Daniel G. Brinton was a 19th century American archaeologist and ethnologist who wrote a number of works about the mythology and folklore of various native groups in North America, as well as early American stories.

What are man’s earliest ideas of a soul and a God, and of his own origin and destiny? Why do we find certain myths, such as of a creation, a flood, an after-world; certain symbols, as the bird, the serpent, the cross; certain numbers, as the three, the four, the seven—intimately associated with these ideas by every race? What are the laws of growth of natural religions? How do they acquire such an influence, and is this influence for good or evil? Such are some of the universally interesting questions which the author attempts to solve by an analysis of the simple faiths of a savage race. Contents: Chapter I. General Considerations On The Red Race. Chapter II. The Idea Of God. Chapter III. The Sacred Number, Its Origin And Applications. Chapter IV. The Symbols Of The Bird And The Serpent. Chapter V. The Myths Of Water, Fire, And The Thunder-Storm. Chapter VI. The Supreme Gods Of The Red Race. Chapter VII. The Myths Of The Creation, The Deluge, The Epochs Of Nature, And The Last Day. Chapter VIII. The Origin Of Man. Chapter IX. The Soul And Its Destiny. Chapter X. The Native Priesthood. Chapter XI. The Influence Of The Native Religions On The Moral And Social Life Of The Race.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.