The Hero

With a
Thousand
Faces
Joseph Campbell
(1949)
 Main Points

 Campbell uses psychoanalysis and

symbology to demonstrate how all myths
tap into a universal subconscious.
 All societies have their version of the
monomyth, the Hero's Journey, which
reflects man's desire to connect the
physical with the spiritual.
 Modern society needs myths and heroes.
 About the Author
 Joseph Campbell
was a 20th century
comparative folklorist
 Helped bridge the
divide between
anthropology,
psychoanalysis, and
literary critique
 Most famous for the
'Hero's Journey'
Joseph Campbell
 Monomyth

 The Monomyth is
an archetypal
story about the
Hero's Journey to
combine the
spiritual with the
physical.
 Universal across
time and space
 The Hero With Many Faces

Though many different societies have their own version of

the hero, these are all just faces of the same archetypal
character manifesting from the human subconscious.
Spiritual vs. Physical

There is a spiritual
world which runs
parallel to the physical
world.

Connecting those two
worlds is the goal of
the human
experience.

Myths help man
understand the pursuit
of this goal.
Universality

Campbell uses case

examples from mythologies
around the world, treating
them all as equally valid.
 Psychoanalysis and Modernity
Sigmund Freud

Campbell relies heavily
of Freud and Jung to
show how
psychoanalysis can
explain most myths.

Campbell argues that
modern society uses
psychoanalysis instead
of myths and thus
struggles to connect
with the spiritual.
 Modern man needs
more myths.
Carl Jung
 Critiques

A common critique is
that Campbell uses all
mythical systems on
equal footing.
 This means that
Christian beliefs are
considered mythology
equal to ancient
Egyptian gods or Maori
folklore.
 Many monotheists found
this offensive.
 Commentary

 Campbell's 'Hero's Journey' has

become the template for many
modern movies and books.
 Neo in the Matrix universe
 Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars
universe
 The Gunslinger in the Dark Tower
universe
 Walkthrough

 Prologue: The Monomyth

 Part 1: The Adventure of
the Hero
 Outline of the Hero's
Journey

Part 2: The Cosmogenic
Cycle
 Analysis of Other Classes
of Myths
 Epilogue: Myth and Society
 Prologue

Myth and Dream
 Psychoanalysis can unpack myths
 Myths are depersonalized dreams

Tragedy and Comedy
 Tragedy and comedy are connected

The Hero and the God
 The hero endures a rite of passage

The World Navel
 The subconscious connects shared
experiences
The Adventure of the Hero


The Hero's
Journey
consists of
three phases:
 Separation
 Initiation
 Return
 Separation

 The Call to Adventure

 Refusal of the Call
 Supernatural Aid

Crossing the Threshold
 Belly of the Whale
Initiation

The Road of Trials

Meeting with the
Goddess

Woman as
Temptress

Atonement with
the Father

Apotheosis

The Ultimate Boon
 Return


Refusal of Return

The Magic Flight

Rescue from
Without

The Crossing of the
Return Threshold

Master of Two
Worlds

Freedom to Live
Keys

Campbell offers a
condemnation of
Christianity,
arguing that
Christians:
 do not understand
how myths evolve
 do not connect
with their myths
on a meaningful,
spiritual level
 Cosmogenic Cycle


Campbell then
discusses other
classes of myths
 Creation myths
 Myths about
women
 Myths that alter
heroes
 Myths about death
 Emanations

Cross-culturally, creation myths share
common characteristics
 Creation comes from nothingness
 Life is created, multiplies, and becomes
male/female
 Life conflicts with the power that created
it
 Individual groups develop their own
identities through creation
 Virgin Birth

 Women serve as the

“personifications and
precipitators of
[man’s] destiny”
(283)
 Women appear in
many forms
throughout myths to
represent birth and
rebirth of the hero
Transformations of the Hero
 The hero often
changes form in myth:
 To break his dependency
on his physical form
 To transcend the physical
and elevate the spiritual
in his life
 To manifest the power
inherent in his spiritual
destiny
 Dissolutions

Myths relating to death
and return to the source
of creation are often
fraught with danger.

Campbell notes that all
Hero's Journeys must
end, and discusses
various religious
eschatologies (stories
of end times).
 Epilogue

 Campbell acknowledges that

psychoanalysis is only one way of
interpreting myth.
 He argues that man is losing his connection
to myth, and thus to the spiritual.
 He condemns modern man for being too
individualistic and too materialistic and
prescribes more attention to myth.