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Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy: 114 Paperback – 23 November 2020
by Mircea Eliade (Author), Wendy Doniger (Contributor)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (227)
Part of: Princeton Classics (49 books)
Shamanism is an essential work on the study of this mysterious and fascinating phenomenon. The founder of the modern study of the history of religion, Mircea Eliade, surveys the tradition through two and a half millennia of human history, moving from the shamanic traditions of Siberia and Central Asia-where shamanism was first observed-to North and South America, Indonesia, Tibet, China, and beyond. In this authoritative survey, Eliade illuminates the magico-religious life of societies that give primacy of place to the figure of the shaman-at once magician and medicine man, healer and miracle-doer, priest, mystic, and poet. Synthesising the approaches of psychology, sociology, and ethnology, Shamanism remains the reference book of choice for those interested in this practice.
'Eliade writes of the shamans with [a] masterly combination of sympathy and detachment.' - New York Times Book Review
'Eliade is the most informative guide to the modern mythologies.' - Frank Kermode, New Statesman
'A close and detailed yet comparative study of shamanism...[It] has become the standard work on the subject.' - Times Literary Supplement
'Clearly the best work on Shamanism published so far.' - Review of Religion=
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Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy: 114
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Mircea Eliade
Mircea EliadeMircea Eliade
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Wendy Doniger
Wendy DonigerWendy Doniger
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Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy: 114 Paperback – 23 November 2020
by Mircea Eliade (Author), Wendy Doniger (Contributor)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (227)
Part of: Princeton Classics (49 books)
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Shamanism is an essential work on the study of this mysterious and fascinating phenomenon. The founder of the modern study of the history of religion, Mircea Eliade, surveys the tradition through two and a half millennia of human history, moving from the shamanic traditions of Siberia and Central Asia-where shamanism was first observed-to North and South America, Indonesia, Tibet, China, and beyond. In this authoritative survey, Eliade illuminates the magico-religious life of societies that give primacy of place to the figure of the shaman-at once magician and medicine man, healer and miracle-doer, priest, mystic, and poet. Synthesising the approaches of psychology, sociology, and ethnology, Shamanism remains the reference book of choice for those interested in this practice.
'Eliade writes of the shamans with [a] masterly combination of sympathy and detachment.' - New York Times Book Review
'Eliade is the most informative guide to the modern mythologies.' - Frank Kermode, New Statesman
'A close and detailed yet comparative study of shamanism...[It] has become the standard work on the subject.' - Times Literary Supplement
'Clearly the best work on Shamanism published so far.' - Review of Religion
=
From other countries
João Carlos Felix de Lima
5.0 out of 5 stars fundamental
Reviewed in Brazil on 22 July 2022
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Como tudo o que escreveu Mircea Eliade, este volume é fundamental para quem estuda grupos religiosos do mundo todo. Erudito, acessível, bem informado, bem escrito. Compre agora antes que suma do mercado!
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Born free
5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2010
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I don't normally write reviews for books but felt the one review giving one star for this book to be so unjust that it deserved a more balanced addition.
This book is a scholarly meticulously researched study of the various practises of shamanism throughout the world. It does not provide you with a description of the techniques of how to be a shaman, nor how to have an ecstatic journey, nor how to have an out of body experience, which is presumably what the one star reviewer was looking for. Instead it provides a detailed description of shamanism as it was and is practised.
There are over 50 pages of reference works on which Eliade drew in order to provide this summary, which groups his findings by region as well as by certain common practises - parallel myths symbols and rites.
There are descriptions of the 'rebirth' experiences of shamans [the genuine near death experiences, not the common interpreation now used of born again]; the practises of healing, the travels of the shaman in out of body experiences, their roles as psychopomp and their practise of healing via 'soul retrieval'. He also describes 'soul loss' and what it means to each group.
The amount of carefully researched detail that is provided is astonishing, it is almost a life's work but carefully organised into this relatively compact volume. It draws on the work of anthropologists and the better and more serious researchers of religions, as such it is also reliable in its findings.
Personally I found this book to be a treasure house of information - but then I bought the book knowing what it contained and what I was going to use it for.
To summarise - an invaluable scholarly work on shamanic practises throughout the world over the ages .
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S. Pactor
5.0 out of 5 stars Solid Work on Religious Basis of Shamanism
Reviewed in the United States on 26 September 2009
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I'm not sure why indie musicians are, by and large, such uninteresting people. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they all think that they are interesting people and therefore spend no time learning about new things or thinking about new ways to make themselves interesting to others. It's not like everyone has to be interesting: I don't expect a gas station attendant to engage me in sparkling conversation, but it seems that if one is going to create art/culture that this person would go out of their way to learn about new things, try new experiences, etc. Such is clearly NOT the case, here in San Diego, or anywhere else, for that matter. The indie music world often seems about as interesting to me as junior high. I don't have any truck with the social world of junior high, with it's cliques and posturing, but, simply put, it's a boring world. It's the same thing with the indie music world: Like junior high, but with bands.
I was super excited to read Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy after seeing the citation in the Shape of Ancient Thought. I was even more excited when I realized that Wendy Doniger, my favorite scholar/professor, was mentored by this guy (Mircea Eliade is a Romanian, and a man, not a chick.) Shamanism was originally published in English (from the French) in 1951, but the book I have is a 2004 re-print with a new foreword by Doniger. Eliade's scholarship is a leetle out of date 50 years on, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this book was the first comprehensive approach to Shamanism that treated it as something other then a "degraded" "uncivilized" object of scorn. In fact, Shamanism appears to be the basis of all religious thought everywhere, showing up not only in the civilized religions of the Near East, West and East, but also in the indigenious peoples of Australia, New Guinea, Polynesia and North and South American. Shamanism is the closest things humans have to a "universal" religion prior to the emergence of the great world religions of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism (sorry Hindus!!!!)
So what is Shamanism? Eliade defines Shamanism as religious practice governed by the reaching of non-conscious ecstatic states by the Shaman. During this state, the Shaman travels to the sky or the underworld and rescues the souls of the sick/ill etc. That is Shamanism in a nut shell, but it's the description of the ritual ascents and descents that I found most interesting. I don't want to spoil the joys of the world tree, the soul egg and the bridge for those who might actually read this book, but suffice it to say that Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy, contains enough food for thought to keep the reader thinking for months. Also, all the quoted sources are in Russian or German, so you don't have to worry about follow up reading.
22 people found this helpful
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Jason Newcomb
5.0 out of 5 stars Very important work on Shamanism
Reviewed in Canada on 27 January 2020
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An excellent research reference. Very good elucidation of archaic cosmology and shamanic method. Especially strong when read in tandem with History of Religious Ideas 1-3.
Note however that this is a heavily footnoted work and is not necessarily a good book if you are looking for an introduction to the topic.
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Maria
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
Reviewed in Spain on 27 December 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Amazing book with a very descritive shaman pratices of other cultures.
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BadgerJelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Piece of Work
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 December 2012
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This is probably the most comprehensive amalgamation of shamanism there is. This is a vast and broad subject that has been tackled very well and is a great piece of scholarship.
Anyone who has even a passing interest in what shamanism is all about should really read this piece of work. Needless to say there are many books out there that possess the the concept of shamanism in the title but they generally tend to err towards a ideological meaning and skirt around the real content of what shamanism is essentially about.
A great piece of work for people interested in society, psychology, religions origins and anthropology. The only area it seems to be lacking in is a neurological view of shamanism (which is understandable given the date of the book).
9 people found this helpful
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William Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Extensive overview of shamanism
Reviewed in the United States on 6 November 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
The book helped me gain insight into the mind of shamanic practice and how it fits in with other mystical religious traditions. I would have liked more information on South American shamanism, but they at least have a useful reference. Exposure to new vocabulary and concepts gives me the ability to think in new ways.
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Charles Courville
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 2 November 2016
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SUPERIOR INFO... Only those into the Philosophers Stone Need Read This Book.
Thunder Raven The Sun Mystic
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Thomas Nathan
4.0 out of 5 stars Not the Most Accurate Research; Theories Largely Abandoned
Reviewed in the United States on 29 May 2012
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As I read other reviews, I am alarmed by the large number praising Mircea Eliade's work as thorough, detached, and scientific. The past forty years in the field of Comparative Religion (or,as Eliade founded it, "The History of Religion[s]") has done everything to disprove Eliade's work and the work of other modernists (though, I did my thesis in defense of Eliade's paradigm for the religious).
