Mythology is an organization of symbolic images and narratives metaphorical of the possibilities and fulfillment in a given culture in a given time. Mythology is a metaphor. God, angels, purgatory, these are metaphors. (from interview with New York Times, 1985)
Joseph Campbell was a professor of philosophy at Sarah Lawrence, author, and speaker who influenced many artists from the mid-20th century through today. Some of the most provocative movies mirror his philosophy (e.g. 2001 Space Odyssey, Star Wars) and countless other artists have found inspiration in his ideas. The core of Campbell's major contribution is in understanding mythological stories as metaphors for the human journey, as reflected in the above quote.
A Hero's Journey (2018) is a summary collection of quotes from Campbell's writing as well as references made by others to his work and interviews/panels in which he was involved. Reflecting on his writing, Campbell said, "That's the function of the artist, you know, to reinterpret the old stories and make them come alive again, in poetry, painting, and now movies." (p. 13) This quote captured his purpose in life - to remind readers and listeners that myth is a way of enlivening the mystery of life.
Campbell's belief was that myths are universal and transcend time, reflecting consistent archetypes that contribute to a long, unfolding story. He believed that study and internalization of myths was especially important in the modern era where cynicism can inhibit full engagement and inquiry. The antidote he advocated was to follow your bliss, digging deep to identify your passion and following the path it opens to you. The hero's journey was one of going in, "It is a movement beyond the known boundaries of faith and convention, the search for what matters, the path of destiny, the route of individuality, the road of original experience..." (p. 23) And the myths were both ancient and contemporary with the contemporary stories coming from music, athletic competition, nature and human's encounter with it.
Campbell's most notable book is The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) which followed an extensive period of study and editing of Heinrich Zimmer's (Celtic scholar and Indologist who fled Hitler's Germany) lectures given at Columbia University. Through studying Zimmer and other mythological stories, Campbell arrived at the idea that "...there's one mythology in the world. It has been inflected in various cultures in terms of their historical and social circumstances and needs and particular local ethic systems, but it's one mythology." (p. 201) One of the most profound assertions of this one mythology was that "deities are symbolic personifications of the very images that are of yourself." "...god is out there and the god is in here. The kingdom of heaven is within you, yes, but it's also everywhere." (p. 202) Fundamental to this view was that mythical stories, particularly those in the Christian Bible, must "be read as metaphorical of what ought to happen to me, that I ought to die and resurrect, die to my ego and resurrect to my divinity." (p. 216)
Some of Campbell's ideas are a product of the time in which he read, thought, and taught. Particularly in relation to women's roles, Campbell advocated what might today be perceived by many as an uneasy balance between affirmation of women pursuing whatever they wish in career and life against roles of nurturer and care taker. Likewise, his view of men's roles included a degree of gallantry, even referencing the "five virtues of the medieval knight: temperance, courage, loyalty, courtesy, and love" (p. 179), that many in the current era would find stifling. As products of the time, these ideas can surely be subjected to Campbell's four major functions of mythology:
- Mystical - opening the heart and mind
- Cosmological - opening to what science teaches us
- Sociological - validating and maintaining social systems
- Pedagogical - guiding us through the inevitable crises of life
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