The myth of the eternal return

In this book, Mircea Eliade explores the concept of the eternal return, which is the belief that one can become contemporary with or return to the 'mythical age'—the time when the events described in myths occurred.

Eliade contrasts the ontological orientation of archaic societies, which distinguished between the sacred and the profane, with the modern worldview.

He argues that archaic societies sought to model their behavior on divine archetypes through rituals and that these rituals allowed them to re-enter sacred time.

The book also critiques modern historical perspectives and their impact on human understanding and experience of time and history.