is the hero's journey an archetype

The Eight Character Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey

Classic trickster.

In The Hero of a Thousand Faces , Joseph Campbell demonstrated that many of the most popular stories, even over thousands of years and across cultures, shared a specific formula. That formula is now commonly referred to as mythic structure, or the hero’s journey . Even if you’ve never heard of it before, you’ve consumed this “ monomyth ” in works like Star Wars and Harry Potter.

Along with a specific plot structure, the hero’s journey has a repeating cast of characters, known as character archetypes. An archetype doesn’t specify a character’s age, race, or gender. In fact, it’s best to avoid stereotyping by steering clear of the demographics people associate with them. What archetypes really do is tell us the role a character plays in the story. Thinking about your characters in terms of their archetype will allow you to see whether they’re pulling their weight, or if they’re useless extras.

There are many way to categorize the cast of the hero’s journey, but most central characters fall into one of these eight roles:

The hero is the audience’s personal tour guide on the adventure that is the story. It’s critical that the audience can relate to them, because they experience the story through their eyes. During the journey, the hero will leave the world they are familiar with and enter a new one. This new world will be so different that whatever skills the hero used previously will no longer be sufficient. Together, the hero and the audience will master the rules of the new world, and save the day.

J is the heroic tour guide in Men in Black . A cop at the top of his beat, he is suddenly taken behind the masquerade of everyday life. Waiting for him is a world where aliens are hiding among everyday people, and a galaxy can be as small as a marble. While he’s still a cop in essence, his adversaries – and the tools he must wield against them – are nothing like he’s previously known.

Other heroes: any protagonist fits the hero role. Some heroes from stories that stick closely to the hero’s journey are Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Luke Skywalker from Star Wars.

The hero has to learn how to survive in the new world incredibly fast, so the mentor appears to give them a fighting chance. This mentor will describe how the new world operates, and instruct the hero in using any innate abilities they possess. The mentor will also gift the hero with equipment, because a level one hero never has any decent weapons or armor.

Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz appears soon after Dorothy enters Oz. She describes where Dorothy is, and explains that she’s just killed the Wicked Witch of the East. Then, before the Wicked Witch of the West can claim the ruby slippers, Glinda gifts them to the hero instead.

Often, the mentor will perform another important task – getting the plot moving. Heros can be reluctant to leave the world they know for one they don’t. Glinda tells Dorothy to seek the Wizard, and shows her the yellow brick road.

Once the hero is on the right path and has what they need to survive, the mentor disappears. Heroes must fight without their help.

Other mentors: Morpheus from the Matrix, Dumbledore from Harry Potter, and Tia Dalma from Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3.

The hero will have some great challenges ahead; too great for one person to face them alone. They’ll need someone to distract the guards, hack into the mainframe, or carry their gear. Plus, the journey could get a little dull without another character to interact with.

Like many allies, Samwise looks up to Frodo in The Lord of the Rings . He starts the story as a gardener, joining the group almost by accident. He feels it’s his job to keep Frodo safe. But not all allies start that way. They can be more like Han Solo, disagreeable at first, then friendly once the hero earns their respect. Either way, the loyalty and admiration allies have for the hero tells the audience that they are worthy of the trials ahead.

Other allies: Robin from Batman, Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter, and the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz.

The herald appears near the beginning to announce the need for change in the hero’s life. They are the catalyst that sets the whole adventure in motion. While they often bring news of a threat in a distant land, they can also simply show a dissatisfied hero a tempting glimpse of a new life. Occasionally they single the hero out, picking them for a journey they wouldn’t otherwise take.

The great boar demon that appears at the beginning of Princess Mononoke is a herald bearing the scars of a faraway war. Ashitaka defeats him, but not without receiving a mark that sends him into banishment. This gets the hero moving and foreshadows the challenges he will face.

Heralds that do not fill another role will appear only briefly. Often, the herald isn’t a character at all, but a letter or invitation.

Other heralds: Effie from the Hunger Games, R2D2 from Star Wars, and the invitation to the ball in Cinderella.

5. Trickster

The trickster adds fun and humor to the story. When times are gloomy or emotionally tense, the trickster gives the audience a welcome break. Often, the trickster has another job: challenging the status quo. A good trickster offers an outside perspective and opens up important questions. They’re also great for lampshading the story or the actions of the other characters.

Dobby from Harry Potter is an ideal trickster. He means well, but his efforts to help Harry Potter do more harm than good. And every time he appears in person, his behavior is ridiculous. However, underlying the humorous exterior is a serious issue – Dobby is a slave, and he wants to be free of his masters.

Other tricksters: Luna Lovegood (also from Harry Potter), Crewman #6 from Galaxy Quest, and Merry and Pippin from LoTR.

6. Shapeshifter

The shapeshifter blurs the line between ally and enemy. Often they begin as an ally, then betray the hero at a critical moment. Other times, their loyalty is in question as they waver back and forth. Regardless, they provide a tantalizing combination of appeal and possible danger. Shapeshifters benefit stories by creating interesting relationships among the characters, and by adding tension to scenes filled with allies.

Dr. Elsa Schneider, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade , is a very effective shapeshifter. Even after she reveals she is working for the enemy, she and the hero still have feelings for each other. She allows him to steal an item back without getting caught, and he allows her to discover the McGuffin with him. But the distrust between them remains.

Other shapeshifters: Gollum from LoTR, Catwoman from Batman, and Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter.

7. Guardian

The guardian, or threshold guardian, tests the hero before they face great challenges. They can appear at any stage of the story, but they always block an entrance or border of some kind. Their message to the hero is clear: “go home and forget your quest.” They also have a message for the audience: “this way lies danger.” Then the hero must prove their worth by answering a riddle, sneaking past, or defeating the guardian in combat.

The Wall Guard in Stardust is as classic as guardians get. He stands alone at a broken section of stone wall between real world England and the fairy realm of Stormhold. The guard is friendly when Tristan tries to pass into the fairy realm to start his adventure, but he carries a big stick and he’s not afraid to use it.

Other guardians: The Doorknob from Alice in Wonderland, the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Heimdall from Thor.

Shadows are villains in the story. They exist to create threat and conflict, and to give the hero something to struggle against. Like many of the other archetypes, shadows do not have to be characters specifically – the dark side of the force is just as much a shadow for Luke as Darth Vader is.

The shadow is especially effective if it mirrors the hero in some way. It shows the audience the twisted person the hero could become if they head down the wrong path, and highlights the hero’s internal struggle. This, in turn, makes the hero’s success more meaningful. The reveal that Darth Vader is Luke’s father, right after Luke had ignored Yoda’s advice, makes the dark side feel more threatening.

Other shadows: Voldemort from Harry Potter, Sauron from LoTR, and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty.

It’s unusual for stories to have exactly one character per archetype. Because archetypes are simply roles a character can take, Obi Won and Yoda can both be mentors, J can be a hero and a trickster, and Effie Trinket can be first a herald, then later an ally. While you shouldn’t rush to add archetypes that are missing, any character that fits more than one is probably important to the story. If you have a character that doesn’t fit any, make sure they are strengthening, and not detracting from, your plot.

Learn More About These Archetypes

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Comments on The Eight Character Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey

Thanks for this great guide!!

Thank you, very informative. Gives a better understanding on how to create a story and “important” NPCs.

Like your name. :)

I like your name

I have a question. In Disney’s/ABC’s Once Upon a Time would you consider Rumplestiltskin/The Dark One to be a Trickster or a Shapeshifter? He’s not a ‘true’ villain though the writer’s class him as a villain. He’s way too complicated to just be a villain!!! He does evil things, bad things, neutral things and sometimes good things, but he keeps changing back and forth. He has the ability to love (his son and his wife Belle) but he ALWAYS puts power above them (it’s more important to him than his son or wife). I always thought of him as ‘the Trickster’ but when I read your description of the Shapeshifter it started me thinking again! hmmmmmm

I haven’t watched enough Once Upon a Time to tell you for sure based on my personal knowledge of Rumplestiltskin, but if he is often working together with the good guys but is liable to betray them or do other bad things, he’s probably a shapeshifter. Tricksters almost always provide comic relief. In the few episodes I watched, it did not look like Rumplestiltskin was a comical character.

However, because the archetypes are roles, characters can have more than one or change what they are. It sounds like sometimes when he is doing especially bad things, he might be a Shadow temporarily.

Shapeshifter

Dianne its a very good question but its really what you think he is.he is apart of many difrent grous and some arnt on this site . The most common thing ppl think he is is a villan but it really isnt like that at all but its up to you. hope i help . sincerely wesh

Would I be right in saying that Magneto in X-Men would be considered a shapeshifter?

Based on my very crude knowledge of X-Men, Magneto is mostly a shadow. Like a good shadow, he is a dark reflection of Professor X. However, he also takes on the role of shapeshifter during their temporary alliances.

No no, the shapeshifter is Mystique. ;)

HA! Good one :D

She can turn into other people, too, so, in literal sense, she is one. I think Chris was talking figuratively.

You’re Welcome!!!!!!!!!!

Msytique es da best chicka in da world mahhh boi

dont do drugs kids

bahahahahah

The description of the shadow is a little misleading. He is not the antagonist, and not evil. He mirrors the side of the hero that he/she is not aware of, but must acknowledge in order to continue and be sucessful on his/her journey.

The Star Wars example with the cave sets it: Yes, Darth Vader is evil (he is antagonist and shadow all in one), but he is also Lukes father. Therefore, he wasn´t always evil. Luke knows this.

A great example for a shadow in film are the two girls in American Beauty. Angela is Janes Shadow. She represents everything that Jane must leave behind in order to get on with her life, find her destiny etc. But Angela is not evil. She is a rather normal teenager. She is Janes friend.

Interesting approach :) (I’m not being ironic)

Usually, shadows are antagonists.

I’m not super familiar with American Beauty, so I could be totally wrong on this, but it sounds like the character dynamic you are describing is the use of a foil. A foil is character who starkly contrasts with attributes of a character (nearly always the main character) in order to highlight certain attributes of a character.

The Shadow is most definitely the opposing force in a literary work. It is true that the shadow – when it is a character – is most effective if it is also a foil of the protagonist as this helps to illustrate how the hero’s conflict is as much internal as external, but existing expressly to mirror the hero in some way is not a defining feature of the shadow.

The villain of American Beauty is societal pressure to be “normal” and the havoc it wreaks on people who are unique and special.

All the characters in the movie in some way rebel against that pressure, some prevail and others are destroyed.

It would be interesting to think up ways to realign quest stories to make different figures the protagonist. Like, say, in the Matrix, they really had me going that Neo wasn’t the one – I thought it would turn out to be Morpheus. Which would mean we were seeing Morpheus’s Hero journey through the eyes of one of his last Guardians (the obstacle preventing Morpheus seeing the Hero he sought was himself).

That would have been really cool. Nobody thinks of themselves as the hero (no competent person anyway). And it would fit perfectly with the Oracle telling Trinity that she would love The One, because love can also be fraternal.

