Myths and legends involving quests and journeys are found in many cultures. Throughout history, people have told stories of heroes and heroines grappling with monsters, evil spirits, the elements and the gods. The stories have been expressed in song, dance, literature and art, and given rise to countless myths ang legends. They mirror the dreams and hopes of women and men for exciting adventures beyond their everyday experience. This book includes ten quest stories from around the world, showing how they have been interpreted, retold and passed down the centuries. Some of the illustrations are reproduced from illuminated manuscripts in the collection of the British Library. The introduction, by Penelope Lively, discusses the nature of quest myths and how they have permeated the storytelling of so many cultures.

In Quest of the Mythical Mate presents a valuable and fertile developmental model for diagnosing and treating couples that is flexible enough to incorporate a wide variety of intervention strategies, yet purposeful enough to give a clear sense of direction to couples in distress. As such, this volume provides a powerful therapeutic approach for all professionals who treat couples.

Robert Torrance's wide-ranging, innovative study argues that the spiritual quest is rooted in our biological, psychological, linguistic, and social nature. The quest is not, as most have believed, a rare mystical experience, but a frequent expression of our most basic human impulses. Shaman and scientist, medium and poet, prophet and philosopher, all venture forth in quest of visionary truths to transform and renew the world. Yet Torrance is not trying to reduce the quest to an "archetype" or "monomyth." Instead, he presents the full diversity of the quest in the myths and religious practices of tribal peoples throughout the world, from Oceania to India, Africa, Siberia, and especially the Americas. In theorizing about the quest, Torrance draws on thinkers as diverse as Bergson and Piaget, van Gennep and Turner, Pierce and Popper, Freud, Darwin, and Chomsky. This is a book that will expand our knowledge—and awareness—of a fundamental human activity in all its fascinating complexity.

Jason was born a prince of the kingdom of Argos. But when Jason was a child, his uncle Pelias stole the throne and sent Jason into hiding. Now a young man, Jason returns to claim his birthright. But Pelias only sneers. He demands that Jason prove himself by retrieving the priceless, magical Golden Fleece from the far-off land of Colchis. Jason accepts the challenge and gathers a ship full of Greek war heroes to aid him. But what deadly trials has Aeetes, King of Colchis, set for Jason? And what plans does the beautiful witch Medea have for the seeker of the Golden Fleece?

Explores the spiritual meaning of Tolkien's epic fantasy and examines the characters as archetypes in the journey of life.

In his latest trip to the Alterworld to search for his father, Alex encounters the Snow Demon, Yuki-onna.

Mythology is the universal tongue of human imagination. As a tool for self-discovery, mythology is also a way of gaining access to the secrets of the psyche. The Mythic Imagination is a quest for the ancient source of vision and meaning in the world of dream, myth, and archetype. In the footsteps of Joseph Campbell, Stephen Larsen guides the reader on a journey through the mythic landscape of the psyche. His insight is that all of us, at one time or another, are engaged in creating personal mythologies that reflect the larger myths of the culture and our own deepest desires and aspirations. This book is a guide for bringing the deeper mythic structures of experience into awareness, for learning to recognize the archetypal content embedded in our dreams and daydreams, feelings, beliefs, relationships, conscious creations, and behavior. Student and authorized biographer of Joseph Campbell, Larsen teaches us how to bring myth into our lives. Reissue of the Bantam bestseller.