On the Deities of Samothrace

In 1815, F. W. J. Schelling presented a lecture titled ＂On the Deities of Samothrace＂ to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. The lecture offered a startlingly original reading of the ancient Greek mystery religion on the island of Samothrace. It would be the last book Schelling himself published, and it is the key to his influential Philosophy of Mythology.

Now, for the first time in English, this critical edition contains the entirety of Schelling’s original text, including the lecture itself, Schelling’s afterword, and all his extensive philosophical and philological endnotes. It also offers copious explanatory notes, photographs and maps of the site, and three interpretive essays by the editors and translators elucidating Schelling’s text for contemporary readers.

On the Deities of Samothrace is one of Schelling’s most original and exciting works. It is a signature text in Schelling’s thought and in the philosophy of religion generally.

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775-1854) was an influential German philosopher. A student of Fichte and a contemporary of Hegel, Schelling’s work was instrumental in the development of German idealism.Alexander Bilda studied philosophy, ancient history, and historical anthropology in Freiburg and Paris. He is editor (with A.-L. Müller Bergen and P. Schwab) of the Erlangen Lectures in the historical-critical edition of Schelling’s works. His articles include studies on Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schelling, and Merleau-Ponty. He currently works as a permanent academic staff member at the University of Freiburg. Jason M. Wirth is Professor of Philosophy at Seattle University. His recent books include Nietzsche and Other Buddhas: Philosophy after Comparative Philosophy and Mountains, Rivers, and the Great Earth: Reading Gary Snyder and Dogen in an Age of Ecological Crisis. David Farrell Krell is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at DePaul University, Chicago, and Brauer Distinguished Visiting Professor of German Studies at Brown University. His scholarly books include Three Encounters: Heidegger, Arendt, Derrida; The Sea: A Philosophical Encounter; The Cudgel and the Caress: Reflections on Cruelty and Tenderness; and The Tragic Absolute: German Idealism and the Languishing of God.Alexander Bilda studied philosophy, ancient history, and historical anthropology in Freiburg and Paris. He is editor (with A.-L. Müller Bergen and P. Schwab) of the Erlangen Lectures in the historical-critical edition of Schelling’s works. His articles include studies on Kant, Fichte, Hegel, Schelling, and Merleau-Ponty. He currently works as a permanent academic staff member at the University of Freiburg. Jason M. Wirth is Professor of Philosophy at Seattle University. His recent books include Nietzsche and Other Buddhas: Philosophy after Comparative Philosophy and Mountains, Rivers, and the Great EarthReading Gary Snyder and Dogen in an Age of Ecological Crisis. David Farrell Krell is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at DePaul University, Chicago, and Brauer Distinguished Visiting Professor of German Studies at Brown University. His scholarly books include Three Encounters: Heidegger, Arendt, Derrida; The Sea: A Philosophical Encounter; The Cudgel and the Caress: Reflections on Cruelty and Tenderness; and The Tragic Absolute: German Idealism and the Languishing of God.