Shamanism: Traditional and Contemporary Approaches to the Mastery of Spirits and Healing

This book breaks new ground by examining pristine shamanism in Greenland, among people contacted late by Western missionaries and settlers. On the basis of material, most of which is only available in Danish and presented here in English for the first time, the author questions Mircea Eliade's well-known definition of the shaman as the master of ecstasy and suggests that his role has to be seen as that of a master of spirits. The ambivalent nature of the shaman and the spirit world in the tough Arctic environment is then contrasted with the more benign attitude towards shamanism in the New Age movement. After presenting descriptions of New Age organizations and accounts by participants, the author critically analyzes the role of neo-shamanic courses and concludes that it is doubtful to consider what is offered as shamanism.


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