The power of myths and their influence on fashion, culture, religion and belief are undeniable. We live in a world where everyone has their own mythos which we worship and maintain. So what are myths and why are they central themes to the human condition? Myths are all based on archetypes, the Child, the Hero, the Great Mother. It was Joseph Campbell who first proposed that all myths and great stories of religion and history shared an alarming amount of common themes. He proposes this in his book Hero with a Thousand Faces, with numerous references to cultures and religions from around the world that all stories are essentially all expressions of the same story pattern. Thus he proposed that all religions’, stories and myths are essentially containers for a universal truth. The basic structure follows the path of the hero from departure through intiation and finally return.
A few of the greatest modern myths of our time include The original Star Wars Trilogy, the Matrix, Kung Fu Panda and of course The Lord of The Rings.More ancient examples include Gilgamesh and the New Testament. So why is it important to see these underlying patterns? Well these structures allow us to see ourselves as a socially-evolutionary animal , and allows us to discover the true meaning of being human. As Campbell himself so aptly says, ‘follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.’
Alan Moore , arguably one of the greatest writers of our time and author of classics such as The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Promethea and The 
Watchmen has a similar if not more insightful view of the purpose of the imagination in storytelling. “The world of ideas is in certain senses deeper, truer than reality; this solid television less significant than the Idea of television. Ideas, unlike solid structures, do not perish. They remain immortal, immaterial and everywhere, like all Divine things. Ideas are a golden, savage landscape that we wander unaware, without a map. Be careful: in the last analysis, reality may be exactly what we think it is.
More and more we see the immaterial world of the imagination unravelling into popular culture and as it populates our conscious reality we must acknowledge its power in sculpting our modern world. There is no better example than the rich world of the imagination than the inspiring charecters from the minds of Springleapers . Here are two great designs, Wet Dreams from Warholbot and Oil by Chamerrelli.
So dont be afraid, IMAGINE…
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