The Hero with 1000 Faces

One of my hobbies is studying mythology. All peoples and cultures have myths, many of which are rooted in actual events. Myths are, in their simplest form, stories passed down generation to generation. Each one usually has a moral. Some are very exciting epics, others are tales of loneliness, still others are comedic, ALL are interesting. And for me, the similarities between myths are VERY alluring.

Many decades ago, Joseph Campbell (the authority on mythology) wrote a book called, “The Hero With A Thousand Faces” (1949), where he compared myths from many different cultures. Through the decades, he revised and updated the book to include “new” myths. (For Star Wars fans, George Lucas relied heavily on Joseph Campbell’s works when creating his epic battle of light vs. dark).

THAT is what fascinates me about mythology. So many different peoples and cultures separated by thousands of miles of ominous terrain and dangerous oceans, yet many have common stories and, even more intriguing, common “heroes”. Geography plays a big role in mythology!

Understanding a people’s mythology allows you to gain a deeper appreciation for the culture itself. It can also reveal some intriguing insights into why things are the way are in that culture. Mythology enriches our knowledge of other peoples, and by doing so, can bring us closer together as a species.

If you look closely the next time you read or hear a myth — and it could be something as simple as a fairy tale — you’ll see connections between other myths you’ve read (or heard). As Joseph Campbell said, mythology is, “the song of the universe, the music of the spheres…” And it’s a wonderful symphony!

Note: Besides Hero, you may also want to check out The Power of Myth or pretty much any other book by Joseph Campbell. He was an interesting man.