Welcome, Wanderers.
We've all heard of heroes,
right? They're the people who go on quests, fight evil, and gain
wisdom.
However, a lesser known
concept is the archetypal hero's journey.
To start, I need to define
archetype. As Google defines it, and archetype is: “a recurrent
symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology.” Some examples of
archetypes are: the hero, the damsel in distress, the theme good vs.
evil, the quest, and colors. However, I will save archetypes for a
different post.
There are six parts to a
hero's journey:
The Departure, Crossing the Threshold, the Temptations, the Trials,
Descent into the Abyss, and Return to Society. You
can find the archetypal hero's journey just about anywhere. For
example, Luke in Star Wars goes on the archetypal hero's journey, as
well as Odysseus in The Odyssey.
I am going to use Luke and Odysseus as examples, so if you don't
want to read plot spoilers for Star Wars, or The Odyssey,
or haven't seen/heard of either of them, don't read the rest of this
post. :)
- Departure: This is where the hero is called to adventure. In A New Hope, this is when Obi Wan Kenobi asks Luke to come with him on Tatooine. I've only read The Odyssey, not The Iliad, where Odysseus's adventure begins, so I'm not sure about this part of Odysseus's journey.
- Crossing the Threshold: This is the point of no return. After the hero crosses this point, they cannot turn back. In A New Hope, this is when Luke finds his aunt and uncle dead, and has nothing left for him on Tatooine. Again, I'm not sure about this part of Odysseus's journey.
The
Temptations: There are three temptations: Wealth, Beautiful People,
and Giving Up. Odysseus isn't really tempted by wealth, but he is
tempted by beautiful women on Circe's island and on Calypso’s
island. He and his men are tempted to give up by eating the Lotus
flowers. Luke is tempted over and over to give up and join the Dark
side.
- Trials: These are the trials a hero endures. One trial Luke endures in A New Hope is the trial to destroy the Death Star. One trial Odysseus endures is crossing into the Sea of Monsters through the gateway, and facing Scylla and Charybdis.
- Descent into the Abyss: This is where the hero descends into the underworld, either literally or figuratively. This is a place that tests the hero greatly. The hero changes from this experience. In The Empire Strikes Back, while Luke is training with Yoda, he enters a cave and sees Darth Vader. There, he defeats Darth Vader, only to realize it is himself, Luke, under the mask. Odysseus must go to the Underworld and speak with dead people.
- Return to Society: This is when the hero returns with new wisdom to society. At the end of Return of the Jedi, everyone celebrates the fall of the Empire. Odysseus returns home.
What movies/books do you see the archetypal hero journey in? Do you
like the archetypal journey, or would you prefer heroes' journeys all
be different?
By the way, I'm sorry, but there are no free pictures of Luke, and no good free pictures of the Star Wars logo. It's driving me crazy. However, Darth Vader seems to be very popular. :)
Spruce Nogard
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