However, as a student of religion, the study of religion has lost its humor - many are too afraid to admit that patterns exist. Mircea Eliade and all of his work is a product of its time. While 'incorrect' and relying on bad data (due primarily to his armchair anthropology and bad translations), Eliade sought to prove the existence of a universal religious at a time when humanity had all but lost its faith in goodness.
This is certainly not one of my favorite pieces by Eliade as it is one of the least poetic (and, after all, Eliade's enterprise was admittedly poetic). If you are looking for a good introduction to Eliade's overarching theory, I encourage readers to consult his "The Sacred and the Profane" (a shorter version of "Patterns in Comparative Religion"). Eliade boldly asserted that all humanity is religious. Unfortunately, his route for achieving that conclusion was flawed.
26 people found this helpful
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Joanna Mckay
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on 30 December 2017
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thank you
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5.0 out of 5 stars Thorough, well-written text on Shamanism. Still the classic.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2012
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This is a substantial work on Shamanism, most particularly in Central Asia and including specific nuances in tribes and variations of, also extending to other regions.
Eliade's text remains the classic. Although written some years ago now, it is very thorough and well-referenced, gathering together much ethnographic material.
My only issue with it is Eliade's bias / judgment of the use of entheogens which Eliade regards as a less "pure" form of Shamanism amongst ancient tribes, than the use of pure sensory deprivation, sweat houses and drumming and dancing as a means of achieving the ecstatic state. To this end, Vitebsky's text is a useful balance.
Highly recommended for any scholar researching shamanism.
11 people found this helpful
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John Mier
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on Shamanism
Reviewed in the United States on 25 September 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Mircea Eliade is recognized world-wide as a gifted historian of religion. His book on Shamanism is very thorough introduction to the topic. Keep in mind that when I saw "introduction", this 648 page book is not your basic beach read; it is a scholarly introduction to a vast topic. Eliade, however, writes very well and makes this interesting topic compelling reading.
4 people found this helpful
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Elsa
5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Lore
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2013
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This is in fact a great book. It teachs us what is a shaman , what's his roll within his tribe. We learn here what were their 'practices' in Europe, Asia, America and Australia. Africa is not mentioned, because (in my opinion), there was a clash , a mixure of cultures, myths and 'sorceries', that made african shamans lose its true meaning. The writer is very precise and logic, I loved it.
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sally
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource book
Reviewed in the United States on 20 January 2019
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Ultimate encyclopedic reference book on shamanism around the world. As others have noted, it is not a primary source, but a secondary source that organizes and assesses all the primary source studies available, which allows the author to write about the cross-cultural similarities especially among cultures that have never encountered each other. Some knowledge of the time period during which the author was writing must be taken into account to explain any colonialist/etc. undertones, but the author clearly has a respect for the various magical and spiritual traditions and this shows.
14 people found this helpful
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Wolflander
5.0 out of 5 stars This book by Mircea Eliade is an essential book for ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 February 2016
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This book by Mircea Eliade is an essential book for anyone studying or practicing core shamanism. Well researched and an intriguing story.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United States on 5 July 2024
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Anyone interested in shamanism, needs to read this book.
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Michael Warren
5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest book on shamanism yet written
Reviewed in the United States on 22 November 2014
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Greatest book on shamanism yet written.
If you want to learn about shamanism, across a wide array of practices, learn about rituals, find deeper patterns and meaning in the practice, this is the book for you. Essentially, if you have any kind of interest in shamanism that isn't satisfied by Google, then this is the book you're looking for. It goes beyond the lay understanding, by far. You may be a believer by the end.
31 people found this helpful
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George
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book cover a wide variety of topics and information
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 March 2016
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Excellent book cover a wide variety of topics and information, I highly recommend this and it came earlier than expected/
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nicole D.R.
5.0 out of 5 stars amazing book
Reviewed in the United States on 25 January 2014
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I ve graduated in religion, so this is almost a must. but I highly suggest it to anyone. it is extremely interesting and makes you think. and open your mind. pretty amazing, eh? (especially if u are a skeptic. not super easy reading though)
5 people found this helpful
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Mountain Mystic
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United States on 29 July 2008
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I am reading this book as a prerequisite for a two-week shamanic healing intensive course beginning Sept 6. It's a bit thick and extraordinarily well-footnoted, and Eliade says of himself in the preface that he is a religious historian, not an anthropologist. Nevertheless, this book is an excellent resource. I removed one star simply because the index clings to archaic terms even though this particular edition isn't that old. "Invert"? as opposed to "homosexual"? You have to ferret out things a bit here, but it's still worth it. Not that it's the be-all, end-all; as I mentioned above, he's a religious historian, and all of this work is based on secondary sources. By all accounts, Eliade did no field work himself. Despite that and despite my minor grumbles about the index, he nails it.
