“Myths are dreams of the race
Dreams are the myths of the individual”
Movies/Stories you should know
Star Wars
Harry Potter
Lord of the Rings
Indiana Jones
The Lion King
The Wizard of Oz
X-Men
The Matrix
Batman
The Incredibles
King Arthur
Superman
The Terminator
The Natural
Braveheart
Alice in Wonderland
Hercules
Gladiator
Aladdin
Spiderman
Robin Hood
Theseus/Perseus/Jason
Kung Fu Panda
The Collective
Unconscious
• Carl Jung ( 1875 – 1961) developed idea of the
“collective unconscious”
• Each person has in their unconscious a racial memory,
linking him or her to the rest of humanity, and Jung
felt that myths come from this collective
unconsciousness.
• Within this collective memory are “archetypes”
ARCHETYPES
• The term archetype can be applied to:
·
·
·
·
·
·
An image
A theme
A symbol
An idea
A character type
A plot pattern
Archetype
– The original pattern or model on which all things of
the same kind are copied or on which they are
based
– Myths are the conscious manifestation of these
archetypes
– These archetypes link myths and legends across
cultures, and across time
• Example: The Wicked Witch, Prince Charming
Archetypes
• Types of Archetypal Journeys
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The quest for identity
2. The epic journey to find the promised land
The quest for vengeance
The warrior’s journey to save his people
The search for love (to rescue the
princess/damsel in distress)
Types of Archetypal Journeys
6. The journey in search of knowledge
7. The tragic quest: penance or self-denial
8. The fool’s errand
9. The quest to rid the land of danger
10.The grail quest (the quest for human
perfection)
Joseph Campbell(1904 –
1987)
American writer on mythology and comparative
Religions
In his book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces",
Campbell identified the underlying patterns in
myths, stories, and the spiritual traditions.
Heroic Archetypes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Warrior (Odysseus): A near god-like hero faces physical challenges and external enemies
Lover (Prince Charming): A pure love motivate hero to complete his quest
Scapegoat: Hero suffers for the sake of others
Transcendent Hero: The hero of tragedy whose fatal flaw brings about his downfall, but not without
achieving some kind of
transforming realization or wisdom (Greek and Shakespearean tragedies—Oedipus, Hamlet, Macbeth, etc.)
5. Romantic/Gothic Hero: Hero/lover with a decidedly dark side (Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre)
6. Proto-Feminist Hero: Female heroes (The Awakening by Kate Chopin)
7. Apocalyptic Hero: Hero who faces the possible destruction of society
8. Anti-Hero: A non-hero, given the vocation of failure, frequently humorous (Homer Simpson)
9. Defiant Anti-Hero: Opposer of society’s definition of heroism/goodness. (Heart of Darkness)
10. Unbalanced Hero: The Protagonist who has (or must pretend to have) mental or emotional deficiencies
(Hamlet, One Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)
11. The Other—the Denied Hero: The protagonist whose status or essential otherness makes heroism
possible (Invisible Man
by Ralph Ellison, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan)
12. The Superhero: Exaggerates the normal proportions of humanity; frequently has divine or supernatural
origins. In some
sense, the superhero is one apart, someone who does not quite belong, but who is nonetheless needed by
society. (Mythological heroes, Superman)
The Hero’s Journey
“ A hero ventures forth from the world of common day
into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces
are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the
hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with
the power to bestow boons on his fellow man”
– Joseph Campbell “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”
“I think emotionally, we haven’t changed much
in 2,000 or 3,000 years.”
“We retain “deep seated feelings about
family, our place in society, and that’s why
people relate to it (Star Wars).”
George Lucas, creator of “Star Wars”
The Pattern of Human
Experience
• But The Hero's Journey isn't just a
pattern from myth.
– It's the pattern of life, growth and
experience -- for all of us.
• We see it reflected everywhere, from a
TV comedy to the great works of
literature to the experiences in our own
lives.
The Hero’s Journey
• Part One: Departure
• Part Two: Initiation
• Part Three: Return
PART I: Innocence
The Hero
• The hero is naïve and inexperienced, but
often shows promise and individuality
Home Culture
The protagonist has a home, a
place that he or she thinks is
normal, familiar, and common
to his or her culture.
The Call to Adventure
• The point in the person (hero’s ) life
when they are first given notice that
everything is going to change, whether
they like it or not.