I have only a secondary knowledge of Science Fiction and mythical creatures, gleaned from sitting with my husband and son when they watch shows in the same room with me. I found your page very informative, interesting, and helpful so that I may understand what I am watching Sci-Fi shows or shows about mythology with my family. Thank you.

Thanks for this article! I am actually a sculptor building a portfolio for character modeling. I was told by an industry recruiter to include different archetypes. For the longest time I only vaguely knew what he meant until I read your post. Currently reading the recommended book – excellent by the way! – which I see is the industry bible on this subject. I now have a much clearer picture on what direction to take my work! I also am now starting to see the types as I watch and read things. Great article :-)

I actually feel like Snape is a better example of the shapeshifter than Lockhart.

Good point. He’s always portrayed as evil … up until the end, when you see he was on the other side the whole time.

Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender seems to be a perfect shapeshifter to me.

Yes. The most common form of the shapeshifter is one who begins as Ally and betrays the hero, but a character taking the inverse course of action is also an example of a shapeshifter. What defines the shapeshifter is that there is at least a key moment where the audience is left to wonder for themselves if the character is friend or foe. Zuko is also a wonderfully written character who undergoes a Heroes quest of his own with Iroh serving as his mentor and Azula taking on the role of shadow. He can be viewed as many roles in series depending on which part of the series you are thinking about.

Sir Didimus (sp?) from Labyrinth would be a penultimate Guardian.

Welcome to the Mythcreants comment section, Jemma Caffyn!

p.s. You have the same name as my favorite scientist (a made-up spec fic scientist, of course)

what about a villian that goes from bad to good?

Unless somehow showing up as the shadow, redeemed villains are not part of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. The overwhelming majority of myths and stories written before the romantic period had clear villains and heroes. Nietschze explained this by saying that all myths are morality tales; if people believe that there is a definite good and evil then it will be easier for them to accept anything their leaders do so long as their is a greater enemy. It is no coincidence that so many mythical heroes are of noble birth. It has even be argued that morally ambiguous characters are a feature of democracy ( https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/03/whats-so-american-about-john-miltons-lucifer/519624/ ).

If you are interested in redeemed villains, this blog has an article and a podcast about them: https://mythcreants.com/blog/creating-your-villains-journey/ https://mythcreants.com/blog/122-redeeming-a-villain/

Can the Drayo State feasibly be attained by a character who doesn’t just confront his or her shadow but cannibalises it and therefore digests the darker side of his or her own nature? Asking for a friend.

Well, first of all, what is the “Drayo State”?

Fantastically useful site & not just for sf & fantasy writers. I’ve learned such a lot. Thanks!

i agree, very useful.

Thanks for helping me do my homework!

Archetypes are kind of like personas in life in general.

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The Role of Archetypes in Literature

Christopher Vogler's work on archetypes helps us understand literature

• Tips For Adult Students
• Getting Your Ged
• The Hero's Journey

The Job of the Herald

The purpose of the mentor, overcoming the threshold guardian, meeting ourselves in shapeshifters, confronting the shadow, changes brought about by the trickster.

• B.A., English, St. Olaf College

Carl Jung called archetypes the ancient patterns of personality that are the shared heritage of the human race. Archetypes are amazingly constant throughout all times and cultures in the collective unconscious, and you'll find them in all of the most satisfying literature. An understanding of these forces is one of the most powerful elements in the storyteller’s toolbox.

Understanding these ancient patterns can help you better understand literature and become a better writer yourself. You'll also be able to identify archetypes in your life experience and bring that wealth to your work. 

When you grasp the function of the archetype a character expresses, you will know his or her purpose in the story.

Christopher Vogler, author of The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure , writes about how every good story reflects the total human story. In other words, the hero's journey represents the universal human condition of being born into this world, growing, learning, struggling to become an individual, and dying. The next time you watch a movie, TV program, even a commercial, identify the following archetypes. I guarantee you'll see some or all of them.

The Hero's Journey

The word "hero" comes from a Greek root that means to protect and serve. The hero is connected with self-sacrifice. He or she is the person who transcends ego, but at first, the hero is all ego.

The hero’s job is to incorporate all the separate parts of himself to become a true Self, which he then recognizes as part of the whole, Vogler says. The reader is usually invited to identify with the hero. You admire the hero's qualities and want to be like him or her, but the hero also has flaws. Weaknesses, quirks, and vices make a hero more appealing. The hero also has one or more inner conflicts. For example, he or she may struggle over the conflicts of love versus duty, trust versus suspicion, or hope versus despair.

In The Wizard of Oz  Dorothy is the story's hero, a girl trying to find her place in the world.

Heralds issue challenges and announce the coming of significant change. Something changes the hero’s situation, and nothing is the same ever again.

The herald often delivers the Call to Adventure, sometimes in the form of a letter, a phone call, an accident.

Heralds provide the important psychological function of announcing the need for change, Vogler says.

Miss Gulch, at the beginning of the film version of The Wizard of Oz , makes a visit to Dorothy's house to complain that Toto is trouble. Toto is taken away, and the adventure begins.

Mentors provide heroes with motivation , inspiration , guidance, training, and gifts for the journey. Their gifts often come in the form of information or gadgets that come in handy later. Mentors seem inspired by divine wisdom; they are the voice of a god. They stand for the hero’s highest aspirations, Vogler says.

The gift or help given by the mentor should be earned by learning, sacrifice, or commitment.

Yoda is a classic mentor. So is Q from the James Bond series. Glinda, the Good Witch, is Dorothy's mentor in The Wizard of O z.

At each gateway on the journey, there are powerful guardians placed to keep the unworthy from entering. If properly understood, these guardians can be overcome, bypassed, or turned into allies. These characters are not the journey's main villain but are often lieutenants of the villain. They are the naysayers, doorkeepers, bouncers, bodyguards, and gunslingers, according to Vogler.

On a deeper psychological level, threshold guardians represent our internal demons. Their function is not necessarily to stop the hero but to test if he or she is really determined to accept the challenge of change.

Heroes learn to recognize resistance as a source of strength. Threshold Guardians are not to be defeated but incorporated into the self. The message: those who are put off by outward appearances cannot enter the Special World, but those who can see past surface impressions to the inner reality are welcome, according to Vogler.

The Doorman at the Emerald City, who attempts to stop Dorothy and her friends from seeing the wizard, is one threshold guardian. Another is the group of flying monkeys who attack the group. Finally, the Winkie Guards are literal threshold guardians who are enslaved by the Wicked Witch.

Shapeshifters express the energy of the animus (the male element in the female consciousness) and anima (the female element in the male consciousness). Vogler says we often recognize a resemblance of our own anima or animus in a person, project the full image onto him or her, enter a relationship with this ideal fantasy, and commence trying to force the partner to match our projection.

The shapeshifter is a catalyst for change, a symbol of the psychological urge to transform. The role serves the dramatic function of bringing doubt and suspense into a story. It is a mask that may be worn by any character in the story, and is often expressed by a character whose loyalty and true nature are always in question, Vogler says.

Think Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion.

The shadow represents the energy of the dark side, the unexpressed, unrealized, or rejected aspects of something. The negative face of the shadow is the villain, antagonist, or enemy. It may also be an ally who is after the same goal but who disagrees with the hero’s tactics.

Vogler says the function of the shadow is to challenge the hero and give her a worthy opponent in the struggle. Femmes Fatale are lovers who shift shapes to such a degree they become the shadow. The best shadows have some admirable quality that humanizes them. Most shadows do not see themselves as villains, but merely as heroes of their own myths.

Internal shadows may be deeply repressed parts of the hero, according to Vogler. External shadows must be destroyed by the hero or redeemed and turned into a positive force. Shadows may also represent unexplored potentials, such as affection, creativity, or psychic ability that goes unexpressed.

The Wicked Witch is the obvious shadow in the Wizard of Oz.

The trickster embodies the energies of mischief and the desire for change. He cuts big egos down to size and brings heroes and readers down to earth, Vogler says. He brings change by drawing attention to the imbalance or absurdity of a stagnant situation and often provokes laughter. Tricksters are catalyst characters who affect the lives of others but are unchanged themselves.

The Wizard himself is both a shapeshifter and a trickster.

• An Introduction to The Hero's Journey
• The Hero's Journey: Meeting with the Mentor
• The Approach to the Inmost Cave in the Hero's Journey
• The Ordinary World in the Hero's Journey
• The Ordeal in the Hero's Journey
• The Resurrection and Return With the Elixir
• The Hero's Journey: Refusing The Call to Adventure
• The Reward and the Road Back
• The Hero's Journey: Crossing the Threshold
• Writing SMART Goals
• 5 Ways to Improve Adult Literacy
• How to Read Faster
• Questions to Ask Before Going Back to School
• Activities and Ideas for Students with an Auditory Learning Style
• When to Use Uppercase or Capital Letters
• Adult Education

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The Hero’s Journey Ultimate Writing Guide with Examples

by Alex Cabal

What do Star Wars , The Hobbit , and Harry Potter have in common? They’re all examples of a story archetype as old as time. You’ll see this universal narrative structure in books, films, and even video games.

This ultimate Hero’s Journey writing guide will define and explore all quintessential elements of the Hero’s Journey—character archetypes, themes, symbolism, the three act structure, as well as 12 stages of the Hero’s Journey. We’ll even provide a downloadable plot template, tips for writing the Hero’s Journey, and writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing.

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is a universal story structure that follows the personal metamorphosis and psychological development of a protagonist on a heroic adventure. The protagonist goes through a series of stages to overcome adversity and complete a quest to attain an ultimate reward—whether that’s something tangible, like the holy grail, or something internal, like self confidence.

In the process of self-discovery, the archetypal Hero’s Journey is typically cyclical; it begins and ends in the same place (Think Frodo leaving and then returning to the Shire). After the epic quest or adventure has been completed by overcoming adversity and conflict—both physical and mental—the hero arrives where they once began, changed in some as they rose to meet the ultimate conflict or ordeal of the quest.

Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler

The Hero’s Journey has a long history of conversation around the form and its uses, with notable contributors including Joseph Campbell and the screenwriter Christopher Vogler , who later revised the steps of the Hero’s Journey.

Joseph Campbell’s “monomyth” framework is the traditional story structure of the Hero’s Journey archetype. Campbell developed it through analysis of ancient myths, folktales, and religious stories. It generally follows three acts in a cyclical, rather than a linear, way: a hero embarks on a journey, faces a crisis, and then returns home transformed and victorious.

Campbell’s ideation of the monomyth in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces was influenced by Carl Jung’s perspective of psychology and models of self-transformation , where the Hero’s Journey is a path of transformation to a higher self, psychological healing, and spiritual growth.

While Campbell’s original take on the monomyth included 17 steps within the three acts, Christopher Vogler, in his book The Writer’s Journey , refined those 17 steps into 12 stages—the common formula for the modern structure many writers use today.

It’s also worth checking out Maureen Murdock’s work on the archetype, “The Heroine’s Journey.” This takes a look at the female Hero’s Journey, which examines the traditionally masculine journey through a feminist lens.

Hero’s Journey diagram: acts, steps, and stages

Below, you can see the way Volger’s Hero’s Journey is broken into twelve story beats across three acts.

