Myth as metaphor

It would appear that we are all seeking a meaning to life, but what we are really seeking is the experience of being alive; that our life experiences resonate with our inner self, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive. With this theme, Joseph Campbell (1904-1987), opened the universe of mythology to the world with his foundational work The Hero with a Thousand Faces (The Hero) published in 1949; perhaps the most innovative and influential work of literature of the 20th century. It was innovative because he constructed a single great narrative -- the monomyth -- the essence of all heroic stories that he describes as the hero’s journey -- universal across time and space.

The Hero has influenced a number of artists, filmmakers, and musicians, including Bob Dylan, George Lucas, and Jim Morrison. Stanley Kubrick introduced Arthur C Clarke to the book during the writing of 2001: A Space Odyssey. George Lucas’ discursive use of the monomyth in the making of the Star Wars movies is well-documented. The Hero influenced the creation of such films as Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Lion King (1994), The Matrix (1999), and Avatar (2009). Richard Adams in Watership Down uses extracts from The Hero as chapter epigrams. You cannot miss how closely J K Rowling’s Harry Potter books hew to the monomyth schema.

The monomyth means that all myths emerge out of a common creative imagination: It is the narrative on the human search for the ultimate spiritual meaning in life that parallels all legends of heroes who must travel to an unknown world and do battle with the powers of darkness in order to return with the gift of knowledge. In reading Campbell, mythology is poetry, it is metaphorical. At a personal level, you begin to recognise a myth as a metaphor transparent to transcendence, finding answers to the question: How do I find this thing in myself, in my life, that which truly moves me?

At the level of society, myths serve three functions: First, the mystical and cosmological function which allows a connection between human beings and the universe; second, the sociological and moral function that supports and validates a certain order in society; third, the psychological and pedagogical function that relates to how to live a human life through all the various stages from birth to death. What differentiates a myth from a story? The main difference is that stories are told but myths are experienced.

Campbell developed the hero’s journey as a parable for the transformation of human beings that is led through great movements of departure, initiation, and return. The hero’s journey is one that each of us embarks on in our own lives, but perhaps fail to recognise that it signifies three distinct transformations: A transformation of setting, a transformation of self, and a transformation of society…Without a change in setting, the hero cannot change self, and without a change in self, the hero cannot change the world.

The hero is introduced in the ordinary world where he or she receives the call to adventure. The individual is at first reluctant. Next, a mentor encourages the hero to go forth. Then, the crossing of the first threshold enables the hero to enter the unknown world for initiation. Here, the individual encounters tests, allies, and enemies, and approaches the inmost cave to endure the challenge. Thereafter, a reward is the ultimate boon.

The hero may be tempted to rest at this stage, believing that he or she has already gained all things ever desired. However, it is vital to return. After further challenges in the unfamiliar world, the hero goes back with the crossing of the return threshold to enter again the ordinary world. The hero experiences a resurrection which transforms him or her into being a master of the two worlds -- the mundane and the spiritual -- finally, experiencing the freedom to live. Campbell teaches us to recognise miracles when they happen in our lives.

The metaphor of the hero’s journey is applicable to a wide variety of human problems and helps us reflect on our own lives. When we are confronted with unbridgeable problems, we often feel we are the only ones who have to deal with these special kinds of problems. However, in various contexts, other people have already experienced similar challenges. Campbell urges us to identify with the hero’s journey, since it shows us that overcoming challenges is an
important part of life; and while performing the hero’s journey, change and transformation happen.

Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces is illuminating; that a good life is one heroic journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure; you are called to new horizons. C’est la vie!

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