"Mythological universals are not a game of mind for lovers of magic, but the key to our consciousness, the key to the entire culture of mankind. These are images that have been embodied in art for centuries, even atheistic," emphasizes Alexander Barkov, a famous researcher of mythology, in his lectures. The book includes the most popular of her lectures - on the Mother Goddess, where the myth associated with this eternal image is reconstructed; lectures on the evolution of the image of the lord of the underworld from the ancient Blue Bull to ancient philosophy, the evolution of the image of the muse from archaic to modernity and the transformation of various myths of creation. Lively language, witty and ironic presentation of the material create a feeling of direct participation of the reader in an exciting lecture.