
Prometheus
Archetypal Image of Human Existence (Archetypal Images in Greek Religion, Volume 1)
Carl Kerenyi(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 14. April 2026
Book
Hardback
184 pages
978-0-691-28176-6 (ISBN)
Description
A landmark account of the Prometheus story as myth and archetype
The god Prometheus stole fire from heaven and bestowed it on humans. In punishment, Zeus chained him to a rock, where an eagle clawed unceasingly at his liver until Herakles freed him. For the Greeks, the myth of Prometheus's release reflected a primordial law of existence and the fate of humankind. Carl Kerenyi examines the story of Prometheus and the very process of mythmaking as a reflection of the archetypal function and seeks to discover how this primitive tale was invested with a universal fatality, first in the Greek imagination and then in the Western tradition of Romantic poetry. Kerenyi traces the evolving myth from Hesiod and Aeschylus, and in its epic treatment by Goethe and Shelley. He goes on to consider the myth from the perspective of Jungian psychology as the archetype of human daring signifying the transformation of suffering into the mystery of the sacrifice.
The god Prometheus stole fire from heaven and bestowed it on humans. In punishment, Zeus chained him to a rock, where an eagle clawed unceasingly at his liver until Herakles freed him. For the Greeks, the myth of Prometheus's release reflected a primordial law of existence and the fate of humankind. Carl Kerenyi examines the story of Prometheus and the very process of mythmaking as a reflection of the archetypal function and seeks to discover how this primitive tale was invested with a universal fatality, first in the Greek imagination and then in the Western tradition of Romantic poetry. Kerenyi traces the evolving myth from Hesiod and Aeschylus, and in its epic treatment by Goethe and Shelley. He goes on to consider the myth from the perspective of Jungian psychology as the archetype of human daring signifying the transformation of suffering into the mystery of the sacrifice.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
18 b/w illus.
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
458 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-28176-6 (9780691281766)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Carl Kerényi
Prometheus
Archetypal Image of Human Existence (Archetypal Images in Greek Religion, Volume 1)
E-Book
04/2026
Princeton University Press
€27.49
Available for download
Persons
Carl Kerenyi (1897-1973) was a Hungarian scholar of classical philology and the history of religion. He made significant contributions to the modern study of Greek mythology and collaborated with figures like C. G. Jung in exploring mythological archetypes.