Book Review Thread

[WebenBanu]

Please use this thread to post reviews of books you particularly loved, particularly hated, or at least have particularly read.^_^ Images of the book covers might be helpful for people to look for when browsing shelves, but the most important thing is to tell us what the book is about, whether you felt it was worth the read, and why.

The intention behind this thread was to create a place to evaluate non-fiction, instructional texts- but if you have a fictional book which you feel can be used in an instructive capacity, feel free to include it. Just be sure to mention that it's fiction, and tell us what is educational about it anyway.

If there is already a thread created for this purpose, then please let me know and I'll move my reviews to the appropriate thread- I didn't see one, though, and I think these sorts of things can be very interesting.  

[WebenBanu]

Table of Contents

Kemetic Reconstructionism
Ancient Egyptian Religion: An Interpretation
Egyptian Religion
The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice

Magical Theory
The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice  

[WebenBanu]

I've received many requests for a book which provides a good starting point for beginners, and with this book I think I have come very close to finding it. Ironically, out of the entire book, it was the chapter on the gods Themselves which I found to be a bit lacking- not necessarily bad or wrong, but just not nearly as helpful or insightful as the rest of the book. So for now, I'd almost recommend skipping the first chapter of this book, but buying it anyway for the other four- which document quite nicely the way in which ancient Egyptian religion was applied to other areas of life, including politics, ethics, attitudes toward death, and art. I feel that this kind of framework is very useful for Kemetics- it gives us a model for living the religion, and does it in a way which is academically supported (and as an added bonus to those who want it, it is not subject to any particular modern Temple's influence- though it can be used with any of them, from what I've seen). This is the most important thing for anyone attempting the reconstruction of an ancient religion to obtain- a basic scaffolding, that's all. Here is an outline of beliefs and how they connect to the different parts of daily life, to which any further scraps of information which may be obtained from other sources may be attached- slowly filling in the spaces between these most basic and important concepts in a meaningful way. And while it's true that the political section ("The Egyptian State, Chapter 2") is probably not quite as applicable as the others, it is still very important to understand the role of the king in ancient Egyptian religion- because for those of us who perform the Daily Rite, we are in effect stepping into his shoes temporarily and acting in his name. Be sure that you get the year 2000 reprint by Dover Publications- this is an edited and corrected version of the original 1948 printing (which is now quite out of date). The book is relatively short, inexpensive, and easy to find- my copy is a paperback, 156 pages of text, 15 pages of illustrations, a very brief time table, and a 10 page index.

As you may be able to tell, in reading through this book I was getting very excited. There is so much useful information, and presented in a fashion which is meant to make the practical application of the religion easy to understand- which is very rare in an academic text, since they generally do not have reconstructionist Pagans in mind while compiling their data and their arguments. This is a continual sense of frustration to many Kemetics, as you have to piece together an understanding of the basics in Kemetic religion before you can most effectively identify which factlets from an academic text will be useful and appropriate, but you also have to use those academic texts to build this basic understanding because most non-academic texts are unreliable- unless you're already an expert in the field.^_^' It can be done- it just requires a lot of reading, and there's definitely something to be said for that. However, the purpose of this book seems to be to combat the notion of ancient Egyptian religion as a jumble of data fragments, and to seek to understand it as a real and powerful force in the daily lives of real (and at one time, living) people. This naturally makes it very useful for those who wish to understand it as a real and powerful force in the daily lives of real (and relatively modern) people.^_^

Some of the subjects covered within the book which particularly caught my attention were the importance of tradition or "eternal values" in ancient Egyptian religion, the method by which multiple approaches could be taken to a problem and all be considered appropriate, the nature of personal and impersonal relationships with the deities, a brief but informative discussion of several different parts of the body (here, the bA, kA, xAt, and Ax are treated in turn- but we're missing the shadow and the name), the role of myths in folk tales and literature, and an insightful discussion of the nature of the ever popular "Field of Reeds" as an expression of the afterlife.

