The King and the Corpse: Tales of the Soul’s Conquest of Evil

A classic work of comparative mythology by acclaimed scholar Heinrich Zimmer

Drawing from Eastern and Western literatures, Heinrich Zimmer presents a selection of stories linked together by their common concern for the problem of our eternal conflict with the forces of evil. Beginning with a tale from the Arabian Nights, this theme unfolds in legends from Irish paganism, medieval Christianity, the Arthurian cycle, and early Hinduism. In retelling these tales, Zimmer discloses the meanings of their seemingly unrelated symbols and suggests the philosophical wholeness of their myths.

Heinrich Zimmer (1890-1943) was an Indologist, linguist, and historian of South Asian art. His books include Philosophies of India, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization, and The Art of Indian Asia (all Princeton). Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was the author of many books on comparative mythology, including The Hero with a Thousand Faces and The Masks of God.