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Animism

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	Topics Animism Topic Home Animism (from Latin anima) commonly refers to belief systems that attribute soulSoul The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self-aware ethereal substance particular to a u... s or spiritSpirit Overview The English word "spirit" comes from the Latin spiritus, meaning breath. ... s to animalAnimal Animals are a major group of organisms, classified as the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa.... s, plantPlant Plants are a major group of living things including familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, ferns, and mosses.... s and other entities, in addition to humanHuman Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species *Homo sapiens* under the fami... s. Animism may also attribute souls to natural phenomena, geographic features, everyday objects, and manufactured articles. Religions which emphasise animism in this sense include ShintoShinto is a native religion of Japan and was once its state religion.... , HinduismHinduism Hinduism is a set of religious traditions that originated mainly in the Indian subcontinent.... and "pagan" faiths such as folk religionFolk religion Folk religion consists of beliefs, superstitions and cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation.... s and NeopaganismNeopaganism Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced... . In a broader sense of the word, animism is simply the belief in souls, a belief present in nearly all religionReligion Religion is a system of social coherence based on a common group of beliefs or attitudes concerning an object, person, unsee... s. BritishUnited Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast... anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Tylor argued in Primitive Culture (1871) that this belief was the most primitive and essential part of religion. Though animism itself is not a religion in the usual Western sense, some scholars believe that it contains the foundations on which religions are built. Usage Sir E. B. Tylor, as a proposed theory of religionReligion Religion is a system of social coherence based on a common group of beliefs or attitudes concerning an object, person, unsee... , in his 1871 book, Primitive Culture. He used the term to mean "a belief in souls". According to Tylor, all religion rests on, or stems from, a belief in gods or supernatural beings, which in turn stems from a belief in souls. He did not restrict the term "animism" to religions that attribute souls to non-human entities. According to Tylor, "in primitive religion souls occupy all physical entities", but Tylor's "animism" is not limited to "primitive" religion. For Tylor, animism is simply "belief in souls", it doesn't matter whether these souls occupy all physical entities or only humans. Therefore, a religion that attributes souls only to humans is still a form of animism by Tylor's definition. For Tylor, all religions, both "modern" and "primitive", are forms of animism. However, "animism" is often used to refer to a specific group of religions — specifically, religions that attribute souls to non-human entities in addition to humans. Sir Edward Burnett Tylor Tylor argued that non-Western societies relied on animism to explain why things happen. He further argued that animism is the earliest form of religion, and reveals that humans developed religions in order to explain things. Since the publication of Primitive Culture, Tylor's theories have come under criticism from three quarters. First, some have questioned whether the beliefs of diverse peoples living in different parts of the world and not communicating with one another can be lumped together as one kind of religion. Second, some have questioned whether the basic function of religion really is to "explain" the universe. (Critics such as Marrett and Émile DurkheimÉmile Durkheim Summary mile Durkheim was a french sociologist, considered by many to be the father of modern sociology, contributing to its accept... argued that religious beliefs have emotional and social, rather than intellectual, functions.) Finally, many now see Tylor's theories as ethnocentric. Not only was he imposing a contemporary and Western view of religion (that it explains the inexplicable) on non-Western cultures; he was also telling the story of a progression from religion (which provides poor explanations) to scienceScience Science in the broadest sense refers to any system of knowledge attained by verifiable means.... (which provides good explanations) (see cultural evolution). Theories of Origin The justification for attributing life to inanimate objects was stated by Hume in his Natural History of ReligionThe Natural History of Religion The Natural History of Religion is an essay by David Hume, first published in 1757 as one of Four Dissertations on aesth... (Section III): "There is an universal tendency among mankind to conceive all beings like themselves, and to transfer to every object those qualities with which they are familiarly acquainted, and of which they are intimately conscious." PsychiatristPsychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry and is certified in treating mental disorders.sychiatry in the ... Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud Sigmund FreudThe name Freud is generally pronounced [] in English and [] in German.... thought that "primitive men" came up with the animistic system by observing the phenomena of sleep (including dreams) and of death which so much resembles it, and by attempting to explain those states. Freud regarded it as perfectly natural for man to react to the phenomena which aroused his speculations by forming the idea of the soul and then extending it to objects in the external world. Although the soul is often distinguished from the vital principle, there are many cases in which a state of unconsciousness is explained as due to the absence of the soul. In South AustraliaSouth Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country.... wilyamarraba (without soul) is the word used for insensible. So too the autohypnoticAutohypnosis Autohypnosis is a psychological condition often confused with Autosuggestion, a form of self-induced trance without the aid ... tranceAltered state of consciousness An altered state of consciousness is any state which is significantly different from a normative waking beta wave state.... of the magician or shaman is regarded as due to their soul's visit to distant regions or the netherworld, of which they bring back an account. Sickness is often explained as due to the absence of the soul and means are sometimes taken to lure back the wandering soul. In ChineseChina China is a cultural region and ancient civilization in East Asia.... tradition, when a person is at the point of death and their soul believed to have left their body, the patient's coat is held up on a long bamboo pole while a priest endeavours to bring the departed spirit back into the coat by means of incantationIncantation An incantation is the words spoken during a ritual, either a hymn or prayer invoking or praising a deity, or in magic, occul... s. If the bamboo begins to turn round in the hands of the relative who is deputed to hold it, it is regarded as a sign that the soul of the moribundDeath Death is the full cessation of vital functions in the biological life.... has returned (see automatismAutomatic behavior Automatic behavior, from the Greek automatismos or self action, is the spontaneous production of often purposeless verba... ). More important perhaps than all these phenomena, because more regular and normal, was the daily period of sleepSleep Sleep is the state of natural rest observed in all mammals, birds, and fish.... with its frequent fitful and incoherent ideas and images. The conclusion must have been irresistible that in sleep something journeyed forth, which was not the body (see astral travel). In a minor degree, revival of memoryMemory In psychology, memory is the ability of an organism to store, retain, and subsequently recall information.... during sleep and similar phenomena of the sub-conscious life may have contributed to the same result. Dreams are sometimes explained in animist cultures as journeys performed by the sleeper, sometimes as visits paid by other persons, by animals or objects to the sleeper. Seeing the phantasmPhantasm Summary Phantasm may mean:* Phantasm* Phantasm, a viol consort that won the 2004 Gramophone Award for Early Music... ic figures of friends at the moment when they were, whether at the point of death or in good health, many miles distant, may have led people to the dualistic theory. But hallucinatory figures, both in dreams and waking life, are not necessarily those of the living. From the reappearance of dead friends or enemies, primitive man was led to the belief that there existed an incorporeal part of man, which survived the dissolution of the body. The soul was conceived to be a facsimile of the body, sometimes no less material, sometimes more subtle but yet material, sometimes altogether impalpable and intangible. Phenomena believed to lead to animism Lists of phenomena from the contemplation of which "the savage" was led to believe in animism have been given by Sir E. B. Tylor, Herbert SpencerHerbert Spencer Herbert Spencer was an English Philosopher and prominent classical liberal political theorist.... , Andrew LangAndrew Lang Andrew Lang Born in Selkirk, Scotland was a prolific Scots man of letters.... and others; an animated controversy arose between the former as to the priority of their respective lists. Among these phenomena are: TranceAltered state of consciousness An altered state of consciousness is any state which is significantly different from a normative waking beta wave state.... UnconsciousnessUnconsciousness Summary Unconsciousness, more appropriately referred to as loss of consciousness or lack of consciousness, is a dramatic alteration ... SicknessSickness Sickness may refer to:IllnessDisease... DeathDeath Death is the full cessation of vital functions in the biological life.... ClairvoyanceClairvoyance Overview Clairvoyance noun from late 17th century French [clair & voyant ] - is defined as a form of extra-sensory perc... DreamDream A dream is the experience of envisioned images, voices, or other sensations during sleep.... s ApparitionApparition Generally, an apparition is the act or instance of