I gave this book a four scribe rating mainly due to the disappointment of the first chapter. I'm currently working on another book to replace it (Hornung's Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt, which has looked wonderful so far), but if you must read Chapter One of the Interpretation, I suggest skipping the first five pages and starting at the first paragraphical indentation on page six. Otherwise, this book would have received top rating for the ease of its application to a reconstructionist effort, its easy availability, and the valuable framework it will provide for futher studies. I recommend this book to folks who already have a basic understanding of the religion, and who want clarification on some of the more complex details.

Rating: Four scribes (Great beginning book- but there are better sources than the first chapter)


Frankfort, Henri. Ancient Egyptian Religion: An Interpretation. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 2000.  

[WebenBanu]

Siegfried Morenz's Egyptian Religion is a tough read. The first 37 pages are frustrating and for the most part meaningless as Morenz bends over backwards trying to convince us that a magical view of the world is naive and primitive, and nothing good can ever really come of it. He also frequently cites Biblical and rabbinical teachings and uses them to illustrate his points about Egyptian religion, rather than speaking about the subject material directly. If you can make it through that first part without throwing the book out the window, though, you're in for some excellent, in-depth information. The copy I have is a paperback version, containing 257 pages of text, a 12-page directory of ntjrw (each one having only a few sentences of description), a 6-page time line (following the development of AE religion from aprox. 5,000 BCE through 640 C.E.), 72 pages of notes, a 5-page bibliography, and a 22-page Index.

This is a book you really have to work for- it's written on a relatively high academic level, and Morenz is fond of resorting to Latin terms or quoting Greek in its original alphabet. There were times when I actually pulled out my Latin grammar and attempted a translation of his terms, and there were several times when I had to use my English dictionary as well, but for the most part you can figure out his intended meaning by paying close attention to context.

If you put the effort into it, however, you'll find that the returns are well worth it. Morenz treats his subjects very thoroughly, and he treats several subjects which will be of significant interest to the modern Kemetic- some of the sections which I found most interesting were the Daily Service for the images of ntjr (temple religion- pg. 87), the celebration of festivals (public religion- pg. 88 ), a discussion of the relationship between the ntjrw and Their cult images (pp. 150-158 ), a particularly insightful treatment of syncretic deities (pp. 139-142), an example of how personal piety interlaced with "official" religious approaches to the gods (in this case, Amn- pp. 104-106), and a relatively lengthy discussion of the nature of ma'at (pp. 113-126). Morenz ends his book with a section describing foreign influences on Egyptian religion, and Egyptian influences on foreign religion- most notably on Judaism, and through that religion, Christianity. It can be an interesting section if you're looking for a little common ground to share with those religions, which is a very practical attitude to take since we tend to be surrounded by them.^_~

As an aside, it would seem that at least one of the more fanatical Christian groups was even more annoyed with Morenz's comparisons between Egyptian theology and Judeo-Christian theology at the end of the book, as I was with the extensive quoting of non-Egyptian material at the beginning of the book. One of the websites I visited while looking for an image of this book's cover was particularly taken back by Morenz's comparison between the Christian Trinity and the Triad of Khpra, Ra, and Atm, and accused him of being a "flaming Modernist who doesn't even believe in the bible." ^_^' To me, there's something rather amusing about describing a man who has dedicated his life to studying ancient civilization as a "flaming Modernist."

I gave this book a four scribe rating mainly due to the difficulty of its reading level, and those short sections at the front and back of the book where he tends to wander off topic into comparative religion. Otherwise, this book would have received top rating for the excellent quality of Morenz's reasoning, attention to detail, and documentation. I recommend this book to folks who already have a basic understanding of the religion, and who want clarification on some of the more complex details.

Rating: Four scribes (A difficult read, and not really for the novice- but well worth the effort)


Morenz, Siegfried. Egyptian Religion. Trans. Ann E. Keep. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1973.  

