This document discusses Otto Rank's model of the hero's journey and Joseph Campbell's hero's journey monomyth.
It outlines the key elements of Rank's hero's journey, including that the hero is often the son of a king or leader, his birth is preceded by difficulties or a prophecy, and he is surrendered as a baby but then saved by animals or lowly people.
It then summarizes the main stages of Campbell's hero's journey monomyth, including the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting a supernatural aid, crossing the first threshold which may involve a struggle, and entering the belly of the whale, which represents a metamorphosis.
The document asks students to
2. From Last Week
What are Psychological
interpretations of Demeter and
Persephone and what are some
symbols that you can find?
3. Otto Rank's Hero (First Half of
Life)
The hero is the child of distinguished parents, usually the
son of a king or leader (god).
His origin is preceded by difficulties.
During/before the pregnancy is a prophecy in the form of
a dream or an oracle cautioning against his birth/often
threatening the life of his father.
Often he is surrendered to the water in a box or basket.
He is then saved by animals or by lowly people.
After he has grown up, he finds his distinguished parents.
He either takes revenge or is acknowledged.
He achieves rank and honors.
5. Campbell’s Hero’s Journey
Departure:
1. The Call To Adventure: Often there is a Herald, summoning the hero to an
"unsuspected world" and "the individual is drawn into a relationship with forces that
are not rightly understood." It may be because of a mistake or because of
repressed desires and conflicts. This is the "awakening of self" which may be the
"coming of adolescence" or some dying of old self and birth of new self. A deer is
often a herald
2. Refusal Of The Call: Often this establishes the link between audience and hero
(inability, weakness, fallibility) but it may also establish the hero's morality (who
really wants to go to war?)
3. Supernatural Aid: "For those who have not refused the call, the first encounter of
the hero-journey is with a protective figure (often a little old crone or old man) who
provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to
pass." This figure is a reassurance, the protecting power of destiny.
* For Catholics, the Virgin Mary may appear to them
* In fairy lore, it may be a wizard or shepherd who appears to supply the amulets and advice the hero will
require. The higher mythologies develop the role in the great figure of the guide, the teacher, the
ferryman, the conductor of souls to the underworld
6. Departure Continued
4. The Crossing of The First Threshold: First the hero
meets a Threshold Guardian. Often there is a struggle with
the Threshold Guardian.
5. The Belly Of The Whale: The hero basically
annihilates himself to be reborn. The hero is swallowed
into the unknown (symbolic of the womb) and would
appeared to have died. The hero thus undergoes a
metamorphosis. "No creature can achieve a higher nature
without ceasing to exist" (metaphorically in some cases.)
7. For the Odyssey
Trace Campbell’s hero’s
departure for the first 10
pages of The Odyssey.
8. Homework
If you haven’t already printed this up, print up The
Odyssey under “Myths” on the website:
http://hubbardmythandfolklore.wordpress.com
Read pages 85-110 of The
Odyssey.
Highlight the departure
elements we went over in
class. This will count as a
quiz grade.