Why is the Hero’s Journey so popular?

The structure of the Hero’s Journey appears in many of our most beloved classic stories, and it continues to resonate over time because it explores the concept of personal transformation and growth through both physical and mental trials and tribulations. In some sense, every individual in this mythic structure experiences rites of passage, the search for home and the true authentic self, which is mirrored in a protagonist’s journey of overcoming obstacles while seeking to fulfill a goal.

Additionally, the Hero’s Journey typically includes commonly shared symbols and aspects of the human psyche—the trickster, the mother, the child, etc. These archetypes play a role in creating a story that the reader can recognize from similar dynamics in their own relationships, experiences, and familiar world. Archetypes allow the writer to use these “metaphorical truths”—a playful deceiver, a maternal bond, a person of innocence and purity—to deeply and empathetically connect with the reader through symbolism. That’s why they continue to appear in countless stories all around the world.

Hero’s Journey character archetypes

Character archetypes are literary devices based on a set of qualities that are easy for a reader to identify, empathize with, and understand, as these qualities and traits are common to the human experience.

It should be noted that character archetypes are not stereotypes . While stereotypes are oversimplifications of demographics or personality traits, an archetype is a symbol of a universal type of character that can be recognized either in one’s self or in others in real life.

The following archetypes are commonly used in a Hero’s Journey:

The hero is typically the protagonist or principal point-of-view character within a story. The hero transforms—internally, externally, often both—while on their journey as they experience tests and trials and are aided or hindered by the other archetypes they encounter. In general, the hero must rise to the challenge and at some point make an act of sacrifice for the ultimate greater good. In this way, the Hero’s Journey represents the reader’s own everyday battles and their power to overcome them.

Heroes may be willing or unwilling. Some can be downright unheroic to begin with. Antiheroes are notably flawed characters that must grow significantly before they achieve the status of true hero.

The mentor often possesses divine wisdom or direct experience with the special world, and has faith in the hero. They often give the hero a gift or supernatural aid, which is usually something important for the quest: either a weapon to destroy a monster, or a talisman to enlighten the hero. The mentor may also directly aid the hero or present challenges to them that force internal or external growth. After their meeting, the hero leaves stronger and better prepared for the road ahead.

The herald is the “call to adventure.” They announce the coming of significant change and become the reason the hero ventures out onto a mysterious adventure. The herald is a catalyst that enters the story and makes it impossible for the hero to remain in status quo. Existing in the form of a person or an event, or sometimes just as information, they shift the hero’s balance and change their world.

The Threshold Guardian

This archetype guards the first threshold—the major turning point of the story where the hero must make the true commitment of the journey and embark on their quest to achieve their destiny. Threshold guardians spice up the story by providing obstacles the hero must overcome, but they’re usually not the main antagonist.

The role of the threshold guardian is to help round out the hero along their journey. The threshold guardian will test the hero’s determination and commitment and will drive them forward as the hero enters the next stage of their journey, assisting the development of the hero’s character arc within the plot. The threshold guardian can be a friend who doesn’t believe in the hero’s quest, or a foe that makes the hero question themselves, their desires, or motives in an attempt to deter the hero from their journey. Ultimately, the role of the threshold guardian is to test the hero’s resolve on their quest.

The Shape Shifter

The shape shifter adds dramatic tension to the story and provides the hero with a puzzle to solve. They can seem to be one thing, but in fact be something else. They bring doubt and suspense to the story and test the hero’s ability to discern their path. The shape shifter may be a lover, friend, ally, or enemy that somehow reveals their true self from the hero’s preconceived notion. This often causes the hero internal turmoil, or creates additional challenges and tests to overcome.

The shadow is the “monster under the bed,” and could be repressed feelings, deep trauma, or festering guilt. These all possess the dark energy of the shadow. It is the dark force of the unexpressed, unrealized, rejected, feared aspects of the hero and is often, but not necessarily, represented by the main antagonist or villain.

However, other characters may take the form of the shadow at different stages of the story as “foil characters” that contrast against the hero. They might also represent what could happen if the hero fails to learn, transform, and grow to complete their quest. At times, a hero may even succumb to the shadow, from which they will need to make sacrifices to be redeemed to continue on their overall quest.

The Trickster

The trickster is the jester or fool of the story that not only provides comic relief, but may also act as a commentator as the events of the plot unfold. Tricksters are typically witty, clever, spontaneous, and sometimes even ridiculous. The trickster within a story can bring a light-hearted element to a challenge, or find a clever way to overcome an obstacle.

Hero’s Journey themes and symbols

Alongside character archetypes, there are also archetypes for settings, situations, and symbolic items that can offer meaning to the world within the story or support your story’s theme.

Archetypes of themes, symbols, and situations represent shared patterns of human existence. This familiarity can provide the reader insight into the deeper meaning of a story without the writer needing to explicitly tell them. There are a great number of archetypes and symbols that can be used to reinforce a theme. Some that are common to the Hero’s Journey include:

Situational archetypes

Light vs. dark and the battle of good vs. evil

Death, rebirth, and transformation in the cycle of life

Nature vs. technology, and the evolution of humanity

Rags to riches or vice versa, as commentary on the material world and social status

Wisdom vs. knowledge and innocence vs. experience, in the understanding of intuition and learned experience

Setting archetypes

Gardens may represent the taming of nature, or living in harmony with nature.

Forests may represent reconnection with nature or wildness, or the fear of the unknown.

Cities or small towns may represent humanity at its best and at its worst. A small town may offer comfort and rest, while simultaneously offering judgment; a city may represent danger while simultaneously championing diversity of ideas, beings, and cultures.

Water and fire within a landscape may represent danger, change, purification, and cleansing.

Symbolic items

Items of the past self. These items are generally tokens from home that remind the hero of where they came from and who or what they’re fighting for.

Gifts to the hero. These items may be given to the hero from a mentor, ally, or even a minor character they meet along the way. These items are typically hero talismans, and may or may not be magical, but will aid the hero on their journey.

Found items. These items are typically found along the journey and represent some sort of growth or change within the hero. After all, the hero would never have found the item had they not left their everyday life behind. These items may immediately seem unimportant, but often carry great significance.

Earned rewards. These items are generally earned by overcoming a test or trial, and often represent growth, or give aid in future trials, tests, and conflicts.

The three act structure of the Hero’s Journey

The structure of the Hero’s Journey, including all 12 steps, can be grouped into three stages that encompass each phase of the journey. These acts follow the the external and internal arc of the hero—the beginning, the initiation and transformation, and the return home.

Act One: Departure (Steps 1—5)

The first act introduces the hero within the ordinary world, as they are—original and untransformed. The first act will typically include the first five steps of the Hero’s Journey.

This section allows the writer to set the stage with details that show who the hero is before their metamorphosis—what is the environment of the ordinary world? What’s important to the hero? Why do they first refuse the call, and then, why do they ultimately accept and embark on the journey to meet with the conflict?

This stage introduces the first major plot point of the story, explores the conflict the hero confronts, and provides the opportunity for characterization for the hero and their companions.

The end of the first act generally occurs when the hero has fully committed to the journey and crossed the threshold of the ordinary world—where there is no turning back.

Act Two: Initiation (Steps 6—9)

Once the hero begins their journey, the second act marks the beginning of their true initiation into the unfamiliar world—they have crossed the threshold, and through this choice, have undergone their first transformation.

The second act is generally the longest of the three and includes steps six through nine.

In this act, the hero meets most of the characters that will be pivotal to the plot, including friends, enemies, and allies. It offers the rising action and other minor plot points related to the overarching conflict. The hero will overcome various trials, grow and transform, and navigate subplots—the additional and unforeseen complexity of the conflict.

This act generally ends when the hero has risen to the challenge to overcome the ordeal and receives their reward. At the end of this act, it’s common for the theme and moral of the story to be fully unveiled.

Act Three: Return (Steps 10—12)

The final stage typically includes steps 10—12, generally beginning with the road back—the point in the story where the hero must recommit to the journey and use all of the growth, transformation, gifts and tools acquired along the journey to bring a decisive victory against their final conflict.

From this event, the hero will also be “reborn,” either literally or metaphorically, and then beginning anew as a self-actualized being, equipped with internal knowledge about themselves, external knowledge about the world, and experience.

At the end of the third act, the hero returns home to the ordinary world, bringing back the gifts they earned on their journey. In the final passages, both the hero and their perception of the ordinary world are compared with what they once were.

The 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey

The following guide outlines the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey and represents a framework for the creation of a Hero’s Journey story template. You don’t necessarily need to follow the explicit cadence of these steps in your own writing, but they should act as checkpoints to the overall story.

We’ll also use JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit as a literary example for each of these steps. The Hobbit does an exemplary job of following the Hero’s Journey, and it’s also an example of how checkpoints can exist in more than one place in a story, or how they may deviate from the typical 12-step process of the Hero’s Journey.

1. The Ordinary World

This stage in the Hero’s Journey is all about exposition. This introduces the hero’s backstory—who the hero is, where they come from, their worldview, culture, and so on. This offers the reader a chance to relate to the character in their untransformed form.

As the story and character arc develop, the reader is brought along the journey of transformation. By starting at the beginning, a reader has a basic understanding of what drives the hero, so they can understand why the hero makes the choices they do. The ordinary world shows the protagonist in their comfort zone, with their worldview being limited to the perspective of their everyday life.

Characters in the ordinary world may or may not be fully comfortable or satisfied, but they don’t have a point of reference to compare—they have yet to leave the ordinary world to gain the knowledge to do so.

Step One example

The Hobbit begins by introducing Bilbo in the Shire as a respectable and well-to-do member of the community. His ordinary world is utopian and comfortable. Yet, even within a village that is largely uninterested in the concerns of the world outside, the reader is provided a backstory: even though Bilbo buys into the comforts and normalcy of the Shire, he still yearns for adventure—something his neighbors frown upon. This ordinary world of the Shire is disrupted with the introduction of Gandalf—the “mentor”—who is somewhat uncomfortably invited to tea.

2. Call to Adventure

The call to adventure in the Hero’s Journey structure is the initial internal conflict that the protagonist hero faces, that drives them to the true conflict that they must overcome by the end of their journey.

The call occurs within the known world of the character. Here the writer can build on the characterization of the protagonist by detailing how they respond to the initial call. Are they hesitant, eager, excited, refusing, or willing to take a risk?

Step Two example

Bilbo’s call to adventure takes place at tea as the dwarves leisurely enter his home, followed by Gandalf, who identifies Bilbo as the group’s missing element—the burglar, and the lucky 14th member.

Bilbo and his ordinary world are emphasized by his discomfort with his rambunctious and careless guests. Yet as the dwarves sing stories of old adventures, caverns, and lineages, which introduce and foreshadow the conflict to come, a yearning for adventure is stirred. Though he still clings to his ordinary world and his life in the Shire, he’s conflicted. Should he leave the shire and experience the world, or stay in his comfortable home? Bilbo continues to refuse the call, but with mixed feelings.

