All Seasons

Season 1

  • S01E01 The Hero's Adventure

    • June 21, 1988
    • PBS

    About Campbell, hero types, hero deeds, Jesus Christ, the Buddha, movie heroes, Star Wars as a metaphor, an Iroquois story: the refusal of suitors, dragons, dreams and Jungian psychology, “follow your bliss,” consciousness in plants, Gaia, Chartres cathedral, spirituality vs. economics, emerging myths, “Earthrise” as a symbol

  • S01E02 The Message of the Myth

    • June 22, 1988
    • PBS

    Creation myths, transcending duality, pairs of opposites, God vs. Nature, sin, morality, participation in sorrow, the Gospel of Thomas, Old Time Religion, computers, religion as “software,” the story of Indra: “What a great boy am I!,” participation in society

  • S01E03 The First Storytellers

    • June 23, 1988
    • PBS

    Animal memories, harmonization with body and life-cycle, consciousness vs. its vehicle, killing for food, story: “The Buffalo's Wife,” buffalo massacre, initiation ritual, rituals diminishing, crime increasing, artists, the Shaman, the center of the world

  • S01E04 Sacrifice and Bliss

    • June 24, 1988
    • PBS

    Chief Seattle, the sacred Earth, agricultural renewal, human sacrifice, sacrifice of the Mass, transcendence of death, story: “The Green Knight,” societal dictates vs. following bliss, “hidden hands” guiding life's work

  • S01E05 Love and the Goddess

    • June 25, 1988
    • PBS

    The Troubadours, Eros, romantic love, Tristan, libido vs. credo, separation from love, Satan, loving your enemy, the Crucifixion as atonement, the Goddess, the Earth-mother, virgin birth, the story of Isis, Osiris and Horus, the Madonna, the Big Bang

  • S01E06 Masks of Eternity

    • June 26, 1988
    • PBS

    Identifying with the infinite, the circle as a symbol, clowns and masks, epiphanies and James Joyce, artistic arrest, the monstrous as sublime, the dance of Shiva, that which is beyond words

Additional Specials

  • SPECIAL 0x1 The Mythology of Star Wars

    • June 30, 1988
    • PBS

    Bonus Interview with George Lucas on Mythology from The Mythology of Star Wars.

  • SPECIAL 0x2 Sukhavati: Place of Bliss

    • June 30, 1988
    • PBS

    Sukhavati: A Mythic Journey—This hypnotic and mesmerizing film is a deeply personal, almost spiritual, portrait of Campbell

  • SPECIAL 0x3 The Hero's Journey

    • June 30, 1988
    • PBS

    Joseph Campbell spent most of his long, rich career explaining how ancient myths like the Hero's Journey are relevant to modern life. In understanding the importance of myth as a vital, vibrant source of "mankind's one great story," Campbell inspired others to embark on a quest for the meaning of myth in their own lives. This biographical portrait, filmed shortly before his death in 1987, follows Campbell's personal quest—a pathless journey of questioning, discovery, and ultimately of delight and joy in a life to which he said, "Yes."