The Power of Myths: The Works of American Mythologist Joseph Campbell

In this paper, we present the work of Joseph Campbell (1904–1987), a famous American teacher and mythologist who compared symbols and myths. His thinking was greatly influenced by the insights of James Frazer, Adolf Bastian, Carl Jung, and especially Heinrich Zimmer. Campbell’s ideas refer to what he called a “mono-myth,” or the hero’s journey, which is a universal pattern found in all narratives worldwide. We show this in detail through Monteverdi’s opera Orfeo, which presents a new version of the Orpheus myth. We also explore other theories of Campbell’s, namely spiritual stories understood as metaphors, even as God, and the four functions of myth for human society.