Adapted from Joseph Campbell’s book,

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

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

• Monomyth: The basic pattern found

in many myths around the world.

• This is known as “The Hero’s Journey.”

• It is the idea that human consciousness tends to produce similar ideas regardless of time or culture.

MONOMYTH

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.”

~Joseph Campbell

• This isn’t only a pattern in myth!

• We see it in TV, movies, literature

• These ideas are repeated in many popular stories, as well as the oldest stories we know.

• Beowulf, The Odyssey, and The Epic of Gilgamesh (From ancient Sumeria), as well as Star Wars, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.

THE GREAT ADVENTURE

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• 1. Separation from the familiar

2. Initiation and transformation

3. The return

• Examples include: Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Hazing/Initiation in Greek societies at college, first alcoholic beverage, marriage, etc.

• Imagine a college major where you leave home to attend, the first classes are so hard that those who don’t LOVE it drop or switch majors, while those who stay are educated until they return to the world as doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc.

RITES OF PASSAGE

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*Separation

1. The Call

2. The Threshold (with guardians, helpers, and a mentor)

*Initiation and Transformation

3. The Challenges

4. The Abyss

5. The Transformation

6. The Revelation

7. The Atonement

*The Return to the known world

8. The Return (With a gift)

8 STEPS

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The Call

Invites the (future) hero into the adventure. **The character may be willing to go, or they may be unwilling!

This can take many forms:

1. Something is stolen and the hero must reclaim it.

2. There is something missing in the hero’s life and they must find it.

3. The hero wants to save honor (own, family’s, country’s).

4. The hero realizes that someone in society has fewer rights, and he or she goes out to win them.

SEPARATION

Luke’s family is killed, and Obi Wan Kenobi “calls” him to help the rebel cause. inkensoul.com

The Threshold• This is the “jumping off

point,” when the hero leaves the known for the unknown.

• Guardians often block the hero from leaving, and passing them means making a real commitment

• Luckily, the hero has a helper(s), including a mentor or guide. This will help keep the hero focused on the goal.

SEPARATION 2

The cantina scene is Luke’s first step into a world outside the farm where he grew up. tech.701panduan.com

Challenges• Increase in difficulty over time• Hero gets pulled deeper into

quest• Tend to strike at hero’s

weakness

The Abyss• The “Boss at the end of the

level”• The most difficult challenge,

causing the hero to completely give over to the quest.

• “Slay the Dragon.”• If s/he fails, life becomes bleak

and meaningless until a second chance occurs.

Transformation & Revelation• Conquering the Abyss=

Transformation complete• A part of the hero dies, so a

new part can be born. Fear and ignorance die, too.

• Independence is accepted• Revelation= “Aha! Moment”

when thinking changes dramatically

• Usually during or after Abyss• New way of thinking= new

self, and often new confidence and abilities!

THE INITIATION & TRANSFORMATION

Atonement• Hero is “at one” with new

self• Changes are absorbed, hero

is fully “reborn.”• The wrongs that started the

journey have been righted, balance is restored.

• Now s/he is truly a HERO.• Gift of some kind is

received or noticed. Wealth, strength, leadership, spiritual enlightenment

I&T PART 2

starwars.wikia.com

• May return as a great hero for saving or fixing the community

• Others return to create new city/nation/religion

• May also be rejected due to changes/enlightenment. May lose new understanding as result.

• May become disillusioned if rejected, and leave society due to frustration.

THE RETURN

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Kurt Vonnegut on

“The Shapes of Stories”