I was first introduced to mythographer Joseph Campbell at the raw age of fourteen in my grade nine English class. At the time, I was enchanted by the idea that all heroic myths, from those of Odysseus to Luke Skywalker, share the same common archetypes- the crisis, trial by fire, and death and resurrection, to name only a few. I was also struck, (or rather, shocked) by Campbell's assertion that all the world's forms of worship, and the mythologies upon which they are based, share common environmental and psychological bases.
The Masks of God is Joseph Campbell's extensive treatise on the evolution of human mythology. First published in 1959, Campbell sifts through the endless maze of archaeological and anthropological history to unveil the evolution of human story-telling. Volume I of this four part work examines primitive mythology, starting from the post-neolithic hieratic city-state, circa 3000B.C., and travelling back in time to the dawn of Homo Sapiens.
Primitive Mythology is interesting on two levels. First, of course, is the history itself. Campbell's discussion of the diffusion of the mythological elements of the planting cultures (along with tools, musical instruments, and rituals of worship) from their origins in northern Africa eastward, eventually to take root as far east as the western coasts of North and South America is fascinating. More disconcerting is his discussion of ritual regicide, as it was practiced widely in this zone of diffusion, as well as cannibalism and human sacrifice. There is also a discussion of the role of women in the planting and gardening societies, and the more prominent role that women played in these societies' depictions of the gods. Finally, there is a discussion of the animal forms that the gods take and it is striking to see the common elements between the creation myths of the South Pacific and the Judeo-Christian relationship between Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden. In fact, I am only beginning to touch the tip of the iceberg in this summary- Campbell also devotes attention to the emergence of hierarchical civilization, with the division of labour, royalty as the manifestation of divinity, and the emergence of the priestly caste, and with it, organized religion.
From the planting societies Campbell moves further back in time to the paleolithic hunting societies which predominated in most of Europe, North America and Asia. In these societies, animals play an even stronger role as gods, and, by virtue of their more predominant role in the survival of the tribe, men play a much more dominant role in worship. Much attention is devoted to cave paintings located throughout Europe indicating the profound relationship between hunter and hunted, in which the equivalence between animal and deity is established and the hunt itself is revealed as a religious ritual. Campbell also discusses the unique role of the shaman, who is the mediator between the tribe and the world of the dead.
All told, Primitive Mythology is an eye-opening read, although it is not exactly light reading. Given my own limited knowledge of archaeology and anthropology, it is difficult to judge for myself the extent to which Campbell always hits the mark, and no doubt the last forty years of mythography have likely revealed many fresh readings of the evidence. As a first cut at Campbell's work, I would be more willing to recommend one of his shorter and less ambitious works. In any case, as time permits I will probably pick up the remaining volumes in the series, all the more so because the mythology of the last five thousand years is that upon which modern religious thought is based.