Mythos

“Myth comes from the same zone as dream . . . from the great biological ground, whatever it may be. They are energies and they are matters of consciousness.” – Joseph Campbell

During the final years of his life, Joseph Campbell embarked on a speaking tour in which he drew together all that he had learned about what he called the “one great story” of humanity. These remarkable talks were filmed and are presented here in the order and manner in which Campbell himself intended, with enhanced images and in minimally edited form.

This series is made up of fifteen hours of talks that Campbell himself believed summed up his views on “the one great story of mankind.” Finally complete, and offered for the first time as a boxed set, here is Campbell’s vision of human myth, presented in all its glory.

Presented and Hosted by Academy Award®-Winner Susan Sarandon

Details: 14 hrs, 6 DVDs, CC; SDH.

Extras: Booklet containing Campbell biography, Collected Works bibliography, and a never-before released article by Campbell on “Belief and Power in Myth”

Volumes

Mythos: Vol. 1, The Shaping of Our Mythic Tradition (1999)

An exploration of the psychology, history and biology of myth, and an introduction to the Western mythos.

• Mythos – 1.1: Psyche & Symbol – The psychological impulse for and response to myth
• Mythos – 1.2: The Spirit Land – How myths awakened American Indians to the mystery of life.
• Mythos – 1.3: On Being Human – The emergence of myth in early hunter-gatherer societies
• Mythos – 1.4: From Goddesses to God – The gradual shift from the Goddess to male, warlike deities
• Mythos – 1.5: The Mystical Life – Non-biblical mythic strains that helped shape the Western spirit

Mythos: Vol. 2, The Shaping of the Eastern Tradition (2000)

An introduction to the great mythic traditions of South and East Asia.

• Mythos – 2.1: The Inward Path – The core myths of the great Asian religions
• Mythos – 2.2: The Enlightend One – The Buddha and enlightenment, East and West
• Mythos – 2.3: Our Eternal Selves – Yoga and transcendence
• Mythos – 2.4: The Way to Illumination – Kundalini yoga and the seven chakras
• Mythos – 2.5: The Experience of God – Tibetan Buddhism and the spiritual journey that is death

Mythos: Vol. 3, The Shaping of the Western Tradition (2011)

An exploration of the great philosophy, art and literature that have shaped the modern West.

• Mythos – 3.1: Love as the Guide – The Arthurian romances, including Tristan and Iseult
• Mythos – 3.2: The Path of the Heart – Parzival and the Grail Quest
• Mythos – 3.3: Beyond Time and Space – The Romantic philosophers
• Mythos – 3.4: Between Pairs of Opposites – Thomas Mann and The Magic Mountain
• Mythos – 3.5: Into the Well of Myth – The Joseph novels and modern myth