THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES JOSEPH CAMPBELL BOL LING EN SERIES XVII PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON AND OXFORD Copyright © 2004 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 All rights reserved TO MT FATHER AND MOTHER First Edition, 1949 Second Edition, 1968 Copyright by Bollingen Foundation Inc., New York, N.Y. The Introduction to the 2004 edition is copyright © 2003 Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. All rights reserved Library of Congress Control No. 200306H0H4 ISBN: 0-691-11924-4 This book has been composed in Princeton University Press Distal Monticxllo Printed on acid-free paper www.pup ress.princeton.edu Printed in the United States of America TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures xi List of Plates xvi Preface to the 1949 Edition xxi Introduction to the 2004 Commemorative Edition, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D. xxiii Acknowledgments lxvi PROLOGUE: The Monomyth 1 1. Myth and Dream 3 2. Tragedy and Comedy 23 3. The Hero and the God 28 4. The World Navel 37 PART ONE The Adventure of the Hero CHAPTER I: Departure 45 1. The Call to Adventure 45 2. Refusal of the Call 54 3. Supernatural Aid 63 4. The Crossing of the First Threshold 71 5. The Belly of the Whale 83 CHAPTER II: Initiation 89 1. The Road of Trials 89 2. The Meeting with the Goddess 100 3. Woman as the Temptress 111 CONTENTS CONTENTS 4. Atonement with the Father 116 7. The Hero as Saint 327 5. Apotheosis 138 8. Departure of the Hero 329 6. The Ultimate Boon 159 CHAPTER IV: Dissolutions 337 CHAPTER III: Return 179 1. End of the Microcosm 337 1. Refusal of the Return 179 2. End of the Macrocosm 345 2. The Magic Flight 182 3. Rescue from Without 192 EPILOGUE: Myth and Society 351 4. The Crossing of the Return Threshold 201 1. The Shapeshifter 353 5. Master of the Two Worlds 212 2. The Function of Myth, Cult, and Meditation 354 6'. Freedom to Live 221 3. The Hero Today 358 CHAPTER IV: The Keys 227 Bibliography 363 PART TWO Index 383 The Cosmogonic Cycle CHAPTER I: Emanations 237 1. From Psychology to Metaphysics 237 2. The Universal Round 242 3. Out of the Void-Space 249 4. Within Space-Life 253 5. The Breaking of the One into the Manifold 261 6. Folk Stories of Creation 268 CHAPTER II: The Virgin Birth 275 1. Mother Universe 275 2. Matrix of Destiny 280 3. Womb of Redemption 285 4. Folk Stories of Virgin Motherhood 288 CHAPTER III: Transformations of the Hero 291 1. The Primordial Hero and the Human 291 2. Childhood of the Human Hero 295 5. The Hero as Warrior 309 4. The Hero as Lover 316 5. The Hero as Emperor and as Tyrant 319 6. The Hero as World Redeemer 322 LIST OF FIGURES 1. Sileni and Maenads. From a black-figure amphora, ca. 450-500 B.C., found in a grave at Gela, Sicily, {Monumenti Antichi, pubblicati per cura della Reale Accademia dei Lincei, Vol. XVII, Milan, 1907, Plate XXXVII.) 9 2. Minotaur•omachy. From an Attic red-figure crater, 5th cent. B.C. Here Theseus kills the Minotaur with a short sword; this is the usual version in the vase paintings. In the written accounts the hero uses his bare hands. {Collection des vases grecs de M. le Comte de Lamberg, expliquee et publiee par Alexandre de la Borde, Paris, 1813, Plate XXX.) 22 3. Osiris in the Form of a Bull Transports His Worshiper to the Underworld. From an Egyptian coffin in the British Museum. (E. A. Wallis Budge, Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection, London, Philip Lee Warner; New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1911, Vol. I, p. 13.) 50 4. Ulysses and the Sirens. From an Attic polychrome- figured white lecythus, 5th cent. B.C., now in the Central Museum, Athens. (Eugenie Sellers, "Three Attic Lekythoi from Eretria," Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. XIII, 1892, Plate I.) 76 5. The Night-Sea Journey:—Joseph in the Well: Entomb- ment of Christ: Jonah and the Whale. A page from the fifteenth-century Biblia Pauperum, German edition, 1471, showing Old Testament prefigure- ments of the history of Jesus. Compare Figures 8 and 11. (Edition of the Weimar Gesellschaft der Bibliophilen, 1906.) 87 LIST OK FIGURES I.I ST OF FIGURES 6. Isis in the Form of a Hawk Joins Osiris in the Under- Furtwangler, Hauser, and Reichhold, op. cit., world. This is the moment of the conception of Serie III, Text, p. 77, Fig. 39.) 