1st Edition
Thicker Than Water The Origins of Blood as Symbol and Ritual
By Melissa Meyer
Copyright 2005
272 Pages
by
Routledge
272 Pages
by
Routledge
272 Pages
by
Routledge
Also available as eBook on:
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... Read more
1. Introduction: The Human Inclination to Symbolize and Ritualize Blood2. Women's Blood vs. Men's Blood at the Dawn of Human Culture3. Puberty: Menstruation and Imitative Ritual 4. The Blood of Pregnancy and Childbirth5. Blood and Funerary Rites6. Blood Sacrifice and Human Sacrifice7. Blood Symbolism and Gene-Culture Co-evolution8. Conclusion
Biography
Melissa Meyer is Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on the different aspects of American Indian identity, including blood quantum requirements for tribal enrollment, intermarriage, and the historical experiences of people of mixed descent.
