Bernard Sergent
Encyclopedia
Bernard Sergent is a French
ancient historian
and comparative mythologist. He is researcher of the CNRS
and president of the Société de mythologie française.
entitled Homosexuality in Greek Myth, translated into English two years later by Beacon Press
. In 1986, he followed up with a study covering early homosexuality
in Europe
, under the title of L'homosexualité initiatique dans l'Europe ancienne (Payot 1986), which has yet to be translated into English. The two studies have been published together, with a postface, as Homosexualité et initiation chez les peuples indo-européens.
In Genèse de L'Inde, he attacks the recent anti-invasionist
reconstructions of early India
n history. Instead he defends the traditional hypothesis that the Indo-Aryans
invaded India in the 2nd millennium BC. According to Sergent, the Dravidian
populations are not autochthonous either, but of Africa
n origin.
The book Les Indo-Européens - Histoire, langues, mythes is a general introduction to the Indo-European language family. Sergent associates the Indo-European language family
with certain archaeological cultures in Southern Russia
, and he reconstructs an Indo-European religion (relying on the method of Georges Dumézil
).
In the monograph, Les trois fonctions indo-européennes en Grèce ancienne, vol. 1: De Mycènes aux Tragique, Sergent examines the employment of the Dumézilian tripartite system
in Greek epic
, lyric
and dramatic
poetry. In a second volume, which has not been published yet, he will continue this examination with Greek philosophy
and religion
.
His recent work, Celtes et Grecs, is dedicated to comparative Greek
and Celtic mythology
. In volume 1, Le livre de héros (Payot 1999 ISBN 2-228-89257-2), the Irish hero Cuchulainn
is compared with the Greek heroes Achilleus, Bellerophon
and Melanthius
and the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge
with the Greek Iliad
, which, according to Sergent, presuppose an Indo-European "pre-Iliad". In volume 2, Le livre des dieux, Sergent argues that the Celtic and Greek pantheons
derive from a common Indo-European inheritance.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
ancient historian
Ancient history
Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC...
and comparative mythologist. He is researcher of the CNRS
Centre national de la recherche scientifique
The National Center of Scientific Research is the largest governmental research organization in France and the largest fundamental science agency in Europe....
and president of the Société de mythologie française.
Publications
He has written a seminal work on Greek mythologyGreek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
entitled Homosexuality in Greek Myth, translated into English two years later by Beacon Press
Beacon Press
Beacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
. In 1986, he followed up with a study covering early homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, under the title of L'homosexualité initiatique dans l'Europe ancienne (Payot 1986), which has yet to be translated into English. The two studies have been published together, with a postface, as Homosexualité et initiation chez les peuples indo-européens.
In Genèse de L'Inde, he attacks the recent anti-invasionist
Aryan invasion theory
The term Aryan invasion theory may refer to*migrational scenarios of prehistorical Indo-Aryan migrations*in 19th and early 20th century racialism:** Historical definitions of races in India** Aryan race*in late 20th century:**Out of India theory...
reconstructions of early India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n history. Instead he defends the traditional hypothesis that the Indo-Aryans
Indo-Aryans
Indo-Aryan is an ethno-linguistic term referring to the wide collection of peoples united as native speakers of the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-Iranian family of Indo-European languages...
invaded India in the 2nd millennium BC. According to Sergent, the Dravidian
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
populations are not autochthonous either, but of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n origin.
The book Les Indo-Européens - Histoire, langues, mythes is a general introduction to the Indo-European language family. Sergent associates the Indo-European language family
Indo-European languages
The Indo-European languages are a family of several hundred related languages and dialects, including most major current languages of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and South Asia and also historically predominant in Anatolia...
with certain archaeological cultures in Southern Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and he reconstructs an Indo-European religion (relying on the method of Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil
Georges Dumézil was a French comparative philologist best known for his analysis of sovereignty and power in Proto-Indo-European religion and society...
).
In the monograph, Les trois fonctions indo-européennes en Grèce ancienne, vol. 1: De Mycènes aux Tragique, Sergent examines the employment of the Dumézilian tripartite system
Trifunctional hypothesis
The trifunctional hypothesis of prehistoric Proto-Indo-European society postulates a tripartite ideology reflected in the existence of three classes or castes—priests, warriors, and commoners —corresponding to the three functions of the sacral, the martial and the economic, respectively...
in Greek epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
, lyric
Lyric poetry
Lyric poetry is a genre of poetry that expresses personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were those which were sung to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat...
and dramatic
Verse drama and dramatic verse
Verse drama is any drama written as verse to be spoken; another possible general term is poetic drama. For a very long period, verse drama was the dominant form of drama in Europe...
poetry. In a second volume, which has not been published yet, he will continue this examination with Greek philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
and religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
.
His recent work, Celtes et Grecs, is dedicated to comparative Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
and Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
. In volume 1, Le livre de héros (Payot 1999 ISBN 2-228-89257-2), the Irish hero Cuchulainn
Cúchulainn
Cú Chulainn or Cúchulainn , and sometimes known in English as Cuhullin , is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore...
is compared with the Greek heroes Achilleus, Bellerophon
Bellerophon
Bellerophon or Bellerophontes is a hero of Greek mythology. He was "the greatest hero and slayer of monsters, alongside of Cadmus and Perseus, before the days of Heracles", and his greatest feat was killing the Chimera, a monster that Homer depicted with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a...
and Melanthius
Melanthius
Melanthius was a notable ancient Greek painter of the 4th century BC. He belonged to the school of Sicyon, which was noted for fine drawing.-References:...
and the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge
Táin Bó Cúailnge
is a legendary tale from early Irish literature, often considered an epic, although it is written primarily in prose rather than verse. It tells of a war against Ulster by the Connacht queen Medb and her husband Ailill, who intend to steal the stud bull Donn Cuailnge, opposed only by the teenage...
with the Greek Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
, which, according to Sergent, presuppose an Indo-European "pre-Iliad". In volume 2, Le livre des dieux, Sergent argues that the Celtic and Greek pantheons
Pantheon (gods)
A pantheon is a set of all the gods of a particular polytheistic religion or mythology.Max Weber's 1922 opus, Economy and Society discusses the link between a...
derive from a common Indo-European inheritance.
Works
- L'homosexualité initiatique dans l'Europe ancienne, Payot 1986 ISBN 2228890529
- Les Indo-Européens Payot, 1995 ISBN 2228889563
- Genèse de l'Inde (Genesis of India), Payot, Paris 1997 ISBN 9782228891165
- De Mycènes aux Tragique, Économica 1998 ISBN 2717835873
- Celtes et Grecs, Payot, 1999
- La guerre à la culture: aspects des attaques contre l'intelligence dans la période jospino-raffininesque, L'Harmattan, 2005, ISBN 9782747578233
Books with English translations
- Homosexuality in Greek myth (transl. of L'homosexualité dans la mythologie grecque); Beacon Press, Boston, 1986. ISBN 0-8070-5700-2