United Kingdom
James George Frazer
said
A candidate for the priesthood could only succeed to office by slaying the priest, and having slain him, he retained office till he was himself slain by a stronger or a craftier.
— Chapter 1, The King of the Wood.
James George Frazer
Scottish social anthropologist (1854–1941)
- Fame56.1
- Momentum0.0
- United Kingdom rank#239
Source-basedStable
- Fame56.1
- Momentum0.0
- United Kingdom rank#239
- Academics rank#228
- Wikipedia7K
Lived 1854–1941, aged 87United Kingdom
Network
In their orbit
People connected to James George Frazer
Summary
Updated 2026-06-21
He mapped the world's myths and rituals into one sprawling argument about magic, religion, and the death of kings — then spent decades watching younger scholars dismantle it.
Biography
About
James George Frazer was born in Glasgow on 1 January 1854, trained as a classicist, and turned to social anthropology and folklore when the field barely had a name. His work shaped the early study of comparative religion and mythology, building vast architectures of pattern from cultures he never visited. He was knighted for the effort. By the time he died on 7 May 1941, the ground had shifted: the next generation had begun tearing down the grand theories, but the questions he asked still echoed.
Voice
In their own words
Sourced, dated quotes from James George Frazer
James George Frazer
said
The natives of British Columbia live largely upon the fish which abound in their seas and rivers.
— Chapter 3, Sympathetic Magic.
James George Frazer
said
For there are strong grounds for thinking that, in the evolution of thought, magic has preceded religion.
— Chapter 3, Sympathetic Magic.
James George Frazer
said
But once a fool always a fool, and the greater the power in his hands the more disastrous is likely to be the use he makes of it.
— Chapter 3, Sympathetic Magic.
James George Frazer
said
The old notion that the savage is the freest of mankind is the reverse of the truth.
— Chapter 3, Sympathetic Magic (See also: the Noble savage).
Gallery
Photos
4 images · refresh overdue
Where to find them
Platforms
No platforms connected yet.
By the numbers
Score breakdown
The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.
Fame
Stable56.1
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Historical24.1
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
Receipts
Sources
- WikidataHigh confidencewikidata · wikidata.org
- WikipediaHigh confidencewikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Pantheon 2.0High confidencedatabase · pantheon.world
Discover
You might know
Similar profiles worth watching
.jpg?width=1200)
.jpg?width=1200)