[WebenBanu]

This is, without a doubt, one of the best books on ancient Egyptian magic that I have read thus far. The paperback version has 249 pages of text covering subjects as diverse as the traditional definition of magic and how/whether that applies to what the ancient Egyptians called "heka," who practiced magic, how they did it, how magical practices were viewed by AE society, and even what happened to the practice of heka throughout the various stages of Egypt's history. More interesting to the modern Kemetic, perhaps, are the two sections and eight chapters devoted entirely to the significance of various different ritual actions commonly found in the practice of heka.

There are a few nice pictures, but the main asset to this book is the extensive collection of footnotes- the footnotes are sometimes more interesting than the text itself, and they often take up 1/2 to 2/3 of the page. I've found both the notes and the main text have a relatively high incidence of rare mythological/magical information, and yet it maintains a strong enough academic standard for me to trust it as a source. There are also about 55 pages of cited works in the bibliography. The book restricts itself nicely to documented cases, and gives fascinating descriptions of actual sites where the relics of ancient rituals have been found. The author frequently quotes from ancient texts, and does a very good job- in my opinion- of allowing those texts to teach us about heka themselves, rather than trying to force them to confirm some hidden political or metaphysical agenda.

On the other hand, I wish the book had a more extensive index- there's a lot of information in there, and sometimes I want to look up a quote or a concept, and I can't remember where it was nor can I find it in the index. The author clearly tried to provide an index- since two versions are offered- but neither of them is more than 7 pages long. Compared to 249 pages of text, and 55 pages of works cited, that's not much.

I'd recommend this book strongly to anyone with an interest in heka, of course. It may also be of interest to folks with a strong, but more general, interest in AE religion- since religion and heka are so closely integrated in Kemetic religious traditions. Most of our sacred stories are magical in origin, and are therefore reflected in or reflected by AE spells. However, it is a long book, so those who want to find a quick summary would be better served elsewhere.

Rating: Five scribes (Hunt this book down, if you have to- it's worth the search)


Ritner, Robert. The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 1993.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

That would actually be the appropriate place to put it. I'll get you links for format and appropriate section to put in.


Kemetic Orthodox Page  

[WebenBanu]

Nihilistic Seraph

That would actually be the appropriate place to put it. I'll get you links for format and appropriate section to put in.


Kemetic Orthodox Page

I'm not Kemetic Orthodox, though. That is simply one sect out of a larger movement, but it is probably one of the more publicity oriented sects so a lot of people assume that this is what we all are, or that you must be KO in order to be a "real" Kemetic. Which is rather upsetting.-_- I mentioned this a while back, actually, and offered to write stuff for a general "Kemetic" section under the CL, but never got a response- so I assumed that CL articles were something which the crew wanted to do on their own.

I'll be happy to post these for a "Kemetic Reconstructionist" entry, though; I can even write up a short blurb on KO (and other sects) if desired- I've spent some time in several different corners of our community, so I know the basics and who to ask to get more information if necessary.  

[Nihilistic Seraph]

WebenBanu

Nihilistic Seraph

That would actually be the appropriate place to put it. I'll get you links for format and appropriate section to put in.


Kemetic Orthodox Page

I'm not Kemetic Orthodox, though. That is simply one sect out of a larger movement, but it is probably one of the more publicity oriented sects so a lot of people assume that this is what we all are, or that you must be KO in order to be a "real" Kemetic. Which is rather upsetting.-_- I mentioned this a while back, actually, and offered to write stuff for a general "Kemetic" section under the CL, but never got a response- so I assumed that CL articles were something which the crew wanted to do on their own.

I'll be happy to post these for a "Kemetic Reconstructionist" entry, though; I can even write up a short blurb on KO (and other sects) if desired- I've spent some time in several different corners of our community, so I know the basics and who to ask to get more information if necessary.

That would be delightful, thank you. I'll send a PM to Jameta, to ask her to add another topic, as I'm not sure how she has everything organized, and I don't want to mess anything up.

