The World Navel In The Hero With A Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell describes the symbol of the "world navel" in his book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces, as the origin of everything and the point where life flows into its surroundings and balances opposing ideals to maintain stability. Opposing characteristics such as evil and good, life and death, or truths and lies, are constructed and regulated by the center or beginning of everything.

It is simpler to explain the concept of the "world navel" through an example. The T.V. series, Doctor Who, exemplifies the symbolic "world navel" as the Doctor himself. Doctor Who explores the adventures of an alien, the Doctor, and his companions throughout time and space. They save the world from impending doom on countless occasions, only through the Doctor's understanding and memory of the character and motivation of the enemies they battle. However, while the Doctor is regarded as a hero on Earth and the one responsible for regulating time and space travel to maintain the balance of the universe, he was hated on his own planet.
show that are distinct from Campbell's interpretation. For example, the Doctor himself was not pre-existent and was born on a planet himself, therefore he cannot be labeled as the origin of life. However, the function he plays in the show as the main hero-villain character, portrays him as the giver and taker of life. In order to include this facet of the "world navel", Campbell's definition must be altered; a "world navel" is not just the origin of everything, but portrays characteristics in a particular instant that allow them to, for just that moment, symbolize the force of stability in the universe. Expanding this definition allow for a broader interpretation that a "world navel" is not always everlasting like God, rather temporary or functional for a period of time before something else is deemed a new "world