Transcript The Hero*s Journey

THE HERO’S JOURNEY—OF EPIC
PROPORTIONS
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
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Heroes
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Celebrities
TYPES OF MYTHOLOGY
Classical mythology—is from a more civilized time
 Primitive mythology—deals with the ugliness and
terror found everywhere
 Greek mythology—is more inclined to deal with
nymph-like creatures, heroes, explanations of the
world, and more pleasant topics
 Roman mythology—pertains to the origins of
ancient Rome
 Norse mythology—built on belief that doom is
inevitable for both god and man; Scandinavia and
Germany
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LET’S COMPARE
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Norse mythology
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Christianity
COMPARE/CONTRAST
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Norse mythology

Christianity
COMPARE/CONTRAST

Norse mythology

Christianity
LET’S COMPARE
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Norse mythology
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Christianity
TYPES OF EPIC STORIES
Myths—traditional stories that are rooted in a
particular culture, and could be religious, and
usually serves to explain a belief, ritual, or
mysterious natural phenomenon
 Legend—a story coming down from the past; one
usually regarded as historical but it’s not
necessarily verifiable
 Folk tale—story that has no known author and was
originally passed from one generation to another
by word of mouth
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COMPARE AND CONTRAST—USE CUE WORDS
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Christianity
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Norse mythology
NORSE MYTHOLOGY INFLUENCES ON TODAY
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Norse gods are
responsible for naming
days of the week:
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Tyr, the god of war,
Tuesday
Woden (Odin), the god of
the sky, Wednesday
Thor, the god of thunder,
Thursday
Freya, the goddess of
love and beauty, Friday
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Norse gods vs. Greek
gods
Woden (Odin)—
Zeus/Jupiter
Frigga—Hera/Juno
Thor—Odin’s oldest son,
god of thunder and
lightning
HEADS UP ABOUT MYTHOLOGY
Mythology changes as people develop and change.
 There are different versions of a single story
because these stories come from different times
and different authors. (Think about Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John—all tell pretty much the
same story but from their own experiences).
 Some authors use the same characters but view
the same character different ways.
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COMPONENTS OF MYTHOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
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All mythological systems contain:
 An
explanation for some natural occurrence or a
phenomenon (example: Creation)
 Moral lessons
 Hero(es) or heroin(es)—sometimes human,
sometimes immortal, or a combination of the two
(demigod)
 A ‘kingdom’ for their gods to reside in:
 Norse
mythology: Asgard
 Greek mythology: Mount Olympus
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Epic hero—the main character, or protagonist, in an epic
that is heroically larger than life, often the subject of
legend or a national hero
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UD51mcnc9Hg (eight
characteristics—take notes)
Describes the typical adventure of the archetype known
as the hero—a person who goes out and achieves great
deeds on behalf of the group, tribe or civilization
Archetypes are recurring patterns of human behavior,
symbolized by standard types of characters in movies
and stories.
EXAMPLES
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGV1BvnyvGo&fea
ture=related
Discussion:
Who is the epic hero in Star Wars? Harry Potter? The
Wizard of Oz?
Are they archetypes? Explain.
FAMOUS EPICS
Epic of Gilgamesh (from Mesopotamia)
 The Fenris Wolf (from Scandinavia/Germany)
 The Iliad and The Odyssey (Greece)
 The Aeneid (Roman)
 Buddhacarita (Indian)
 Beowulf (Old English)
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_poetry
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HEROES
Epic hero—the main character, or protagonist,
in an epic that is heroically larger than life,
often the subject of legend or a national hero
 Anti-hero—main character of a story who is
flawed and often does not display admirable
qualities
 Tragic hero—a character whose flaws lead to his
or her own downfall/death
 Alter ego-
ABOUT EPIC HEROES
Archetypes are recurring patterns of human
behavior, symbolized by standard types of
characters in movies and stories.
 Bildungsroman—a coming-of-age story about a
character’s journey, usually maturity
 Epithet—adjectives or phrases commonly used
to describe a person or group of people
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ANTI-HEROES EXAMPLES
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Batman (D.C. Comics)
 Captain Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
 Conan the Barbarian (Conan the Barbarian novels and
film)
 Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye)
 Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)
 Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby)
 Scarlett O’Hara (Gone with the Wind)
 Vito and Michael Corleone (The Godfather)
 Wolverine (Marvel Comics)
EPITHET EXAMPLES
Baby boomers
 Blue girdler of the islands
 Honest Abe
 The gray-eyed goddess
 Star-crossed lovers
 Judas Iscariot
 The winged messenger
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CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EPIC
A larger than life hero of national or historical
importance
 embarks on a journey, or quest, in search of
something of value
 Involvement of supernatural forces
 A vast setting (including physical and special or
spiritual worlds)
 Has a basis in a culture or society
 Glorification of the hero at the end
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WHAT EPICS ARE THERE TODAY?
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The earliest epics were the blueprint for those
created today.
THE HERO’S JOURNEY
12. Return with Elixir
1. Ordinary World
2. Call to Adventure
11. Resurrection
ORDINARY WORLD
10. The Road
Back
3. Refusal of the
Call
4. Meeting the
Mentor
5. Crossing
The Threshold
SPECIAL WORLD
6. Tests, Allies,
Enemies
9. Reward, Seizing
the Sword
7. Approach
8. Ordeal, Death & Rebirth
THE HERO’S INNER JOURNEY
12. Mastery
11. Final attempt(s)—
Last minute dangers
1. Limited awareness
of problem
2. Increased awareness
of need for change
3. Fear; resistance to
change
4. Overcoming
fear
10. New challenge
and Rededication
9. Accepting
consequences
of new life
8. Big change with
feeling of life and death
5. Committing to
change
6. Experimenting with new
conditions
7. Preparing for
major change
HERO’S JOURNEY STAGES EXPLAINED
The Ordinary World—Hero is introduced
sympathetically so the audience can identify
with the situation or dilemma. Some kind of
polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different
directions and causing stress.
 The Call to Adventure—Something shakes up
the situation, either external pressures or from
something within the hero, so the hero now
faces the beginnings of change.
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HERO’S JOURNEY STAGES EXPLAINED
Refusal of the Call—The hero fears the
unknown and tries to avoid the challenge but
only briefly.
 Meeting with the Mentor—The hero encounters
a seasoned traveler who gives him/her training,
equipment, or advice for the journey. Or the
hero reaches within to a source of courage or
wisdom.
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HERO’S JOURNEY STAGES EXPLAINED
Crossing the Threshold—The hero commits to
leaving the ordinary world and enters a new
region or realm with unfamiliar rules and/or
values.
 Tests, Allies, and Enemies—The hero is tested
and sorts out allegiances in the Special World.
 Approach—The hero and newfound allies (if
any) prepare for the major challenge in the
Special World.
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HERO’S JOURNEY STAGES EXPLAINED
The Ordeal, Death & Rebirth—The hero enters a
space in the Special world and confronts death
or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the
moment of death comes a new life.
 The Reward—The hero takes possession of the
treasure won by facing death. There may be
celebration, but there is also danger of losing
the treasure again.
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HERO’S JOURNEY STAGES EXPLAINED
The Road Back—The hero is driven to complete the
adventure, leaving the Special world to be sure the
treasure is brought home. Often a chase scene
signals the urgency and danger of the mission.
 The Resurrection—The hero is severely tested once
more on the threshold of home. He or she is
purified by a last sacrifice or another moment of
death and rebirth but on a higher level.
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HERO’S JOURNEY STAGES EXPLAINED
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Return with the Elixir—The hero returns home or
continues the journey but with some element of
the treasure assuring the audience of the
hero’s transformation.
ODYSSEUS’S JOURNEY
http://www.tripline.net/trip/Odysseus'__
journey-2646574370671004A829DCA6FAF5F853
EPIC/ HOMERIC SIMILES
What is a “regular” simile?
 An epic simile is a detailed comparison of
something every day to something monumental.
 For instance, in Dateline: Troy, it says that Paris is
drawn to Helen like a moth to a flame. That’s a
simile.
 If it were an epic simile, it would be something like
the following lines in the Calypso episode:
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Lines 41-47
 Lines 119-122
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