The Power of Myth

In this chapter, Campbell discusses why different cultures produce either mother or father figures of the supreme divinity. Campbell asserts that there are three potential cultural psychologies depending on the divine figure’s sex: cultures where women are revered, where women are devalued, and where sexes have equal value. Campbell believes that most Mother Goddess planting cultures were conquered by male-dominant hunting cultures. He uses the example of early Babylon to depict this phenomenon. Campbell notes that even within male-dominant religions like Christianity, there are still powerful female figures.

Campbell and Moyers have an extended discussion about the virgin birth motif. A god or savior figure’s birth from a virgin indicates that it is born from the spirit. Campbell compares the virgin birth myths of Jesus and Buddha to the earlier myth of the Egyptian goddess Isis giving birth to Horus. In each story, the spiritual savior comes into the world through a woman, making her responsible for giving civilization enlightenment. Campbell notes that in some Christian traditions, Mary is even thought of as a co-savior with Jesus. Similarly, in the Hindu tradition, the female goddess Maya-Shakti-Devi (Goddess Giver of Life and Mother of Forms) has access to knowledge of the brahman—life energy—which she gives to the male Vedic gods.