3. Refusal of the Call

The refusal of the call in the Hero’s Journey showcases a “clinging” to one’s original self or world view. The initial refusal of the call represents a fear of change, as well as a resistance to the internal transformation that will occur after the adventure has begun.

The refusal reveals the risks that the protagonist faces if they were to answer the call, and shows what they’ll leave behind in the ordinary world once they accept.

The refusal of the call creates tension in the story, and should show the personal reasons why the hero is refusing—inner conflict, fear of change, hesitation, insecurity, etc. This helps make their character clearer for the reader.

These are all emotions a reader can relate to, and in presenting them through the hero, the writer deepens the reader’s relationship with them and helps the reader sympathize with the hero’s internal plight as they take the first step of transformation.

Step Three example

Bilbo refuses the call in his first encounter with Gandalf, and in his reaction to the dwarves during tea. Even though Bilbo’s “Tookish” tendencies make him yearn for adventure, he goes to bed that night still refusing the call. The next morning, as Bilbo awakes to an empty and almost fully clean hobbit home, he feels a slight disappointment for not joining the party, but quickly soothes his concerns by enjoying the comfort of his home—i.e. the ordinary world. Bilbo explores his hesitation to disembark from the ordinary world, questioning why a hobbit would become mixed up in the adventures of others, and choosing not to meet the dwarves at the designated location.

4. Meeting the Mentor

Meeting the mentor in the Hero’s Journey is the stage that provides the hero protagonist with a guide, relationship, and/or informational asset that has experience outside the ordinary world. The mentor offers confidence, advice, wisdom, training, insight, tools, items, or gifts of supernatural wonder that the hero will use along the journey and in overcoming the ultimate conflict.

The mentor often represents someone who has attempted to overcome, or actually has overcome, an obstacle, and encourages the hero to pursue their calling, regardless of the hero’s weaknesses or insecurities. The mentor may also explicitly point out the hero’s weaknesses, forcing them to reckon with and accept them, which is the first step to their personal transformation.

Note that not all mentors need to be a character . They can also be objects or knowledge that has been instilled in the hero somehow—cultural ethics, spiritual guidance, training of a particular skill, a map, book, diary, or object that illuminates the path forward, etc. In essence, the mentor character or object has a role in offering the protagonist outside help and guidance along the Hero’s Journey, and plays a key role in the protagonist’s transition from normalcy to heroism.

The mentor figure also offers the writer the opportunity to incorporate new information by expanding upon the story, plot, or backstory in unique ways. They do this by giving the hero information that would otherwise be difficult for the writer to convey naturally.

The mentor may accompany the hero throughout most of the story, or they may only periodically be included to facilitate changes and transformation within them.

Step Four example

The mentor, Gandalf, is introduced almost immediately. Gandalf is shown to be the mentor, firstly through his arrival from—and wisdom of—the outside world; and secondly, through his selection of Bilbo for the dwarven party by identifying the unique characteristics Bilbo has that are essential to overcoming the challenges in the journey. Gandalf doesn’t accompany Bilbo and the company through all of the trials and tribulations of the plot, but he does play a key role in offering guidance and assistance, and saves the group in times of dire peril.

5. Crossing the Threshold

As the hero crosses the first threshold, they begin their personal quest toward self-transformation. Crossing the threshold means that the character has committed to the journey, and has stepped outside of the ordinary world in the pursuit of their goal. This typically marks the conclusion of the first act.

The threshold lies between the ordinary world and the special world, and marks the point of the story where the hero fully commits to the road ahead. It’s a crucial stage in the Hero’s Journey, as the hero wouldn’t be able to grow and transform by staying in the ordinary world where they’re comfortable and their world view can’t change.

The threshold isn’t necessarily a specific place within the world of the story, though a place can symbolize the threshold—for example a border, gateway, or crossroads that separate what is safe and “known” from what is potentially dangerous. It can also be a moment or experience that causes the hero to recognize that the comforts and routine of their world no longer apply—like the loss of someone or something close to the hero, for example. The purpose of the threshold is to take the hero out of their element and force them, and the reader, to adapt from the known to the unknown.

This moment is crucial to the story’s tension. It marks the first true shift in the character arc and the moment the adventure has truly begun. The threshold commonly forces the hero into a situation where there’s no turning back. This is sometimes called the initiation stage or the departure stage.

Step Five example

The threshold moment in The Hobbit occurs when the party experiences true danger as a group for the first time. Bilbo, voted as scout by the party and eager to prove his burglar abilities, sneaks upon a lone fire in the forest where he finds three large trolls. Rather than turn back empty-handed—as he initially wants to—Bilbo chooses to prove himself, plucking up the courage to pickpocket the trolls—but is caught in the process. The dwarves are also captured and fortunately, Gandalf, the mentor, comes to save the party.

Bilbo’s character arc is solidified in this threshold moment. He experiences his first transformation when he casts aside fear and seeks to prove himself as a burglar, and as an official member of the party. This moment also provides further characterization of the party as a whole, proving the loyalty of the group in seeking out their captured member.

Gandalf’s position as the mentor is also firmly established as he returns to ultimately save all of the members of the party from being eaten by trolls. The chapter ends with Bilbo taking ownership of his first hero talisman—the sword that will accompany him through the rest of the adventure.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies

Once the hero has crossed the threshold, they must now encounter tests of courage, make allies, and inevitably confront enemies. All these elements force the hero to learn the new ways of the special world and how it differs from the hero’s ordinary world—i.e. how the rules have changed, the conditions of the special world vs. the ordinary world, and the various beings and places within it.

All these elements spark stages of transformation within the hero—learning who they can trust and who they can’t, learning new skills, seeking training from the mentor, and overcoming challenges that force and drive them to grow and transform.

The hero may both succeed and fail at various points of this stage, which will test their commitment to the journey. The writer can create tension by making it clear that the hero may or may not succeed at the critical moment of crisis. These crises can be external or internal.

External conflicts are issues that the character must face and overcome within the plot—e.g. the enemy has a sword drawn and the hero must fight to survive.

Internal conflicts occur inside the hero. For example, the hero has reached safety, but their ally is in peril; will they step outside their comfort zone and rise to the occasion and save their friend? Or will they return home to their old life and the safety of the ordinary world?

Tests are conflicts and threats that the hero must face before they reach the true conflict, or ordeal, of the story. These tests set the stage and prime the hero to meet and achieve the ultimate goal. They provide the writer the opportunity to further the character development of the hero through their actions, inactions, and reactions to what they encounter. The various challenges they face will teach them valuable lessons, as well as keep the story compelling and the reader engaged.

Allies represent the characters that offer support to the protagonist along the journey. Some allies may be introduced from the beginning, while others may be gained along the journey. Secondary characters and allies provide additional nuance for the hero, through interactions, events, and relationships that further show who the hero is at heart, what they believe in, and what they’re willing to fight for. The role of the allies is to bring hope, inspiration, and further drive the hero to do what needs to be done.

Enemies represent a foil to the allies. While allies bring hope and inspiration, enemies will provide challenges, conflicts, tests, and challenges. Both allies and enemies may instigate transformative growth, but enemies do so in a way that fosters conflict and struggle.

Characterization of enemies can also enhance the development of the hero through how they interact and the lessons learned through those interactions. Is the hero easily duped, forgiving, empathetic, merciful? Do they hold a grudge and seek revenge? Who is the hero now that they have been harmed, faced an enemy, and lost pieces of their innocent worldview? To answer that, the hero is still transforming and gestating with every lesson, test, and enemy faced along the way.

Step Six example

As the plot of The Hobbit carries on, Bilbo encounters many tests, allies, and enemies that all drive complexity in the story. A few examples include:

The first major obstacle that Bilbo faces occurs within the dark and damp cave hidden in the goblin town. All alone, Bilbo must pluck up the wit and courage to outriddle a creature named Gollum. In doing so, Bilbo discovers the secret power of a golden ring (another hero talisman) that will aid him and the party through the rest of the journey.

The elves encountered after Bilbo “crosses the threshold” are presented as allies in the story. The hero receives gifts of food, a safe place to rest, and insight and guidance that allows the party to continue on their journey. While the party doesn’t dwell long with the elves, the elves also provide further character development for the party at large: the serious dwarf personalities are juxtaposed against the playful elvish ones, and the elves offer valuable historical insight with backstory to the weapons the party gathered from the troll encounter.

Goblins are a recurring enemy within the story that the hero and party must continue to face, fight, and run from. The goblins present consistent challenges that force Bilbo to face fear and learn and adapt, not only to survive but to save his friends.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

The approach to the inmost cave of the Hero’s Journey is the tense quiet before the storm; it’s the part of the story right before the hero faces their greatest fear, and it can be positioned in a few different ways. By now, the hero has overcome obstacles, setbacks, and tests, gained and lost allies and enemies, and has transformed in some way from the original protagonist first introduced in the ordinary world.

The moment when the hero approaches the inmost cave can be a moment of reflection, reorganization, and rekindling of morale. It presents an opportunity for the main characters of the story to come together in a moment of empathy for losses along the journey; a moment of planning and plotting next steps; an opportunity for the mentor to teach a final lesson to the hero; or a moment for the hero to sit quietly and reflect upon surmounting the challenge they have been journeying toward for the length of their adventure.

The “cave” may or may not be a physical place where the ultimate ordeal and conflict will occur. The approach represents the momentary period where the hero assumes their final preparation for the overall challenge that must be overcome. It’s a time for the hero and their allies, as well as the reader, to pause and reflect on the events of the story that have already occurred, and to consider the internal and external growth and transformation of the hero.

Having gained physical and/or emotional strength and fortitude through their trials and tests, learned more rules about the special world, found and lost allies and friends, is the hero prepared to face danger and their ultimate foe? Reflection, tension, and anticipation are the key elements of crafting the approach to the cave.

Step Seven example

The approach to the cave in The Hobbit occurs as the party enters the tunnel of the Lonely Mountain. The tunnel is the access point to the ultimate goal—Thorin’s familial treasure, as well as the ultimate test—the formidable dragon Smaug. During this part of the story, the party must hide, plot, and plan their approach to the final conflict. It’s at this time that Bilbo realizes he must go alone to scout out and face the dragon.

8. The Ordeal

The ordeal is the foreshadowed conflict that the hero must face, and represents the midpoint of the story. While the ordeal is the ultimate conflict that the hero knows they must overcome, it’s a false climax to the complete story—there’s still much ground to cover in the journey, and the hero will still be tested after completing this, the greatest challenge. In writing the ordeal phase of the Hero’s Journey, the writer should craft this as if it actually were the climax to the tale, even though it isn’t.

The first act, and the beginning of the second act, have built up to the ordeal with characterization and the transformation of the hero through their overcoming tests and trials. This growth—both internal and external—has all occurred to set the hero up to handle this major ordeal.

As this stage commences, the hero is typically faced with fresh challenges to make the ordeal even more difficult than they previously conceived. This may include additional setbacks for the hero, the hero’s realization that they were misinformed about the gravity of the situation, or additional conflicts that make the ordeal seem insurmountable.

