The story of the Garden of Eden as related in Genesis is correlated with Babylonian and East African myths. These are essentially coitus myths in which the man struggles with the father (God) and wins the mother (Eve). In connection with this he loses immortality and civilization develops. The similarity of the story with certain typical phantasies of male patients is pointed out.

The eating of the fruit of the tree is also correlated with myths of other

races. It is clear that the sin committed is sexual desire or maturation and for this the father punishes by driving man out of the infantile relationship. So sexual maturity plus the aggressive impulse produce the Oedipus complex. Woman is represented by anxiety symbols (serpent) and pleasure symbols (breast—garden). So the story of the Garden of Eden means that maturation, the end of infantile bliss, is a misfortune.