Thicker Than Water: The Origins of Blood as Symbol and Ritual

by Meyer; Melissa L.

• ISBN13: 9780415935302
• ISBN10: 041593530X
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2005-06-08
• Publisher: Routledge

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 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 clitoridectomies given to young girls in parts of Africa. The book also explores how cultural practices influence gene selection and makes a connection with the natural sciences by exploring how color perception influences the human proclivity to create blood symbols and rituals.

Author Biography

Melissa L. Meyer is Professor of History and American Indian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction: The Human Inclination to Symbolize and Ritualize Blood	p. 1
Women's Blood and Men's Blood at the Dawn of Human Culture	p. 17
The Blood of Conception, Pregnancy, and Childbirth	p. 47
Initiation Rites: The Role of Blood in Attaining Adult or Group Status	p. 83
Menstruation: The Fundamental Foundation	p. 123
Sacrifice: "Birth Done Better"	p. 163
Conclusion: The Patterned Heterogeneity of Blood Symbols and Rituals	p. 205
Notes	p. 209
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