These setbacks cause the hero to confront their greatest fears and build tension for both the hero and the reader, as they both question if the hero will ultimately succeed or fail. In an epic fantasy tale, this may mean a life-or-death moment for the hero, or experiencing death through the loss of an important ally or the mentor. In a romance, it may be the moment of crisis where a relationship ends or a partner reveals their dark side or true self, causing the hero great strife.

This is the rock-bottom moment for the hero, where they lose hope, courage, and faith. At this point, even though the hero has already crossed the threshold, this part of the story shows how the hero has changed in such a way that they can never return to their original self: even if they return to the ordinary world, they’ll never be the same; their perception of the world has been modified forever.

Choosing to endure against all odds and costs to face the ordeal represents the loss of the hero’s original self from the ordinary world, and a huge internal transformation occurs within the hero as they must rise and continue forth to complete their journey and do what they set out to do from the beginning.

The ordeal may also be positioned as an introduction to the greater villain through a trial with a shadow villain, where the hero realizes that the greatest conflict is unveiled as something else, still yet to come. In these instances, the hero may fail, or barely succeed, but must learn a crucial lesson and be metaphorically resurrected through their failure to rise again and overcome the greater challenge.

Step Eight example

Bilbo must now face his ultimate challenge: burgle the treasure from the dragon. This is the challenge that was set forth from the beginning, as it’s his purpose as the party’s 14th member, the burglar, anointed by Gandalf, the mentor. Additional conflicts arise as Bilbo realizes that he must face the dragon alone, and in doing so, must rely on all of the skills and gifts in the form of talismans and tokens he has gained throughout the adventure.

During the ordeal, Bilbo uses the courage he has gained by surmounting the story’s previous trials; he’s bolstered by his loyalty to the group and relies upon the skills and tools he has earned in previous trials. Much as he outwitted Gollum in the cave, Bilbo now uses his wit as well as his magical ring to defeat Smaug in a game of riddles, which ultimately leads Smaug out of the lair so that Bilbo can complete what he was set out to do—steal the treasure.

The reward of the Hero’s Journey is a moment of triumph, celebration, or change as the hero achieves their first major victory. This is a moment of reflection for both the reader and the hero, to take a breath to contemplate and acknowledge the growth, development, and transformation that has occurred so far.

The reward is the boon that the hero learns, is granted, or steals, that will be crucial to facing the true climax of the story that is yet to come. The reward may be a physical object, special knowledge, or reconciliation of some sort, but it’s always a thing that allows for some form of celebration or replenishment and provides the drive to succeed before the journey continues.

Note that the reward may not always be overtly positive—it may also be a double-edged sword that could harm them physically or spiritually. This type of reward typically triggers yet another internal transformation within the hero, one that grants them the knowledge and personal drive to complete the journey and face their remaining challenges.

From the reward, the hero is no longer externally driven to complete the journey, but has evolved to take on the onus of doing so.

Examples of rewards may include:

A weapon, elixir, or object that will be necessary to complete the quest.

Special knowledge, or a personal transformation to use against a foe.

An eye-opening experience that provides deep insight and fundamentally changes the hero and their position within the story and world.

Reconciliation with another character, or with themselves.

No matter what the reward is, the hero should experience some emotional or spiritual revelation and a semblance of inner peace or personal resolve to continue the journey. Even if the reward is not overtly positive, the hero and the reader deserve a moment of celebration for facing the great challenge they set out to overcome.

Step Nine example

Bilbo defeats the dragon at a battle of wits and riddles, and now receives his reward. He keeps the gifts he has earned, both the dagger and the gold ring. He is also granted his slice of the treasure, and the Lonely Mountain is returned to Thorin. The party at large is rewarded for completing the quest and challenge they set out to do.

However, Tolkien writes the reward to be more complex than it first appears. The party remains trapped and hungry within the Mountain as events unfold outside of it. Laketown has been attacked by Smaug, and the defenders will want compensation for the damage to their homes and for their having to kill the dragon. Bilbo discovers, and then hides, the Arkenstone (a symbolic double edged reward) to protect it from Thorin’s selfishness and greed.

10. The Road Back

The road back in the Hero’s Journey is the beginning of the third act, and represents a turning point within the story. The hero must recommit to the journey, alongside the new stakes and challenges that have arisen from the completion of the original goal.

The road back presents roadblocks—new and unforeseen challenges to the hero that they must now face on their journey back to the ordinary world. The trials aren’t over yet, and the stakes are raised just enough to keep the story compelling before the final and ultimate conflict—the hero’s resurrection—is revealed in the middle of the third act.

The hero has overcome their greatest challenge in the Ordeal and they aren’t the same person they were when they started. This stage of the story often sees the hero making a choice, or reflecting on their transformed state compared to their state at the start of the journey.

The writer’s purpose in the third act is not to eclipse the upcoming and final conflict, but to up the stakes, show the true risk of the final climax, and to reflect on what it will take for the hero to ultimately prevail. The road back should offer a glimmer of hope—the light at the end of the tunnel—and should let the reader know the dramatic finale is about to arrive.

Step Ten example

What was once a journey to steal treasure and slay a dragon has developed new complications. Our hero, Bilbo, must now use all of the powers granted in his personal transformation, as well as the gifts and rewards he earned on the quest, to complete the final stages of the journey.

This is the crisis moment of The Hobbit ; the armies of Laketown are prepared for battle to claim their reward for killing Smaug; the fearless leader of their party, Thorin, has lost reason and succumbed to greed; and Bilbo makes a crucial choice based his personal growth: he gives the Arkenstone to the king as a bargaining chip for peace. Bilbo also briefly reconnects with the mentor, Gandalf, who warns him of the unpleasant times ahead, but comforts Bilbo by saying that things may yet turn out for the best. Bilbo then loyally returns to his friends, the party of dwarves, to stand alongside them in the final battle.

11. Resurrection

The resurrection stage of the Hero’s Journey is the final climax of the story, and the heart of the third act. By now the hero has experienced internal and external transformation and a loss of innocence, coming out with newfound knowledge. They’re fully rooted in the special world, know its rules, and have made choices that underline this new understanding.

The hero must now overcome the final crisis of their external quest. In an epic fantasy tale, this may be the last battle of light versus darkness, good versus evil, a cumulation of fabulous forces. In a thriller, the hero might ultimately face their own morality as they approach the killer. In a drama or romance, the final and pivotal encounter in a relationship occurs and the hero puts their morality ahead of their immediate desires.

The stakes are the highest they’ve ever been, and the hero must often choose to make a sacrifice. The sacrifice may occur as a metaphoric or symbolic death of the self in some way; letting go of a relationship, title, or mental/emotional image of the self that a hero once used as a critical aspect of their identity, or perhaps even a metaphoric physical death—getting knocked out or incapacitated, losing a limb, etc.

Through whatever the great sacrifice is, be it loss or a metaphoric death, the hero will experience a form of resurrection, purification, or internal cleansing that is their final internal transformation.

In this stage, the hero’s character arc comes to an end, and balance is restored to the world. The theme of the story is fully fleshed out and the hero, having reached some form of self-actualization, is forever changed. Both the reader and the hero experience catharsis—the relief, insight, peace, closure, and purging of fear that had once held the hero back from their final transformation.

Step Eleven example

All the armies have gathered, and the final battle takes place. Just before the battle commences, Bilbo tells Thorin that it was he who gave the Arkenstone to the city of men and offers to sacrifice his reward of gold for taking the stone. Gandalf, the mentor, arrives, standing beside Bilbo and his decision. Bilbo is shunned by Thorin and is asked to leave the party for his betrayal.

Bilbo experiences a symbolic death when he’s knocked out by a stone. Upon awakening, Bilbo is brought to a dying Thorin, who forgives him of his betrayal, and acknowledges that Bilbo’s actions were truly the right thing to do. The theme of the story is fully unveiled: that bravery and courage comes in all sizes and forms, and that greed and gold are less worthy than a life rich in experiences and relationships.

12. Return with the Elixir

The elixir in the Hero’s Journey is the final reward the hero brings with them on their return, bridging their two worlds. It’s a reward hard earned through the various relationships, tests, and growth the hero has experienced along their journey. The “elixir” can be a magical potion, treasure, or object, but it can also be intangible—love, wisdom, knowledge, or experience.

The return is key to the circular nature of the Hero’s Journey. It offers a resolution to both the reader and the hero, and a comparison of their growth from when the journey began.

Without the return, the story would have a linear nature, a beginning and an end. In bringing the self-actualized hero home to the ordinary world, the character arc is completed, and the changes they’ve undergone through the journey are solidified. They’ve overcome the unknown, and though they’re returning home, they can no longer resume their old life because of their new insight and experiences.

Step Twelve example

The small yet mighty hero Bilbo is accompanied on his journey home by his mentor Gandalf, as well as the allies he gathered along his journey. He returns with many rewards—his dagger, his golden ring, and his 1/14th split of the treasure—yet his greatest rewards are his experience and the friends he has made along the way. Upon entering the Shire Bilbo sings a song of adventure, and the mentor Gandalf remarks, “My dear Bilbo! Something is the matter with you, you are not the hobbit you were.”

The final pages of The Hobbit explore Bilbo’s new self in the Shire, and how the community now sees him as a changed hobbit—no longer quite as respectable as he once was, with odd guests who visit from time to time. Bilbo also composes his story “There and Back Again,” a tale of his experiences, underlining his greatest reward—stepping outside of the Shire and into the unknown, then returning home, a changed hobbit.

Books that follow the Hero’s Journey

One of the best ways to become familiar with the plot structure of the Hero’s Journey is to read stories and books that successfully use it to tell a powerful tale. Maybe they’ll inspire you to use the hero’s journey in your own writing!

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien.

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.

The Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin.

The Odyssey by Homer.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Writing tips for the Hero’s Journey

Writing a Hero’s Journey story often requires planning beforehand to organize the plot, structure, and events of the story. Here are some tips to use the hero’s journey archetype in a story:

Use a template or note cards to organize and store your ideas. This can assist in ensuring that you tie up any loose ends in the plot, and that the cadence of your story is already outlined before you begin writing.

Use word count goals for writing different sections of your story. This can help you keep pace while you plan and write the first draft. You can always revise, edit, and add in detail at later stages of development, but getting the ideas written without bogging them down with details can assist in preparing your outline, and may perhaps provide additional inspiration and guidance along the way.

Lean into creativity and be flexible with the 12 steps. They don’t need to occur in the exact order we’ve listed above, but that ordering can offer great checkpoint moments for your story.

Invest in characterization and ensure that your main character is balanced with credible strengths and weaknesses. A perfect, pure hero has no room to grow. A one-dimensional villain who relies on the trope of “pure evil” without any motivations for their actions is boring and predictable.

Ensure tension and urgency is woven into the story. An epic tale to the grocery store for baby formula may still be fraught with danger, and the price of failure is a hungry child. Without urgency, tension, and risk, a Hero’s Journey will fall flat.

Be hard on your characters. Give them deep conflicts that truly test their nature, and their mental, physical, and spiritual selves. An easy journey isn’t a memorable one.

