The Myth of the Birth of the Hero

The Myth of the Birth of the Hero
Cover for the 1922 German edition
AuthorOtto Rank
Original titleDer Mythus von der Geburt des Helden
Translator
  • E. Robbins and Smith Ely Jelliffe (1914 translation)
  • Gregory C. Richter and E. James Lieberman (2004 translation)
LanguageGerman
Published
  • 1909 (1st ed. in German)
  • 1914 (1st ed. in English)
  • 1922 (2nd ed. in German)
  • 2004 (2nd ed. in English)
Publication placeGermany

The Myth of the Birth of the Hero (German: Der Mythus von der Geburt des Helden) is a book by Austrian psychoanalyst Otto Rank in which the author puts forth a psychoanalytical interpretation of mythological heroes, specifically with regard to legends about their births.[1] The first edition of the book was published in 1909, and a greatly expanded second edition was published in 1922.[2]

  1. ^ Kaës, René (2005). "Myth of the Birth of the Hero, The". In de Mijolla, Alain (ed.). The International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis. Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA. pp. 1093–1094.
  2. ^ Segal, Robert A. (2004). "Introductory Essay". The Myth of the Birth of the Hero: A Psychological Exploration of Myth. Baltimore, MA: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. viii, xxviii.