The Hero’s Journey as Summarized by English 2341
PART I: DEPARTURE
1. The Call to Adventure (45-54)
Yajaira Hernandez
Lucy Gonzales
The passage starts with the telling of a fairytale involving a beautiful princess, a
golden ball, and a frog. The princess lost her golden ball in a very deep spring and was crying
quite loudly when she heard an unfamiliar voice calling out to her. She looked around to find
that the voice was coming from a frog who was asking for the reason to her sad crying. She
then explained that her favorite plaything was lost in the water. The frog then offered to
retrieve the golden ball, but she would have to do something for him. The princess, sad as
she was, offered her jewelry and even her crown in return or her ball, but the frog replied
that all he wanted was to be her companion.
The Frog in the story is the character/ unknown force that makes the call to
adventure. Thus bringing forth a new phase or “marking a new stage in the biography”. In
the fairytale, the princess fails to hold up her end of the agreement by ignoring the frog after
he retrieves the golden ball for her. The rest of the passage goes on to describe different
ways in which “the call to adventure is made in literature. This call is usually brought on by a
guide that suddenly appears, and is “somehow profoundly familiar to the unconscious, and
even frightening to the conscious personality”.
(Another example of the call to adventure would be the sudden appearance of two
unknown bad guys in the film North by Northwest. When the character Roger Thornhill is
mistaken and taken by these men; that situation marks the beginning to a new stage in the
story's plot. )
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2. Refusal of the Call (54-63)
Nicole Zazzara
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3. Supernatural Aid (63-71)
Jennifer Davenport
After an adventurer has accepted the call, he will first encounter a protective figure.
This person is often depicted as an older man or woman, virgin, or fairy godmother that
provides amulets that will help the hero to overcome obstacles that he will encounter
along the way. An example given was of the Southwest American Indian’s benignant
character, the grandmotherly Spider woman who helped the Twin War Gods of the Navaho
find the way to the Sun, their father.
These protective figures are a representation of the certainty of destiny. They
are a promise of safe passage. They guide the traveler on his path and insure that he is
prepared to face and conquer every obstacle that comes his way. Once a hero answers the
call, it is as if all forces are working for him. The example given was of Napoleon and what
he had stated during the opening of his Russian campaign. “I feel myself driven towards an end
that I do not know… as soon as I become unnecessary; an atom will suffice to shatter me. Till then, not all
the forces of mankind can do anything against me.”
The supernatural helper is frequently a masculine figure and in some stories is seen
as the teacher or guide. When advice is needed, the hero can go to their helper for their
needed answers. The helper only appears to one who has answered the call or needs to
answer the call. This happens to Kamar al-Zaman when he is found sleeping by Maymunah
the daughter of the King of Jinn. She seems to be fascinated by him and he is put under her
wing unknowingly. The call has been answered reluctantly and Kamar al-Zaman’s destiny
began to reveal itself.
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4. The Crossing of the First Threshold (71-82)
Bedanta Dhungana
Isaac Velasquez
After receiveing supernatural aid, the hero must venture out into the world to undergo his
journey but he first must deal with the crossing of the first threshold. The "threshold
guardian" is a metaphorical being that stands guard at the outer limits of what is considered
to be the hero's "world". The role of the "threshold guardian" is to protect anyone who
wishes to pass into the unknown. In layman terms, this threshold guardian can be also
labelled as the barrier between the known and the unknown. In a physical sense, it is the
border between home (human society) and the rest of the natural world. It is common for
mythologies and folk tales to portray the unknown filled with all sorts of monsters such as
ogres, sea monsters, half-creatures, etc. These monsters are projections from the
unconscious, the fears and neuroses that dwell in the collective mind. There are the
destructive monsters that play on our fears, like the Hottentot ogre, a creature that has eyes
on its instep and hunts men. The "wild women" of Russian folk tales on the other hand, can
be interpreted as an extenstion of human libidos as these women live in mountain canverns,
taking on human lovers and killing any who crosses them. Every culture has its monster tales
concerning the unknown and it is these implied dangers that keeps most people within the
confines of their own little world. The Ordinary Person lives within his home and he even
takes pride in knowing that he is staying within the confines of the known. But for the Hero,
it is vital to that he passes through, for successfuly confronting these "threshold guardians"
he enters a " new zone of experience" and continue on his journey.
