The study of Old Norse religion is a truly multidisciplinary and international field of research. The rituals; myths; and narratives of pre-Christian Scandinavia have been studied and interpreted in detail relying mainly on Christian Icelandic literature from the Middle Ages. Here; Anders Andrén offers a long-term perspective on Old Norse cosmology and argues that the fundamental ideas of an ordered universe; time; and space in Old Norse religion can be studied in a dialogue between archaeology and the Icelandic narrative tradition. Ideas about the world tree; middle earth; and the sun can be traced in images and material culture from Scandinavian prehistory. By combining the prehistoric representations with the later written record the author presents a fresh and nuanced study of the fascinating Old Norse world.
#11128717 in Books 2009-11-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.60 x .90 x 6.60l; 1.60 #File Name: 9004178929330 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Nusayri - Alawis of SyriaBy William Garrison Jr."The Nusayri-Alawis: An Introduction to the Religion; History and Identity of the Leading Minority in Syria"" by Yaron Friedman; early 2010; Brill Publ.; 328 pp.At the time of this review; there was no "Look Inside" feature; hence:Table of Contents:Preliminary Material [pp.: i–xxii]Introduction [pp.: 1–4 (4 pages)]Chapter 1: History Of The Nuá¹£ayrÄ«s [pp.: 5–66 (62)]- Ibn Nusayr -- The Gate of God- Al-Husayn ibn Hamdan al-Khasibi: the founder of the sect- Crystallization and the editing of books.- Maymun al-Tabarani and the book of the holidays- Rival sects: Ishaqia and Druzes-- The Banu Shuba of Harran- The end of the golden age- Shaykh al-Nashshabi's travels- Al-Makzun al-Sinjari and the Nusayri awakening- Oppression under the Mamluks-- Nusayri medieval history2: The Nuá¹£ayrÄ« Religion [pp.: 67–174 (108)]- Western research on the Nusayri religion- The nature of the divinity- The mystical meaning of the Ayat al-nur- The five aytam- The Nusayri cosmos- Transmigration and prohibited foods- Cyclic history- The gnostic mystical elevation: marifa and sirat- Demonology and the personification of Iblis- The 'Prince of the Bees' Ali and his army of martyrs- The docetic martyrdom: nida; tasrih and khutba- Allegorical interpretation of the sharia- Taqi;yya; jihad and other commandments- Nusayri division into amma and khassa- The Nusayri holidays and the creation of a new calendar3: Identity between Sunna and ShÄ«'a [pp.: 175–222 (48)]- Two Shi'i attitudes- The Sunni takfir against the Nusayris- The Nusayri identity through the Diwam of al-Khasibi- Initiation- The Nusayri brotherhood4: Conclusion [pp.: 223–238 (16)]- The question of external influences (Greek; Judaism; Christianity; Zoroastrian)- IdentityAppendices:- Primary Nuá¹£ayrÄ« Sources [pp.: 239–276 (38)]- Titles And Contents Of Unavailable Sources [pp.: 277–280 (4)]- Ciphers In The Writings of al-ṬabarÄnÄ« [pp.: 281–284 (4)]- The Table of Ranks Based on AbdallÄh ibn Mu'Äwiya's KitÄb al-marÄtib wa-'l-daraj [pp.: 285–286 (2)]- List of the ImÄms And Their bÄbs [pp.: 287–288 (2)]- DÄ«wÄn al-Khasị̄bī—Information And Summary [pp.: 289–294 (6)]- A Summary of the KitÄb al-majmÅ«': A DustÅ«r (Book for Initiates) from the Nineteenth Century [pp.: 295–298 (4)]- The FatwÄ of Ibn Taymiyya Against The Nuá¹£ayrÄ«s [pp.: 299–310 (12)]Select Bibliography [pp.: 311–316 (6)]Index [pp.: 317–328 (12)]The above "Contents" gives a fine overview of the extensive topics discussed in this book. From the Preface: "This monograph offers research on the Nusayri-Alawis.... The absence of such research since Dussaud's "Histoire et religion des Nosairis" (1900) demands a new comprehensive study."From the Introduction: "The study of the Nusayri-Alawi sect in Syria in Syria is an essential part of the research concerning sects in Islam in general; as well as of the understanding of the evolution of Shiism in particular. The sect was an isolated; poor and small society.... The fact that the Alawi minority -- 12 percent of the Syrian population -- became in the 1970s the dominant sect in this country; changed the importance of this field of research."This is an expansive study of the Nusaryi-Alawi. What I liked about this book was the EXTENSIVE use of Arabic words (and their translation into English) of Nusaryi-Alawi terminology in describing their theology. As an expression of my being highly impressed with this book; I just paid $210 for this book -- I value it that much!
