Mircea Eliade

Mircea Eliade (1907–1986) was a scholar and writer whose comparative work examines myth, ritual, sacred space and recurring forms of religious experience. Patterns in Comparative Religion organises symbols and practices across traditions, making it the broadest entry to his method. Yoga: Immortality and Freedom studies discipline, body and liberation within the thought of India. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy follows ritual specialists and techniques across a wide geographical range, while Myth and Reality offers a more compact account of how sacred narratives structure time and action. The Encyclopedia of Religion extends that comparative ambition through many contributors and traditions. Patterns in Comparative Religion provides the conceptual map. Myth and Reality is the shorter route, whereas Yoga: Immortality and Freedom rewards readers seeking a sustained study of one tradition.