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5. The Belly of the Whale (83-88)
Gracie Guerrero
Joseph Campbell summarizes the journey of a hero and what it symbolizes through different stages.
In this chapter we look into what it metaphorically means to pass through a phase in which one must
go through to reach the next step threshold. The belly of the whale signifies a symbol of rebirth
according to Campbell, a passage into the unknown where the struggle might have ended or begins.
In most cultures myths are associated with form of animal that would be able to swallow a person
and in most cultures it's considered more f a form of self annihilation simply because there was not
a way anyone could make a comeback unless the person was immortal.
Only an immortal can pass on as a form of rebirth once disappearing of the unknown hence
the belly of the whale. Once inside recollecting what his true purpose is and making some kind of
choice to be who this hero is destined to be. The inside of the creature also symbolizes a sort of
secret temple meaning , one must cross a barrier to come into contact with whatever world is on the
other side. In other cultures their temple barriers include gargoyle stones, winged creatures and or
any sacred animal with some sort of weapon that they hold to protecting that temple or sanctuary. In
the case of the whale the two rows of teeth would be barriers that must be crossed to see the other
side and what wonders may lie within.
These creatures that these cultures hold up high would be considered as threshold guardians
and ward away any incapable suitor or person incapable of being worthy to cross to the other side.
The person mortal or immortal goes through phases of metamorphosis at the moment of entering
the temple, once crossing that barrier as the teeth of the whale it is viewed as a renewing or life
centering act and the image of the belly of the whale is seen as an identical adventure.
The quote “ No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist”
(Coomaraswamy pg.6 note 14) . Meaning some sort of extinction must occur for it to be seen as a
higher form of existence, and so it is that in other cultures men who were put on the earth to be
visible such as chiefs in tribes, dragon slayers or heroes themselves can show their people that them
physically in body can be slain and flesh is scattered and demonstrated in such a way that once they
come back from their passing as immortals and show the world that they are still remaining and there
is nothing to fear such as death itself and make a statement in their power to save.
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PART II: INITIATION
6. The Road of Trials (89-100)
*We have two versions of this one
Vanessa Dongma
Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid,
ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials. This is a favorite phase of
the myth adventure. The hero is covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and secret agents of
the supernatural helper whom he met before his entrance into this region. One of the best
known and most charming examples of the "difficult tasks" motif is that of Psyche's quest
for her lost lover, Cupid. Psyche's voyage to the underworld is but one of innumerable such
adventures undertaken by the heroes of fairy tale and myth. Among the most perilous are
those of the shamans of the peoples of the farthest north when they go to seek out and
recover the lost or abducted souls of the sick. The shaman of the Siberians is clothed for the
adventure in a magical costume representing a bird or reindeer. His drum is his animal and
the stick that he carries is another of his aids. The most difficult stages of the adventure
begin, when the depths of the underworld with their remarkable manifestations open before
him. . . . After he has appeased the watchers of the kingdom of the dead and made his way
past the numerous perils, he comes at last to the Lord of the Underworld, Erlik himself. This
moment of the dialogue with Erlik is the crisis of the ceremonial. The second stage of the
way is the process of dissolving, transcending, or transmuting the infantile images of our
personal past. There can be no question: the psychological dangers through which earlier
generations were guided by the symbols and spiritual exercises of their mythological and
religious inheritance must face alone, or, at best, with only tentative, impromptu, and not
often very effective guidance. This is our problem as modern, "enlightened" individuals, for
whom all gods and devils have been rationalized out of existence. The original departure into
the land of trials represented only the beginning of the long and really perilous path of
initiator) conquests and moments of illumination
Andrew Jones
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Road of Trials
During the initiation period of the heroes journey the hero must undergo a series of
tests that the protagonist must survive and overcome. The roads of trial are used in the plot
as a way to build tension and develop the character. During this time the hero undergoes a
transformation which is necessary in order to complete the roads of trial.