Have a balance of scenes that play on both positive and negative emotions and outcomes for the hero to create a compelling plot line that continues to engage your reader. A story that’s relentlessly positive doesn’t provide a pathway for the hero to transform. Likewise, a story that’s nothing but doom, strife, and turmoil, without a light at the end of the tunnel or an opportunity for growth, can make a story feel stagnant and unengaging.

Reward your characters and your reader. Personal transformation and the road to the authentic self may be grueling, but there’s peace or joy at the end of the tunnel. Even if your character doesn’t fully saved the world, they—and the reader—should be rewarded with catharsis, a new perspective, or personal insight at the end of the tale.

Hero’s Journey templates

Download these free templates to help you plan out your Hero’s Journey:

Download the Hero’s Journey template template (docx) Download the Hero’s Journey template template (pdf)

Prompts and practices to help you write your own Hero’s Journey

Use the downloadable template listed below for the following exercises:

Read a book or watch a movie that follows the Hero’s Journey. Use the template to fill in when each step occurs or is completed. Make note of themes and symbols, character arcs, the main plot, and the subplots that drive complexity in the story.

When writing, use a timer set to 2—5 minutes per section to facilitate bursts of creativity. Brainstorm ideas for cadence, plot, and characters within the story. The outline you create can always be modified, but the timer ensures you can get ideas on paper without a commitment; you’re simply jotting down ideas as quickly as you can.

Use the downloadable template above to generate outlines based on the following prompts.

A woman’s estranged mother has died. A friend of the mother arrives at the woman’s home to tell her that her mother has left all her belongings to her daughter, and hands her a letter. The letter details the mother’s life, and the daughter must visit certain places and people to find her mother’s house and all the belongings in it—learning more about her mother’s life, and herself, along the way.

The last tree on earth has fallen, and technology can no longer sustain human life on Earth. An engineer, having long ago received alien radio signals from a tower in their backyard, has dedicated their life to building a spaceship in their garage. The time has come to launch, and the engineer must select a group of allies to bring with them to the stars, on a search for a new life, a new home, and “the others” out there in the universe.

A detective is given a new case: to find a much-talked-about murderer. The twist is, the murderer has sent a letter to the detective agency, quietly outing a homicidal politician who is up for re-election and is a major financial contributor to the police. In the letter, the murderer states that if the politician doesn’t come clean about their crimes, the murderer will kill the politician on the night of the election. The detective must solve the case before the election, and come to terms with their own feelings of justice and morality.

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Breaking Down the Character Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey

You’ve  read about George  Lucas’s  use of Joseph  Campbell’s Monomyth found in his 1949 book, A Hero with a Thousand Faces ,  which   is  a  common  narrative pattern found in many stories from many different cultures worldwide. This narrative journey typically involves several character archetypes that affect the  hero’s journey from beginning to end.

After the successful debut of  Star Wars   and  Lucas’s  discussions on using  Campbell’s work as inspiration for his space opera, many producers, development executives, filmmakers, and screenwriters have explored the Monomyth with deeper and simplified approaches.

Christopher Vogler's Interpretation of the Hero's Journey

When Christopher Vogler, a development executive and screenwriter at Disney, was inspired by Joseph  Campbell's  concept of the story monomyth, he crafted a seven-page memo for  Disney's  development team and incoming screenwriters.

This memo,  A Practical Guide to Joseph  Cambell’s  The Hero with a Thousand Faces , laid the groundwork for what would later become  Vogler's  1992 book,  The  Writer's  Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters . In this book, Vogler expanded upon  Campbell’s  ideas.

He adapted  Campbell's  mythical story structure into twelve distinct stages (from  Campbell’s  initial seventeen). Our concise interpretations of these stages include:

• The Ordinary World : We see the  hero's   normal  life at the start of the story before the adventure begins.
• Call to Adventure : The hero faces an event, conflict, problem, or challenge that makes them begin their adventure.
• Refusal of the Call : The hero initially refuses the adventure because of hesitation, fear, insecurity, or  any  other issues.
• Meeting the Mentor : The hero encounters a mentor who can give them advice, wisdom, information, or items that ready them for the journey ahead.
• Crossing the Threshold : The hero leaves their ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure.
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies : The hero learns the  rules of the new world  and endures tests, meets friends, and comes face-to-face with enemies.
• The Approach : The initial plan to take on the central conflict begins, but setbacks cause the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas.
• The Ordeal : Things go wrong, and added conflict  is introduced . The hero experiences more difficult hurdles and obstacles, some of which may lead to a life crisis.
• The Reward : After surviving The Ordeal, the hero seizes the sword — a reward that  they've  earned that allows them to take on the  biggest  conflict. It may be a physical item or piece of knowledge or wisdom that will help them persevere.
• The Road Back : The hero sees the light at the end of the tunnel, but they are about to face even more tests and challenges.
• The Resurrection : The climax.  The hero faces a final test, using everything they have learned to take on the conflict once and for all.
• The Return : The hero  brings  their knowledge or the  " elixir "  back  to the ordinary world.

Within these stages are character archetypes that help to shape the  hero’s   journey, and their eventual character arc throughout the story.

Read More: Exploring the Twelve Stages of the  Hero’s  Journey

'Tron: Legacy' (2010)

What Are Character Archetypes?

A character archetype is a common  recurring  representation of a character that embodies a set of universal and recognizable traits or characteristics. These archetypes  are seen  throughout literature, film, and other storytelling mediums—and they resonate with audiences because they  are based  on  common human experiences or cultural norms.

Archetypes work well because they are instantly recognizable to readers and audiences.  For writers, character archetypes can  be adapted and molded with ease  during character development.

Character archetypes are not specific characters in a story but  rather broad categories or templates that individual characters can be based on or inspired by. They represent typical roles characters play in the narrative, and their actions and motivations are often predictable based on the archetype they represent.

However, writers can also choose to subvert those expectations to create a more dynamic character , as well as  introduce much-needed twists and turns within the story.

Read More: 10 Character Archetypes in Comedies

'The Goonies' (1950)

The benefits of using character archetypes include:

• Universality : Archetypes are universally understood and have similar meanings across cultures and historical contexts.  This  can  especially  help in the cinematic realm  as  movies  are released  in multiple countries and languages.
• Symbolism : These character traits can symbolize a particular  aspect of  human experience or life.  Once again, symbolism is identifiable across many cultures.
• Predictability :  Because they  are based  on common patterns,   their behaviors and roles in stories can often be anticipated .  Because of that anticipation, writers can choose between subverting those expectations or using the predictability of the archetypes to service the story and protagonist with ease.  
• Variability : While archetypes are typical patterns, they allow for variations and depth, meaning a single archetype can manifest in different ways across various stories, allowing writers  can  adapt these traits to any character. 

Character archetypes can  be used   as tools  to tell a compelling and universal story. 

'Finding Nemo' (2003)

What Are the Character Archetypes in the Hero's Journey?

Many archetypes in the hero's journey—the threshold guardian, the herald, the shapeshifter, the trickster, the ally, and the tempter/temptress—are more defined in later interpretations and expansions of Campbell's  work. People like Vogler applied his theories to modern storytelling so writers, readers, and audiences could more easily understand the dynamics of  Campbell’s  monomyth.

Here,  we’ll break down the main character archetypes in the hero's journey utilized in  Campbell’s  Monomyth and  Vogler’s  expanded breakdowns and interpretations. 

The hero is the  central figure of the story  (protagonist) who undergoes a journey, facing challenges and transformations.  The hero often starts as an ordinary person who  is  then  called  to adventure. They are present throughout the  entire   journey , from the ordinary world to the return with newfound knowledge or power.

Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), Indiana Jones ( Raiders of the Lost Arc ), Katniss Everdeen ( The Hunger Games ), Barbie ( Barbie ), and Harry Potter (the  Harry Potter series) are perfect examples of the hero character archetypes. You can include any protagonist within a story that goes on a physical or emotional journey.

As mentioned above, the hero in the  hero’s  journey usually begins their adventure within their ordinary world.  This   offers readers and audiences the chance  to relate to the protagonist, empathize with their plight, and see the beginning of their character arc.  

Read More: Why the 'Barbie' Movie is the Perfect Example of the Hero’s Journey

The shadow is the main antagonist of the story. The shadow reflects the darker aspects of the hero, sometimes represented as the mirror image (opposite) of the hero and their beliefs. Overall, they are the antagonist or villains  present throughout the whole  story in varied ways. 

Read More:  15 Types of Villains Screenwriters Need to Know  

The shadow can also be represented  in metaphorical terms. If a  story’s hero journey is the protagonist dealing with alcoholism or addiction, those vices can serve as the shadow/antagonist/villain.

The quintessential shadows in cinema include characters like Darth Vader ( Star Wars ), Voldemort (the Harry Potter series), and Sauron ( The Lord of the Rings series). But you can also find a less villainous shadow that takes on a lighter antagonistic role without purely evil intentions.

A perfect example of that would be  Principal Rooney in  Ferris Bueller’s Day Off .  He  doesn’t  have evil intentions like a villain does. However, he is the shadow or mirror image of Ferris Bueller. Ferris believes in freedom  an expression . Rooney believes in order and control of others.

'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' (1986)

This character serves as a guide or teacher to the hero, providing them with advice, training, or magical assistance.  The mentor is often a wise or experienced figure, although there have been literary and cinematic variances.

Look no further than the likes of Obi-Wan Kenobi ( Star Wars ), Yoda ( The Empire Strikes Back ), Mr. Miyagi ( The Karate Kid ), and Gandalf ( The Lord of the Rings series ) as core examples of the mentor.

'The Karate Kid' (1984)

Allies are friends or companions who support and accompany the hero through their journey. They often complement the  hero's  skills and help them face challenges.

In  Star Wars , the allies of Luke Skywalker include Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the droids. In  The Lord of the Rings series , the fellowship companions of Frodo encompass this character archetype. You can also look to any sidekick-type character as the perfect example of an ally:

• Goose in  Top Gun
• Patrick in  Spongebob Squarepants
• Ron in  Harry Potter
• Billy in  Big
• Julie in  Lady Bird
• Rod in  Get Out
• Ned in the  Spider-Man  movies
• Sam in  The Lord of the Rings
• Short Round in  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Allies can also be characters who  aren’t  as close to the hero but offer  some  type of help along the way.

'Lady Bird' (2017)

The Threshold Guardian

These characters serve as obstacles the hero must overcome or circumvent on their journey. They are not always enemies but are present within the story to test the hero and give them the belief and ability to continue on their adventure.

Little John in the  Robin Hood   stories is initially the threshold guardian of the Sherwood Forest. 

He eventually becomes an ally to Robin. But he’s initially a threshold guardian. 

You can turn to   Monthy Python and the Holy Grail  as well. The Black Knight  isn’t  necessarily King  Arthur’s  foe. However,  he’s there to defend the bridge at all costs.

 The Herald

The herald is the character that initiates the call to adventure, pushing the hero to  action,  or providing the news or event that triggers their journey.

In  Star Wars , R2-D2 is the herald of  Luke’s  journey because he delivers the message from Princess Leia  to him . If Luke  doesn’t  see that message, he  doesn’t  show it to Obi-Wan Kenobi. And if Obi-Wan  doesn’t  see that message, he  doesn’t  convince Luke to come with him to join the Rebellion. 

