Outline

1. Introduction

2. Fundamental Concepts

Epistemology

Content and Context (Denotation and Connotation)

Logos and Mythos

3. Context and Culture

Paths to Context

Context Through Experience: Recall and Recognition

Culturally Bound Expectations

Context Through Granularity: The Devil’s in the Details

Context Through Modality: Preferences and Biases

4. From Spirituality to Religion

Animism

Spirituality

The Supernatural

Relating Spirituality to Everyday Life

Theism

Pantheism

Panentheism

Polytheism

Hard Polytheism

Soft Polytheism

Religion

Personalized Religion

Organized (Collective/Community) Religion

Mergers of Tradition

Who’s In Charge, Here?

Monotheism

Inclusive Monotheism

Exclusive Monotheism

An Abusive Parent

Enter Dualism

Henotheism

Monolatry

Kathenotheism

Other Relatives of Dualistic Cosmology

Duotheism

Bitheism

Ditheism

Transcendence

Uncertainty and Apathy

Deism

Agnosticism

Voices For the Opposition

Atheism

Antitheism

Humanism

Non-Committal Views

Autotheism

Ietsism

5. Pagans, Heathens, Infidels, and Heretics

Pagan

Heretics and Heresy

Julian the Apostate: Looking Back

From Bumpkin to Sinner

Enter the Heathens

Western Infidels

Jesus (the) Christ

“The Christ”

Christian

Modern Borrowings: Pagans, Wiccans, and Druids

(Neo)Pagan

Wicca

Druidism/Druidry

6. Interpretation and Exploration of Myths

Areas of Focus

As a Belief System

As Disguised History

As Disguised Philosophy or Allegory

As Fables Illustrating Moral Truths

As Allegories of Natural Events or Pre-Scientific Explanations

As Charters for Customs, Institutions, or Beliefs

As Religious Power and Explanations of Religious Rituals

As Psychological Archetypes and Models of Social Norms

As Simple Stories

Joseph Campbell and His Influences

Carl G. Jung (1875 – 1961)

The Structuralists

Claud Levi-Strauss (1908 – 2009)

Vladimir Propp (1895 – 1970)

Walter Burkert (1931 – 2015)

Joseph Campbell (1904 – 1987)

The Monomyth

Mythic Relevance and Crystallization

7. The Four Functions and Their Archetypes

Reading the Mythic Structure Diagram

Imposing Logos on Mythos

The Archetypes of the Functions

The Limits of Labels

8. The Mystical Function and the Primal Goddess

Protology: Automatic Myths of Origin

The First Steps Away from Animism

The Growth of the Goddess

The Demotion of the Goddess

9. The Cosmological Function and the King God

Protology: Architectural Myths of Origin

A Structured, Orderly World

Linear and Cyclical Time

10. The Sociological Function and the Trickster

The Trickster as Admonisher

The Trickster as Counselor

Composite Tricksters

The Most Human of the Archetypes

11. The Pedagogical Function and the Heroic

Vocabulary Notes

The Nature of the Heroic Archetype

The Intentional Heroic

The Accidental (Serendipitous) Heroic

The Reluctant (Forced) Heroic

The Distributed Heroic

The Aggregate Heroic

The Sequential Heroic

The Partite Heroic

12. The Heroic Journey

Early Explorations

Otto Rank’s Heroic Path

Lord Raglan’s Heroic Path

Joseph Campbell

Christopher Vogler: Heroism as a 12-Step Program

The Departure Phase

The Ordinary World

The Call to Adventure

Refusal of the Call

Meeting with the Mentor/Sage/Wise One

Active and Passive Forces

Crossing the First Threshold

The Fulfillment Phase

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

(Approach to) the Inmost Cave

The Ordeal

The Reward

The Return Phase

The Road Back

Resurrection (Purification)

Return With the Elixir

13. The Relatability and Relativity of the Heroic

Legend vs Myth

The Relativity of the Heroic

The Problem of the Superhero

The Problem of the White Hat Hero

The Problem of the Dark Hero/Anti-hero/Sympathetic Villain

14. Bibliography