17 people found this helpful
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Casey Machula
4.0 out of 5 stars academic, repetitive
Reviewed in the United States on 3 January 2007
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Eliade brings a scientist's detachment and skepticism to this broad work on ubiquitous Shamanic practices and techniques; but, he lacks the framework of James's radical empiricism, which might be a more useful approach. I would prefer that the subject be treated with the openness of Benny Shannon's "Antipodes of Mind." But, it is what it is, the product of the 1950s, and an outstanding specimen of that era. A profitable read, although unnecessarily repetitive, in my opinion. Eliade could have condensed this into 200 pages. I don't like diarrhea of the mouth.
8 people found this helpful
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Mitchell A. Sanders
2.0 out of 5 stars Academic historical literature not particularly insightful or interesting
Reviewed in the United States on 1 August 2020
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Probably not what you’re hoping this to be. Written in 1951 by the master scholar of religious historical ideas Eliane, this book focuses on mostly Eurasia and particularly Siberia where the term Shaman derives from. Contains nothing on Western Hemisphere native history nor barely mentions use of entheogen medicine like what Gordon Wasson discovers later in 1955 from the Mazatec curandera (medicine woman) Maria Sabina.
I’ve read and own several of Eliades books including History of Religious Ideas volumes as introduced to me by Dr. Jordan Peterson. They are very historically oriented and not easy to read.
My interest in Shamanic practices relates more to the purposes, processes, and results related to the ceremonies themselves more from a first hand instead of an academic perspective. This book did not match that interest.
21 people found this helpful
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Rob
3.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT buy the Kindle version.
Reviewed in the United States on 14 February 2021
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Do not get the Kindle version if you can afford the print copy. The navigation is non-existent (not even a hyperlinked TOC). Some lines don't render correctly, presumably due to poor/not formatting after digitization, and have carriage returns in weird places, paragraphs broken and sliced, and random bolding and italics. I can't even review the content as I haven't been able to read it.
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars The classic on shamanism. Not a good first introduction however.
Reviewed in the United States on 23 December 2016
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The classic cross-cultural comparative study and ethnography of world shamanism. Dry as a bone. Dense and scholarly. I do not recommended it as an introduction to shamanism. Eliade also has a some difficulty rising above the moral demands of his personal world view.This is a pity. Still it is a treasure trove of information to be found nowhere else.
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Bit Twiddler
4.0 out of 5 stars Great reference book
Reviewed in the United States on 2 February 2013
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One person said it was dry and he is probably close but it is the best reference I have found to date. I am a writer and was doing some research on the subject. It was easy to find the areas of interest and got the info I needed to add to my work.
2 people found this helpful
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sbjalr0812
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Study of Shamanism Ever
Reviewed in the United States on 29 May 2014
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If you are at all serious about the subject or practice you have to read this book, it's all in here, it's an account that is totally un-newageified if that makes any sense, you can make up your own mind some of it's touching some of it's light and soul saving and some of it's just the makings of down and dirty ritual at it's most transparent that you will find in any book.
15 people found this helpful
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R Mack
5.0 out of 5 stars Give it a try
Reviewed in the United States on 6 June 2017
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This was one of my first reads on Shamanism. Really enjoyed. If you haven't read Eliade before he can be a bit of an intimidating read. However, this book is enjoyable and worth the effort
6 people found this helpful
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S. L. Pieper
5.0 out of 5 stars Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
Reviewed in the United States on 4 November 2020
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I bought this book to enlarge my education in Shamanism
4 people found this helpful
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jeremiah
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 13 April 2017
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heavy hitter ultra academic
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happygirlk28
5.0 out of 5 stars Great place to find real facts on shamanism
Reviewed in the United States on 10 July 2015
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This is a great book. It really gets into history, lore, and ancient knowledge on shamanism. For anybody who is curious about real facts on shamanism, this is a wonderful place to start.
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