The Power of Myth

[EndtheMadnessNow]

Mythologist Joseph Campbell presents his ideas about comparative mythology and the ongoing role of myth in human society. 1988 TV Mini Series, 6 episodes restored. Really fascinating, awe inspiring discussion that has aged really well.

Episode 1: The Hero's Adventure



Youtube playlist

Revisiting Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth - From New Dawn 144 (May-June 2014)

Perhaps myth first arose out of the answers parents give to their children’s questions. Many of these are unanswerable: Why is water wet? Why is fire hot? Where does everything come from? Who is God? Because people like to tell stories, it makes sense that parents would make up tales, far-fetched, elaborate, but sometimes beautiful, to satisfy this curiosity. The best of these would be passed down from generation to generation to form the body of worldwide myth.

Even so, this explanation does not tell us why myths are so powerful. Why should these stories have continued to be told for thousands of years? What meaning do they have and what role do they play in our lives?

This need for meaning and purpose, and for a connection to a reality that is larger than the sum total of material phenomena, indicates this reality exists. You would never feel thirst if there were no such thing as water. But at the same time we still feel the need to connect this higher reality with the universe that we know from sensory experience. We need a worldview that not only discovers distant galaxies but remind us of what Campbell calls the “ubiquitous power” out of which these galaxies arise. Such a worldview, if it can be found, will command the allegiance of humanity for a long time to come. Those who bring it will be the next generation of heroes. They may not have been born yet.

Joseph Campbell died in 1987 at age 83 in Hawaii. His wife, Jean Erdman born in 1916 lived until 2020. She was 104 years old!!

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

Mythologist Joseph Campbell presents his ideas about comparative mythology and the ongoing role of myth in human society. 1988 TV Mini Series, 6 episodes restored. Really fascinating, awe inspiring discussion that has aged really well.

Episode 1: The Hero's Adventure



Youtube playlist

Revisiting Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth - From New Dawn 144 (May-June 2014)

Perhaps myth first arose out of the answers parents give to their children’s questions. Many of these are unanswerable: Why is water wet? Why is fire hot? Where does everything come from? Who is God? Because people like to tell stories, it makes sense that parents would make up tales, far-fetched, elaborate, but sometimes beautiful, to satisfy this curiosity. The best of these would be passed down from generation to generation to form the body of worldwide myth.

Even so, this explanation does not tell us why myths are so powerful. Why should these stories have continued to be told for thousands of years? What meaning do they have and what role do they play in our lives?

This need for meaning and purpose, and for a connection to a reality that is larger than the sum total of material phenomena, indicates this reality exists. You would never feel thirst if there were no such thing as water. But at the same time we still feel the need to connect this higher reality with the universe that we know from sensory experience. We need a worldview that not only discovers distant galaxies but remind us of what Campbell calls the “ubiquitous power” out of which these galaxies arise. Such a worldview, if it can be found, will command the allegiance of humanity for a long time to come. Those who bring it will be the next generation of heroes. They may not have been born yet.

Joseph Campbell died in 1987 at age 83 in Hawaii. His wife, Jean Erdman born in 1916 lived until 2020. She was 104 years old!!

It is the not knowing that creates a void that one desires to fill.

How much of a myth is something just beyond our visual capabilities and limited understanding?