One amazing aspect of dreaming is that it can introduce you to ancient mythological figures of whom you thought you knew nothing. Jung put this well when he said that The great ones of the past have not died, as we think; they have merely changed their names.’ Our dreams may also relate to modern legends, such as those from the Star Wars or Superman films or from the Harry Potter books. Our distant ancestors lived with the dangers and uncertainties of an existence that drove them to seek comfort in beliefs that reached far beyond the bounds of reason. They lived in a world where the magical and mythological was accepted without question. Despite the efforts of established religion and science to impose their own belief systems, these ancient beliefs in gods, spirits and superheroes continue to haunt, fascinate and enchant us with the mysterious images that seep into our sleeping world.The myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans survive because the human characteristics they represent are universal: love, lust, anger, fear, greed and so on. Such human characteristics are the basic stuff of the stories the ancients dreamed up, and, according to Jungians, these myths lie deep in our unconscious. The personalities of myth may only be recognized by those who study them but, by recognizing their characteristics and studying them, you can learn a lot about yourself. Any character that appears prominently in your dream will be worth measuring against the mythological figure it closely resembles.
The following are some of the most well-known myths and legends, but the list is by no means comprehensive.
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