Joseph Campbell - Mythos - The Complete Series I-III (Compressed)

Joseph Campbell, the late mythologist who became a household name among public television viewers in the 1980s, embarked on a series of final lectures for TV audiences before his death. The lectures were filmed and are presented here in the order and manner in which Campbell himself intended, with enhanced images and in minimally-edited form.

Since time immemorial, humans have been passing "life's lessons" from generation to generation through their particular society's theology and folklore, or mythologies. According to Campbell, by examining the world's diverse mythologies you will find therein universal themes that are applicable and speak directly to all humankind. In Mythos, Campbell dissects a wide range of the world's mythologies. Rather than pointing out their superficial differences, he accentuates and embraces their similarities. It doesn't matter whether the myths are Greek, Indian, Egyptian, Native American, Judeo-Christian, or Arthurian in origin. Campbell explains it is their intrinsic themes that share a commonality: the trials of the hero, the cycle of life, death, and rebirth, the path to enlightenment, love, struggle, sacrifice, etc.

Clocking in at 14 hours, Mythos presents Joseph Campbell's vision of humankind's "One Great Story." Campbell looks lively and wonderfully at ease in the familiar classroom setting discussing his life's passion. Those enchanted by what The Power of Myth introduced will be deeply satisfied with the epic, academic content of Mythos.

Narrated by Susan Sarandon.

MYTHOS I - THE SHAPING OF OUR MYTHIC TRADITION

"The material of myth is the material of our life, the material of our body, and the material of our environment. A living, vital mythology deals with these." - Joseph Campbell

1.1: PSYCHE AND SYMBOL - The psychological impulse for and response to myth.
1.2: THE SPIRIT LAND - How myths awakened American Indians to the mystery of life.
1.3: ON BEING HUMAN - The emergence of myth in early hunter-gatherer societies.
1.4: FROM GODDESSES TO GOD - The gradual shift from the Goddess to male, warlike deities.
1.5: THE MYSTICAL LIFE - Non-biblical mythic strains that helped shape the Western spirit.

MYTHOS II - THE SHAPING OF THE EASTERN TRADITION

"Hinduism is related to Buddhism as Judaism is related to Christianity. One is born a Jew while one professes Christianity. One is born a Hindu while one professes Buddhism." - Joseph Campbell

2.1: THE INWARD PATH - The core myths of the great Asian religions.
2.2: ENLIGHTENED ONE - The Buddha and enlightenment, East and West.
2.3: OUR ETERNAL SELVES - Yoga and transcendence.
2.4: THE WAY TO ILLUMINATION - Kundalini yoga and the seven chakras.
2.5: THE EXPERIENCE OF GOD - Tibetan Buddhism and the spiritual journey that is death.

MYTHOS III - THE SHAPING OF THE WESTERN TRADITION

"Western myths represented something that is typical to Europe and nowhere else, and that is respect for the individual and the individual path, the individual way." - Joseph Campbell

3.1: LOVE AS THE GUIDE - The Arthurian romances, including 'Tristan and Iseult'.
3.2: THE PATH OF THE HEART - Parzival and the Grail Quest.
3.3: BEYOND SPACE AND TIME - The Romantic philosophers.
3.4: BETWEEN PAIRS OF OPPOSITES - Thomas Mann and 'The Magic Mountain'.
3.5: INTO THE WELL OF MYTH - The 'Joseph' novels and modern myth.