Understanding the Hero’s Journey Through Psychology and Mythology
Discover the psychological power of the classic hero myth.
When Joseph Campbell traveled to Europe as a college student in the mid-1920s, he learned firsthand about various civilizations' ideologies and mythologies. It led to a lifelong interest in comparative mythology.
After examining cultures worldwide, including Asian, African, European, Polynesian, and Native American, Campbell discovered that their stories shared more than just thematic aspects. Like these stories, the heroes underwent three distinct stages: isolation from their communities, arduous trials, and eventual emergence as enlightened beings who returned home to impart their newfound wisdom and power.
These stages became known as the monomyth or archetypal hero's journey, and Campbell's structure has influenced numerous storytellers since. Perhaps most notably, George Lucas completed his first Star Wars film screenplay after reading Campbell's writings.
In this summary, we'll walk you through the steps and stages of the hero's journey and explain why it's been such a dependable story for so many millennia.
1. Stage One: Departure.
As we embark on the hero's journey, we must understand that we will deal with mythology, a world of symbols and metaphors. Campbell observes that this is the same universe as our unconscious dream state. Ultimately, the creative human imagination crafts these myths, often responding to our forefathers' deepest fears and concerns. In reality, after analyzing the case files of renowned psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, Campbell discovered that modern people's dreams still contain the same symbols and conflicts that comprise the monomyth.
So, why does this matter? Because the hero's journey is more about discovering inner truths than battling dragons. Along the way, the hero discovers they have always had all they need to conquer adversity and attain enlightenment.
Let's begin at the beginning, with the first stage of the hero's journey, known as the Departure. The Departure consists of five steps, or subsections, in which the hero departs their familiar surroundings and enters a more dreamy realm.
The initial phase is known as the "Call to Adventure." This happens when the hero encounters a situation that diverts them from their typical routine. It could be a curious individual standing by the side of the road or something more outlandish, such as a talking animal. The hero may get a fleeting glimpse of a hidden realm in rare circumstances. In either case, in symbolic terms, this experience serves as a brief personal revelation. The hero often responds to this development with fear, uncertainty, and worry, realizing that the call to adventure awakens a suppressed part within them.
We begin with a struggle leading to the second step: "refusal of the call." We often want to stay in the comforts of our daily lives. We don't want to venture into an unknown and perilous world. Or, more specifically, we don't want to address the frightening, suppressed part within us.
The third step, "Supernatural Aid," encourages the heroes who eventually respond to the call. This frequently takes the form of a mercurial elder or mentor who gives the hero the guidance and protection amulets required to go on their quest. This character initially suggests that the hero has a "destiny" to fulfill and that the repressed part within them is a gift that must be revealed. The mentor character could be the fairy godmother of children's stories. They're usually a combination of friendly and frightening, though. Yes, they serve as the hero's bodyguard and guide and lure him into peril. This is Virgil from Dante's Inferno. In Goethe's Faust, Mephistopheles sends the hero off to face the hardships and tribulations that lie ahead.
Essentially, this mysterious guide guides the hero across the border into a region of darkness and mystery, which is why the fourth step is known as the "Crossing of the First Threshold." At this juncture, the hero will likely encounter another scary figure: a "threshold guardian" who challenges and repels invaders. Many legends feature terrifying people and monsters who live on the edges of unexplored forests, oceans, jungles, or deserts.
This gets us to the fifth and last stage of the departure process: the "Belly of the Whale." The unknown consumes the hero at this point. The first impression is that, rather than capturing the power of the strange, dark world, the hero is defeated and slain by it.
Death is one of the most significant aspects of the journey. The world's mythologies widely hold that achieving a higher state of existence necessitates the death of the old form. Therefore, the hero must annihilate their former unenlightened form before continuing on their journey of change.
2. Stage Two: The Initiation.
After leaving home, crossing the threshold, and emerging as a metaphorical baby from the belly of the whale, the hero can start on the second stage of the journey: the initiation.
This is when the hero's transition into a powerful, new being begins. It begins with the sixth stage of the voyage, the "Road of Trials."
Numerous legends include the hero undergoing a series of trials that test and expand their talents. Take Psyche, who was attempting to win Cupid's heart. Venus, Cupid's mother, assigned her the task of sorting a massive mound of grains and seeds, gathering golden wool from a toxic wild sheep, and retrieving a bottle of water from a dragon-infested mountain. Each task was more complex and deadlier than the last. However, Psyche always received assistance at precisely the right time, another frequent theme. An army of ants assisted her in sorting the pile of grains. A miraculous reed assisted her in gathering the wool. An eagle assisted her in regaining the water.
The gift of help often humbles the hero during their tribulations. This further eliminates the ego and directs their energies toward enlightenment. Usually, the assistance they receive points them toward their newly discovered higher purpose.
After overcoming the obstacles along the path of trials, the seventh phase in the journey is the "meeting with the goddess." Here, the hero confronts the Queen Goddess of the World. If you imagine the hero's trip as a circle, this is the lowest point and the highest point of the mission.
