At least three major questions can be asked of myth: what is its subject matter? what is its origin? and what is its function? Theories of myth may differ on the answers they give to any of these questions, but more basically they may also differ on which of the questions they ask. C. G. Jung's theory is one of the few that purports to answer fully all three questions. This volume collects and organizes the key passages on myth by Jung himself and by some of the most prominent Jungian writers after him: Erich Neumann, Marie-Louise von Franz, and James Hillman. The book synthesizes the discovery of myth as a way of thinking, where it becomes a therapeutic tool providing an entrance to the unconscious. In the first selections, Jung begins to differentiate his theory from Freud's by asserting that there are fantasies and dreams of an "impersonal" nature that cannot be reduced to experiences in a person's past. Jung then asserts that the similarities among myths are the result of the projection of the collective rather than the personal unconscious onto the external world. Finally, he comes to the conclusion that myth originates and functions to satisfy the psychological need for contact with the unconscious--not merely to announce the existence of the unconscious, but to let us experience it.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Ch. 1. Jung vis-a-vis Freud on Myth a. Jung's Freudian Interpretation of Myth From "The Theory of Psychoanalysis" From "The Theory of Psychoanalysis" b. Jung's Rejection of Freud's Theory of Myth From "The Significance of the Father in the Destiny of the Individual" From "Introduction to Kranefeldt's 'Secret Ways of the Mind'" From "The Concept of the Collective Unconscious" From C. G. Jung Speaking Ch. 2. The Origin of Myth a. The Similarities among Myths From "Schiller's Ideas on the Type Problem" From "On the Psychology of the Unconscious" From "The Relations between the Ego and the Unconscious" From "Commentary on 'The Secret of the Golden Flower'" From "The Philosophical Tree" From "Fundamental Questions of Psychotherapy" b. Independent Invention Rather Than Diffusion as the Source of the Similarities From "The Significance of Constitution and Heredity in Psychology" From "The Psychology of the Child Archetype" c. Rejection of the Experience of the External World as the Source of Independent Invention From "General Description of the Types" From "Definitions" From "On Psychic Energy" From "Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious" From "Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth" From "Marginalia on Contemporary Events" Letter to Baroness Tinti (10 January 1936) d. Independent Invention as the Projection of the Unconscious onto the External World From "Symbols of the Mother and of Rebirth" From "The Dual Mother" From "The Type Problem in Poetry" From "On the Psychology of the Unconscious" From "On the Psychology of the Unconscious" From "The Structure of the Psyche" e. Independent Invention as the Projection of the Collective Rather Than the Personal Unconscious onto the External World From "Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth" From "The Psychology of Eastern Meditation" From "The Philosophical Tree" f. Myths and Archetypes From "Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious" From "The Psychology of the Child Archetype" Ch. 3. The Function of Myth a. Revealing the Unconscious From "The Psychology of the Child Archetype" From "The Dual Mother" From "A Psychological Approach to the Dogma of the Trinity" b. Encountering the Unconscious From "Background to the Psychology of Christian Alchemical Symbolism" From "Paracelsus as a Spiritual Phenomenon" From "The Conjunction" From "Principles of Practical Psychotherapy" c. Making Life Meaningful From "The Psychology of the Child Archetype" From "The Archetype in Dream Symbolism" From "The Function of Religious Symbols" From Memories, Dreams, Reflections d. Abetting Therapy From "Schizophrenia" From "The Aims of Psychotherapy" From "Foreword to the First Volume of Studies from the C. G. Jung Institute" e. Providing Models for Behavior From C. G. Jung Speaking Ch. 4. Myths and Dreams/Fantasies From "The Theory of Psychoanalysis" From "The Theory of Psychoanalysis" From "The Role of the Unconscious" From "Analytical Psychology and Education" From "The Tavistock Lectures: Lecture II" From "Foreword to Perry: The Self in Psychotic Progress" From C. G. Jung Speaking Ch. 5. Myth as a Way of Thinking From "Two Kinds of Thinking" Ch. 6. Kinds of Myths a. Myths of the Child From "The Psychology of the Child Archetype" b. Myths of the Hero From "The Origin of the Hero" From "The Origin of the Hero" From "Symbols of the Mother and of Rebirth" From "Symbols of the Mother and of Rebirth" From "The Dual Mother" From "The Dual Mother" From "The Dual Mother" From "The Dual Mother" From "On the Psychology of the Unconscious" From "Religious Ideas in Alchemy" From "The Conjunction" From "The Tavistock Lectures: Lecture III" c. Personal Myths From Memories, Dreams, Reflections From Memories, Dreams, Reflections Ch. 7. Myths and Primitives From "Two Kinds of Thinking" From "Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype" From "The Psychology of the Child Archetype" From "A Psychological View of Conscience" Ch. 8. Myths and Moderns a. The Demythicizing of the External World From "The Philosophical Tree" b. The Continued Existence of Traditional Myths From "Psychology and Literature" c. The Revival of Traditional Myths "Wotan" From "The Fight with the Shadow" d. The Creation of Distinctively Modern Myths From "Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth" e. Myth as Never Superseded From "Two Kinds of Thinking" Ch. 9. Earlier Psychological Interpretations of Myth From "The Personification of the Opposites" From "The Conjunction" Ch. 10. Myth and Religion From "The Undiscovered Self (Present and Future)" From "The Undiscovered Self (Present and Future)" From "Psychology and Religion" From "Foreword to White's God and the Unconscious" From "Answer to Job" From "Rex and Regina" From "Jung and Religious Belief" From Memories, Dreams, Reflections From Letter to Dorothee Hoch (23 September 1952) From Letter to Upton Sinclair (7 January 1955) From Letter to Pastor Tanner (12 February 1959) Ch. 11. Erich Neumann Introduction to The Origins and History of Consciousness Ch. 12. Marie-Louise von Franz From Patterns of Creativity Mirrored in Creation Myths Ch. 13. James Hillman From Re-Visioning Psychology Index