The hero : a study in tradition, myth, and drama / by Lord Raglan.

Rev. American ed. c1956 by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Intro. c1979 by Walter Kaufmann.

"The main thesis of the book was put forward in the Presidential address which I gave to section H of the British association in 1933."--Pref.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-300.)

'It is the author's thesis--one which he eloquently argues through an examination of specific legendary characters--that the great heroes of song, folklore, story, epic, and scripture never existed. Rather, all derived from the religious rites and ritual dramas which fulfilled a basic human need to believe in something beyond the everyday world. The book's exposure of the limited hold that historical fact has had on the human mind--and its exploration of the enduring power of imagination--both increases our understanding of the past and helps us see the heroic images of the present in their proper perspective.'

Paperback