RLM4080

Sacred writings: the hymn, myth and ritual

(ART)

Not offered in 2000

Walter Veit

12 points + 3 hours per week + Second semester + Clayton

Synopsis: This subject explores the origins and traditions of sacred song as part of myth and religious ritual in European culture from antiquity to the present, including the development of the hymn as poetry, and its phenomenology in magical invocation, prayer song, sacerdotal adjuration, prophetic and mystic incantation, and philosophical hymn. Other topics include the integration of intercultural influences, the hymn0s relation to myth, and its function in ritual practices and the establishment of a religious community in the past and today.

Assessment: 2 papers (2000 words each): 20% each + Research essay (5000 words): 60%