ABSTRACT
An understanding of Mircea Eliade's theory of symbolism is essential for understanding his theory of myth. Symbolism is of the greatest importance in analyzing Eliade's approach for at least three major reasons. First, for Eliade, religious language is necessarily symbolic. Since myth is religious myth, mythic language is necessarily symbolic. Therefore, in understanding myth, one must interpret the religious meaning of its symbolic expression. Second, as will be seen in chapter 7, myths are specific kinds of religious phenomena in which symbols are put together in narrative form to present a "true" story or history disclosing sacred realities. It is necessary to understand symbolism in order to grasp the irreducibly religious nature and the irreducibly mythic nature of phenomena at the heart of Eliade's history and phenomenology of religion. Third, the most important key to understanding Eliade's entire scholarly approach, the methodological foundation of his history and phenomenology of religion, is his hermeneutical framework consisting of religious symbolisms. He most often interprets the meaning of specific mythic and other religious expressions by situating or "reintegrating" them within their coherent structural systems of symbolic associations or relevant symbolisms.'
