The Four Functions of Myth

In anticipation of some future posts on developing my personal mythology, I wanted to share what Joseph Campbell has identified as the four purposes of myth. When I first read this a few weeks ago, I was pretty blown away by his precise breakdown of such a seemingly complex subject. And, as I've thought more about his ideas, I've come to realize that they will make for a pretty awesome framework as I try to map out all of the various religions, philosophies, sciences, and arts that comprise my personal mythology. In any case, here it is. These are the four functions of all mythological systems...

1. The philosophical - Being creatures with a consciousness, we are challenged by life in ways that other creatures our not. Namely we have to come to terms with many of life's more unsatisfactory realities, such as the notion that life feeds off of death. One major function of mythology, then, has been to help the individual to reconcile him or herself with these difficult realities. Campbell notes that there have been three basic mythological responses to the negative aspects of life. 1. Many ancient mythologies, including those from Native America, are completely embracing of all aspects of life, including the brutal human need to kill for survival. These mythological systems often include barbaric rituals, and stories of ancient meetings between men and animals in which the animals gave the men permission to kill them as long as they returned their spirits to the earth. 2. Other mythological traditions such as Jainism are wholly rejecting of the negative aspects of human existence, such as the practice of killing to perpetuate life. Jains will often suffer themselves so as not to kill any other living beings. 3. A third approach which includes both Zoroastrianism and Christianity have developed views in which the world contains both good and evil forces. They embrace those aspects of the world seen as bringing them closer to the good force, and reject those aspects of life seen as resulting from the evil forces.

2. The cosmological - This one's fairly simple. Mythology, throughout human history, has served to provide humans with an awe-inspiring image of the cosmos and its various dimensions. In the modern world, this function has been largely replaced by science.

3. The sociological - Another fairly straight forward function. Being the moral compass of a society, mythological systems have also provided societies with a shared and clearly defined sense of right and wrong, as defined by the Gods. In this way, mythology has served to validate and maintain a social order. In modern society, this function has been replaced by the secular legal system.

4. The psychological - Finally, mythological systems have provided individuals in societies with guidance on how to pass through the various stages of life. This is an area where old myths have become difficult to translate to the modern world. As Campbell points out, while old mythologies were effective in helping indoctrinate individuals into the tribe, they seem less useful with regards to the modern Western notion of growing up, which requires young people to discover who they are as individuals. Consequently, there aren't really any myths that carry people through this more modern manifestation of adulthood.


Whew! That's a lot to ponder. What I'll be doing next is incorporating these four categories into my personal mythology, which will be a permanent page on this blog that can be accessed from the home page. Beneath each of Campbell's four categories, I'll be detailing the myths, artistic objects, scientific concepts, and philosophies that enrich my life and provide me with my own functioning, living mythology.