Book
The Illustrated Golden Bough
- mentions
- 4
- person
- 1
- podcasts
- 3
- episodes
- 4
- recommendations
- 2
Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
Why people recommend it
The Illustrated Golden Bough by James George Frazer is an expansive comparative study of mythology, folklore, and religion that examines the shared psychological and ritualistic foundations of human societies across history. The book has been widely celebrated as a seminal work in anthropology and cultural studies. On Stuff You Should Know, the hosts discussed the 1890 publication, highlighting the anthropologist James Frazer and his central, influential arguments regarding the origins of global religious practices. The significance of Frazer's research was also underscored on Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, where the hosts explored the commonalities of winter solstice traditions and noted that Frazer's extensive documentation on comparative religion still holds up remarkably well because his core conclusions were largely correct. In an earlier episode of the same podcast, the hosts grouped The Golden Bough alongside the works of Joseph Campbell, recommending both as essential, foundational reads for anyone interested in folklore and mythology. Furthermore, on How I Write, guest Dana Gioia connected mythological motifs like Odysseus and the muses to the conceptual framework of the golden bough. Across these podcast episodes, Frazer's masterwork is consistently praised as an enduring, essential guide to understanding the deep historical roots of human myth and ritual.
Every mention
Dana Gioia well what's the connection here with Odus and wisdom because when he goes past the muses he puts the wax in… 1
“well what's the connection here with Odus and wisdom because when he goes past the muses he puts the wax in his ears and that's one of the things that they entice him with In order for anus to do this he has to have the golden bow which becomes the the title of this this great mythological thing that's”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker3
“Um one was a guy named James Frasier. He was an anthropologist who wrote a book, very influential book in 1890 called The Golden Bow. B U I'm sorry. Yeah, U. W. Jesus, what's going on with me? B O U G H. I'm going with bow. It's pronounced bo.”
“George Frasier, 'The Golden Bough' is nuts; it was first published in 1890 and it’s talking about a lot of the same things and it still holds up because Frasier was largely correct!”
“And I love this because this feels like an allusion to the work of Joseph Campbell or Frasier's The Golden Bough, which are great reads if you're into folklore—seminal works.”
