1. The Hero's Journey
Universal Archetypes:
From Ancient to Modern Stories
Presented by:
Gail Ramsdell
Sarah Chapman

2. The Hero Is Always on a Journey
Every hero leaves his/her comfortable surroundings to venture into a challenging, unfamiliar
world. It may be an outward journey to an actual place: a labyrinth, forest or cave, a strange city
or country, a new locale that becomes the arena for his conflict with antagonistic, challenging
forces, or it could be an inward journey, one of the mind, the hear, or the spirit.
The word HERO comes from the Greek root meaning “To protect and to serve.” A HERO is
willing to sacrifice his own needs on the behalf of others. A Hero represents what Freud called
the EGO—the part of our nature that separates from others and considers itself distinct from the
rest of the human race.
The Hero archetype represents the search for identity and wholeness. In our lives, we are all the
Heroes of our own stories, searching for completeness and completion. We battle the same
internal guardians and monsters as storybook heroes. We have mentors, teachers, guides, mates,
servants, scapegoats, allies, and enemies, just like the heroes we encounter in Literature. All of
the villains, tricksters, lovers, and friends of the Hero can be found inside of each person.
The Hero gives us a window into the story. We identify with the hero, merge with him or her,
and we see the world through the hero’s eyes. We can then experience the self-confidence of the
hero and actually become him/her. Like ourselves, every hero is real—they have real emotions
and real weaknesses, even though they are heroic. Some heroes experience greed, jealousy,
revenge, anger, and lust. Nobody wants to read about a hero that is less than human, and the
human characteristics make heroes even more popular. We can also see ourselves in a character
that is less than perfect—this aspect of the hero makes him/her more appealing.
The most effective heroes are ones that experience some sort of sacrifice—that sacrifice may
even be their lives. Heroes also teach us how to deal with death. They may survive and show us
that death is not so tough, or they may die and be reborn or live on through another
manifestation—teaching us that death can be transcended. Or, their deaths might show us that a
true heroic character offers his/her life up willingly for a group, cause, or ideal.
Sometimes, the Hero archetype is not just manifested in the main character, the protagonist, but
in other characters who act heroically and sacrifice themselves at a crucial moment on behalf of
his friends, a cause, a group. Sometimes other characters such as MENTORS, TRICKSTERS, or
ALLIES can put on the hero’s mask.
Heroes are the symbols of the soul in transformation, and of the journey that each person takes
through life.

3. The Hero’s Journey: Summary of the Steps
by: Joseph Campbell
1. The Ordinary World—Here the person is introduced to the audience. He doesn’t know
his personal potential or calling.
2. Call to Adventure—The call to adventure is the point in a person’s life when he/she is
first given notice that everything is going to change, whether he or she knows it or not.
3. Refusal of Call/Reluctant Hero—Often when the call is given, the future hero refuses to
heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of
inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his current
circumstances.
4. Meeting Wise Mentor—Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or
unconsciously, his guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known.
5. The First Threshold—This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of
adventure, leaving the known limits of his world and venturing into an unknown and
dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known.
6. Tests, Allies and Enemies—The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the
person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of
these tests, which often occur in 3s.
7. Supreme Ordeal—This is sometimes described as the person’s lowest point or darkest
moment. The separation has been made between the old world and old self and the
potential for a new world or self. By entering this stage, the person shows his willingness
to make a change, to “die” and become a new person.
8. Revisiting the Mentor—The person revisits the teachings of an old mentor or meets and
learns from a new mentor and subsequently returns to the path he started on.
9. Return with New Knowledge—The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on
the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to
share the wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult. Just as
the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, often times he must have
powerful guides and rescuers to bring him back to everyday life, especially if the person
has been wounded or weakened by the experience.
10. Seizing the Sword (or Prize)—Here the hero confronts and defeats old enemies with the
new power and knowledge gained. He is able to overthrow or defeat the opponent.
11. Resurrection—The old self dies physically or spiritually and moves beyond the normal
human state. This is a god-like state where the hero acknowledges his new stature.
Another way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace, and fulfillment
before the hero begins the return.
12. Return with Elixir*--The return with elixir is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It
is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and
purify the person for this step, since in many myths the elixir is like a plant, or a magic
potion or medicine,that supplies immortality. For a human hero, it means achieving a
balance between material and spiritual world. There is freedom to live and freedom from
the fear of death. This is sometimes referred to as “living in the moment”.
*magic potion or medicine

4. Archetypal Road of Life Activity
Read the following passage to student, pausing to allow them time to write…
You are walking down a road during the day. Describe the road, and describe the day. Next,
you come to a house. Describe the house, including the windows and the porch. Look around:
Is the door of the house open or closed? Does the house have a fence around it? You leave the
house and you continue your walk. You see a key in the road. Describe the key and tell what
you do with it. Next, you see a cup in the road. What kind of cup is it, and what do you do with
it? Suddenly, you see a bear ahead. Describe the bear and tell what kind of encounter you have
with it. Next, you come to some water. Describe the water… How do you cross over the
water? Finally, you come to a steep hill. You walk up the hill until you get to a wall. Describe
what that wall is made of and what you do about it. (go around, climb over, turn back, go
through, destroy, etc.)
Type of day: Difficulties in life
Road: Outlook on life
House: Personality
Windows: Thoughts
Porch: Values
Door: Openness
Key: Knowledge… encounter represents how you value knowledge
Cup: Love… encounter represents how you value love
Bear: Problems in life… encounter represents how you deal with problems
Water: Passion/Emotion… encounter represents how passionate/emotional you are
Wall: Concept of death… encounter represents readiness to face death

5. Literature and Film as Hero’s Journey
Wizard of Oz
Star Wars
Indiana Jones (all)
Harry Potter
Red Pyramid
Twilight
Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Princess Bride
The Odyssey
James Bond
Lara Craft
Braveheart
Goonies
Lord of the Rings
Gilgamesh
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________

6. ______________________________________