Greek Folk Religion

"Long recognized as one of the truly great interpreters of Greek religion, Prof. Nilsson has, in this volume, made a real & lasting contribution."--Morton Scott Enslin"In the extensive literature relating to ancient Greece, there is no work that serves the purposes of this volume. A Swedish proverb speaks of placing the church in the middle of the village, & that is precisely what Nilsson has here done. Homer & Hesiod formed the basis of the traditional education of the Greeks in general, & the great gods & goddesses as they appear in art show at all times the formative influence of the epic tradition. Nevertheless, the hard core of Greek religion is to be found in its observances--these took their shape among men whose focus was 1st the hearth & then the city-state, men moreover whose life & livelihood were tied to crops & herds & the annual cycle of nature."--Arthur Darby Nock Nilsson writes about the popular religious observances of the Greeks, as practiced both earlier in the 20th century & in classical times, the agricultural festivals & customs, the rituals of family & society. The folk religions of Greece that underlay & continually erupted into the more elevated Olympian mythology of Homer & Hesiod are explained in detail by a scholar with unparalleled understanding of the rites & customs of rural life. Martin P. Nilsson authored several books, including History of Greek Religion & The Dionysiac Mysteries of the Hellenistic & Roman Age.