The Markan presentation of Jesus is strongly influenced by mythic views. Nevertheless, as a consequence of an exegetical tradition which is indebted to Rudolf Bultzmann's programme of demythologization, the perception of mythical traits in the oldest Gospel has for the most part taken a back seat. The author examines the mythic phenomena in the Gospel of Mark on the basis of a theory of myth which is grounded in the scholarship of religions and in philosophy. The result is new insights in regard to the genre and the theological conception of the Gospel of Mark. It is shown that a critical discussion with the history of forms is necessary in regard to method.