Water may be the world’s hardest-working religious symbol, representing life, death, purification, destruction, and countless other ideas. This program studies the spiritual properties of water and the myriad ways in which humanity has regarded the precious substance over the millennia. Establishing a link between climate and the evolution of god-images, the video explores the notion of the angry deity who punishes with water—a concept prevailing in arid regions and informing flood myths across the globe. The program also illustrates the power of the river—as a source of life, and as a route into the underworld—highlighting the cultural and historical importance of the Nile, the Ganges, and the mythical Styx. (53 minutes)