This chapter examines the myths of the soul in the Gorgias, Phaedo, Republic, and Phaedrus. The mythological material from the later dialogues, which focus more on methodological matters, will be treated in Chapter 8. This division reflects a shift of emphasis in the deployment of Platonic philosophical myth between the middle and late periods. The final word on the chronology of the Platonic dialogues has not been spoken, but, fortunately, absolute precision is unnecessary for the present task. It is sufficient that the myths of the soul form a recognisable grouping reflecting primarily ethical concerns. Middle period myths give a synoptic view of reality. They are connected with philosophical intuition and with the unmediated perception of reality that is the goal of the philosophical quest. They do not reveal reality, but act as a model for this ultimate experience. The relationship between logical/analytic discourse and mythical/intuitive discourse is complex. ‘Myth’ describes both an insight which serves as a starting point for dialectic and one which comes at the end of the process of analysis. It is the discourse out of which dialectic emerges and in which dialectic ends when the object of its analysis cannot (as yet) be verified. Thus it can be regarded as a symbolic short-cut for the analytic process, although it can replace it. Myth is the multivalent discourse against which philosophy revolts, the discourse which is a kind of philosophical shorthand, and the discourse which represents philosophy's culmination.