The Hero With a Thousand Faces

by Campbell, Joseph

• ISBN13: 9780691119243
• ISBN10: 0691119244
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-02-01
• Publisher: Bollingen Foundation

Summary

Joseph Campbell's classic cross-cultural study of the hero's journey has inspired millions and opened up new areas of research and exploration. Originally published in 1949, the book hit the New York Times best-seller list in 1988 when it became the subject of The Power of Myth, a PBS television special. Now, this legendary volume, re-released in honor of the 100th anniversary of the author's birth, promises to capture the imagination of a new generation of readers.The first popular work to combine the spiritual and psychological insights of modern psychoanalysis with the archetypes of world mythology, the book creates a roadmap for navigating the frustrating path of contemporary life. Examining heroic myths in the light of modern psychology, it considers not only the patterns and stages of mythology but also its relevance to our lives today--and to the life of any person seeking a fully realized existence.Myth, according to Campbell, is the projection of a culture's dreams onto a large screen; Campbell's book, like Star Wars, the film it helped inspire, is an exploration of the big-picture moments from the stage that is our world. Offered for the first time with beautifully restored illustrations and a bibliography of cited works, it provides unparalleled insight into world mythology from diverse cultures. It is a must-have resource for both experienced students of mythology and the explorer just beginning to approach myth as a source of knowledge.

Author Biography

Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was an inspiring teacher, popular lecturer and author, and the editor and translator of many books on mythology Clarissa Pinkola Estes is the author of Women Who Run with the Wolves

Table of Contents

List of Figures	xi
List of Plates	xvi
Preface to the 1949 Edition	xxi
Introduction to the 2004 Commemorative Edition, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D.	xxiii
Acknowledgments	lxvi
PROLOGUE: The Monomyth	1	(44)
1. Myth and Dream	3	(20)
2. Tragedy and Comedy	23	(5)
3. The Hero and the God	28	(9)
4. The World Navel	37	(8)
PART ONE The Adventure of the Hero
CHAPTER I: Departure	45	(44)
1. The Call to Adventure	45	(9)
2. Refusal of the Call	54	(9)
3. Supernatural Aid	63	(8)
4. The Crossing of the First Threshold	71	(12)
5. The Belly of the Whale	83	(6)
CHAPTER II: Initiation	89	(90)
1. The Road of Trials	89	(11)
2. The Meeting with the Goddess	100	(11)
3. Woman as the Temptress	111	(5)
4. Atonement with the Father	116	(22)
5. Apotheosis	138	(21)
6. The Ultimate Boon	159	(20)
CHAPTER III: Return	179	(48)
1. Refusal of the Return	179	(3)
2. The Magic Flight	182	(10)
3. Rescue from Without	192	(9)
4. The Crossing of the Return Threshold	201	(11)
5. Master of the Two Worlds	212	(9)
6. Freedom to Live	221	(6)
CHAPTER IV: The Keys	227	(10)
PART TWO The Cosmogonic Cycle
CHAPTER I: Emanations	237	(38)
1. From Psychology to Metaphysics	237	(5)
2. The Universal Round	242	(7)
3. Out of the Void-Space	249	(4)
4. Within Space-Life	253	(8)
5. The Breaking of the One into the Manifold	261	(7)
6. Folk Stories of Creation	268	(7)
CHAPTER II: The Virgin Birth	275	(16)
1. Mother Universe	275	(5)
2. Matrix of Destiny	280	(5)
3. Womb of Redemption	285	(3)
4. Folk Stories of Virgin Motherhood	288	(3)
CHAPTER III: Transformations of the Hero	291	(46)
1. The Primordial Hero and the Human	291	(4)
2. Childhood of the Human Hero	295	(14)
3. The Hero as Warrior	309	(7)
4. The Hero as Lover	316	(3)
5. The Hero as Emperor and as Tyrant	319	(3)
6. The Hero as World Redeemer	322	(5)
7. The Hero as Saint	327	(2)
8. Departure of the Hero	329	(8)
CHAPTER IV: Dissolutions	337	(14)
1. End of the Microcosm	337	(8)
2. End of the Macrocosm	345	(6)
EPILOGUE: Myth and Society	351	(12)
1. The Shapeshifter	353	(1)
2. The Function of Myth, Cult, and Meditation	354	(4)
3. The Hero Today	358	(5)
Bibliography	363	(20)
Index	383