– Call to adventure can come in many forms,
and is sometimes brought by a herald
The Call to Adventure
“Help me Obi Wan, you’re my only hope.” Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
The Call to Adventure
“Follow the white Rabbit” The Matrix
The Call to Adventure
Letter of acceptance to Hogwarts: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone
The Call to Adventure
Odysseus mocking Polyphemus, the son of Poseidon.
The Refusal of the Call
"In many stories, the hero initially
refuses the call to adventure. When this
happens, the hero suffers somehow, and
eventually chooses the quest."
This may be from a sense of duty or
obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of
inadequacy, or any of a range of
reasons that work to hold the person
in his or her current circumstances.
Supernatural Aid
The inexperienced hero is provided with
a supernatural, guiding and/or guarding
character, or an instrumental item
(sword, ring, etc.) to assist his or her
journey into the unknown
Known as the “Guide,” “Wise Man”
The Wise and Helpful Guide
The Wise and Helpful Guide
Magical Talisman
A special weapon or charm to ward off
evil
Hero Partners
Hero may begin adventure alone, but may
meet “partners” who will accompany him.
Part II : Initiation
Crossing the Threshold
1st step of the journey
– This is the point where the person actually crosses into
the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or
her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous
realm where the rules and limits are not known. Leaves
the known limits of his or her world and ventures into
an unknown and dangerous realm region
Threshold Guardians
– Often the hero must pass by or
through some type of guardians
• These guardians may be firm or
fearsome, and they measure the
hero’s readiness for the journey
The Belly of the Beast
– Represents the final separation from the
hero’s known world and self
– Can often be the hero’s lowest point
– Exit from the beast can symbolize rebirthbeginning of hero’s transformation
• Examples: Matrix The Hobbit Pinocchio
Star Wars
PART III: Chaos
The Road of Trials
– A series of tasks, tests, or ordeals that the
hero must undergo to begin the transformation.
– Often the person fails one or more of these
tasks, which often occur in threes.
Examples: Harry Potter
The Meeting With the Goddess
• This symbolizes the hero’s facing the
opposing forces in his/her life.
• It is essentially when the hero is no longer
at odds with themselves.
• The goddess symbolizes the other half of
the hero that must be overcome, paid
attention to, or come to terms with.
• The goddess may be a mother, sister,
lover, wife… even an actual goddess
Rambo and Co Bao from
“Rambo”
Frodo and Galadriel from “The
Fellowship of the Ring”
Indiana Jones and Miriam Ravenwood
from “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
Losing the Guide
The Wise and Helpful Guide can take the hero only so far
The hero must continue alone, and grow without his or
her mentor
Examples: Lord of the Rings Star Wars Lion King
Atonement with the
Father
• The hero must confront and be initiated by
whatever holds the ultimate power in his or
her life
– In many myths this is the father, or father
figure who has life and death power
– This is the center point of the journey.
Luke Skywalker faces his father Darth Vader in “The Return of
the Jedi”
Luke helps Anakin redeem himself.
“I am your father!
“I am your father!
Apotheosis
To apotheosize is to deify(make god-like)
When someone dies a physical death, or dies in
spirit, he or she moves beyond a state of divine
knowledge, love, compassion, and bliss
The hero is now willing to accept what is required
of him/her and complete the mission
This is a god-like state; the person is in heaven and
beyond all strife. A more mundane way of looking at
this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and
fulfillment before the hero begins the return.
Apotheosis
Gandalf the grey “dies”… and becomes…
…Gandalf the White
The Ultimate Boon
• The achievement of the goal
– All the previous steps serve to prepare and
purify the person for this step
– Destroying the Death Star
– Defeating the Joker
– Destroying the OmniDroid
PART IV: Resolution or
Acceptance
Refusal of the Return
• Not actually a true refusal
– Hero has a difficult transition returning to a
“normal” life with new abilities and knowledge
• Harry Potter (The Dursleys)
• Lord of the Rings (Frodo)
• The Incredibles
Master of Two Worlds
• "Once the final threshold is crossed, the hero is now free
to move back and forth between the two worlds at will.
He has mastered the conflicting psychological forces of
the mind."
– Often represented by a transcendental “hero” such as
Buddah
• Harry Potter - Wizards vs Muggles
• Tarzan Jungle vs. Civilization
• Luke Skywalker - Jedi vs. “regular” world
• Batman Bruce Wayne vs. Batman