In some ways the theoretical issue, the problem of the last chapter, cannot be solved without moving toward the concrete task of interpretation. if it can be established that the symbol is a distinctive linguistic phenomenon with its own rubrics and properties, the next task will be the encounter with concrete symbols, the problem of interpretation. Mircea Eliade's contribution to the development of a theory of interpretation is the development of a hermeneutic which incorporates phenomenological and structural motifs. In this discussion the issue which will in some sense dominate the rest of the book is presented, namely, the issue of the meaning of symbols as authentic representations and articulations of human experience. Here specifically the problem of the religious symbol is discussed; later other types of symbols will be considered. The theoretical framework of the last chapter provides the foundation for the development of this hermeneutic orientation.