The monomyth Lecture 2/2

The Belly of the whale The separation of the hero’s world and the ego Represents an acceptance of letting go of the world he/she knows to undergo the journey Often represented through a dark, womb-like place A place of rebirth “That is why the approaches and entrances…are flanked and defended by colossal gargoyles…the devotee…undergoes a metamorphosis”(Campbell 111).

Part Two: Initiation

The Road of trials A series of tests, ordeals, etc; Often there is failure on the hero’s part to conquer all

The meeting with the Goddess The hero experiences a love that parallels that which the infant’s mother hopefully gave the infant Often is the hero falling into true love Associated with times of sleep and/or sex

Woman as the Temptress The woman is really a metaphor for temptation in general The hero is lured away from his quest “The seeker of life beyond life must press beyond, surpass the temptations of her call, and soar to the immaculate ether beyond”(Campbell 132).

Atonement with the father The hero must confront by whatever holds ultimate power in his or her life Often symbolized with a male figure, but not necessary “Atonement consists in no more than the abandonment of that self-generated double monster- the dragon thought to be God (superego) and the dragon thought to be Sin (repressed id). But this requires an abandonment of the attachment to ego itself”(Campbell 143).

apotheosis The hero has confronted the worst and may now rest Often has a smoke break The hero is no longer subservient- becomes godlike symbolic killing of the self- time to share

The ultimate Boon This is the achievement of the quest- what the journey was all about Often symbolized with a plant

Return

Refusal of the REturn Having found enlightenment, the hero may not want to return to the ordinary world to share his wisdom “the boon may redound to the community, the nation…Even Gautama Buddha, after his triumph, doubted whether the message of realization could be communicated”(Campbell 156).

The Magic flight The hero must escape with the boon, as the gods guard it Often represented by riding in or on some conveyance If the gods want the hero to return with the boon, the return journey is easy. If the gods wish the opposite, the opposite is true.

Rescue from without Just like the hero needed friends and guides as he set out, so, too, does he need them upon return, especially if the hero is weakened by the experience “The world may have to come and get him”(Campbell 159).

Crossing the return threshold The hero returns from his quest Going from the subconscious back to the conscious “The returning hero, to complete his adventure, must survive the impact of the world…the passing joys and sorrows, banalities and noisy obscenities of life. Why re-enter such a world?”(Campbell 167).

Master of two worlds Often a transcendental hero like Jesus or the Buddha For the normal human, it is the balance between the material and the spiritual

Freedom to live The hero is freed from the fear of death and may now live Living in the moment