse etno
attetmop tga anui nnd erstoaftn hdbeie nhga voifpo ruirm itive
socieitnri eelsa ttoiM oant taenrdt of lolotwh e spiritual
adventiunwr heisc h theiyn vboelwcvhaeemtdneh efyuo nd
themselvoefts h eapiworaw reteroc hantghmee o doefb eing
ofs ubasntcIetwso .u lpde rhhaapvbsee emno rweo rth while
tos tutdhye demiurgiocf t hepexr peievmrapiloe tntceers,
sinicte hwewa hso w atsh fier tsotm odyit fhset aotfme a tter;
theesxep eriheanvhceoe,ws e vleetrlf ,i totrnl oet raicnte h e
mytholroegciocIarh lda .vt eh,e repfeoorrrfecb,ee eonb liged
tot akaesm ys tarptoiintnghtr e e latioofpn rsihmiimpta inv e
tom inesruabls tawnictsehps e,ce imaplh aosnti hsre i tualist
behavoifot huserm iatnhdt hier on-worker.
Ther easdheoru ledx pnteoocfit tn h de race u lthuirsatlo ry
ofm etaglyla,un ralysdienvgi otuhseb yww haiyicssth p read
througthhwoeou rtal nddd e scrtihbmeiy ntgh s which accom­
paniiietndt hceo urosfe pi rtosp agSautciahho ins.yt ,eo vren
ifw eirtpe o sswiobullredu,i n n tsoo mteh ousoafnp dasg es.
Buitit es x tredmoeulubylwt hfetihcteo ru ilnfdca bte w� ri tten.
�
Thep rincsiopuarflcroe t shm ey thsr iatcneodsn c nte
7 �-
8 Foreword
metalasr Aefr ciaI,n donaensSdibi ae rainadt, h easreae r eas
whosceu lthuirsatlao nrdmy y tholaorgeeyi thlearr gely
unknoowron n ljyu bsetg intnobi encgo kmneo wFnu.r ther­
morteh,e arrece o nsidgearpaisbno l uekr n owleodftg hee
histooftr hyge e nesrparleo afmd e taglilctuaerlc hniques.
Wherepvoesrs itbhhleie s,t oriccoo-nctuoelftxt htue r al
varimoeutsa llcuormgpilceaxlbe eset nah kaiesnn at co count;
bumty m aicno ncernb ehetanops i etrhcreo tuotg hhme e ntal
worwlhdi lchib eesh itnhde Mmi.n esruabls tsahnacreiesnd
thsea creadtnteascsth oti hnEega rth-MVoetrheyea rro.ln y
wea rceo rnofntweidtt hh neo titohnao tr e'sg roiwnt' h e
belolfty h eea rattfhe trh mea nnere mborfy Moest.ag lyl ur
thus otnat khecesh aracotbesrt eoMtfir niaecnrsdm . e tal­
workienrt erivnte hnueen ofldionfg subterranean embry­
oolgyt:h eayc celtehrreah tyet htmh geor fo wtohr ,eto shfe y
coblolraaitnte h weo rokf Naatnuadrs es iittso gt i vbei rth
morrea piIdnla yw .o rdm,a nw,i thhiv sa ritoeucsh niques,
gradutaalklteyhs pe l aocfeT imeh:il sa boruerpsl tahcee
worokfT ime.
Toc ollaboirnatt hewe o rokf N atutroeh ,e lhpe tro
prodautac nee ver-intcermepatosoc,i h nagnt ghmeeo dalities
ofm atter-ihnoe urvrei ,e lwi,oe nsoe f t hkee syo urces of
alcheimdiecoalWloe gd yon. o ot,fc ourcsleat,ih mta hte irse
anu nbrockoennt ibneutiwnte tyeh mee ntwaolr lodft he
alcheamnidts htao tft hmei nemre,t al-waonrdsk meirt h
(althionudgehte,hd ie,n itiraittaienosdmn y steorfti hees
Chinsemsietf hrosma ni tnegpraarolt ft he traditions later
inherbiytC ehdi nese aTnadao licshme Bmuywt)h .a t the
smelstmeirat,nh d a lchehmaivsietn c ommoinst hat all
thrleaecy l atioamp atti cmualgairc o-reexlpiegriiioneu nsc e
therierl awtiiotmnhas t ttehrei;xs p eriitseh necmieor n opoly
anidts se cirtser ta nsmtihtrtoteuhdgie hn ittoirrayi toefts h eir
trasd.Ael tlh rweoer okn a M attwehri tchhe hyo ltdob ea t
Foreword 9
oncael iavneds acraendid, nt heliarb otuhrepsyu rstuhee
traonrsamftioofmn a ttietprse,e r cftainoidnt tsr ansmutation.
Thesseu mmafrorym ulatwiiollnlas tb eemr o rfeul layn d
accurately Buetxt,poro eupnewdahetadh t.a a sl rebaedeyn
stattehdri,is t uaatltiistttou wdaemr adtst ienrv olivnoe nse,
formo ra notmhaenri',ns t ervientn htteie omnp orrhaylt hm
pecutloi' alri vsiunbgs't aAnncdie tis sh. erteh awtefi nd
thpeo ionftc ontbaecttw etehanel cheamnidts htae r tisan
metal-woofpr rkiemri tive societies.
Thei deooglya ndt echnoiqfau lecsh cemoyn sttihteu te
maitnh eomfet hsee copnador tft hwiosr Wke.h avdew ealtt
somlee nogtnCh h inaensIden dailacn hneomotyn lbye cause
theayr lee wsesl kln owbnu atl sboe catuhseepy r esent in
clefaorrm b otthh eex periamnedmn ytsatlci hcaarla ocft er
ittse chnIimtqu usbete.e mphasaittz hoeeud t seatl cthheamty
wasn oti,ni tosr igainne sm,p irsicciaelan ru cdei,m entary
chemi.sT thriiystd indo bte cotmiell alt wehre nfor,t he
majoroifit typs r actitiitmosen netrwasol,r lhda dl ositt s
vadliitayni dt rsa isdo'ne. Tt hrehe istoofsr cyi ernecceo gnizes
noa bsoblruetbaeek t waelecnh aenmcdyh emyi;ts htoern e,
litkheoe t hweorr,ok nst hsea me msiunbesrtaaulns ceess ,t he
samaep paraantdgu,es n erallkyi nagsp,pp eliaitestseo tl hfe
sameex periImne nfstraaos s . aocnken eodwgltehsve a lidity
oft hievn estigiantttihoooe rn isgo ifsn csi eanntcdee c hgnyo,l o
thpee rspeocftt hihevi es toorfci haenm iisstp reeyrc ftly
deefnsicbhleem:i wsatsrb yo rfnor ma lcheomrym,,o re
preciiswtea lbsyo ,rf nor mt hdei sinteogftr haietd ieoonl ogy
ofa lcheBmuyti. fw ev ieiwtf or mt hset andpoofti hnet
histooftr hyhe u masnp iwresi ette h mea ttqeurid tieeffr ently.
Alchepmoys aesda s acrsecdi ewnhceer,ce haesm icsatrnrey
initoto sw nw hesnu bsthaansdch eetsdh esiarc artetdr ibutes.
Nowt hemrueso tfn, e cesbseaib tryeo,afc k o ntibneutiwteye n
thsaec raendtd h per aonfpel aonfee x perience.