ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the many facets of the Batman mythos as they overlap with one of the oldest and most enigmatic “super-stories” of them all – the near-universal narrative of shamanism. As we will explore, Batman’s unique kind of “dark power” is reflective of a psychospiritual transformation encoded in the cross-cultural beliefs, practices, and experiences of the world’s shamanic traditions. In taking this approach, we can better understand why, in spite of his all-too-humanness, Batman is no less a paranormal hero than Superman or the X-Men.
