What does it mean to be a
Hero?
Archetypes in Literature
What is an epic and an archetype?
Epic: An extended narrative poem in
elevated (fancy) language, celebrating the
feats of a legendary or traditional hero.
Archetype: Patterns that commonly appear
in stories no matter what culture they
come from. Archetypes can apply to plots
of a story, characters in a story, and
themes of a story.
Character Archetypes: Patterns depicted
in characters of stories
1. The Hero: protagonist whose life is
depicted through a series of well-defined
adventures. Usually he has an unusual
birth, will have to leave his kingdom to go
on some journey, and returns to his home
a changed person. He is very brave,
strong, has honor, and risks his life for the
good of all. Examples: Hercules,
Aragorn, Lancelot, Wolverine
2. Young Man from the Provinces: The
Hero returns home to find that he is a
stranger who can see new problems and
new solutions. Example: The Prodigal
Son
3. Mentor: The mentor is an older, wiser
teacher to the Hero. He is sometimes
viewed as a father figure. He gives the
Hero gifts, food, magic, information, help,
etc. Example: Morpheus from the Matrix,
Obie one from Star Wars.
4. Mentor-pupil-relationship: The mentor teaches
the pupil skill in order to survive his journey
5. Hunting Group of Companions (side-kicks):
Loyal friends to the Hero who are willing to
face hardships with him on his journey.
Example: Hans Solo from Star Wars, Ron and
Hermione from Harry Potter
6. The Shadow: A worthy opponent with whom
the hero must fight in the end. Example: Darth
Vader, Voldemort, The Matrix, Pride, Jealousy
7. Creature of Nightmare: A monster (literally or
figuratively) that threatens the life of the Hero
and his companions. Example: Cyclops from
The Odyssey, the shark from Jaws
8. The Damsel in Distress: A woman
(usually) who needs to be rescued by the
Hero. She is often used to trap the hero.
Example: Princess Fiona from Shrek,
the wife in 12 Rounds w/ John Cena
9. The Temptress: A woman whose beauty
attracts the hero and brings about his
downfall or gets him off course on his
journey.
Situational Archetypes: These are
patterns in plots of stories
1. The journey: The journey sends the hero in
search of some truth that will help him save
himself and/or his kingdom.
Stages of a hero’s journey (5 stages):
 Stage 1: Departure: the Hero is called (or
forced) to adventure, although he is reluctant to
accept
 Stage 2: Initiation: The hero crosses a threshold
into a new, more dangerous world, where he
gains more perspective in life
Stage 3: The Road of Trials: The Hero is
given supernatural aide, endures tests of
strength, resourcefulness, and endurance.
Stage 4: The Innermost Cave: The Hero
descends into the underworld and is
reborn in some way, either physically or
mentally (this is the final stand off btwn
good and evil)
Stage 5: Return to society: The Hero
returns home and restore order to his
kingdom
More Situational Archetypes
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Task: The nearly super human feats the Hero
must perform in order to help himself or his
kingdom.
The Fall: The descent from a higher to lower state
of being, usually as a punishment for screwing up
(going from god-like to man)
Death and Rebirth: The most common situational
archetype. Basically the Hero dies someway
(figuratively or literally) and is reborn.
Battle Between Good and Evil: When the hero,
usually a symbol of goodness, battles an evil
character. USUALLY, good triumphs over evil,
thus showing man’s eternal optimism.
Symbolic Archetypes: Patterns of
symbols in stories
1. Wisdom vs. Stupidity: Some characters have
wisdom while others, who are usually in
charge and make tons of mistakes, do not.
These people accompany the hero on his
journey to give him advice.
2. Supernatural Intervention: When spiritual
beings intervene on behalf of the hero.
3. The Underworld: A place of death where the
hero faces his fear of death or a great
challenge during his journey.
4. Haven vs. Wilderness: A haven is a
place of safety which is typically
contrasted to the wilderness, a place of
danger. Heroes are often sheltered from
the wilderness during their journey.
5. The Crossroads: A place or time of
decision when a realization is made and
a change occurs in the Hero.
6. The Whirlpool: Symbolizes the
destructive power of nature
7. Fog: Symbolizes uncertainty
8.
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Colors:
Red: Blood, sacrifice, passion
Green: Growth, hope, fertility
Blue: Highly positive, security, tranquility,
spiritual purity
 Black: darkness, chaos, mystery, death,
evil
 White: light, purity, innocence,
timelessness
 Yellow: Wisdom, enlightenment
The Journey
Heroes can go on many types of journeys.
They can be a quest for: identity,
vengence, love, the holy grail, search for
knowledge, a journey to save his people,
or a tragic quest which is penance for
something they think they did wrong or did
do wrong. It can also be an epic journey
which occurs over a long period of time,
usually years/decades of a hero’s life,
which is what Gilgamesh is.
The Hero
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Traditional/Classical hero: Strong, good-looking,
noble, skilled in many areas, live by personal codes of
honor, first to jump in and save the day, love the
acclaim
Antihero: the exact opposite of a traditional hero;
reluctant to help, lacks courage and honesty, is
physically and mentally weak. Also called a Byronic
hero.
Tragic Hero: main character in a tragedy who makes
an error that leads to his/her downfall
Unsung hero: Heroes who do not get credit for their
great deeds and go unnoticed by society.
Super hero: Heroes who have some sort of
magical/mythical power that aides them in their tasks