There are two types of antagonist battles to take place one a brother battle, usually
used to symbolize inner struggle such as a dark side to the hero. The other is a dragon battle
where the hero must battle a superior power. A good example from the text of a brother
battle is the struggle between Inanna the queen of Heaven and her sister Ereshkigal the
queen of the land of no return. Inanna must go to the land of no return in order to attend
the funeral of her sister’s husband. Upon arrival the gatekeeper instructs Inanna that she
must pass through a series of gates where she must remove one article of clothing before
proceeding. The hero Inanna must shed her pride in order to succumb to the intolerable. In
this case the two sisters are the same and their struggle represents the struggle between light
and dark, good, and evil. The dragon battle could be summarized by the actions of the
medicine men of the tribes of the north (Eskimos, Lapp, and some Native American tribes)
where the shaman or medicine man must venture to mystical lands to seek out and find lost
souls of sick or deceased members of their clan. The shaman often must battle either
mystical creatures or opposing medicine men who try to lead the medicine men astray.
The roads of trial are intended to mature the hero on his quest to the final battle or
zenith of the plot. The road of trials defines the hero and allows the audience the time
needed to understand the character, his/her allies and their enemies or opposing forces.
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7. The Meeting with the Goddess (100-110)
Kelly Quillen
“The Meeting with the Goddess” is a mythological story about different mythological
characters on different adventures. The first character the story tells about is the Prince of
the Lonesome Isle who went in search of water to Tubber Tintye. According to the story,
he came across the most beautiful woman he had ever set eyes on. She was known as the
Lady or Queen of Tubber Tintye. The prince then slept for six days and nights.
Next, the story tells about Diana, the perilous goddess who Actaeon dared to visit one day.
He found her in the woods while she was bathing in the nude. In anger, she yelled at
Actaeon. He then turned into a creature with antlers, possibly a werewolf and was attacked
by his own hound dogs.
Then, the story tells about Ramakrishna, a Hindu priest who came across a woman giving
birth to a child. After nursing the child, she swallowed and chewed it. The following is an
important direct quote from the story:
“Woman, in the picture language of mythology, represents the totality of what can
be known. The hero is the one who she comes to know. The hero who can take her
as she is, without undue commotion but with the kindness and assurance she
requires, is potentially the king, the incarnate god, of her created world.” (The
Adventure of the Hero: “The Meeting with the Goddess” – P. 105-106)
The next characters in this story include Eochaid and his five sons: Fergus, Olioll, Brian,
Fiachra and ‘Niall. After a day of hunting, they lost their way and went in search of water.
They found a well with a very unattractive woman guarding it. The first son went and asked
for water. The woman requested a kiss from him. Fergus refused the kiss. Then each
brother went to the well, asking her for water, and the woman asked each for a kiss. They all
refused, until ‘Niall went asking for water. He embraced and kissed the woman. After this
happened, she turned into a beautiful and graceful woman. Her name was “Royal Rule”.
He gave her a galaxy of charms. The concept of this story is that without battles and
conflicts, we cannot achieve what we are looking for or achieve our goals.
Other important quotes from this story include: “The meeting with the goddess
(who is incarnate in every woman) is the final test of the talent of the hero to win the
boon of love, which is life itself enjoyed as the encasement of eternity.” (Adventure of
the Hero: “The meeting with the Goddess P.107-108) “And when the adventurer, in
this context, is not a youth, but a maid, she is the one who, by her quantities, her
beauty, or her yearning, is fit to become the consort of an immortal.” (The Adventure
of the Hero: “The Meeting with the Goddess” P. 107-108)
In the end, the story tells of a king’s daughter who has a frog follow her. She becomes
annoyed with the frog. The frog turns into a king’s son with kind eyes. The woman and
man become married.
