Tales of Sex and Violence

Folklore, Sacrifice, and Danger in the Jaiminiya Brahmana

University of Chicago Press, 1985.
Hardcover, 145 pages

27 Tales

"Tales of Sex and Violence" is an obscure treasure - colorful - provocative - wild - and sexual are these folk tales from the little known Jaiminiya Brahmana. The Brahmanas, or ritual texts, are described as subsidiary scriptures to the Vedas, yet they are quite unknown to most Westerners and also largely ignored by Indologists and Hindu scholars alike. There are said to be more than a dozen Brahmanas which consist predominately of explanations on the Vedic hymns. The Jaiminiya, according to Doniger, is particularly unique as it tells more and longer stories than any other.

Wendy Doniger has translated 27 tales from the Jaiminiya with her usual flare and articulate attention to detail, providing insightful and lively commentary to each translation. The tales are filled with Vedic sacrifice, dangerous women and demons and lots of sexual metaphors which, in her own words, are "not merely erotic but highly obscene". Her translation and commentary on the tale Long-Tongue the Demoness, a myth concerning Indra and the goddess "Long-Tongue", should not be overlooked by anyone seriously researching Kali.

I must credit Jeff Kripal for making me aware of this amazing work as I would have overlooked it had I not seen it referenced in his book Kali's Child.

Review: Jane Sperr
You can order right from here at one of these stores:
Amazon USA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE