The American Monomyth Summary

A book, The American Monomyth, attempted to create the quintessential summary of the majority American fiction found throughout the culture. The book describes it as, "A community in a harmonious paradise is threatened by evil; normal institutions fail to contend with this threat; a selfless superhero emerges to renounce temptations and carry out the redemptive task; aided by fate, his decisive victory restores the community to its paradisiacal condition; the superhero then recedes into obscurity" (The American Monomyth). Quite a bit of this monomyth can be attributed to America’s history and the general moral beliefs of its people. For the same reasons, Australian stories differ from American on many fronts.
The country’s past has shaped

it’s view on heroes, battles, and even happy endings. The British Empire used tales of great heroism to convince young Australian men to join the military and fight in their battles. This has caused Australia to form a distrust of the term hero and dislike for the American stereotype of a hero. Although Australian stories certainly have a hero figure, these characters are typically much less slow to answer to the call and will demure from leadership or fame. “The most admirable hero is one who denies his heroic role as long as possible and who…avoids accepting responsibility for anyone but himself” (Volger, xx). This is not to say that the Hero’s Journey is not applicable because Australia is different than America, only that our understanding of it needs to change somewhat. This way it will be able to be merged with other cultures when necessary.
Even so, there is already a large amount of resemblances and parallels between cultures.

The structure of stories, on which Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and Booker’s Seven Basic Plots elaborated, is actually only a portion of the field of study it is under. Comparative mythology not only studies the structure of hero stories, but also origins, themes, and characteristics of myths from various religions and cultures. They study the language, psychology, history, and anthropology in order to identify a common theme or beginning point. Even without delving into religion, many common elements have come to light. For instance, many cultures have tales of people with strange supernatural abilities, others speak of similar creatures that reside in water, air or land, while still others extol the importance of talisman and religious symbols. Despite cultures existing on different ends of the earth and having little contact for much of their existence, they share these common

themes.
People with strange and powerful abilities are commonplace in myth, religion, and stories. For years people have believed that there are some with either a strange connection to a spiritual realm or physical prowess beyond the norm. Two of the more common themes in mythology are those who can connect with the underworld and those of have knowledge of the future. All over the world and throughout mythology, there are those who claim to be able to see the useable through various methods. The methods of divination are too numerous to list and range from studying the patterns and movement of the heavens to boiling a donkey’s head. Oracles and seers were common in Greek and Roman legends and worship, while many Native American tribes had shamans and other religious figures, who would connect them to the spirit world. Perhaps due to fear of the future and death, something that much of mankind struggles with, almost every culture created a method to try and know more. Even today, people will still use séances and tarot cards to reach further for more knowledge and a greater understanding of what lies beyond their sight.
Heroes with great physical prowess or cunning and wits are also common themes found in mythology. This is far from limited to ancient world. Just as there were demigods and heroes blessed by fate in the ancient tales, there are also much loved figures in our movies, comics, and literature today. Perhaps our stories of fictional heroes are less of religious matter when compared to great heroes of myth, but they are still held very dear to many. Particularly in recent years, there has been an increased interest in the heroes found in comics. Other cultures, such as the previously mentioned Australia, appreciate their heroes to be presented in a different light, but, even so, it is rare to come across mythology of a region that does not include a single tale of a person with abilities greater than the average man.
In addition to tales of human beings with abilities and talents that are outside the norm, there are also tales of mythological beings in a great many cultures. Every culture throughout the world has stories of creatures with strange magical or divine powers. These creatures can be cruel and evil, wise and helpful, or completely apathetic towards mankind. Occasionally the myths portray these beings as creatures that the people are to worship, fear, and respect, while, in other societies, similar beings are said to be nothing more than nuisances. Some of these creatures include mermaids, giants, faes, and dragons. Dragons in particular are prevalent in myths all across the world.
Many cultures have dragon myths including some Native Americans tribes, many European countries, most of the Eastern cultures, certain South American religions, and the myths can even be seen in a few African and Australian legends.

(blackdrago.com) “Dragon images have been found on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, on scrolls from China, in Egyptian hieroglyphs and Ethiopian sketches, on the prows of Viking ships, in bas relief on Aztec temples, on cliffs above the Mississippi River and even on bones carved by Inuits in climates where no reptile could live.” (McNeil) Stories of dragons can be found all through history. Over five thousand years ago, ancient Sumerian cultures had dragon legends in their religions. Modernly, few still believe dragons exist, they can still be found in our movies, books and video

games.
Beyond dragons, which may be one of the most prevalent and common myths, there are thousands, if not millions, of mythological creatures created by cultures throughout history. Often they are related to warnings of dangers. For instance, there are many legends of creatures related in some way to the dangers of water. These creatures will lure people into the water and drown them. These legends would have been created to explain why people drown and to warn others of the danger of being foolish near water. There are also many folktales that describe the dangers of trusting a beautiful woman by using tales of a temptress that will cox a man into her clutches before she reveals herself to be a monster and consumes him. Whether it is to describe a mother dying in childbirth, the cause of plagues, or the housework getting done, for almost every situation there is a mythological creature to explain it somewhere in the world. People needed a way to explain why the world is as it is, and so creatures of myth and legend were born. Just as the Hero’s Journey is universal, so is it universal to use your environment and imagination to formulate answers for difficult situations.
To protect themselves from these situations, people from many cultures and religions have created different talisman and symbols. “The talisman is an object marked with magic signs and is believed to give its bearer supernatural powers and/or protection. Virtually every religion in human history has offered as adherents small decorative objects intended for good luck, protection from harm, success and healing” (world-mysteries.com). The ankh, the eye of Horus, and the caduceus are ancient symbols and talisman that are still common and in use today. Modern day equivalents include the medals of the saints, the Star of David, and statues of the Buddha. Even the cross can be considered a talisman, particularly when it is used to ward off evil. People who regularly use these symbols may not worship them, but they used to remind the users of their religion and give them a sense of peace and safety that they can carry with them (world-mysteries.com).
Finally, another of comparative mythology’s main goals is to analyze similar stories that have emerged in different religions time after time. Mythologists have identified numerous likenesses in cultures myths through this process. Many religions have stories and prophecies of creation, the land of the dead, and the end of the world. A smaller, but still substantial, amount of religions have tales of a great flood, an incredibly influential, typically life-giving, tree, and a dying and resurrecting god. Often times, the members of these religions have had little contact with each other, and yet these themes remain.
Although people are the creator’s of myths, stories, and legends, these same myths will form beliefs, religions, morals, and worldviews. Whether due to a collective unconsciousness or the circumstances of the world in which we live, it is undeniable that human beings share a commonality through stories and myth. By acknowledging and exploring this, we will have another method, however small, to reconcile the peoples of different races, tongues, and religions. Everyone enjoys a good story and now, by knowing the similarities and enjoying the differences caused by culture, we have the opportunity to share our tales and explore so much more of realm of myth.