The Awe in Mythology
Odin, chief of the gods in Norse Mythology, took aside “Night and her son Day and gave them two horses and two chariots and set them up in the sky so that they have to ride around the earth every twenty-four hours. Night rides in front on the horse called Hrimfaxi, and every morning he bedews the earth with the drips from his bit. Day’s horse is called Skinfaxi (shining mane), and light is shed over all the sky and sea from his mane” (Sturluson 14). Mythological stories and images such as this one illustrate the profundity of miracles in our daily world by broadening, deepening, and transforming perspectives.
Today our circadian rhythm has been upended with breaking news pinging our phones and filling our social media feeds at all hours of the night and day. These interruptions alert us to the latest trends or tragedies, disrupting our body’s natural rhythms, imagination, peace of mind, and psychological health in the process. They jolt our nervous system and infiltrate the culture with an unconscious fear that often leads to feelings of isolation, often separating us from poetic forms of beauty that help to shape meaning.
Sitting under a starry night sky warmed by a campfire and sharing tales that intertwine nature with a feeling of belonging has been replaced by artificial light from individuals sitting in front of computers and other screens as a blue tint reflects on our faces. We forget to notice the sunrise or listen to sounds of nature as the world turns around us. This impediment to our circadian rhythm has us losing a sense of awe and dulls our powers of observation in natural surroundings, causing us to destroy that which is in our way or misunderstand.
Mythology can help break the incessant cycle by reconnecting us to the rhythms and interconnections of life. Joseph Campbell, who revitalized the popularity of mythology in the twentieth century, writes, “We have today to learn to get back into accord with the wisdom of nature and realize again our brotherhood with the animals and with the water and the sea” (Power 40). Mythology reminds us to engage with the outer world to uncover insight about our inner lives. Although the pace of our lives continues to increase exponentially, especially with rapid advancements in technology, the age-old questions about meaning, purpose, and our place in the scheme of things continues to be at the core of our being.
“We have today to learn to get back into accord with the wisdom of nature and realize again our brotherhood with the animals and with the water and the sea.” --Joseph Campbell, Power 40
Surrounding us in the quotidian world are clues from mythology that facilitate our connection to the sacred. In an interesting juxtaposition, the word “myth” is often used to mean something is a lie when, in actuality, mythological stories actually hold the most elemental truths of our shared humanity. These ancient stories have the potential to guide us in finding soul and purpose by reflecting truth through the use of metaphors. Campbell explains that mythology connects us to something even bigger than ourselves, writing "In one of the Upanishads it says, when the glow of a sunset holds you and you say 'Aha', that is the recognition of the divinity” (Mythic 187). There is much to learn by slowing down long enough to watch the morning dew glisten in the sun, listen to the bird sing, or see the moon illuminate the earth at night.
Joseph Campbell’s Four Functions of Mythology
Campbell describes four basic functions of mythology that are relevant to a contemporary audience:
The first function is reflecting mystery, or awe, in the universe. Campbell writes, “Myth opens the world to the dimension of mystery, to the realization of the mystery that underlies all forms” (Power 38).
The second function “is a cosmological dimension, the dimension with which science is concerned-showing you what the shape of the universe is, but showing it in such a way that the mystery again comes through” (Power 39).
The third function includes the sociological or the values of society … And here’s where the myths vary enormously from place to place” (Power 39).
The fourth function Campbell says “is one I think everyone must try today to relate to – and that is the pedagogical function of how to live a human lifetime under any circumstances. Myths can teach you that” (Power 39).
Mythology in Modern Times
Dreams, stories, art, rituals, and mythologies tap into the mysteries of life helping us connect to the sacred and divine perceivable through everyday miracles. Philosophers, poets, artists, scientists, and storytellers from ancient times through today recognize that mythological themes enhance a story with broader and more nuanced meanings. Each generation reinterprets the messages embedded in myths, highlighting archetypal energy or patterns that resonate in their era.
Psychiatrist and analytical psychologist C. G. Jung writes: “The most we can do is to dream the myth onwards and give it a modern dress. And whatever explanation or interpretation does to it, we do to our own soul as well, with corresponding results for our own well-being” (para 271). Similarly, anecdotes and rituals passed down within families, communities, and countries create a shared sense of belonging. These themes are incorporated into our movies, books, and art where we see ourselves in the stories.
As cultural mythologists, we at The International Society of Mythology (ISM) are creating space for those interested in mythology to gather and be inspired by the wisdom found in our collective stories. We do this with the aim of fostering hope, healing, curiosity, community, connection, and especially to rekindle our sense of awe in the world. We do not have to abandon our modern conveniences to get back to a natural rhythm. Taking time to appreciate sunrises, sunsets, animals, mountains, and the ocean, enhanced in story, for example, help us to embody what our ancestors knew to be true; that we must have reverence for life.
“The most we can do is to dream the myth onwards and give it a modern dress. And whatever explanation or interpretation does to it, we do to our own soul as well, with corresponding results for our own well-being” --C. G. Jung
By recognizing where mythological stories meet purpose, our hope at ISM is to help reestablish a rhythm with nature and one another while recognizing the miracles, power, and beauty galloping across our paths by Night and by Day.
Follow our blog, The Mythological Times, to read insights about mythologies from different disciplines, cultures, and perspectives. We anticipate featuring different writers each week. If you are an ISM member and would like to contribute to our blogs, please refer to this blog post which introduces editor Laurel Bergsten, and outlines submission details.
Works Cited
Campbell, Joseph. The Mythic Dimension. Selected Essays 1959-1987, Edited by Antony Van Couvering, New World Library, 2007.
--- The Power of Myth With Bill Moyers. Edited by Betty Sue Flowers. Anchor Books, 1988.
Jung, C. G. “On the Psychology of the Trickster-Figure.” Translated by R.F.C. Hull, edited by
H. Read et al. The Collected Works of C. G. Jung. Vol. 9.1, Princeton UP, 1977,
pp. 255-272.
Sturluson, Snorri. Edda. Translated and edited by Anthony Faulkes. Everyman, 1995.
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