Non-ethnocentric books?

What are some books out there on mythology that aren't ethnocentric? Honestly, I have been through so many Greek/Roman mythology books that stink of ethnocentrism. I have even read one that was like "This was a primitive era before real religion." I just want a book that lets the mythology speak for itself. Jay McPherson is pretty decent, but who else is good?

TheSeekingDisciple wrote:What are some books out there on mythology that aren't ethnocentric? Honestly, I have been through so many Greek/Roman mythology books that stink of ethnocentrism. I have even read one that was like "This was a primitive era before real religion." I just want a book that lets the mythology speak for itself. Jay McPherson is pretty decent, but who else is good?

I think you rather mean something like Christian-chauvinism than ethnocentrism, but yes, you will find this tone in perhaps the majority of works written about Classical religion, aside from some sympathetic scholars, and those works from Antiquity itself. 

The victors write history . . . 'vicisti, Galilaeë' 

That is true. It's kind of sad. It's also sad when the least chauvinistic book in the public library is by Robert Graves.

TheSeekingDisciple wrote:That is true. It's kind of sad. It's also sad when the least chauvinistic book in the public library is by Robert Graves.

And that's because he's just paraphrasing Classical writers; when it comes to the notes, he's just as biassed, but towards his own odd ideas rather than to Christianity.

There does seem to be more of a problem with Classicists. Hornung, writing on Egyptian religion, said that it was "not invented, but experienced"; the only Classicist who wrote like that was Otto, and his colleagues assumed that meant he'd converted. What we need is more Hellenes in academia!

What we need is more Hellenes in academia!

Speaking from the perspective of just such a person, I can second that.

I definitely agree. It`s just beyond me how some of these people are unable to see a clear metaphor. They would never do this with Hinduism or even First Nations Spirituality. You think it would be common sense that if Hindus takes their myths as allegory maybe the Greeks did too.