From here, things can become more complicated and conflicting. This makes sense: in many cultures, including some Eastern philosophies, reconciling opposing facts about life is one of the paths to enlightenment.
In "Meeting with the Goddess," the hero encounters a woman representing all women and their creative abilities. She is her sister, mistress, and wife. She is both a benevolent, caring mother and an overbearing, disciplinarian one. This journey segment centers on the hero's understanding of the interconnectedness of the womb and tomb.
The eighth level is known as "Woman as Temptress." How willing is the hero to give up their previous earthly delights to achieve the higher powers of a more enlightened being? This is another exam that the hero must pass.
The other parent confronts the hero in the ninth step, "Atonement with the Father." Like "Meeting with the Goddess," this phase is about letting go of any lingering dependencies or conceptions—such as the superego and the id—that may impede progress toward transcendence. This is also the step in which the hero must reconcile the possibly opposing conceptions of God and sin. It's about finding harmony amid contradictions, letting go, and moving forward.
The tenth and penultimate phase of the initiation stage is known as "apotheosis," which translates to "deification," or the act of becoming a deity. After confronting the Goddess and the Father, the hero has gained a complete comprehension of the world and the transcendence and enlightenment that come with it. In Buddhism, the hero becomes a bodhisattva, which means "he whose being is enlightenment." Fear, pain, and pleasure, as well as ideas like "good" and "bad," become antiquated concerns. In Hinduism, it is known as jivan mukta, which means "the one freed in life." The hero is no longer driven by desire but by compassion and wisdom. The hero has wholly shattered his ego to the point of loving even his adversaries.
The eleventh and last step of the initiation stage is the "ultimate boon." This is the completion of the goal that put the trip into action. Everything that has happened before has prepared the hero for this time. Given their current transcending state, the hero captures the boon with grace and ease.
So, what happens after this? Aren't we done? Not exactly. In the final segment, we will conclude with the third and final step of the hero's journey.
3. Stage Three: The Return.
The hero's journey is not about selfish goals. The goal is to share the blessing, wisdom, and enlightenment that have been gained. A hero is someone who helps others. We must return home to the community we left behind to accomplish this.
The final step of the journey is appropriately named "The Return." However, this stage's first component, the twelfth overall, is called "Refusal of the Return."
Sometimes, the hero is simply too overwhelmed by the pleasure of transcendence to return home. Other heroes may question the value of returning; will the people there understand the profundity of the gift? Others may seek to go further and extend the departure stage.
However, to continue their quest, they must return home. A thirteenth step, known as the "Magic Flight," frequently triggers this return. Stories where a sleeping giant or another scary figure guards the ultimate prize are likely familiar. So, when the hero steals the boon, a chase ensues, frequently including incredible feats of daring. More magical barriers may be in place, but the hero manages a precarious escape, possibly with the assistance of a supernatural being.
Other legends name the fourteenth stage "Rescue from Without" because the hero needs help to return home. Perhaps the hero is stuck in a blissful, ecstatic state. Maybe they find themselves trapped or imprisoned in a specific location. In the instance of the Japanese goddess Amaterasu, she sends a message before embarking on her voyage: "If I don't return by a certain time, come and get me." That's precisely what happens, and saving Amaterasu becomes its own heroic quest.
The sixteenth stage, whether through rescue or magical flight, is the "Crossing of the Return Threshold." Here, we examine the events that transpire when everyone acknowledges that the hero's journey has irrevocably transformed him. The hero in the story of Rip Van Winkle, who returned home after 20 years of sleep, is unrecognizable. The folks in his hometown regard him as a suspicious and perhaps dangerous outsider. This is why reintegrating into society and sharing the exuberant joy of enlightenment with an unsuspecting and unprepared group can be one of the most challenging tasks of the trip.
"Master of the Two Worlds" is the title of the 16th phase. The hero has found a means to bridge the gap and demonstrates this mastery to the people. This moment is so captivating that it appears in the origin tales of many religions. It's when the unenlightened notice the hero's display of power and immediately grasp its significance. It is often frightening to behold, yet the great importance of this divine power is apparent.
Finally, we reach the seventeenth and final stage of the journey: "Freedom to Live." Sounds good. This stage demonstrates the unchanging nature of the enlightened hero we mentioned in the "Apotheosis" stage: I have no fear of dying. There is no connection with pain or pleasure. The ability to regard everything as an equally valuable component of the whole.
But now that the hero has shared the gift, they can fully live without worry, knowing what is within them will live on in others.
Final Summary
The hero's journey serves as the cornerstone of our oldest mythologies. This three-act framework is more than just an effective storytelling tool. It is also a symbolic story that has served as the foundation for many religions and continues to impact the stories we tell one another today.
We don't prioritize "reaching our full potential"; our primary concern is to leave a lasting legacy. The hero's journey reminds us that we can attain our goals by sharing knowledge and positively impacting others. In this manner, the individuals we support can continue our work long after we are gone.