appearing.... s of the deadDead Dead may refer to:Death, the full cessation of vital functions in the biological life.... Wraiths HallucinationHallucination An hallucination* is a sensory perception experienced in the absence of an external stimulus, as distinct from an illusion, w... s EchoesEcho (phenomenon) In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the dir... ShadowShadow A shadow is a region of darkness where light is blocked.... s ReflectionsReflection (physics) Reflection is the change in direction of a wave front at an between two dissimilar media so that the wave front returns int... Origin of Religion Two animistic theories of the origin of religionReligion Religion is a system of social coherence based on a common group of beliefs or attitudes concerning an object, person, unsee... have been put forward. One, often termed the "ghost theory," mainly associated with Herbert SpencerHerbert Spencer Herbert Spencer was an English Philosopher and prominent classical liberal political theorist.... but also maintained by Grant AllenGrant Allen Charles Grant Blairfindie Allen was a science writer, author and novelist; an able upholder of the evolution doctrine and an... , refers the beginning of religion to the cult of dead human beings. The other, put forward by Dr. E. B. Tylor, makes the foundation of all religion animistic. Sun gods and moon goddesses, gods of fire, wind and water, gods of the sea, and above all gods of the sky, show no signs of having been ghost gods at any period in their history. They may, it is true, be associated with ghost gods. In Australia it cannot even be asserted that the gods are spirits at all, much less that they are the spirits of dead men. They are simply magnified magicians, super-men who have never died. We have no ground, therefore, for regarding the cult of the dead as the origin of religion in this area. This conclusion is the more probable, as ancestor-worship and the cult of the dead generally cannot be said to exist in Australia. The more general view that polytheistic and other godsDeity A deity, god, or borus is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worsh... are the elemental and other spirits of the later stages of animistic creeds, is equally inapplicable to Australia, where the belief seems to be neither animistic nor even animatistic in character. But we are hardly justified in arguing from the case of Australia to a general conclusion as to the origin of religious ideas in all other parts of the world. It is perhaps safest to say that the science of religions has no data on which to go, in formulating conclusions as to the original form of the objects of religious emotion. It must be remembered that not only is it very difficult to get precise information of the subject of the religious ideas of people of some other cultures, perhaps for the simple reason that the ideas themselves are far from precise, but also that, as has been pointed out above, the conception of spiritual often approximates very closely to that of material. Where the soul is regarded as no more than a finer sort of matter, it will obviously be far from easy to decide whether the gods are spiritual or material. Even, therefore, if we can say that at the present day the gods are entirely spiritual, it is clearly possible to maintain that they have been spiritualized pari passu with the increasing importance of the animistic view of nature and of the greater prominence of eschatologicalEschatology 'Eschatology is a part of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world or ... beliefs. The animistic origin of religion is therefore not proven. According to religious scholar Karen ArmstrongKaren Armstrong Karen Armstrong is an author, feminist and writer on Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.... , the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), which some consider more advanced than animism, rest on an animistic basis. At the root of these religions, Armstrong claims, is the extremely ancient el or al, the mysterious force that caused a grain of wheat to grow or not to grow, or a raindrop to fall or not to fall, etc. According to Armstrong, the wording of Book of Genesis preserves an older, "animistic" religious view that viewed the creative force as multiple, spirits or beings: Genesis calls the Creator ElohimElohim Elohim is a Hebrew word which expresses concepts of divinity.... , the plural of el, which translates as "the creative forces." When literacy arrived through the Egyptians, Elohim had survived long oral tradition to become the CreatorCreator deity A creator deity is a Deity responsible for creating the universe or specific aspects of the world.... Himself Difference from Religion Animism is commonly described as a religion. Others do not see it as a religion at all. They argue that animism is in the first instance an explanation of phenomena rather than an attitude of mind toward the cause of them, a philosophyFacts About Philosophy Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphys... rather than a religion. The term may, however, be conveniently used to describe a form of religion in which people endeavour to set up relations between themselves and the unseen powers, conceived as spirits, but