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8. The Woman as Temptress (111-116)
Ivan Ortiz
Part of the Hero’s Journey is to encounter obstacles that challenge his odyssey not
only physically, but also spiritually and intrinsically as well. It should be noted, however, that
woman as temptress is not always translated literally. Woman is a metaphor for temptation
itself, whether it be physical or material. Part of the reason Campbell uses woman as the
metaphor is because of his strong Catholic upbringing, where man’s fall is shifted to blame
Eve taking the forbidden fruit.
At first a hero will view woman as a symbol of victory, as women typically symbolize
life and the hero her “master”. After sensing that his journey is not quite over, however, our
hero begins to make inquisitions as to what his place is in the grand scale of the world and
comes to the conclusion that woman has served as an impediment to the purity of his
journey. Woman has come to serve as a distraction for all that is wrong or dysfunctional in
the world of our hero, inevitably forcing our hero to the catharsis that reality is not truly as
splendid as woman would have him believe. Much like Oedipus at first rejoices in the
pleasure of sleeping with his mother, a hero at once becomes revolted by the momentary
pleasures of the flesh.
This archetype extends as far as the monasteries as well. Feeling that his daughter
was too beautiful, Saint Peter prayed to God that she fall sick so as to not tempt any man to
lust for her skin. Yet another writing shows that Saint Bernard, a rather beautiful man, had
always throughout his lifetime been pursued by women seeking to lay traps for his chastity.
Both show women as symbols of sin, trying to remove mans goodness and his search for
purity and truth.
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9. Atonement with Father (116-137)
Elizabeth Rodriguez and Alicia Valverde
Atonement with the Father starts off with the father figure being portrayed as a wrathful and
fearful God. And just as he has created mankind, he can easily wipe them out. The elements of
water and fire are used to illustrate how God is capable of such ordeal. In this analogy, God the
father sends Jesus Christ to be the atonement for sinners. God the father shows his mercy and
grace through the redemptive life and death of Christ, and thus, order and relationship are
restored.
The ogre characteristics of the father may represent the hero’s individual ego.
Faith is required to believe that the father is merciful and the ogre-like characteristics within the
hero will disappear. Atonement is the hero separating from a self-made beast, his individual
superego which is symbolic for good (God), and sin which is symbolic for evil (devil). “At-onement” could also signify that the hero wants to overthrow the father figure and take his
position as ruler. It may also be that the hero may want the father figure to atone or
acknowledge for his past rejection.
The father figure may be a male or female villain, a supernatural power, or force
which the hero encounters and must defeat. He does so by passing through a series of
initiations, tests or levels. These tests may be the climax of the story. It may look as if the hero
is close to death, but in reality it only causes him extreme pain, whether it is physical, emotional
or both (the hero is able to overcome them otherwise the story would end). The ideas behind
the trials or tribulations that the hero surpasses are validated when he becomes enlightened,
strengthened, or he may just barely make it through. The hero may have help along the way by
a person, spiritual entity, emulate or charm. The central focus point of the story starts to
unravel as he gets closer to his destination.
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10. Apotheosis (138-158)
Chris Piccoitto
Asha Price
For a hero to reach his apotheosis, he must first die to the flesh, or purge his inner primal ego. To apotheosize
is to reach Godlike status by overcoming one's his greatest fear, the ego. Only when a person learns to liberate
the ignorance of conscious mind, breaking free from the limited knowledge of patriarchal rituals, dogmatic in
the protection of their faith, does he reach a profound state of change. He reaches the epitome of
enlightenment by realizing his destiny in clearing his heart with love, while developing a servant heart while
attainment Kingship, not raging war on the rest of the world, others, or even themselves through hate.
However a conflict in achieving this state differs among Eastern and Western worships. It all sums up to A
Heavenly Father who appears to either have on Female God (Mother Earth) as his Wife, and/or he has
multiples lovers (Multiple Universes through Time and Space).
In Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara, a major Bodhisattvas (enlightenment being) known as “The
Lord Looking Down in Pity”, is a compassionate figure protecting those who suffer the evils of existence.
The rest of the Western World acknowledges this deity as God. He vows to bring all those who
follow his way to the pinnacle of great understanding. The hero can obtain this holy grace by looking to the
three myths of the Bodhisattvas and spiritually submission to Jesus Christ deemed the Son of God and The
Redeemer of Humanity in Monotheistic text for guidance. Firstly, there is a masculine
Avalokiteshvara/feminine Kwan Yin unity to this godlike being. This androgynous union is a symbolic of
source of life (man/penis: semen) and nourishment (woman/vagina: menstrual blood). The unlimited growths
of two apparent opposites merge. Then there is the destruction of the distinction between life (time: finite) and
death of living (eternity: infinite), the renunciation of the story of Nirvana (eternal bliss). In this Bodhisattvas
myth the two drives (Eros: life-wish, Thanatos: death-wish) work in conjunction to motivate the hero to delude
himself in the desires and hostilities of the secular world. Detaching and purging the delusions at the mind's
center allows the hero to continue on his journey with an empty ego, unhindered and waiting to be filled with a
new, sage understanding.
The final myth of the Bodhisattvas is the symbolic merging of the first and second myths, the birth,
death, and resurrection of the bisexual form. In the language of divinity, it states that the time is created by
God (the father) in the great mother womb. The life inside the womb consists of the mother's darkness and the
father's light. The hero that is conceived is removed from God, only to return at death, after passing through
the womb of time. In God's hands he is rebirth into eternity. He (God) and she (mother womb) cannot create
birth/rebirth without the other. They are one in the same.
In Christianity, Adam, the first hero, was created in the image of his God, androgynous as he was
conceived and constructed with Eve. The removal of his rib to create Eve in a separate form, before the Fall
of Man, from perfect unity to distinct duality, led to thus creating the duality of good and evil when Adam and
Eve were released from Paradise for disobedience. An act impossible had not the separation have occurred,
Adam remained bisexual. Adam symbolizes the birth, and Christ represents Ascension and Rebirth.
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11. The Ultimate Boon (159-178)
Tri Pham
Stevie Prophet
The ultimate boon is the end of the beginning. This is an achievement of knowledge of
immortality and appreciation for what we have called life. The boon that the hero receives is the
knowledge of the Indestructible Body, often represented in myths as food, drink, or fire with magical
powers or that’s never finished and always renews itself.
In other point of view that Campbell makes a clear view of simplicity and naivety in many
myths and fairy tales in this chapter. Things don’t always make sense, and this is careful in forces us
to set aside rationality and emotion and just experience the story for what it is. Joseph Campbell uses
mythology to illustrate to the reader that the chapter is about appreciation of life and achievement of
the goal of the heroes quest. Campbell does a great job at portraying the trails the hero must surpass
in order to purify himself proving that the hero is worthy of accomplishing the goal of the quest. The
achievement of the goal allows the hero to grow mentally becoming a more noble and godly hero
than ever before.
This shows the hero going through difficult challenges to rise to a place of beauty and peace.
The Ultimate boon Gilgamesh learns from the goddess of love named Ishtar. Ishtar tells our hero
that he should be content with mortal joys of life and not pursue life that he wouldn't find. The
ultimate test begins when the ferrymen which took Gilgamesh to the residence of Utnapishtim who
puts Gilgamesh to sleep in the waters of death for six days surrounding him with seven loaves of
bread. The purifying stage is shown when Utnapishtim awakes the hero telling the ferrymen to take
him to the the certain cool water-hole where he may wash himself and put on fresh garments. The
achievement occurs as hero dives to the bottom of the bottomless sea where Utnapishtim revealed
the plant of immortality can be found. Gilgamesh retrieves the plant in doing so the plant is like a
piercing poison it mutilates his hand. He announces his triumph, bathed in the water-hole, and lays
down to rest. The serpent the smells the perfume scent and moves forward eating the plant. The
serpent eating the immortality plant in some sense frees the hero from the poison of Gilgamesh's
desire eternal life when he should be living in the beauty and peace of his kingdom.
