Archetypal Hero

What is an Archetype? An archetype is a recurring pattern of character, symbol, or situation found in the mythology, religion, and stories of all cultures.

Campbell & Jung Both men felt that the experience of being human can be examined collectively across time, space, and culture, and that our commonality can be traced to the most primitive origins of the human consciousness, where the archetypal themes originate in modern men and women.

Hero The archetypal hero appears in all religions, mythologies, and epics of the world. He is an expression of our personal and collective unconscious, as theorized by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell.

Characteristics Unusual circumstances of birth; sometimes in danger or born into royalty Leaves family or land and lives with others An event, sometimes traumatic, leads to adventure or quest Hero has a special weapon only he can wield

Characteristics Hero always has supernatural help The Hero must prove himself many times while on adventure The Journey and the Unhealable Wound Hero experiences atonement with the father When the hero dies, he is rewarded spiritually

Unusual Birth http://titan.sfasu.edu/%7Ebeenet/resources/hero_1.htm

Leaves Family http://titan.sfasu.edu/%7Ebeenet/resources/hero_2.htm

Event Leads to Quest An event, sometimes traumatic, leads to adventure or quest

Special Weapon Hero has a special weapon only he can wield

Supernatural Help Hero always has supernatural help

Proves Himself http://titan.sfasu.edu/%7Ebeenet/resources/hero_6.htm

Journey http://titan.sfasu.edu/%7Ebeenet/resources/hero_7.htm

Atonement http://titan.sfasu.edu/%7Ebeenet/resources/hero_8.htm

Reward after Death http://titan.sfasu.edu/%7Ebeenet/resources/hero_9.htm

Why Do We Have Heroes? All societies have similar hero stories (not because they coincidentally made them up on their own) because heroes express a deep psychological aspect of human existence. They can be seen as a metaphor for the human search of self-knowledge. In other words, the hero shows us the path to our own consciousness through his actions.

Why we have Heroes When the hero slays a monster, he is not literally killing it in the real world, but facing an aspect of the unconscious, such as lust or rage, in order to control that side of his being. The hero stories can be thought of as road maps to successful assimilation of the conscious, rational mind with the unconscious, animal mind.

Are Heroes Relevant Today? They have been useful for thousands of years to the people for whom they serve as an idealized human, a sort of "super" person, capable of dealing with problems that surpass normal humans and their abilities. Heroes contribute to the society's necessary business of reproducing itself and its values.

Heroes Every successful society must have means by which it indoctrinates its members into the society's system of values and morals. Historically, this has been done through religion by using mythical figures to illustrate moral and societal principles that help people understand common things like death and gender roles.

Are Heroes Harmful? One of the darker aspects of the hero is the role he plays in disseminating these values. If one looks at the heroes outlined in other parts of this site, one notices they are mostly European and all warriors, fighting and even killing to solve their problems. They reflect the violent history of their respective societies in conquering other groups.

Are Heroes Harmful? The hero reflects the appearance and values of the dominant societal group and justifies the society's crimes against others by showing the hero's strength and violence resulting in the hero's people gaining independence, usurping power, or obtaining any of a number of other results favorable to the dominant group, usually at the expense of marginalized groups.

Are Heroes Harmful? Obviously, this reinforces violence as the only means of gaining power; in fact, for persons living in a nation with violent heroes, it's hard to imagine any other way. And, unfortunately, being militarily dominant has historically been very effective in maintaining dominance for privileged groups.

Citation Davis, Bryan M. "The Archetypal Hero in Literature, Religion, Movies, and Popular Culture." 11 Oct 1997: 12 pp. Stephen F. Austin University. day Mon. Year. <http://titan.sfasu.edu/~beenet/resources/heromain.html>.