James G. Frazer

Date of Birth: January 1, 1854

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Date of Death: May 7, 1941

Biography

Sir James George Frazer was a pioneering Scottish social anthropologist and folklorist, best remembered for his seminal work, “The Golden Bough,” which explored the common elements of magical and religious belief systems around the world. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Frazer’s academic journey began at the University of Glasgow, followed by Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied Classics. His profound interest in human belief systems and cultural practices led him to examine comparative religion and mythology, influencing not just anthropology but also psychology, literature, and cultural studies. Frazer’s approach was innovative for his time. He categorized human thought into three stages: primitive magic, religion, and science, suggesting that societies evolve through these stages. His extensive fieldwork, although primarily through secondary sources rather than direct observation, laid the groundwork for future anthropological research. “The Golden Bough,” first published in 1890, expanded to twelve volumes by 1915, and remains a cornerstone in the study of mythology and comparative religion.

5 Interesting Facts about James G. Frazer

1. James G. Frazer was knighted in 1914 for his contributions to anthropology and the study of religion.

2. He was a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, for more than 60 years.

3. Frazer’s work influenced many prominent figures, including Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and T.S. Eliot.

4. Despite his extensive work on religion and myth, Frazer himself was an agnostic.

5. “The Golden Bough” inspired a number of literary works, including works by James Joyce and D.H. Lawrence.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from James G. Frazer

1. “The moral world is as little exempt as the physical world from the law of ceaseless change, of perpetual flux.”

2. “Religion is a phase of human thought. It is the effort to understand the world and our place in it.”

3. “By religion, then, I understand a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life.”

4. “The progress of knowledge is slow, and the path of progress is strewn with the wreckage of dead theories.”

5. “In magic, man depends on his own powers; in religion, he seeks to propitiate the powers external to himself.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

There is no documented evidence of James G. Frazer’s net worth, as he was primarily an academic and scholar during a period when the concept of net worth was not commonly publicized.

Children

James G. Frazer did not have any children. He was married to Lilly Frazer, who was an author and translator, and she assisted him in much of his work.