The Origin of the Gods : A Psychoanalytic Study of Greek Theogonic Myth

this Innovative Study Posits That Myths In General, And Greek Theogonic Myth In Particular, Have A Latent Meaning That Is Responsible Both For The Emotional Energy Inherent In Myths, And For The Special Attraction They Have Even To Those Who No Longer Believe In Their Literal Meaning. Caldwell Describes, In Clear And Comprehensible Language, Aspects Of Psychoanalytic Theory Relevant To The Understanding Of Greek Myth, Implementing A Psychoanalytic Methodology To Interpret The Greek Myth Of Origin And Succession, Particularly As Stated In Hesiod's theogony . In Reassessing This Work, Which Tells The Story Of The World's Beginning From Unbounded Chaos To The Defeat Of The Titans, Caldwell Addresses Several Unexplained Problems— Why Does The World Begin With The Spontaneous Emergence Of Four Uncaused Entities, And Why In This Particular Order? Why Does Ouranos Prevent His Children From Being Born By Confining Them In Their Mother's Body? Why Is Ouranos Castrated By His Son, And Why Is Aphrodite Born From The Severed Genitals? Why Is It Always The Youngest Son Who Overthrows His Father, The Sky-god, And What Is The Logic Of The Steps Taken By Zeus To Prevent The Same Thing Happening To Him? Presenting A New Definition And Analyses Of The Psychological Functions In Myth, This New Study Should Appeal To A Wide Range Of Classicists, Teachers And Students Of Mythology, Psychoanalysts, And Those Interested In The Application Of Psychoanalytic Methods To Literature. Contents......Page 16 The Meaning of Myth......Page 20 Definition......Page 27 Function......Page 30 Repression and Sexuality......Page 35 Childhood......Page 36 Symbiosis and the Oral Phase......Page 39 The Anal Phase......Page 44 Sexual questions......Page 46 The Phallic Phase and the Oedipus Complex......Page 49 The Blindness of Teiresias......Page 54 The Anxiety of Bellerophon......Page 58 The Nature of Dreams......Page 65 Dreams and Myths......Page 68 The Primary Process: Condensation and Displacement......Page 70 Metaphor and Metonymy......Page 72 Symbolism......Page 77 Decomposition......Page 79 Projection......Page 82 Reversal......Page 84 Before Hesiod......Page 88 The Question of Influence......Page 93 The Enuma Elish......Page 95 "Kingship in Heaven"......Page 99 Fire and Water......Page 101 Tantalos and Prometheus......Page 104 The Theogony of Hesiod......Page 109 The Library of Apollodoros......Page 136 The Beginning......Page 143 Mythic Symbiosis: Chaos and Gaia......Page 146 Mythic Individuation: Tartaros and Eros......Page 149 The First Generation......Page 159 The First Revolt......Page 163 The Monsters......Page 169 Golden Race and Golden Apples......Page 173 The Second Revolt......Page 178 The Dispensation of Zeus......Page 181 The Strategy of Zeus......Page 185 Hephaistos......Page 187 5. CONCLUSION......Page 203 Notes......Page 206 Bibliography......Page 214 C......Page 218 G......Page 219 L......Page 220 P......Page 221 U......Page 222 Z......Page 223 This innovative study posits that myths in general, and Greek theogonic myth in particular, have a latent meaning that is responsible both for the emotional energy inherent in myths, and for the special attraction they have even to those who no longer believe in their literal meaning. Caldwell describes, in clear and comprehensible language, aspects of psychoanalytic theory relevant to the understanding of Greek myth, implementing a psychoanalytic methodology to interpret the Greek myth of origin and succession, particularly as stated in Hesiod's Theogony. In reassessing this work, which tells the story of the world's beginning from unbounded Chaos to the defeat of the Titans, Caldwell addresses several unexplained problems-- why does the world begin with the spontaneous emergence of four uncaused entities, and why in this particular order? Why does Ouranos prevent his children from being born by confining them in their mother's body? Why is Ouranos castrated by his son, and why is Aphrodite born from the severed genitals? Why is it always the youngest son who overthrows his father, the sky-god, and what is the logic of the steps taken by Zeus to prevent the same thing happening to him? Presenting a new definition and analyses of the psychological functions in myth, this new study should appeal to a wide range of classicists, teachers and students of mythology, and those interested in the application of psychoanalytic methods to literature. Annotation. This innovative study posits that myths in general, and Greek theogonic myth in particular, have a latent meaning that is responsible both for the emotional energy inherent in myths, and for the special attraction they have even to those who no longer believe in their literal meaning. Caldwell describes, in clear and comprehensible language, aspects of psychoanalytic theory relevant to the understanding of Greek myth, implementing a psychoanalytic methodology to interpret the Greek myth of origin and succession, particularly as stated in Hesiod'sTheogony. In reassessing this work, which tells the story of the world's beginning from unbounded Chaos to the defeat of the Titans, Caldwell addresses several unexplained problems-- why does the world begin with the spontaneous emergence of four uncaused entities, and why in this particular order? Why does Ouranos prevent his children from being born by confining them in their mother's body? Why is Ouranos castrated by his son, and why is Aphrodite born from the severed genitals? Why is it always the youngest son who overthrows his father, the sky-god, and what is the logic of the steps taken by Zeus to prevent the same thing happening to him? Presenting a new definition and analyses of the psychological functions in myth, this new study should appeal to a wide range of classicists, teachers and students of mythology, and those interested in the application of psychoanalytic methods to literature This study posits that myths in general, and Greek theogonic myth in particular, have a latent meaning that is responsible both for the emotional energy inherent in myths, and for the special attraction they have even to those who no longer believe in their literal meaning. The author describes aspects of psychoanalytic theory relevant to the understanding of Greek myth, implementing a psychoanalytic methodology to interpret the Greek myth of origin and succession, particularly as stated in Hesiod's Theogony. In reassessing this work, which tells the story of the world's beginning from unbounded Chaos to the defeat of the Titans, the author addresses several unexplained problems-- why does the world begin with the spontaneous emergence of four uncaused entities, and why in this particular order? Why does Ouranos prevent his children from being born by confining them in their mother's body? Why is Ouranos castrated by his son, and why is Aphrodite born from the severed genitals? Why is it always the youngest son who overthrows his father, the sky-god, and what is the logic of the steps taken by Zeus to prevent the same thing happening to him? Using these questions, the author presents a new definition and analyses of the psychological functions in myth Richard Caldwell describes in clear, comprehensive language those aspects of psychoanalytic theory that are relevant to the understanding of Greek myth, going on to interpret, using psychoanalytical methodology, the Greek myth of origin and succession, particularly as stated in Hesiod's Theogony