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Why do distant peoples share stories of creation, great floods, and rules for war and peace?
In Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations, John Francis Arundell explores how beliefs and customs pass between peoples and generations. His study brings mythology beside the rules governing relations between states, asking what inherited stories and practices can reveal about the past.
The questions reach from sacred accounts of origins to customs surrounding envoys, war, peace, and oaths. Writing within the Victorian world of comparative scholarship, Arundell considers tradition as a source of knowledge. The central puzzle is how to understand the similar stories and rules found among peoples far apart.
What you’ll discover
- Knowledge handed down Explore tradition as knowledge carried between generations, often through speech before it reaches the written page.
- Myths across distant cultures Consider shared story patterns, from accounts of creation to floods and gods walking among humans.
- Sacred accounts and origins Examine how religious communities preserve accounts of beginnings, and how scholars compare them with neighbouring myths.
- Custom before written treaties Discover the inherited practices behind relations between states, including customs concerning envoys, peace, war, and oaths.
- A Victorian field of inquiry Meet an approach that places myths, sacred histories, and legal customs within the study of tradition.
Who will love it
This book will please readers who love comparative myth, Victorian debates about science and faith, the history of international law, or following one idea through distant customs.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Shared memory could support peace
- Conscience matters more than powerful precedents
- Happiness alone cannot ground moral duty
- Lawless origins may distort lost order
- Tradition carries more than spoken stories
- Mythic gods may preserve human ancestors
- Flood rituals may preserve forgotten events
- Sacred agreements connect peoples through restraint
- Conscience must bind the use of force
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Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations
by John Francis Arundell · 1872
A Victorian peer follows one flood story from Greece to the Mandan lodges of America and the court of Dahome.
Challenging10–20 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What if the stories of Greek gods, Chinese emperors and Mandan dancers all point back to one family and one flood? That is the bold question behind this book.
Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations at a glance
- Reading time
- About 10 h 30 min8 h 20 min fast, 12 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 149,600 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1872by John Francis Arundell
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Law between nations rests on conscience, not precedent
Arundell opens with a distinction that carries the whole book. The law of nations, he says, is a duty that binds the conscience of states to respect justice. International law is only the heap of rules and precedents piled up afterward. The two can drift apart.
The law of nations may forbid invading a neighbour, yet a diplomat can still call an invasion lawful because kings once did the same. Bentham, his chief opponent, put public opinion in place of natural right. Arundell asks what opinion can achieve if it only voices pleasure or pain.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1872
- Language
- English
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Arundell, John Francis. Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/tradition-principally-with-reference-to-mythology-and-the-law-of-nations.
Arundell, J. F. (2026). Tradition, principally with reference to mythology and the law of nations. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tradition-principally-with-reference-to-mythology-and-the-law-of-nations (Original work published 1872)
Arundell, John Francis. Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tradition-principally-with-reference-to-mythology-and-the-law-of-nations.
@book{arundell2026tradition,
author = {Arundell, John Francis},
title = {Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/tradition-principally-with-reference-to-mythology-and-the-law-of-nations},
note = {First published 1872}
}
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What is Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations about?
It argues that mankind shares an inherited memory of early history, including the Deluge and a law of conscience. The author uses myths, ceremonies and ancient rules of war to claim this memory underlies the law of nations.
Who wrote Tradition and the Law of Nations and when?
Lord Arundell of Wardour, John Francis Arundell, wrote it and it appeared in London in 1872. He wrote it after the wars and upheavals of 1870 and 1871, hoping to restore firmer foundations for peace.
What is the difference between the law of nations and international law in this book?
The law of nations is a duty of conscience binding states to justice. International law is the collection of rules and precedents that diplomats built up, which can drift away from that duty and excuse force.
The author
John Francis Arundell
1831–1906 · English peer and religious writer
John Francis Arundell (1831–1906) was a British peer and the 12th Baron Arundell of Wardour. He lived at Wardour Castle in Wiltshire, England. He wrote Tradition, Principally with Reference to Mythology and the Law of Nations, published in 1872. He held the barony from 1862 until his death in 1906.
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