188 Horns, who is to play an important role in the res- 10. The Resurrection of Osiris. The god rises from the urrection of his father. (Compare Fig. 10.) From a egg; Isis (the Hawk of Fig. 6) protects it with her series of bas-reliefs on the walls of the temple of wing. Horus (the son conceived in the Sacred Mar- Osiris at Dendera, illustrating the mysteries per- riage of Fig. 6) holds the Ankh, or sign of life, formed annually in that city in honor of the god. before his father's face. From a bas-relief at Philae. (E. A. Wallis Budge, Osiris and the Egyptian (E. A. Wallis Budge, Osiris and the Egyptian Res- Resurrection, London, Philip Lee Warner; New urrection, London, Philip Lee Warner; New York, York, G. I\ Putnam1* Sons, 1911, Vol. II, p. 28.) 109 G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1911, Vol. II, p. 58.) 194 7. Isis Giving Bread and Water to the Soul. (E. A. 11. The Reappearance of the Hero: —Samson with the Wallis Budge, Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrec- Temple-Doors: Christ Arisen: Jonah. (Same source tion, London, Philip Lee Warner; New York, as Fig. 5.) 203 G. P, Putnam's Sons, 1911, Vol. II, p. 134.) 163 12. The Return of Jason. This is a view of Jason's adven- 8. The Conquest of the Monster:—David and Goliath: ture not represented in the literary tradition. "The The Harrowing of Hell: Samson and the Lion. vase-painter seems to have remembered in some (Same source as Fig. 5.) 170 odd haunting way that the dragon-slayer is of the 9a. Gorgon-Sister Pursuing Perseus, Who Is Fleeing with dragon's seed. He is being born anew from his the Head of Medusa. Perseus, armed with a scimi- jaws" (Jane Harrison, Themis, A Study of the Social tar bestowed on him by Hermes, approached the Origins of Greek Religion, Cambridge University three Gorgons while they slept, cut off the head of Press, second edition, 1927, p. 435). The Golden Medusa, put it in his wallet, and fled on the wings Fleece is hanging on the tree. Athena, patroness of of his magic sandals. In the literary versions, the heroes, is in attendance with her owl. Note the hero departs undiscovered, thanks to a cap of in- Gorgoneum on her Aegis (compare Plate XXII). visibility; here, however, we see one of the two (From a vase in the Vatican Etruscan Collection. surviving Gorgon-Sisters in pursuit. From a red- After a photo by D. Anderson, Rome.) 229 figure amphora of the 5th cent. B.C. in the collec- 13. Tuamotuan Creation Chart:—Below. The Cosmic tion of the Munich Antiquarium. (Adolf Furtwan- Egg. Above: The People Appear, and Shape the Uni- gler, Friedrich Hauser, and Karl Reichhold, verse. (Kenneth P. Emory, "The Tuamotuan Cre- Griechische Vascnmalerei, Munich, F. Bruckmann, ation Charts by Paiore," Journal of the Polynesian 1904-1932, Plate 134.) 187 Society, Vol. 48, No. 1, p. 3.) 256 9b. Perseus Fleeing with the Head of Medusa in His 14. The Separation of Sky and Earth. A common figure Wallet. This figure and the one above appear on on Egyptian coffins and papyri. The god Shu- opposite sides of the same amphora. The effect of Heka separates Nut and Seb. This is the moment the arrangement is amusing and lively. (See of the creation of the world. (F. Max Muller, LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF FIGURES Egyptian Mythology, The Mythology of All Races, four sons of Horus, Beneath (or beside) him Is a Vol. XII, Boston, Marshall Jones Company, lake of sacred water, the divine source of the Nile 1918, p. 44.) 263 upon earth (the ultimate origin of which is in 15. Khnemu Shapes Pharaoh's Son on the Potter's Wheel, heaven). The god holds in his left hand the flail or While Thoth Marks His Span of Life. From a pa- whip, and in his right the crook. The cornice pyrus of the Ptolemaic period. (E. A. Wallis Budge, above is ornamented with a row of twenty-eight The Gods of the Egyptians, London, Methuen and sacred uraei, each of which supports a disk.— Co., 1904, Vol. II, p. 50.) 270 From the Papyrus of Hunefer. (E. A. Wallis Budge, 16. Nut (the Sky) Gives Birth to the Sim; Its Rays Fall on Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection, London, Hathor in the Horizon (Love and Life). The sphere Philip Lee Warner; Xew York, G. P. Putnam's at the mouth of the goddess represents the sun at Sons, 1911, Vol. I, p. 20.) 