In  Barbie , Weird Barbie is the one who tells Barbie the truth about what she is going through and what she must do to seek out the answers she needs. 

The herald can be a  major  character, a supporting character, or even a minor character. In  The Lord of the Rings , Gandalf is both mentor  and  herald, as he is the one who appears to Frodo, telling him he must bring the ring to Mordor. 

The Shapeshifter

This  archetype's loyalty and role are often unclear, and they can serve as an ally or an enemy to the hero. Sometimes both. Their unpredictable nature adds complexity to the story, usually resulting in twists and turns within the plot.

Snape in the  Harry Potter series is one of the greatest shapeshifters in literature and film. His motives are unknown, mistaken, and hidden. He acts as both a shadow to Harry and later an ally.

Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean   series is another  great  example, embodying the role of an unpredictable ally whose loyalty is often questionable. Yes, he can  be  looked  upon as an antihero protagonist of the movie. However, the clear hero of the story is Will.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' (2003)

The Trickster

The trickster usually adds  levity  to the story through comic relief. They can be allies or enemies, but typically  they  cause trouble for both.

Jack Sparrow falls under this character archetype as well. But a better example may be Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe   movies. He embodies the definition of a trickster.  He brings more comic relief to the  movies   after his initial first appearance in  Thor .

Perhaps the better example would be Genie in  Disney's   Aladdin . He uses his powers for humorous and unexpected effects, often bending the rules and adding a lighthearted element to the story.

Tempter/Temptress

This archetype can be of any gender and represents temptation or distraction that diverts the hero from their path.

Catwoman in the  Batman  movies often plays the role of a temptress to Batman, combining allure with a morally ambiguous character.

Many of the Bond Girls in the   James Bond  films serve as temptresses, combining allure and mystery and often leading Bond into dangerous situations.

The Indiana Jones variation would be Elsa from  Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade . 

One of the best examples of the Tempter playing a more pivotal role in the story is Avery Tolar in The Firm .  He’s  a senior partner at  the law firm  Bendini, Lambert & Locke. His role is crucial in seducing the protagonist, Mitch McDeere, into the luxurious and corrupt world of the law firm.

He has a charismatic and persuasive personality. He mentors Mitch and exposes him to the high-stakes, high-reward lifestyle  that the  firm offers, including wealth, prestige, and power.  Tolar's  character is complex. He is a nuanced character who embodies the charm and allure  that the  firm uses to entice and trap its young associates.

His influence on Mitch is significant, as he represents the allure of success and the moral compromises that often accompany it.  Tolar's  character effectively demonstrates how  the tempter archetype can be used  to explore themes of corruption, temptation, and ethical dilemmas in a narrative.

The character archetypes  found  within the h ero’s  journey offer writers the ability to take universal character templates and mold them to fit into stories that embrace the monomyth structure or use it as a starting point to tell a compelling and engaging story. 

Use them in whatever way  you’d like. They can encompass the more traditional definition within your story, or you can use these archetypes to set up expectations and later subvert those expectations to create a more enthralling and surprising plot.

Read More: Is Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" Dead in Screenwriting Today?

CHECK OUT OUR PREPARATION NOTES SO YOU START YOUR STORY OFF ON THE RIGHT TRACK!

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller Hunter’s Creed, and many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies and Instagram @KenMovies76

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12 Hero’s Journey Stages Explained (+ Free Templates)

From zero to hero, the hero’s journey is a popular character development arc used in many stories. In today’s post, we will explain the 12 hero’s journey stages, along with the simple example of Cinderella.

The Hero’s Journey was originally formulated by American writer Joseph Campbell to describe the typical character arc of many classic stories, particularly in the context of mythology and folklore. The original hero’s journey contained 17 steps. Although the hero’s journey has been adapted since then for use in modern fiction, the concept is not limited to literature. It can be applied to any story, video game, film or even music that features an archetypal hero who undergoes a transformation. Common examples of the hero’s journey in popular works include Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

• What is the hero's journey?

Stage 1: The Ordinary World

Stage 2: call of adventure, stage 3: refusal of the call, stage 4: meeting the mentor, stage 5: crossing the threshold, stage 6: tests, allies, enemies, stage 7: the approach, stage 8: the ordeal, stage 9: reward, stage 10: the road back, stage 11: resurrection, stage 12: return with the elixir, cinderella example, campbell’s 17-step journey, leeming’s 8-step journey, cousineau’s 8-step journey.

• Free Hero's Journey Templates

What is the hero’s journey?

The hero’s journey, also known as the monomyth, is a character arc used in many stories. The idea behind it is that heroes undergo a journey that leads them to find their true selves. This is often represented in a series of stages. There are typically 12 stages to the hero’s journey. Each stage represents a change in the hero’s mindset or attitude, which is triggered by an external or internal event. These events cause the hero to overcome a challenge, reach a threshold, and then return to a normal life.

The hero’s journey is a powerful tool for understanding your characters. It can help you decide who they are, what they want, where they came from, and how they will change over time. It can be used to

• Understand the challenges your characters will face
• Understand how your characters react to those challenges
• Help develop your characters’ traits and relationships

In this post, we will explain each stage of the hero’s journey, using the example of Cinderella.

You might also be interested in our post on the story mountain or this guide on how to outline a book .

12 Hero’s Journey Stages

The archetypal hero’s journey contains 12 stages and was created by Christopher Vogler. These steps take your main character through an epic struggle that leads to their ultimate triumph or demise. While these steps may seem formulaic at first glance, they actually form a very flexible structure. The hero’s journey is about transformation, not perfection.

Your hero starts out in the ordinary world. He or she is just like every other person in their environment, doing things that are normal for them and experiencing the same struggles and challenges as everyone else. In the ordinary world, the hero feels stuck and confused, so he or she goes on a quest to find a way out of this predicament.

Example: Cinderella’s father passes away and she is now stuck doing chores and taking abuse from her stepsisters and stepmother.

The hero gets his or her first taste of adventure when the call comes. This could be in the form of an encounter with a stranger or someone they know who encourages them to take a leap of faith. This encounter is typically an accident, a series of coincidences that put the hero in the right place at the right time.

Example: An invite arrives inviting the family to a royal ball where the Prince will choose a wife.

Some people will refuse to leave their safe surroundings and live by their own rules. The hero has to overcome the negative influences in order to hear the call again. They also have to deal with any personal doubts that arise from thinking too much about the potential dangers involved in the quest. It is common for the hero to deny their own abilities in this stage and to lack confidence in themselves.

Example: Cinderella accepts the call by making her own dress for the ball. However, her stepmother refuses the call for her by not letting her go to the ball. And her step-sisters ruin her dress, so she can not go.

After hearing the call, the hero begins a relationship with a mentor who helps them learn about themselves and the world. In some cases, the mentor may be someone the hero already knows. The mentor is usually someone who is well-versed in the knowledge that the hero needs to acquire, but who does not judge the hero for their lack of experience.

Example: Cinderella meets her fairy godmother who equips her with everything she needs for the ball, including a dress and a carriage.

The hero leaves their old life behind and enters the unfamiliar new world. The crossing of the threshold symbolises leaving their old self behind and becoming a new person. Sometimes this can include learning a new skill or changing their physical appearance. It can also include a time of wandering, which is an essential part of the hero’s journey.

Example: Cinderella hops into the carriage and heads off to the ball. She has transformed from a servant into an elegant young lady. 

As the hero goes on this journey, they will meet both allies (people who help the hero) and enemies (people who try to stop the hero). There will also be tests, where the hero is tempted to quit, turn back, or become discouraged. The hero must be persistent and resilient to overcome challenges.

Example: At the ball, Cinderella meets the prince, and even see’s her stepmother and stepsister. She dances with Prince all night long making her step-sisters extremely jealous.

The hero now reaches the destination of their journey, in some cases, this is a literal location, such as a cave or castle. It could also be metaphorical, such as the hero having an internal conflict or having to make a difficult decision. In either case, the hero has to confront their deepest fears in this stage with bravery. In some ways, this stage can mark the end of the hero’s journey because the hero must now face their darkest fears and bring them under control. If they do not do this, the hero could be defeated in the final battle and will fail the story.

Example: Cinderella is having a great time at the ball and nearly forgets about the midnight rule. As she runs away in a hurry, her glass slipper falls off outside the palace.

The hero has made it to the final challenge of their journey and now must face all odds and defeat their greatest adversary. Consider this the climax of the story. This could be in the form of a physical battle, a moral dilemma or even an emotional challenge. The hero will look to their allies or mentor for further support and guidance in this ordeal. Whatever happens in this stage could change the rest of the story, either for good or bad. 

Example: Prince Charming looks all over the kingdom for the mysterious girl he met at the ball. He finally visits Cinderella’s house and tries the slippers on the step-sisters. The prince is about to leave and then he sees Cinderella in the corner cleaning.

When the hero has defeated the most powerful and dangerous of adversaries, they will receive their reward. This reward could be an object, a new relationship or even a new piece of knowledge. The reward, which typically comes as a result of the hero’s perseverance and hard work, signifies the end of their journey. Given that the hero has accomplished their goal and served their purpose, it is a time of great success and accomplishment.

Example: The prince tries the glass slipper on Cinderella. The glass slipper fits Cinderella perfectly, and they fall in love.

The journey is now complete, and the hero is now heading back home. As the hero considers their journey and reflects on the lessons they learned along the way, the road back is sometimes marked by a sense of nostalgia or even regret. As they must find their way back to the normal world and reintegrate into their former life, the hero may encounter additional difficulties or tests along the way. It is common for the hero to run into previous adversaries or challenges they believed they had overcome.

Example: Cinderella and Prince Charming head back to the Prince’s castle to get married.

The hero has one final battle to face. At this stage, the hero might have to fight to the death against a much more powerful foe. The hero might even be confronted with their own mortality or their greatest fear. This is usually when the hero’s true personality emerges. This stage is normally symbolised by the hero rising from the dark place and fighting back. This dark place could again be a physical location, such as the underground or a dark cave. It might even be a dark, mental state, such as depression. As the hero rises again, they might change physically or even experience an emotional transformation. 

Example: Cinderella is reborn as a princess. She once again feels the love and happiness that she felt when she was a little girl living with her father.

At the end of the story, the hero returns to the ordinary world and shares the knowledge gained in their journey with their fellow man. This can be done by imparting some form of wisdom, an object of great value or by bringing about a social revolution. In all cases, the hero returns changed and often wiser.

Example: Cinderella and Prince Charming live happily ever after. She uses her new role to punish her stepmother and stepsisters and to revitalise the kingdom.

We have used the example of Cinderella in Vogler’s hero’s journey model below:

Below we have briefly explained the other variations of the hero’s journey arc.