differing in many particulars from the gods of polytheismPolytheism Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or dieties.... . An example of this may be taken the European belief in the corn spirit, which is, however, the object of magical rather than religious rites. Sir James G. Frazer, in The Golden Bough, has thus defined the character of the animistic pantheon: "they are restricted in their operations to definite departments of nature; their names are general, not proper; their attributes are generic rather than individual; in other words, there is an indefinite number of spirits of each class, and the individuals of a class are much alike; they have no definitely marked individuality; no accepted traditions are current as to their origin, life and character." This form of religion is well illustrated by the Native American custom of offering sacrifice to certain rocks, or whirlpools, or to the indwelling spirits connected with them. The rite is only performed in the neighbourhood of the object and is not intended to secure any benefits beyond a safe passage past the object in question. The spirit to be propitiated has a purely local sphere of influence, and powers of a very limited nature. Animistic in many of their features too are the temporary gods of fetishismFetishism A fetish is a natural object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular a man-made object that has power over o... , naguals or familiars, geniiGenie Genie is the English term for the Arabic ?? .... and even the dead who receive a cult. With the belief in departmental gods comes the practice of polytheism. The belief in elemental spirits may still persist, but they fall into the background and receive no cult. Those who argue that animism is a religion see that worship is directed toward these spirits, that are commonly called "lesser gods." Their help and intervention is sought, sacrifices are made, and their instructions received through divination are obeyed. World View In many animistic world views found in hunter-gathererHunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer society is one whose primary subsistence method involves the direct procurement of edible plants and anima... cultures, the human being is often regarded as on a roughly equal footing with animals, plants, and natural forces. Therefore, it is morally imperative to treat these agents with respect. In this world view, humans are considered a part of nature, rather than superior to, or separate from it. In such societies, ritual is considered essential for survival, as it wins the favor of the spirits of one's source of food, shelter, and fertility and wards off malevolent spirits. In more elaborate animistic religions, such as ShintoShinto Overview is a native religion of Japan and was once its state religion.... , there is a greater sense of a special character to humans that sets them apart from the general run of animals and objects, while retaining the necessity of ritual to ensure good luck, favorable harvests, and so on. Animism and death Most animistic belief systems hold that the spirit survives physical death. In some systems, the spirit is believed to pass to an easier world of abundant game or ever-ripe crops, while in other systems, the spirit remains on earth as a ghost, often malignant. Still other systems combine these two beliefs, holding that the soul must journey to the spirit world without becoming lost and thus wandering as a ghost (e.g., the NavajoNavajo Nation The Navajo Nation is a sovereign Native American tribe traditionally known as Din.... religion). FuneralFuneral A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death.... , mourningMourning Mourning is in the simplest sense synonymous with grief over the death of someone.... rituals, and ancestor worship performed by those surviving the deceased are often considered necessary for the successful completion of this journey. From the belief in the survival of the dead arose the practice of offering food, lighting fires, etc., at the grave, at first, maybe, as an act of friendship or filial piety, later as an act of ancestor worshipAncestor worship Ancestor worship is a religious practice based on the belief that deceased family members have a continued existence, take a... . The simple offering of food or shedding of blood at the grave develops into an elaborate system of sacrificeSacrifice Sacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, or the lives of animals or people to the gods, as an act of pr... . Even where ancestor worship is not found, the desire to provide the dead with comforts in the future life may lead to the sacrifice of wives, slaves, animals, and so on, to the breaking or burning of objects at the grave or to the provision of the ferryman'sCharon (mythology) In Greek mythology, Charon was the ferryman of Hades.... toll: a coin put in the mouth of the corpse to pay the traveling expenses of the soul. But all is not finished with the passage of the soul to the land of the dead. The soul may return to avenge its death by helping to discover the murderer, or to wreak vengeance for itself. There is a widespread belief that those who die a violent death become malignant spirits and endanger the lives of those