Tree of Souls

Among the mythologies of the world, that of the Jewish people is alone in remaining essentially unrecognized. Indeed, it has been argued that the monotheistic structure of Judaism effectively precludes the development of mythology, as it consists of only one God instead of a constellation of gods. In fact, however, as Howard Schwartz here demonstrates, there is a flourishing mythology in Judaism, which first emerges in the Bible and continues to evolve in all subsequent phases of Jewish literature and lore. These myths map the landscapes of heaven and hell, and are peopled not only by humans and God, but God's Bride - the Shekinah, many angels, demons (and demonesses like the evil temptress Lilith), and other mythical figures, including the messiah. In this book Schwartz identifies and collects nearly 700 of these primary Jewish myths. They are drawn from a range of sources including the Bible, the Jewish apocryphal and pseudepigraphical works, the rabbinic texts of the Talmud and Midrash, the kabbalistic literature, medieval folklore, the hasidic texts, and the Israel Folktale Archives - a vast repertory of orally collected tales. From these fragmented and scattered sources there clearly emerges the vivid portrait of a mythic world of remarkable coherence, as rich and detailed as that of Mount Olympus.