The boon, then, can be experienced on many levels. It’s that point in the journey where
obstacles fall away, and even those remaining aren’t as tough as they seemed to be from a
distance. It’s spiritual in that we acquire the sense of eternity and the awesomeness of life, which
changes our entire perspective on everything we do, feel, and think. This is what we undertook the
journey to get.
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PART III: RETURN
12. Refusal of the Return (179-182)
Ryan Reyes
Our “Hero” at this point has now achieved what the main point of his/her
mission, what else is there? Of course, returning back home with the “Holy Grail” and
reaping the benefits. Here is where the problem arises, why go back to whatever mundane
life awaits back at home, the same one that sent you on this mission in the first place. The
amount of excitement and dangers that have crossed the path has now come to an end, what
else is there? Campbell speaks of Muchukunda who after fighting a battle against “demons”
only asks for undisturbed sleep. Of course after saving the day his wish was granted and
slept, forever having the feeling of a timeless defeat forever known. As the story goes, he
does wake but instead of returning back to his “normal” life he retreats into another
mountain to sleep more.
Of course it doesn’t always go this way, but it is a problem that our Heroes are faced
with. Is it a sense of arrogance or are they simply fueled at the idea of being the only person
who was seen fit to do what has been asked?
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13. The Magic Flight (182-192)
We have 2 entries for The Magic Flight
Murielle Shimba
The Magic Flight from “The Hero’s Journey” is a series of myths or tales in which a
hero goes through a series of trials and obsticals during which if he is able to gain the
blessings of the gods or goddess then he will be commissioned to return to the world with
some elixir for the restoration of society, and the final stage of his adventure will be
supported by all the powers of his supernatural patron. But in case the Hero doesn’t obtain
the blessings of the gods and that the trophy is obtained against the will of its guardian, or if
the hero's wish to return to the world has been resented by the gods or demons, then the last
stage of the mythological round becomes a lively, often comical, pursuit. This flight may be
complicated by marvels of magical obstruction and evasion.
Joseph Campbell gives us a couple of classic examples of myths in which we could
observe Magic Flights, and with hero’s or heroines that have to transform things or
themselves to stop a pursuit. For example: The Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Fights Worth Fighting For—Malcolm Dill
A flight, commonly referred to as a magic flight, is, in most cases , a highly actionable pursuit
after either ones enemy, or ones freedom from an enemy. These magic flights often include
humans turning into animals, or turning basic objects into obstructions that causes delay of
action or total abortion of the wrath the enemy had set and individual.
The very first flight we see in the passage is that of Gwion Bach who was enslaved by a
woman named Caridwen. Gwion Bach was made to stir concoction created by this Caridwen
for one year, afterwhich three drops of the elixir would give her more wisdom and insight in
the areas of science and inspiration. However, one day as Gwion Bach stirred the contents
of the kettle, a drop flew out of the pot and caused a such a burning sensation to his finger,
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that he had to put his finger in his mouth. This act gave Gwion Bach the power to forsee
things to come; these findings led him to developing a desire of escape from his slave master
Caridwen. After discovering that the contents of her labor had been spilled out into the
river, and her slave escaped, an enraged Caridwen takes after him, and the first flight begins.
An array of animals, and objects are displayed as this pursuit takes place. It all comes to an
end when Gwion Bach transforms himself in to a grain of wheat and Caridwen transforms
herself into a hen kicking through the wheat in search of her slave. Caridwen finds him in
the grain, eats him and gives birth to him nine months later. However the flight does not
end there, the crafty Gwion Bach is in luck when Caridwen cannot find it in her heart to kill
him because of his beauty after being born, and proceeds to carefully cast him into the sea of
the God of grace.