341 evening, about to be swallowed and born anew. 20. The Serpent Kheti in the Underworld, Consuming (E. A. Wallis Budge, The Gods of the Egyptians, with Fire an Enemy of Osiris. The arms of the vic- London, Methuen and Co., 1904, Vol. I, p. 101.) 276 tim are tied behind him. Seven gods preside. This 17. Paleolithic Petroglyph (Algiers). From a prehistoric is a detail from a scene representing an area of the site in the neighborhood of Tiout. The catlike ani- Underworld traversed by the Solar Boat in the mal between the hunter and the ostrich is perhaps eighth hour of the night. —From the so-called some variety of trained hunting panther, and the "Book of Pylons." (E. A. Wallis Budge, The Gods horned beast left behind with the hunter's mother, of the Egyptians, London, Methuen and Co., 1904, a domesticated animal at pasture. (Leo Frobenius Vol. I, p.'193.) 342 and Hugo Obermaier, Hddschra Mdktuba, Munich, 21. The Doubles of Ani and His Wife Drinking Water in K. Wolff, 1925, Vol. II, Plate 78.) 310 the Other World. From the Papyrus of Ani. (E. A. 18. King Ten (Egypt, First Dynasty, ca. 3200 B.C.) Wallis Budge, Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrec- Smashes the Head of a Prisoner of War. From an tion, London, Philip Lee Warner; New York, ivory plaque found at Abydos. "Immediately be- G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1911, Vol. II, p. 130.) 344 hind the captive is a standard surmounted by a figure of a jackal, which represents a god, either Anubis or Apuat, and thus it is clear that the sacrifice is being made to a god by the king." (E. A. Wallis Budge, Osiris and the Egyptian Res- urrection, London, Philip Lee Warner; New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1911, Vol. I, p. 197; line cut, p. 207.) 315 19. Osiris, Judge of the Dead. Behind the god stand the goddesses Isis and Nephthys. Before him is a lotus, or lily, supporting his grandchildren, the LIST OF PLATES LIST OF PLATES VII. The Sorcerer (Paleolithic Cave Paintmg, French Pyrenees). The earliest known portrait of a medicine man, ca. 10,000 B.C. Rock engraving with black paint fill-in, 29.5 inches high, dominating a series of several hundred mural en- gravings of animals; in the Aurignacian-Magdalenian cave known as the "Trois Freres," Ariege, France. (From FOLLOWING PACE 84 a photo by the discoverer, Count Begouen.) I. The Monster Tamer (Sumer). Shell inlay (perhaps orna- VIII. The Universal Father, Viracocha, Weeping (Argen-tina). menting a harp) from a royal tomb at Ur, ca. 3200 B.C. Plaque found at Andalgala, Catamarca, in northwest The central figure is probably Gitgamesh. (Courtesy of Argentina, tentatively identified as the pre-Incan deity The University Museum, Philadelphia.) Viracocha. The head is surmounted by the rayed solar disk, the hands hold thunderbolts, tears descend from II. The Captive Unicorn (France). Detail from tapestry, "The the eyes. The creatures at the shoulders are perhaps Hunt of the Unicorn," probably made for Francis I of Imaymana and Tacapu, the two sons and messengers of France, ca- 1514 A.D. (Courtesy of The Metropolitan Mu- Viracocha, in animal form. (Photo from the Proceedings seum of Art, New York City.) of the International Congress of Americanists, Vol. XII, III. The Mother of the Gods (Nigeria). Odudua, with the infant Paris, 1902.) Ogun, god of war and iron, on her knee. The dog is sa- cred to Ogun. An attendant, of human stature, plays the drum. Painted wood. Lagos, Nigeria. Kgba-Yoruba tribe. (Horniman Museum, London. Photo from Michael E. FOLLOWING PAGE 180 Sadler, Arts of West Africa, International Institute of African Languages and Cultures, Oxford Press, London: IX. Shiva, Lord of the Cosmic Dance (South India). See discus- Humphrey Milford, 1935.) sion, infra, p, 118, note 46. Bronze, 10th-12th cent A.D. IV. The Deity in War Dress (Bali). The Lord Krishna in his terrify- (Madras Museum. Photo from Auguste Rodin, Ananda ing manifestation. (Compare infra, pp. 215-220.) Poly- Coomaraswamy, E. B. Havell, Victor Goloubeu, Sculp- chromatic wooden statue. (Photo from C. M. Pleyte, tures Civaites de I'Inde, Ars Asiatica III, Brussels and Indonesian Art, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1901.) Paris: G. van Oest et Cie., 1921.) V. Sekhmet, The Goddess (Egypt). Diorite statue. Empire Pe- X. Androgynous Ancestor (Sudan). Wood carving from the re- riod. Karnak. (Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of gion of Bandiagara, French Sudan. (Collection of Laura Art, Xew