Side question-I just bought a book about Ancient Egypt, and they refer to the Gods and the Neter. is this simply a different spelling/pronounciation of Ntjr?  

[WebenBanu]

Nihilistic Seraph

That would be delightful, thank you. I'll send a PM to Jameta, to ask her to add another topic, as I'm not sure how she has everything organized, and I don't want to mess anything up.

Side question-I just bought a book about Ancient Egypt, and they refer to the Gods and the Neter. is this simply a different spelling/pronounciation of Ntjr?

Yes, there are several different ways to render the heiroglyphs for "god" in modern text- this is called "transliteration," and stands in as a pronunciation guide for the original word, as opposed to "translation" which tells us what the word means. Most official transliteration systems would write this word with an "n," a "t" with a straight line underneath it, and an "r." So basically, ntr. It's actually possible in computer type on forums such as this- but other transliteration symbols are not (some have curved lines underneath the letters, or dots), and so there are a couple different ways to render it in computer type.

One of the most popular in linguistic circles is called "Manual de Codage," and it's the one you see with letters capitalized in weird places. In MdC, this word would be written nTr. But this looks odd to most people, and so not many use it outside of language oriented mailing lists, etc. Another way to write it is to spell the sounds phonetically, and that's why some people write ntjr- because that middle "t" sound is kind of like a cross between a /t/ and a /ch/ sound, and "tj" is a short and simple means of describing that sound. Sometimes you also see it written as ntr, and the line which should go under the "t" is simply left off- which unfortunately makes it look a lot like an actual "t" sound, but appeals to some folks because it doesn't put a capital letter in the middle of a word and it doesn't substitute multiple letters for one sound. The "e"s which are interspaced throughout the word are a modern convention, since we don't know what vowels are supposed to go there, and it's a little hard to pronounce the word without any!^_^' Although, there is an entire branch of Egyptian linguistics which goes into reconstructing what those vowels most likely were, which is fascinating- I've only touched on it here and there, but would like to know more.^_^  

[Boadicia]

For simple spellcasting rather than religion, I would like to suggest The Goodly Spellbook by Lady Passion and *Diuvei. They lead a Gardnerian coven in my home state. The book is divided into three sections.

The first section deals with the history of witchcraft. This section should be read with a grain of salt because it refers to Wicca as being ancient (they claim their tradition reaches back to the 11th century). It also makes some comments on the Burning Times and persecutions of witches in various cultures. Though there may be truth in it, this section is dubious at best.

The second and third sections are the redeeming value. The second section focuses on skills. It covers everything from divination, dancing, gestures, magical words, sigils, music, and magical astrology. This focuses on custom making spells.

The third section has actual spells in it. Many of the spells have variations, and each one ends with the spells' origins and magical theory. It's a lot simpler than it sounds. Most of the spells are relatively simple to perform.  

[Hen-na-gaijin]

I was wondering if anyone could suggest any books about celtic religious beliefs. Thanks  

[serbus]

I just finished a fantastic book called "The Elements of the Runes" by Bernard King. Short and simple; it is jam packed with information about Germanic Runes, Norse Mythology, and Olde Celtic Practices. It also has information on how to make your own runes, casting divination, and rune healing. Definitely a must read if you are a fan of Odin.

-Teshia  

[93darkshadow93]

Hen-na-gaijin

I was wondering if anyone could suggest any books about celtic religious beliefs. Thanks

Wow! There are so many. I would highly recommend any of the books by John and/or Caitlin Matthews. They are fantastic authors and researchers. Some of Edain McCoy's books are good, especially if you are into more of the Irish Wita (Wicca). Take a look at amazon for the above authors and also do a search thru your local library network. You would be surprised at what you can find! Don't be afraid to ask the librarian to help you. That is what they are there for and they do not judge and do keep your requests confidential.

edit: I'll go thru my personal library in the next day or two and see if I can put up some real reviews of the authors' books mentioned above that I own.