Thicker than water : the origins of blood as symbol and ritual / Melissa L. Meyer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meyer, Melissa L. (Melissa Lee), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blood--Social aspects.

Blood.

Blood--Symbolic aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (272 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Routledge, 2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Blood is more than a fluid solution of cells, platelets and plasma. It is a symbol for the most basic of human concerns--life, death and family find expression in rituals surrounding everything from menstruation to human sacrifice. Comprehensive in its scope and provocative in its argument, this book examines beliefs and rituals concerning blood in a range of regional and religious contexts throughout human history. Meyer reveals the origins of a wide range of blood rituals, from the earliest surviving human symbolism of fertility and the hunt, to the Jewish bris, and the clitoridectom

Contents:

Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; Acknowledgments; Chapter 1 Introduction The Human Inclination to Symbolize and Ritualize Blood; Chapter 2 Women's Blood and Men's Blood at the Dawn of Human Culture; Chapter 3 The Blood of Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth; Chapter 4 Initiation Rites The Role of Blood in Attaining Adult or Group Status; Chapter 5 Menstruation The Fundamental Foundation; Chapter 6 Sacrifice ""Birth Done Better""; Chapter 7 Conclusion The Patterned Heterogeneity of Blood Symbols and Rituals; Notes; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-135-34207-5

1-135-34200-8

0-203-95260-X

9780203952603

OCLC:

874171576