who come near the haunted spot. The woman who dies in childbirth becomes a pontianak, and threatens the life of human beings. People resort to magical or religious means of repelling their spiritual dangers. It is not surprising to find that many peoples respect and even worship animals (see totemTotem A totem is any natural or supernatural being or animal which watches over or assists a group of people, such as a family, cl... or animal worshipAnimal worship Animal worship is an ill-defined term, covering facts ranging from the worship of the real divine animal, commonly conceived... ), often regarding them as relatives. It is clear that widespread respect was paid to animals as the abode of dead ancestors, and much of the cultCult In religion and sociology, a cult is a cohesive group of people devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or so... s to dangerous animals is traceable to this principle; though we need not attribute an animistic origin to it. The practice of head shrinkingShrunken head An authentic shrunken head is a human head that has been prepared for display.... among Jivaroan and UrarinaUrarina The Urarina are an indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon who inhabit the Chambira, Urituyacu, and Corrientes Rivers.... peoples derives from an animistic belief that if the spirit of one's mortal enemies are not trapped within the head, they can escape slain bodies. After the spirit transmigrates to another body, they can take the form of a predatory animal and even exact revenge. Mythology A large part of mythology is based upon a belief in souls and spirits — that is, upon animism in its more general sense. Myths that portray plants, inanimate objects, and non-human animals as personal beings are examples of animism in its more restrictive sense. However, many mythologies focus largely on corporeal beings rather than "spiritual" ones; the latter may even be entirely absent. For instance, Australian mythology focuses largely on corporeal, non-spiritual beings. Stories of transformation, deluge and doom myths, and myths of the origin of death do not necessarily have any animistic basis. As mythology began to include more numerous and complex ideas about a future life and purely spiritual beings, the overlap between mythology and animism widened. However, a rich mythology does not necessarily depend on a belief in many spiritual beings. Philosophy The term "animism" has been applied to many different philosophical systems. It is used to describe AristotleAristotle Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.... 's view of the relation of soul and body held also by the Stoics and Scholastics. On the other hand monadologyMonadology The *Monadology* is one of Leibnizs works that best define his philosophy.... has also been termed animistic. The name is most commonly applied to vitalismVitalism Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is... , a view mainly associated with Georg Ernst StahlGeorg Ernst Stahl Georg Ernst Stahl, was a German chemist and physician.... and revived by F. Bouillier (1813-1899), which makes life, or life and mind, the directive principle in evolution and growth, holding that all cannot be traced back to chemical and mechanical processes, but that there is a directive force which guides energy without altering its amount. An entirely different class of ideas, also termed animistic, is the belief in the world soul (anima mundi), held by PlatoPlato Plato , whose real name is believed to have been Aristocles, was an immensely influential ancient Greek philosopher, ... , Schelling and others. Currently Today Animists live in significant numbers in countries such as ZambiaZambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in southern Africa.... , the Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo, also often referred to as DRC, RDC, DR Congo, Congo or Cong... , BangladeshBangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia.... , IndiaIndia India , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia.... , GabonGabon 'Gabon, officially the Gabonese Republic, is a country in west central Africa.... , the Republic of Guinea Bissau, IndonesiaIndonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a nation of islands consisting of 18,110 islands in the South Eas... , JapanJapan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from... , LaosLaos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked socialist republic communist state in southeast... , MyanmarMyanmar Myanmar, officially the Union of Myanmar is the largest country in geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia.... , Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea Papua New Guinea or PNG, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupyin... , PeruPeru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America, bordering Ecuador and Colombia to the no... , the PhilippinesPhilippines The Philippines , officially the Republic of the Philippines , is an island nation located in the Malay archipelago in... , CanadaCanada Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America.... , RussiaRussia Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia.... , SwedenSweden