Featured image: Tor’s Fight with the Giants by Mårten Eskil Winge (1825 – 1896)

Myths are more than just old stories – they are timeless narratives that continue to shape how we think, tell stories, and understand human nature. From classic literature to modern films, from psychology to national identity, mythology still influences every corner of culture.

Here’s how these ancient tales continue to guide our storytelling, beliefs, and imagination today.

Mythology Gave Us the Hero’s Journey (And Almost Every Blockbuster Plotline)

The “Hero’s Journey”, first outlined by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), is one of the most enduring story structures. It follows a hero who leaves home, faces trials, and returns transformed – a pattern found in myths across cultures. Odysseus in The Odyssey embarks on a long and dangerous journey, overcoming trials before returning to Ithaca as a changed man. This same structure appears in modern stories like Star Wars, where Luke Skywalker, much like Odysseus or King Arthur, is called to adventure, faces trials, and grows into a hero. The reason these stories continue to resonate is that they mirror the universal human experience – every challenge we face in life follows a similar structure of struggle, growth, and transformation.

Greek and Roman Myths Still Shape Literature

Western literature is filled with direct allusions to Greek and Roman mythology, as well as deeper reflections on the human flaws, moral dilemmas, and cosmic forces explored in ancient myths. Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream draws on figures like Theseus and Hippolyta, while James Joyce’s Ulysses reimagines The Odyssey in a modern setting. In contemporary fiction, authors like Madeline Miller (Circe) and Margaret Atwood (The Penelopiad) continue to retell ancient myths, demonstrating how these stories still provide a rich foundation for storytelling. The endurance of these myths is a testament to their power – whether retold faithfully or subverted, they remain a source of creative and intellectual engagement.

Jungian Psychology Uses Myth to Explain Human Behaviour

Carl Jung argued that myths reflect universal patterns in human thought – what he called archetypes. These recurring symbols appear across cultures and represent deep psychological truths about human nature. The wise old man appears in myths worldwide, from Merlin in Arthurian legend to Odin in Norse mythology, serving as a guide for the hero’s journey. In modern storytelling, we see this same archetype in figures like Yoda, Dumbledore, and Gandalf. Similarly, the trickster, seen in Hermes and Loki, continues to appear in characters like the Joker and Jack Sparrow. Jung believed these archetypes persist because they represent essential aspects of the human experience – wisdom, chaos, heroism, and transformation – allowing myths to remain psychologically relevant across time.

Myths Still Influence Politics and National Identity

Nations often build their identities around founding myths – stories that shape how they see themselves and their place in history. The Romans believed they were descendants of Aeneas, a Trojan prince whose journey was destined by the gods to lead to the founding of Rome. This myth reinforced the Roman sense of divine purpose and imperial destiny. Similarly, the American belief in Manifest Destiny, the idea that the United States was destined to expand across the continent, echoes mythological themes of divine will, heroic conquest, and an inevitable unfolding of history. Even today, political rhetoric often invokes mythic themes of sacrifice, destiny, and the struggle between good and evil, drawing on the same narrative structures that made ancient myths so compelling.

Superheroes Are Modern Mythological Figures

Modern superheroes are not just comic book characters – they are contemporary myths that reflect our cultural anxieties, ideals, and evolving understanding of heroism. Just as Hercules and Achilles embodied the Greek values of strength and honor, Superman represents an idealized form of justice, sacrifice, and moral integrity. Batman, much like Odysseus or Theseus, is a mortal hero who relies on intellect, strategy, and perseverance rather than divine powers. Wonder Woman is directly inspired by Amazonian mythology, while Marvel’s Eternals draws from Babylonian, Greek, and Hindu mythologies to craft its characters. Unlike the static gods of ancient pantheons, superheroes evolve to reflect the shifting values of their time, making them one of the most enduring forms of modern mythology.

Final Thoughts

Whether in literature, psychology, or pop culture, mythology continues to shape how we think, tell stories, and understand ourselves. These ancient tales remind us that human struggles, hopes, and dreams are timeless – and that the stories of the past still echo in the present.

Want to explore the myths that shaped Western civilisation? A liberal arts education at Campion College delves into the enduring power of mythology in history, literature, and philosophy.