Joseph Campbell has been celebrated as an expert in his field, owning a unique storytelling skill and a splendid method of presenting myths. Joseph John Campbell born 26 March 1904, worked and dedicated his life to American Mythology, studying and researching comparative religion and comparative mythology. In these two domains, Campbell discussed different human experiences. Campbell presented the view of the monomyth, meaning one myth, viewing every mythic narrative as summarized under one giant story (Campbell, and Moyers 2011). He employs the use of many mythical references in his written work, some of which are,
Mother Earth
Campbell presents the thematic version of Mother Earth when expressing the love a child has with their human mother. There are religions that view mothers as the prime parents. To defend his point, he elaborated by saying that a mother is the source, the immediate parent in comparison to the father.
This is the main reason: a child is born to the mother, and their first interaction and experience are with the mother. In a similar fashion, Campbell expresses the human mother’s image as that of the world. Mother Earth spreads and shares her love with humanity in the same manner, as that of a mother sharing love with her child. She gives nourishment to plants the same way a human mother gives nourishment to her child. To summarize, woman magic is very similar to earth magic.
Eros/Cupid
The thematic analysis of Eros in Campbell’s writing represents the idea of love. Eros is considered to be the god that brings excitement to the bond of sexual desire. This concept opposes the view of person-to-person desire. Instead, it relates to the biological urge between organs, their craving for each other with a disregard for personal factors.
Campbell relates to Eros concepts with that of Cupid, which is also known as the Kama in India. His perception of Eros is not for the traditional Cupid; rather, it relates more to the Kama since Campbell was fascinated with the characteristics of the Indian god of love, who wielded a giant bow with arrows with various names. The inspiration was so intense for him that it brought physiological and psychological joy to anyone who reads into it.
Agape
Agape is a mythical concept driven by Christianity that represents and stands for love. Agape presents the idealized meaning of love through the statement of showing love to neighbors the same way as people love themselves. Campbell expressed that Agape’s love is the same as personalized love’s. He further exemplified it with a seizure after meeting someone and the visual contact made by looking into someone’s eye, as mentioned in the troubadour.
Marriage
The view of marriage is similar to that of usual marriage, which is quite traditional in older cultures where families arrange marriages. He further explained it as one that is not associated with the decisions made by people and remains true to the present day. The concept of arranged marriages in Campbell’s writing is not to demote the idea that arranged marriages are bad or to say that they lack love. His opinion on arranged marriages held that arranged marriages were a manifestation of various kinds of love, including family love and being abundant in love for life.
Romantic love
Campbell’s opinion about romantic love and its value in human relations stems from the Middle Ages. He describes this time as one of the most wondrous of all since the stories from that era truly captured the true essence of love, one that transcended the feeling of Lust. Campbell described romantic love as the joy of finding the counterpart of your life within another individual. He related this to the view that troubadours believed in and a concept that is practiced presently.
References
Campbell, J., & Moyers, B. (2011). The power of myth. Anchor.
