The Myths of the New World / A Treatise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Red Race of America

The author surveys indigenous American religious thought, arguing that language, environment, and migratory history shaped distinctive mythic forms. He examines conceptions of deity and soul as expressed through linguistic roots and ritual practice. The number four and the cardinal points recur as organizing symbols, while bird and serpent imagery embody winds, waters, and lightning. Water, fire, and thunder-storm myths are linked to purification, life, and agricultural cycles. Creation and flood narratives, epochs of nature, and notions of an eventual end are analyzed comparatively. Accounts of human origins portray people as earth-born; beliefs about the afterlife, native priesthoods, and the social impact of these faiths conclude the study.