Symbolism in Greek mythology : human desire and its transformations

Translation of Le symbolisme dans la mythologie grecque.. Preface by Gaston Bachelard.. 1st pub. by Editions Payot, Paris, c1966.. Transl. from the French by Vincent Stuart, Micheline Stuart, and Rebecca Folkman; translation reviewed and corrected by Jane Cahen c1980.

Preface. Introduction. Part 1 - Inner psychology and mythical symbolism. Part 2 - The translation of mythical symbolism into psychological language. 1 The struggle against exaltation. Icarus. Tantalus. Phaeton. Ixion. Bellerophon. Perseus. 2 The initial discord. God the creator and God the judge. The theogony. 3 Banalization. a) Conventional banalization. Midas. Eros and Psyche. b) Dionysian banalization. Orpheus. c) Titanic banalization. Oedipus. 4 The struggle against banalization. Jason. Theseus. Heracles. Asclepius. Prometheus

'Using symbolic language, mythology expresses the deepest workings of the human mind, in a precise, though veiled, manner. To understand the psychological significance of this symbolism one must use a method of analysis that can unlock the true meaning of myths and their symbols....Diel...probes the most common symbols that are used to represent the subconscious, the conscious and the superconscious, or spiritual, processes of the mind. Throughout, his goal is to elevate psychology to a science by deciphering, accurately and intimately, the symbolic language of myth, and thus of the mind....'

Hardcover