York City.) Harden, New York City. Photo by Walker Evans, cour- VI. Medusa (Ancient Rome). Marble, high relief; from the Ron- tesy of The Museum of Modern Art, New York City.) danini Palace, Rome. Date uncertain. (Collection of XL Bodhisattva (China). Kwan Yin. Painted wood. Late Sung the Glyptothek, Munich. Photo from H. Brunn and Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.). (Courtesy of The Metropoli- F. Bruckmann, Denkmdler griechischer und romischer tan Museum of Art, New York City). Sculptur, Verlagsan-stalt fur Kunst und Wissenschaft, XII. Bodhisattva (Tibet:). The Bodhisattva known as Ushnisha- Munich, 1888-1932.) sitatapatra, surrounded by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, LIST OF PLATES LIST OF PLATES and having one hundred and seventeen heads, symboliz- FOLLOWING PAGE 308 ing her influence in the various spheres of being. The left hand holds the World Umbrella (axis mundi) and the XVII. The Fountain of Life (Flanders). Central panel of a trip- right the Wheel of the Law. Beneath the numerous tych by Jean Bellegambe (of Douai), ca. 1520. The blessed feet of the Bodhisattva stand the people of the assisting female figure at the right, with the little world who have prayed for Enlightenment, while be- galleon on her head, is Hope; the corresponding figure neath the feet of the three "furious" powers at the bottom at the left, Love. (Courtesy of the Palais des Beaux- of the picture lie those still tortured by lust, resentment, Arts, Lille.) and delusion. The sun and moon in the upper corners XVIII. The Moon King and His People (South Rhodesia). Prehis- symbolize the miracle of the marriage, or identity, of toric rock painting, at Diana Vow Farm, Rusapi Dis- eternity and time, Nirvana and the world (see pp. 156- trict, South Rhodesia, perhaps associated with the 157 ff.). The lamas at the top center represent the ortho- legend of Mwuetsi, the Moon Man {infra, pp. dox line of Tibetan teachers of the doctrine symbolized 279-282). The lifted right hand of the great reclining in this religious banner-painting. (Courtesy of The figure holds a horn. Tentatively dated by its discov- American Museum of Natural History, New York City.) erer, Leo Frobenius, ca. 1500 B.C. (Courtesy of the XIII. 'The Branch of Immortal Life (Assyria). Winged being offer- Frobenius-Institut, Frankfurt-am-Main.) ing a branch with pomegranates. Alabaster wall panel XIX. The Mother of the Gods (Mexico). Ixciuna, giving birth to from the Palace of Ashur-nasir-apal II (885-860 B.C.), a deity. Statuette of semi-precious stone (scapolite, 7.5 King of Assyria, at Kalhu (modern Nimrud). (Courtesy inches high). (Photo, after Hamy, courtesy of The of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.) American Museum of Natural History, New York City.) XIV. Bodhisattva (Cambodia). Fragment from the ruins of XX. Tangaroa, Producing Gods and Men (Rurutu Island). Angkor. 12th cent. A.D. The Buddha figure crowning Polynesian wood carving from the Tubuai (Austral) the head is a characteristic sign of the Bodhisattva Group of Islands in the South Pacific. (Courtesy of (compare Plates XI and XII; in the latter the Buddha The British Museum.) figure sits atop the pyramid of heads). (Musee Guimet, XXI. Chaos Monster and Sun God (Assyria). Alabaster wall Paris. Photo from Angkor, editions "Tel," Paris, 1935.) panel from the Palace of Ashur-nasir-apal II (885- XV. The Return (Ancient Rome). Marble relief found (1887) 860 B.C.), King of Assyria, at Kalhu (modern Nimrud). in a piece of ground formerly belonging to the Villa The god is perhaps the national deity, Assur, in the Ludovisi. Perhaps of early Greek workmanship. role played formerly by Marduk of Babylon (see pp. (Museo delle Terme, Rome. Photo Antike Denkmdler, 263-265) and still earlier by Enlil, a Sumerian storm herausgegeben vom Kaiserlich Deutschen Archaeolo- god. (Photo from an engraving in Austen Henry La- gischen Institut, Berlin: Georg Reimer, Vol. II, 1908.) yard, Monuments of Nineveh, Second Series, London: XVI. The Cosmic Lion Goddess, Holding the Sun (North India). J. Murray, 1853. The original slab, now in The British From a seventeenth- or eighteenth-century single-leaf Museum, is so damaged that the forms can hardly be manuscript, from Delhi. (Courtesy of The Pierpont distinguished in a photograph. The style is the same Morgan Library, New York City.) as that of Plate XIII.)