The myth of the birth of the hero : A psychological interpretation of mythology / Otto Rank.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rank, Otto, 1884-1939, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Psychology, Pathological.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (100 pages)

Other Title:

myth of the birth of the hero

Place of Publication:

New York : R. Brunner, 1952.

Summary:

"The prominent civilized nations, such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, Hebrews, and Hindoos, the inhabitants of Iran and of Persia, the Greeks and the Romans as well as the Teutons and others, all began at an early stage to glorify their heroes, mythical princes and kings, founders of religions, dynasties, empires or cities, in brief their national heroes, in a number of poetic tales and legends. The history of the birth and of the early life of these personalities came to be especially invested with fantastic features, which in different nations even though widely separated by space and entirely independent of each other present a baffling similarity, or in part a literal correspondence. Many investigators have long been impressed with this fact, and one of the chief problems of mythical research still consists in the elucidation of the reason for the extensive analogies in the fundamental outlines of mythical tales, which are rendered still more enigmatical by the unanimity in certain details, and their reappearance in most of the mythical groupings. In this book, we shall first take up the legendary material on which such a psychological interpretation is to be attempted for the first time on a large scale; selecting from the mass of these chiefly biographical hero myths those which are the best known, and some which are especially characteristic. These myths will be given in abbreviated form as far as relevant for this investigation, with statements concerning the provenance. Attention will be called to the most important, constantly recurrent motives by a difference in print"--Introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

Contents:

Introductory Essay by Robert A. Segal, Ph.D.Translators' IntroductionPreface to the First Edition Preface to the Second Edition 1. Introduction 2. The Cycle of Myths 3. The Interpretation of the Myths The Play within Hamlet Understanding of the Work Notes References Index.

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (R. Brunner, viewed May 31, 2023).