Shiva

This study explores the many faces of Shiva, the Hindu deity whom Wolf-Dieter Storl links to shamanism and to older figures such as the Norse Odin and the Celtic Cernunnos, all rooted in Paleolithic traditions. Storl examines how Shiva fits into the wider history of spirituality, along with his connections to Tantra, his place in modern culture, and how he compares with the dualistic religions of the West.

For devotees, Shiva is both the whole universe and the essence within every living being. Hindu myth describes him at the dawn of creation as a towering column of fire from which the world emerged. Despite this cosmic stature, he is also a warm and accessible god, a lover to those who love him and a servant to his followers. Among his 1,008 names, Pashupati, Lord of Animals, is one of the most widely used, reflecting his close bond with animals and his mischievous, trickster side.

Storl first became absorbed in Shiva while working in India as a visiting scholar at Benares Hindu University. The book draws readers into this vivid mythic world, where Shiva appears as Mahadev, the Great God, and as Shankar, the ascetic. He is a figure of sharp contrasts: a dancer lost in ecstasy, a lover who may remain with his consort Parvati for immense spans of time, and a solitary meditator whom others approach with caution. He is also the master of intoxicants and poisons and the keeper of hidden esoteric knowledge, honored by yogis and demons alike. Across all these forms, Shiva dissolves the illusory self and reveals the true self within.