Debunking the so-called apotheosis myth, Nicholas Griffiths argues that Indigenous peoples in North America, Mexico, the Andes, and Hawaii during the early modern period (1492-1789) did not believe invading Europeans were gods. Instead, many perceived them as 'more-than-human' intruders of...

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Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Griffiths, Nicholas (Author)
Format:	Electronic eBook
Language:	English
Published:	Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY Cambridge University Press 2024
Series:	Cambridge Latin American studies 135
Subjects:	Indians / First contact with other peoples Europeans / First contact with other peoples Indian mythology Indians / Religion Apotheosis / America America / Discovery and exploration / European
Online Access:	DE-12 DE-473 Volltext
Summary:	Debunking the so-called apotheosis myth, Nicholas Griffiths argues that Indigenous peoples in North America, Mexico, the Andes, and Hawaii during the early modern period (1492-1789) did not believe invading Europeans were gods. Instead, many perceived them as 'more-than-human' intruders of considerable spiritual power. By exploring the Indigenous context and terminology, using published primary and secondary sources, the book investigates what natives meant when they used words that Europeans translated as 'gods.' In contrast to traditional accounts, Griffiths centers native points of view and the dynamic interactions between European and Indigenous perspectives. Ultimately, both groups were fundamentally comparable since both interpreted their mutual contact in terms of their pre-existing mythology. The traditional contrast between the scientific, rational, and modern Europeans on the one hand, and the myth-bound, irrational, pre-modern Indigenous peoples on the other, is entirely misleading. The first book-length synthesis of this myth, Griffiths reinterprets ideas that have long been debated in various regional literatures
Item Description:	Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 13 Dec 2024) The Tradition of the Apotheosis in Early Spanish America -- The Tradition of the Apotheosis in Mesoamerica -- The Tradition of the Apotheosis in the Andes -- The European Mythology of the Indies : From the Sixteenth to the Early Eighteenth Century -- The Tradition of the Apotheosis in North America -- The European Mythology of the Indies : The Enlightenment -- The Tradition of the Apotheosis in Hawai i
Physical Description:	1 Online-Ressource (xiv, 331 Seiten)
ISBN:	9781009549790
DOI:	10.1017/9781009549790