“The one thing all famous authors, world class athletes, business tycoons, singers, actors, and celebrated achievers in any field have in common is that they all began their journeys when they were none of these things.” – Mike Dooley Where do you hope your journey will take you?

“Riddle Me This…” What do Luke Skywalker, Simba, Shrek, and Dorothy all have in common?

The Hero’s Journey

Archetype: A pattern, such as a type of character or type of story, that is repeated in literature.

The hero’s journey is one of the oldest story archetypes on the planet.

The components of the hero’s journey were identified and developed by Joseph Campbell, who was the world’s foremost authority on mythology. He published his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which discussed the hero’s journey.

In his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell asserted that all storytelling follows the ancient patterns of myth, and …

…that all stories use elements of the Hero’s Journey. Campbell called this archetype a Monomyth.

MONOMYTH - idea that numerous myths from different times and regions seem to share a fundamental structure and stages.

The function of the story is to entertain, to instruct, and to inspire. The hero’s journey is a metaphor for life itself.

The following slides will take you through the main structure and stages of a hero’s journey. You will use these notes to help you understand hero’s journey in the texts we will study next.

The Hero’s Journey 3 Main Parts 1. The Separation and Departure The character faces separation from a familiar world. 2. Initiation and Transformation The character’s old ways of thinking and behaving are changed and destroyed, and the character experiences a new level of awareness, skill, and freedom. 3. The Return After meeting the challenges for initiation, the character returns to his or her world. With the return, the character is more capable and confident, and is treated as a hero by the community.

Part 1: Separation & Departure The Ordinary World of the hero is filled with suffering, boredom, and anguish. Thus, the hero must break away from the old life.

A. The Call When the ordinary world is no longer endurable and the hero is ripe for change, an initiation to adventure is given either by a herald or an external event. Voluntary or involuntary Can take many forms: A sense of discontent Something is lacking in life Desire to restore honor A sudden traumatic change

B. The Refusal of the Call The hero is scared, even terrified at first, and avoids the challenge. The hero has second thoughts; the adventure looks too risky.

The hero may refuse the call at first, but there is eventually a form of motivation for the hero to answer the Call, such as…

C. The Mentor/ Supernatural Aid The hero meets a mentor who acknowledges, supports, and spurs the hero onward. May be a family member, friend, animal, wizard, fairy godmother… Supernatural Aid The hero receives a gift to help on the journey. May be a weapon, magical powers… Mentor may give a talisman (an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune) to help the hero navigate the unknown The gift is only of use to the hero

D. Preparation Hero needs to prepare for the journey. Needs may be physical (supplies, training), knowledge-based (information), or psychological (courage).

E. Crossing the First Threshold This “threshold” the hero must cross is what separates the hero from the comforts of his home to the adventurous new world filled with danger and mystery.

nThe jumping off point for the adventure where the journey actually begins nMarks the boundary from the known to the unknown (hero will have to acquire new skills/knowledge to survive) nThe journey can be outward into a physical unknown, or inward to a psychological unknown.

Guardians of the Threshold Sometimes, there are people, beings, or situations that block the passage and delay the start of the journey. Can be physical (parents prevent children from harming themselves), or figurative (fears & doubts). They have two functions: Protect us from journeys we are unready for Pointing the way

Part II: Initiation & Transformation During the “initiation” phase, the hero learns how to live in the new world.

A. The Road of Trials The hero learns that the life in the world of adventure can be difficult. Hero faces challenges and tests to help him improve his character and skills to become more self reliant (independent).

Hero faces a series of difficult experiences that test his courage, strength, intelligence, determination, and wisdom in the “underworld” (unknown). As the journey progresses, the challenges become more and more difficult, forcing the hero to face both emotional and physical danger. The challenges faced by the hero usually reflect the hero’s fears and weaknesses, and it is up to the hero to confront the challenge and conquer. By facing these challenges and succeeding, the hero changes and grows (builds maturity, skill, and confidence).

“The Belly of the Whale” (Abyss) The hero experiences the “dark night of the soul” and must face his faults and the truth.

When the hero reaches the abyss ‘belly of the whale’, he/she faces the greatest challenge of the journey—which often takes the shape of something he dreads, or has repressed, or needs to resolve. The hero must surrender completely to the journey and face his/her greatest fear alone. The hero must “slay the dragon,” i.e. confront and conquer an evil being.

B. Saving Experience Just when things are at their worst for the hero, he meets a special person, has a powerful experience, or receives a special gift that “saves” him, enabling him to achieve the journey’s goal.

C. Transformation The hero has changed, now understanding the “underworld” and adapting accordingly. Transformation is sometimes physical, often mental, emotional, and/or spiritual. A part of the hero must die so that a new part can be reborn. Fear must die to make way for courage, ignorance for enlightenment, dependency for independence.

Part III: The Return The hero may be reluctant to return home for fear that the old world won’t accept or understand what the hero has learned on his journey.

A. Sharing the Gift Upon the return, the hero shares his gift of experience and wisdom gained through the journey. Hero may: Become richer and stronger Become a great leader Become spiritually enlightened Restore and heals society

Why? The hero’s journey helps us answer the most profound questions of the universe. Why… am I here? is there suffering? What… is the meaning of life?

Profound: from the Latin “profundus,” meaning “just before the bottom” or “at the edge of death.” (Brennan)

“A hero is someone who reaches the edge of death, steals a pieces of magic, then brings the magic home to share with his community.”

We are all heroes on our separate journeys… and our mission is to make the world a better place. “ Follow your bliss.” –Joseph Campbell

Review

n That’s the hero’s journey! n Can you think of examples of the hero’s journey in any movies? n Now let’s take a look at The Lion King to see if you can identify the hero’s journey!