Another flight is that of Morgon Kara whom seeks to help a man whom is ill after his soul
had been taken by a God of Heaven. Morgon Kara is a shaman to his people and well versed
in his gift. Morgon begans his journey for the lost soul and discovers that the soul is in a
bottle covered with the thumb of God. Not knowing that the entire matter is a test of God
to see just how competent he was as a shaman and soul seeker, Morgon transforms himself
into a wasp and stings the head of God causing him to release the soul. Morgon Kara grabs
the soul, and does not make it back to his people because the God, almost in a act of
jealously, splits the shamans drum therefore dimenishing the shamans power for ever.
One of the final flights the passage speaks of is that of a woman by the name of Madea who
falls deeply for a man by the name of Jason. She falls so much into love with him that she
assists him using her magical charm to overcome the impossible tasks her father assigned
him to. After winning the dragon guarded prize with very little adversity, the two flee
together on the Argo, Jasons' ship. Madeas father, pesistent and almost effective in his
pursuit of Jason is caught by suprise when Madea, pursuades Jason to kill her brother and
throw his dismembered body parts into the sea to throw the angry father off track. Jason
does just that and coincedentally the trick worked! The heart broken father aborts his pursuit
to collect the body parts of his deceased son and to take back to land to provide proper
burial.
These magic flights demonstrate the power and magic individuals posses however knowing
this is not key. What is important to know is that the individuals knew, when, where, and
how to use the powers possessed. Even when acts such as death, although not magic in
nature, are used they are found to have the same affect in most cases, providing a way of
escape and setting a captive free!
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14. Rescue from Without (192-201)
ERICH SILVESTAIN
ELISABETH KABOUI
In our first story, Raven darted with firesticks into the belly of a whale. He encountered a
young woman who was the whale’s soul. By not following her instructions, Raven
inadvertently causes the death of the whale. The belly of the whale represents the final
separation from the hero’s known world and self. Upon the beaching of the whale, people
come and cut a hole in the carcass and took some meat back to town. Raven climbed out,
but he left his firesticks in the whale’s belly. When Raven remembered hearing that if people
found firesticks in the belly of a whale, that most of the people would die. At this, Raven
was greatly distressed.
In our second story, the sun goddess, Armaterasu is being bothered by her brother, the
storm god – Susanowo. Susanowo’s recklessness led to the deaths of some women who
were weaving garments for other deities. Armaterasu is greatly troubled and she locks
herself in a heavenly cave. This act was equally as reckless as her brother’s actions, for the
permanent absence of sunlight would case the end of the universe while it was still young.
The other eight millions of deities devised a plan to lure Armaterasu out of the cave and the
plan worked. The other deities would let Armaterasu go partially back into the cave, thus
the day/night cycles we now know.
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15. The Crossing of the Return Threshold (201-212)
Danh Trinh
Victor Portillo
The difference between a hero and normal human is that the hero has a reason, an adventure
or a mission to accomplish. After finishing the adventure, the hero will return and may also
face some problems. One of the examples for a returning hero is the story of Rip van
Winkle. He moved into the adventure realm by a deep sleep. As he walked into the village,
he was caught off guard because he thought he knew everyone, but he then realized that he
was the outcast. His wardrobe was different compared to the rest, so they stared at him in
curiosity wondering if he was a Federal or Democrat. They thought he was a Tory, a spy or a
refugee.
Unlike Rip, the story of Oisin, an Irish hero is better. One day he went hunting with his
men, and he met the daughter of the King of the Land of the Youth. The mysterious girl has
a beautiful body, but the head of a pig. She said that the head of the pig will be gone if he
would marry her. In order to free her, he agreed to marry her and the pig head disappeared .
He lived with her as a king for many years. He wanted to come back to see his father and his
men. His father's wife said he has been gone for three hundred years so he couldn’t leave
her. He could only leave by remaining sitting on a white steed or else he would turn into an
old blind man. He came back to Erin, and saw a herdsman. He asked the herdsman to turn
over the stone but got refused, so he turned over the stone himself. He tried to get the horn
of Fenians under the stone and blow it, but he lost his balanced and made contact with the
ground, suddenly turning him into a blind old man. The idea of isolating the hero’s feet from
the ground is the same as the king who never
touches the ground when he is always standing on carpet or having servant to bring him up.
