Neqāb-hā-yi Īzad: Asātīr-i Gharb Persian 2025

“The Masks of God” is the first volume of Joseph Campbell’s ambitious four-part series, examining common themes and symbols in the myths of various cultures. In this work, Campbell, a leading scholar of mythology and comparative religion, explores the earliest forms of myth-making and traces how primitive societies explained their world through stories, rituals, and symbolism. With his extensive knowledge and insight, Campbell examines the psychological, sociological, and cosmological functions of early myths, laying the foundation for understanding mythology as a universal language that evolves alongside human experience.

Campbell begins by exploring mythic thought in prehistoric societies, using archaeological and anthropological evidence to reconstruct how early humans perceived life, death, nature, and the cosmos. He discusses the importance of fertility cults, totemism, shamanism, and ritual traditions that predate written history, showing how these practices set the stage for later religious and mythological systems.

Throughout the book, Campbell emphasizes the shared motifs in myths across different cultures, suggesting that the human mind, regardless of geography, tends to structure meaning in remarkably similar ways. He moves from the Paleolithic era to the early civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, demonstrating how primitive myths evolved into complex pantheons and sacred narratives of ancient societies. Each chapter rests on the premise that myth is not mere superstition but a profound and essential expression of human psychological needs and social cohesion. Campbell also engages with psychological theories, particularly those of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud, to explain the unconscious sources of myth. By linking the symbolic language of myth to archetypes and instincts within the human psyche, he presents mythology as a fundamental aspect of human nature.

“The Masks of God” offers a rich and thought-provoking exploration of the origins of human storytelling. Campbell integrates anthropology, psychology, history, and literary analysis to uncover the deep roots of mythology in human experience. This volume sets the stage for the rest of the series, providing readers with a deep understanding of how early myths shaped and influenced human consciousness. For anyone interested in mythology, religion, anthropology, or the foundational narratives that define our species, it remains an essential work.