Editing Joseph Campbell (section)

===Functions of myth===
Campbell often described mythology as having a fourfold function within human society. These appear at the end of his work ''The Masks of God: Creative Mythology'', as well as various lectures.<ref name="Campbell J. 1969">Campbell J. (1969) [http://www.jcf.org/new/index.php?categoryid=104&p9999_action=displaylecturedetails&p9999_svl=II11 Lectures II.1.1 The Function of Myth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623121311/http://www.jcf.org/new/index.php?categoryid=104&p9999_action=displaylecturedetails&p9999_svl=II11 |date=June 23, 2011 }} (given at The Esalen Institute in August 1969)</ref>

; The [[Mystical]]/Metaphysical Function: ''Awakening and maintaining in the individual a sense of [[awe]] and [[gratitude]] before the 'mystery of being' and his or her participation in it''
: According to Campbell, the absolute mystery of life, what he called [[transcendent reality]], cannot be captured directly in words or images. Symbols and mythic metaphors on the other hand point outside themselves and into that reality. They are what Campbell called "being statements"<ref name="Campbell J. 1969"/> and their enactment through ritual can give to the participant a sense of that ultimate mystery as an experience. "Mythological symbols touch and exhilarate centers of life beyond the reach of reason and coercion.... The first function of mythology is to reconcile waking [[consciousness]] to the ''mysterium tremendum et fascinans'' of this universe ''as it is''."<ref>Joseph Campbell, ''The Masks of God, vol. 4: Creative Mythology'' (New York: Viking, 1965), p. 4</ref>

; The [[Cosmological]] Function: ''Explaining the shape of the universe''
: For [[pre-modern societies]], myth also functioned as a ''[[proto-science]]'', offering explanations for the physical phenomena that surrounded and affected their lives, such as the change of seasons and the life cycles of animals and plants.

; The [[Sociological]] Function: ''Validate and support the existing [[social order]]''
: Ancient societies had to conform to an existing social order if they were to survive at all. This is because they evolved under "pressure" from necessities much more intense than the ones encountered in our modern world. Mythology confirmed that order and enforced it by reflecting it into the stories themselves, often describing how the order arrived from [[divine intervention]]. Campbell often referred to these "[[conformity]]" myths as the ''"Right Hand Path"'' to reflect the brain's left [[cerebral hemisphere|hemisphere]]'s abilities for [[logic]], order and [[linear]]ity. Together with these myths however, he observed the existence of the ''"Left Hand Path"'', mythic patterns like the ''"Hero's Journey"'' which are revolutionary in character in that they demand from the individual a surpassing of [[social norm]]s and sometimes even of morality.<ref>Campbell J. [1996] Mythos I: Psyche and Symbols (Joseph Campbell Foundation) {{YouTube|9ftFt1LnDzM}}</ref>

; The Pedagogical/[[Psychological]] Function: ''Guide the individual through the stages of life''
: As a person goes through life, many psychological challenges will be encountered. Myth may serve as a guide for successful passage through the stages of one's life.