The Myth of the Eternal Return: Cosmos and History

by Mircea Eliade, Willard R. Trask (Translator), Jonathan Z. Smith (Introduction)

Overview

A landmark work in the history of religions from a pioneer in the field

First published in English in 1954, this founding work in the historical study of religions secured the North American reputation of the Romanian émigré-scholar Mircea Eliade. Referring to an astonishing number of cultures and drawing on scholarship in no fewer than half a dozen European languages, The Myth of the Eternal Return illuminates the religious beliefs and rituals of a wide variety of ancient cultures and argues that understanding them still has the power to enrich our conception of what it means to be human.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691279305
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	03/10/2026
Series:	Bollingen Series
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mircea Eliade (1907–1986) was the Sewell L. Avery Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. His books include Images and Symbols, Shamanism, and Yoga (all Princeton). Jonathan Z. Smith (1938–2017) was the Robert O. Anderson Distinguished Service Professor of the Humanities at the University of Chicago.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Luminous, profound and extremely stimulating. . . . This is an essay which everyone interested in the history of religion and in the mentality of ancient man will have to read. It is difficult to speak too highly of it.”—Review of Religion

“Profound and pregnant research in the psychology of time and the intuitive forms of the mind as revealed by the early cultures’ attitude toward history.”—The Nation

Editorial Reviews

"A luminous, profound, and extremely stimulating work. . . . This is an essay which anyone interested in the history of religion and the mentality of ancient man will have to read."

Review of Religion

"Profound and pregnant research in the psychology of time and the intuitive forms of the mind as revealed by the early cultures' attitude toward history."

Nation

"Profound and pregnant research in the psychology of time and the intuitive forms of the mind as revealed by the early cultures' attitude toward history."

Nation Daryl

"Luminous, profound and extremely stimulating. . . . This is an essay which everyone interested in the history of religion and in the mentality of ancient man will have to read. It is difficult to speak too highly of it."—Review of Religion


"Profound and pregnant research in the psychology of time and the intuitive forms of the mind as revealed by the early cultures’ attitude toward history."—The Nation

From the Publisher