The story of Kamar alZaman talks about how Dahnash and Maymunah transported the
daughter of the Lord of the Islands and the Seas and the Seven Palaces all the way from
China. He name was Princess Budur. As Kamar slept in his bed, Dahnash and Maymunah
placed the sleeping Princess Budur next to him. Once Kamar awakened, he was surprised to
see a beautiful Princess laying next to him sleeping peacefully. He attempted to wake her, but
she had fallen into a deep sleep. Kamar believes Princess Budur is the woman his father
wishes him to marry, so Kamar was filled with eagerness. Once Budur wakened, she fell
madly in love with Kamar and kissed him all over his body. She held him close very tightly,
and they laid there until they fell asleep. Once they both awoke, Budur was back in china and
he was devastated his love was gone. Destiny will play itself out for the two. If destiny has
them be one again, the right circumstances will bring their worlds together once again. But
of all the heros, Kamar is the luckiest one. He had the opportunity to touch his destiny,
which many will never accomplish.
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16. Master of the Two Worlds (212-220)
Chase Valadez
Master of the Two Worlds is the final challenge in Campbell’s steps of a hero.
During this stage, the hero is faced with a final conflict before the victorious battle with the
antagonist. Joseph Campbell used examples such as Jesus to show is theory. However,
modern examples such as Star Wars, The Spiderman, or Lord of the Rings would be a much
more appropriate for such a controversial and new age society. This stage of the story is
when the hero comes to a realization. Often spiritual, the hero comes to a peace with himself
and the consequences ahead of him. While conquering the antagonist, the hero may be faced
with what seems to be an impossible task before he can defeat the antagonist. In the movie
The Spiderman, the hero has to choose between saving a falling cart filled with people or his
true love. Somehow, Spiderman is able to save both and goes on to defeat is enemy. The
hero must be able to live his adventurous world as well as home to succeed. A great example
of this is in the movie Hancock. In the final battle of the movie, Hancock has to defeat the
prisoners as well as escape the hospital and get as far away as possible. Though he does not
want to leave the girl behind, he knows it’s the only way they both can survive. This
realization is him mastering both worlds. After defeating his enemies and leaving the
hospital, Hancock is able to return to his normal life, however, being dramatically changed.
Not only did he defeat his external conflict (the prisoners), but he is also able to conquer his
internal conflict as well (knowing who he is and living without the girl). Nearly every movie
has this step in the conclusion of the story. A hero must be able to master his personal
conflict before he can truly conquer his enemy.
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17. Freedom to Live (221-226)
Franchelle McCloud
A Hero’s Journey: Freedom to Live
In “ The Hero With A Thousand Faces,” Joseph Campbell uses the section “Freedom to
Live” to explain the hero’s journey to living life without regards to the past or the future,
without having anxiety, fear of death, or any other emotions or factors that interrupts the
hero from living life in the present. Campbell describes death as “inevitable”, meaning
that it is something that is going to happen no matter what, no matter how much you fear
it (221). Since death is inevitable, worrying about only creates a major stress factor for
the hero, which takes his mind off his current goals and issues. Campbell says a hero’s
“battlefield is symbolic of the field of life” meaning that the hero’s battle will one day be
over, as will one’s life, but that shouldn’t stop them from fighting, just like a person
should not stop living life (221). He continues to say that “every creature lives on the
death of another,” suggesting that death is one of the most natural parts of life, and it is
not possible to have life without death (221). Campbell’s purpose of writing the section
“Freedom to Live” was to explain a Hero’s step to accepting that death is a natural part of
life, which in turns frees the hero of unnecessary anxiety and stress enabling him to keep
his mind on his current goals and living his life.
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