On the Deities of Samothrace

In 1815, F. W. J. Schelling presented a lecture, "On the Deities of Samothrace," before the king of Bavaria. This lecture, which is one of the most original readings of the ancient mystery religion on the island of Samothrace, would become Schelling's last major publication and is the key initial work in what came to be known as his 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, as well as Schelling's extensive critical and philological endnotes. It also offers an afterword, along with copious explanatory notes and three new essays by the editors and translators that elucidate 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 what Schelling later called philosophical religion, and it is a singular work in the philosophy of religion.