The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country in Scandinavia.... , ThailandThailand The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Ma... , Timor Leste, the United StatesUnited States The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... and MexicoMexico The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country located in North America, bordered at the north by t... . Modern NeopagansNeopaganism Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced... , especially Eco-Pagans, sometimes describe themselves as animists, meaning that they respect the diverse community of living beings and spirits with whom humans share the world/cosmos. Many PagansPaganism Paganism is a blanket term which has come to connote a broad set of western spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of... and Neopagans believe that there are spirits of nature and place, and that these spirits can sometimes be as powerful as minor deities. PolytheistPolytheism Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or dieties.... PagansPaganism Paganism is a blanket term which has come to connote a broad set of western spiritual or religious beliefs and practices of... may extend the idea of many gods and goddesses to encompass the many spirits of nature, such as those embodied in holy wellsClootie well Clootie wells are places of pilgrimage in Celtic areas; they are wells or springs where strips of cloth or rags have been le... , mountains and sacred springs. While some of these many spirits may be seen as fitting into rough categories and sharing similarities with one another, they are also respected as separate individuals. On the other hand, some WiccaWicca Wicca is a Neopagan religion and a religious movement found in many different countries.... ns may use the term animist to refer to the idea that a Mother GoddessMother goddess A mother goddess is a goddess, often portrayed as the Earth Mother, who serves as a general fertility deity, the bountiful e... and Horned GodHorned God The Horned God is a modern syncretic term used amongst Wiccan-influenced Neopagans, which unites numerous male nature gods o... consist of everything that exists. See also Anecdotal cognitivismFacts About Anecdotal cognitivism Anecdotal cognitivism is a psychological theory and animal cognition term which entails attribution of mental states to anim... animatismAnimatism Overview Animatism is a term coined by R. R.... folk religionFolk religion Folk religion consists of beliefs, superstitions and cultural practices transmitted from generation to generation.... hylozoismHylozoism Hylozoism is the philosophical doctrine that all or some material things possess life, or that all life is inseparable from ... MidewiwinMidewiwin The Midewiwin is from the term for the Grand Medicine Society of the aboriginal groups of the Great Lakes region in North Am... panpsychismPanpsychism Panpsychism, in philosophy, is either the view that all parts of matter involve mind, or the more holistic view that the who... pantheismPantheism Pantheism literally means "God is All" and "All is God".... ShamanismShamanism Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism that claim the ability to diagnose and ... ShintoShinto is a native religion of Japan and was once its state religion.... Sociology of religionSociology of religion The sociology of religion is primarily the study of the practices, social structures, historical backgrounds, development, u... Therianism Sources Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America. Penguin, 2006. "Animism". Encyclopedia Britannica. 11th ed. Vol. 2. 1911. Online Encyclopedia. JRank. 10 July 2008 . "Animism". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006. "Animism". The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2001-07. Bartleby.com. Bartleby.com Inc. 10 July 2008 . Armstrong, Karen. A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Ballantine Books, 1994. Cunningham, Scott. Living Wicca: A Further Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. Llewellyn, 2002. Fernandez-Armesto, Felipe. Ideas that Changed the World. Dorling Kindersley, 2003. Higginbotham, Joyce. Paganism: An Introduction to Earth- Centered Religions. LLlewellyn, 2002. Segal, Robert. Myth: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Wenner, Sara. "Basic Beliefs of Animism". Emuseum. 2001. Minnesota State University. 10 July 2008 . Suggested reading Bird-David, Nurit. 1991. "Animism Revisited: Personhood, environment, and relational epistemology", Current Anthropology 40, pp. 67-91. Reprinted in Graham Harvey (ed.) 2002. (London and New York: Continuum) pp.72-105. Hallowell, A. Irving. "Ojibwa ontology, behavior, and world view" in Stanley Diamond (ed.) 1960. Culture in History (New York: Columbia University Press). Reprinted in Graham Harvey (ed.) 2002. Readings in Indigenous Religions (London and New York: Continuum) pp.17-49. Harvey, Graham. 2005. Animism: Respecting the Living World (London: Hurst and co.; New York: Columbia University Press; Adelaide: Wakefield Press). Ingold, Tim. 2006. 'Rethinking the animate, re-animating thought', Ethnos, 71(1) : 9-20 Wundt, W. (1906). Mythus und Religion, Teil II (Völkerpsychologie, Band II). Leipzig. Quinn, Daniel. The Story of B External links