''The Flight of the Wild Gander: Explorations in the Mythological Dimension'' is a 1969 book by mythologist

Joseph Campbell Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the ...

, in which he collects a number of his early essays and forwards. Essays include "Bios and Mythos" (on the psycho-biological sources of mythic forms and symbols), "Mythogenesis" (on the rise and fall of a single Native American legend) and "The Symbol without Meaning" (about the secularization of myths in the modern age). The ''wild gander'' of the title is a reference to the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

concept of the paramahamsa, a great spiritual teacher of exalted illumination, able to transcend the mundane, just as the ''hamsa'' is able to fly above the sky-scraping Himalayas. Published originally in 1969 by Viking Press, the book was rereleased by

Harper and Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

in 1990. The third edition was published by New World Library in 2002, making ''The Flight of the Wild Gander'' the third title in the

Joseph Campbell Foundation The Joseph Campbell Foundation is a US not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserve, protect and perpetuate the work of influential American mythologist Joseph Campbell (1904–1987). It fosters academic and popular discussion in the fields o ...

Collected Works of Joseph Campbell Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the ...

series.

References

External links

''Flight of the Wild Gander'' page on the JCF site
Books by Joseph Campbell Comparative mythology 1969 books Mythology books Psychology books Anthropology books Essay collections Viking Press books {{myth-book-stub