Oriental Mythology

The second volume in Joseph Campbell’s monumental four-volume Masks of God series explores Asian mythology and its evolution into the distinctive religions of Egypt, India, China, and Japan. This Collected Works of Joseph Campbell edition has been revised with up-to-date science and new illustrations.

In this legendary exploration of Asian mythology, Joseph Campbell delves into the underlying myths and folkloric traditions that evolved into the great philosophies of the Egyptians and Sumerians, as well as the distinctive religions of India, China, and Japan, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Shintoism.

Oriental Mythology was originally published in 1962 as the second volume of Campbell’s monumental four-volume series The Masks of God. On completing the series, Campbell wrote, “Its main result for me has been the confirmation of a thought I have long and faithfully entertained: of the unity of man, not only in its biology, but also in its spiritual history, which has everywhere unfolded in the manner of a single symphony . . . irresistibly advancing to some kind of mighty climax, out of which the next great movement will emerge.”

Oriental Mythology remains mesmerizing in its eloquence, its scope, and its tantalizing vision of what may next emerge. This new hardcover edition, which joins The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell, features up-to-date archaeological, anthropological, and psychological information, as well as forty new or improved illustrations.