TV series

The Power of Myth

Name: The Power of Myth
Genre: Documentary
Released: 1988-06-21
Rating: 7.1
Cast: Joseph Campbell, Bill Moyers

19881 season7.1 / 10

The Power of Myth is a television series originally broadcast on PBS in 1988 as Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth. The documentary comprises six one-hour conversations between mythologist Joseph Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers.

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Availability

Not streaming in United States

The Power of Myth premiered June 21, 1988. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.

Synopsis

Season 1 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

Episode 1

The Hero's Adventure

Jun 21, 198858m

Long before medieval knights charge off to slay dragons, tales of heroic adventures were an integral part of all world cultures. Campbell challenges everyone to see the presence of a heroic journey in his or her life. About Campbell, hero types, hero deeds, Jesus Christ, the Buddha, Krishna, 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.

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Episode 2

The Message of the Myth

Jun 22, 19881h

Campbell compares the creation story in Genesis with creation stories from around the world. Because the world changes, religion has to be transformed and new mythologies created. People today are stuck with myths that don't fit their needs. 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.

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Episode 3

The First Storytellers

Jun 23, 19881h

Campbell discusses the importance of accepting death as rebirth as in the myth of the buffalo and the story of Christ, the rite of passage in primitive societies, the role of mystical Shamans, and the decline of ritual in today's society. 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.

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Episode 4

Sacrifice and Bliss

Jun 24, 19881h

Campbell discusses the role of sacrifice in myth, which symbolizes the necessity for rebirth. He stresses the need for every one of us to find our sacred place in the midst of today's fast-paced, technological world. 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.

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Episode 5

Love and the Goddess

Jun 25, 19881h

Campbell talks about romantic love, beginning with the 12th century troubadors, and addresses questions about the image of women - as goddess, virgin, Mother Earth. The Troubadours, Eros, romantic love, Tristan, libido vs. credo, separation from love, Satan, loving your enemy, the Crucifixion as atonement, virgin birth, the story of Isis, Osiris and Horus, the Madonna, the Big Bang, the correlation between the earth or mother Goddess and images of fertility (the sacred feminine).

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Episode 6

Masks of Eternity

Jun 26, 19881hfinale

Campbell provides challenging insights into the concepts of God, religion, and eternity, as revealed in Christian teachings and the beliefs of Buddhists, Navajo Indians, Schopenhauer, Jung and others. 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.

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Episode information updated Jul 24, 2026

Available now in United States

TV series · 2017★ 8.1

Shared themes

More about The Power of Myth

Cast

Joseph CampbellSelf

Bill MoyersSelf

Production details

Status: Ended
Series type: Miniseries
Episodes: 6
Original language: English

Networks & production

PBSUnited States
Apostrophe S Productions
Public Affairs Television
Alvin H. Perlmutter, Inc.

Themes

ancient civilizationbuddhismchristianitycomparative religioneastern philosophyegyptian mythologyfolk herofolktale