Historical Atlas of World Mythology
Encyclopedia
The Historical Atlas of World Mythology is a multi-volume series of books by Joseph Campbell
that traces developments in humankind's mythological symbols and stories
from pre-history forward.
Campbell is perhaps best known as a comparativist who focused on universal themes and motifs in human culture. He first conceived of The Historical Atlas in the late 1970s as an extension of his works, The Mythic Image and The Masks of God. Like those books, The Historical Atlas of World Mythology intended to show the ways in which those universal themes and motifs were expressed differently by different cultures in different times and places.
Heavily illustrated and annotated, with numerous charts and maps to show both variations and similarities in different cultures' expressions of mythic themes, this series was intended to serve both academic and lay readers.
The Historical Atlas was left partially complete when Campbell died in 1987.
, that myth evolves over time through four stages:
in 1988, in the wake of Campbell's posthumous fame, brought by the airing of the television series, The Power of Myth
. The first three parts of the second volume, which Campbell was working on literally to the day that he died, were completed by Campbell's long-time editor, Robert Walter
, and published by Harper and Row in 1989. Both volumes are currently out-of-print.
Campbell left rough text for the last two parts of Way of the Seeded Earth, as well as notes for the final two volumes. The Joseph Campbell Foundation
has expressed the intention to rerelease the existing books, and, if possible, to complete Campbell's magnum opus.
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
that traces developments in humankind's mythological symbols and stories
Comparative mythology
Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics. Comparative mythology has served a variety of academic purposes...
from pre-history forward.
Campbell is perhaps best known as a comparativist who focused on universal themes and motifs in human culture. He first conceived of The Historical Atlas in the late 1970s as an extension of his works, The Mythic Image and The Masks of God. Like those books, The Historical Atlas of World Mythology intended to show the ways in which those universal themes and motifs were expressed differently by different cultures in different times and places.
Heavily illustrated and annotated, with numerous charts and maps to show both variations and similarities in different cultures' expressions of mythic themes, this series was intended to serve both academic and lay readers.
The Historical Atlas was left partially complete when Campbell died in 1987.
Summary
This series was to build on Campbell’s idea, first presented in The Hero with a Thousand FacesThe Hero with a Thousand Faces
The Hero with a Thousand Faces is a non-fiction book, and seminal work of comparative mythology by Joseph Campbell...
, that myth evolves over time through four stages:
- The Way of the Animal Powers -- the myths of PaleolithicPaleolithicThe Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
hunter-gatherers which focus on shamanism and animal totems. This volume was covered in two parts: Mythologies of the Primitive Hunter-Gathers and Mythologies of the Great Hunt. - The Way of the Seeded Earth -- the myths of NeolithicNeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
, agrarian cultures which focus upon a mother goddess and associated fertility rites. This volume was to be covered in five parts, of which three were completed: The Sacrifice, Mythologies of the Primitive Planters: The Northern Americas, and Mythologies of the Primitive Planters: The Middle and Southern Americas. Two additional parts were planned: Mythologies of the Primitive Planters: Africa and South-western Asia and Mythologies of the Primitive Planters: Southern Asia. - The Way of the Celestial Lights -- the myths of Bronze AgeBronze AgeThe Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
city-states with pantheons of gods ruling from the heavens, led by a masculine god-king. - The Way of Man -- religion and philosophy as it developed after the Axial AgeAxial AgeGerman philosopher Karl Jaspers coined the term the axial age or axial period to describe the period from 800 to 200 BC, during which, according to Jaspers, similar revolutionary thinking appeared in India, China and the Occident...
(c. 6th century BC), in which the mythic imagery of previous eras was made consciously metaphorical, reinterpreted as referring to psycho-spiritual, not literal-historical, matters. This transition is evidenced in the East by BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, VedantaVedantaVedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
, and philosophical TaoismTaoismTaoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
; and in the West by the Mystery Cults, PlatonismPlatonismPlatonism is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In a narrower sense the term might indicate the doctrine of Platonic realism...
, ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and GnosticismGnosticismGnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
.
Publishing History
Only the first volume was completed at the time of Campbell's death. Published by Alfred van der Marck editions as a single book in 1983, it was rereleased by Harper and RowHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
in 1988, in the wake of Campbell's posthumous fame, brought by the airing of the television series, The Power of Myth
The Power of Myth
The companion book for the series, The Power of Myth, was released in 1988 at the same time the series aired on PBS...
. The first three parts of the second volume, which Campbell was working on literally to the day that he died, were completed by Campbell's long-time editor, Robert Walter
Robert Walter (editor)
Robert Walter is an editor and an executive with several not-for-profit organizations. Most notably, he is the executive director and board president of the Joseph Campbell Foundation , an organization that he helped found in 1990 with choreographer Jean Erdman, Joseph Campbell's widow.In 1979,...
, and published by Harper and Row in 1989. Both volumes are currently out-of-print.
Campbell left rough text for the last two parts of Way of the Seeded Earth, as well as notes for the final two volumes. The Joseph Campbell Foundation
Joseph Campbell Foundation
The Joseph Campbell Foundation is a US not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserve, protect and perpetuate the work of influential American mythologist Joseph Campbell...
has expressed the intention to rerelease the existing books, and, if possible, to complete Campbell's magnum opus.