The very first hero’s journey arc was created by Joseph Campbell in 1949. It contained the following 17 steps:

• The Call to Adventure: The hero receives a call or a reason to go on a journey.
• Refusal of the Call: The hero does not accept the quest. They worry about their own abilities or fear the journey itself.
• Supernatural Aid: Someone (the mentor) comes to help the hero and they have supernatural powers, which are usually magical.
• The Crossing of the First Threshold: A symbolic boundary is crossed by the hero, often after a test. 
• Belly of the Whale: The point where the hero has the most difficulty making it through.
• The Road of Trials: In this step, the hero will be tempted and tested by the outside world, with a number of negative experiences.
• The Meeting with the Goddess: The hero meets someone who can give them the knowledge, power or even items for the journey ahead.
• Woman as the Temptress: The hero is tempted to go back home or return to their old ways.
• Atonement with the Father: The hero has to make amends for any wrongdoings they may have done in the past. They need to confront whatever holds them back.
• Apotheosis: The hero gains some powerful knowledge or grows to a higher level. 
• The Ultimate Boon: The ultimate boon is the reward for completing all the trials of the quest. The hero achieves their ultimate goal and feels powerful.
• Refusal of the Return: After collecting their reward, the hero refuses to return to normal life. They want to continue living like gods. 
• The Magic Flight: The hero escapes with the reward in hand.
• Rescue from Without: The hero has been hurt and needs help from their allies or guides.
• The Crossing of the Return Threshold: The hero must come back and learn to integrate with the ordinary world once again.
• Master of the Two Worlds: The hero shares their wisdom or gifts with the ordinary world. Learning to live in both worlds.
• Freedom to Live: The hero accepts the new version of themselves and lives happily without fear.

David Adams Leeming later adapted the hero’s journey based on his research of legendary heroes found in mythology. He noted the following steps as a pattern that all heroes in stories follow:

• Miraculous conception and birth: This is the first trauma that the hero has to deal with. The Hero is often an orphan or abandoned child and therefore faces many hardships early on in life. 
• Initiation of the hero-child: The child faces their first major challenge. At this point, the challenge is normally won with assistance from someone else.
• Withdrawal from family or community: The hero runs away and is tempted by negative forces.
• Trial and quest: A quest finds the hero giving them an opportunity to prove themselves.
• Death: The hero fails and is left near death or actually does die.
• Descent into the underworld: The hero rises again from death or their near-death experience.
• Resurrection and rebirth: The hero learns from the errors of their way and is reborn into a better, wiser being.
• Ascension, apotheosis, and atonement: The hero gains some powerful knowledge or grows to a higher level (sometimes a god-like level). 

In 1990, Phil Cousineau further adapted the hero’s journey by simplifying the steps from Campbell’s model and rearranging them slightly to suit his own findings of heroes in literature. Again Cousineau’s hero’s journey included 8 steps:

• The call to adventure: The hero must have a reason to go on an adventure.
• The road of trials: The hero undergoes a number of tests that help them to transform.
• The vision quest: Through the quest, the hero learns the errors of their ways and has a realisation of something.
• The meeting with the goddess: To help the hero someone helps them by giving them some knowledge, power or even items for the journey ahead.
• The boon: This is the reward for completing the journey.
• The magic flight: The hero must escape, as the reward is attached to something terrible.
• The return threshold: The hero must learn to live back in the ordinary world.
• The master of two worlds: The hero shares their knowledge with the ordinary world and learns to live in both worlds.

As you can see, every version of the hero’s journey is about the main character showing great levels of transformation. Their journey may start and end at the same location, but they have personally evolved as a character in your story. Once a weakling, they now possess the knowledge and skill set to protect their world if needed.

Free Hero’s Journey Templates

Use the free Hero’s journey templates below to practice the skills you learned in this guide! You can either draw or write notes in each of the scene boxes. Once the template is complete, you will have a better idea of how your main character or the hero of your story develops over time:

The storyboard template below is a great way to develop your main character and organise your story:

Did you find this guide on the hero’s journey stages useful? Let us know in the comments below.

Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.

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Hero's Journey 101: How to Use the Hero's Journey to Plot Your Story

By Dan Schriever

How many times have you heard this story? A protagonist is suddenly whisked away from their ordinary life and embarks on a grand adventure. Along the way they make new friends, confront perils, and face tests of character. In the end, evil is defeated, and the hero returns home a changed person.

That’s the Hero’s Journey in a nutshell. It probably sounds very familiar—and rightly so: the Hero’s Journey aspires to be the universal story, or monomyth, a narrative pattern deeply ingrained in literature and culture. Whether in books, movies, television, or folklore, chances are you’ve encountered many examples of the Hero’s Journey in the wild.

In this post, we’ll walk through the elements of the Hero’s Journey step by step. We’ll also study an archetypal example from the movie The Matrix (1999). Once you have mastered the beats of this narrative template, you’ll be ready to put your very own spin on it.

Sound good? Then let’s cross the threshold and let the journey begin.

What Is the Hero’s Journey?

The 12 stages of the hero’s journey, writing your own hero’s journey.

The Hero’s Journey is a common story structure for modeling both plot points and character development. A protagonist embarks on an adventure into the unknown. They learn lessons, overcome adversity, defeat evil, and return home transformed.

Joseph Campbell , a scholar of literature, popularized the monomyth in his influential work The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949). Looking for common patterns in mythological narratives, Campbell described a character arc with 17 total stages, overlaid on a more traditional three-act structure. Not all need be present in every myth or in the same order.

The three stages, or acts, of Campbell’s Hero’s Journey are as follows:

1. Departure. The hero leaves the ordinary world behind.

2. Initiation. The hero ventures into the unknown ("the Special World") and overcomes various obstacles and challenges.

3. Return. The hero returns in triumph to the familiar world.

Hollywood has embraced Campbell’s structure, most famously in George Lucas’s Star Wars movies. There are countless examples in books, music, and video games, from fantasy epics and Disney films to sports movies.

In The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (1992), screenwriter Christopher Vogler adapted Campbell’s three phases into the "12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey." This is the version we’ll analyze in the next section.

For writers, the purpose of the Hero’s Journey is to act as a template and guide. It’s not a rigid formula that your plot must follow beat by beat. Indeed, there are good reasons to deviate—not least of which is that this structure has become so ubiquitous.

Still, it’s helpful to master the rules before deciding when and how to break them. The 12 steps of the Hero's Journey are as follows :

• The Ordinary World
• The Call of Adventure
• Refusal of the Call
• Meeting the Mentor
• Crossing the First Threshold
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies
• Approach to the Inmost Cave
• Reward (Seizing the Sword)
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return with the Elixir

Let’s take a look at each stage in more detail. To show you how the Hero’s Journey works in practice, we’ll also consider an example from the movie The Matrix (1999). After all, what blog has not been improved by a little Keanu Reeves?

#1: The Ordinary World

This is where we meet our hero, although the journey has not yet begun: first, we need to establish the status quo by showing the hero living their ordinary, mundane life.

It’s important to lay the groundwork in this opening stage, before the journey begins. It lets readers identify with the hero as just a regular person, “normal” like the rest of us. Yes, there may be a big problem somewhere out there, but the hero at this stage has very limited awareness of it.

The Ordinary World in The Matrix :

We are introduced to Thomas A. Anderson, aka Neo, programmer by day, hacker by night. While Neo runs a side operation selling illicit software, Thomas Anderson lives the most mundane life imaginable: he works at his cubicle, pays his taxes, and helps the landlady carry out her garbage.

#2: The Call to Adventure

The journey proper begins with a call to adventure—something that disrupts the hero’s ordinary life and confronts them with a problem or challenge they can’t ignore. This can take many different forms.

While readers may already understand the stakes, the hero is realizing them for the first time. They must make a choice: will they shrink from the call, or rise to the challenge?

The Call to Adventure in The Matrix :

A mysterious message arrives in Neo’s computer, warning him that things are not as they seem. He is urged to “follow the white rabbit.” At a nightclub, he meets Trinity, who tells him to seek Morpheus.

#3: Refusal of the Call

Oops! The hero chooses option A and attempts to refuse the call to adventure. This could be for any number of reasons: fear, disbelief, a sense of inadequacy, or plain unwillingness to make the sacrifices that are required.

A little reluctance here is understandable. If you were asked to trade the comforts of home for a life-and-death journey fraught with peril, wouldn’t you give pause?

Refusal of the Call in The Matrix :

Agents arrive at Neo’s office to arrest him. Morpheus urges Neo to escape by climbing out a skyscraper window. “I can’t do this… This is crazy!” Neo protests as he backs off the ledge.

#4: Meeting the Mentor

Okay, so the hero got cold feet. Nothing a little pep talk can’t fix! The mentor figure appears at this point to give the hero some much needed counsel, coaching, and perhaps a kick out the door.

After all, the hero is very inexperienced at this point. They’re going to need help to avoid disaster or, worse, death. The mentor’s role is to overcome the hero’s reluctance and prepare them for what lies ahead.

Meeting the Mentor in The Matrix :

Neo meets with Morpheus, who reveals a terrifying truth: that the ordinary world as we know it is a computer simulation designed to enslave humanity to machines.

#5: Crossing the First Threshold

At this juncture, the hero is ready to leave their ordinary world for the first time. With the mentor’s help, they are committed to the journey and ready to step across the threshold into the special world . This marks the end of the departure act and the beginning of the adventure in earnest.

This may seem inevitable, but for the hero it represents an important choice. Once the threshold is crossed, there’s no going back. Bilbo Baggins put it nicely: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

Crossing the First Threshold in The Matrix :

Neo is offered a stark choice: take the blue pill and return to his ordinary life none the wiser, or take the red pill and “see how deep the rabbit hole goes.” Neo takes the red pill and is extracted from the Matrix, entering the real world .

#6: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Now we are getting into the meat of the adventure. The hero steps into the special world and must learn the new rules of an unfamiliar setting while navigating trials, tribulations, and tests of will. New characters are often introduced here, and the hero must navigate their relationships with them. Will they be friend, foe, or something in between?

Broadly speaking, this is a time of experimentation and growth. It is also one of the longest stages of the journey, as the hero learns the lay of the land and defines their relationship to other characters.

Wondering how to create captivating characters? Read our guide , which explains how to shape characters that readers will love—or hate.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies in The Matrix :

Neo is introduced to the vagabond crew of the Nebuchadnezzar . Morpheus informs Neo that he is The One , a savior destined to liberate humanity. He learns jiu jitsu and other useful skills.

#7: Approach to the Inmost Cave

Time to get a little metaphorical. The inmost cave isn’t a physical cave, but rather a place of great danger—indeed, the most dangerous place in the special world . It could be a villain’s lair, an impending battle, or even a mental barrier. No spelunking required.

Broadly speaking, the approach is marked by a setback in the quest. It becomes a lesson in persistence, where the hero must reckon with failure, change their mindset, or try new ideas.

Note that the hero hasn’t entered the cave just yet. This stage is about the approach itself, which the hero must navigate to get closer to their ultimate goal. The stakes are rising, and failure is no longer an option.

Approach to the Inmost Cave in The Matrix :

Neo pays a visit to The Oracle. She challenges Neo to “know thyself”—does he believe, deep down, that he is The One ? Or does he fear that he is “just another guy”? She warns him that the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

#8: The Ordeal

The ordeal marks the hero’s greatest test thus far. This is a dark time for them: indeed, Campbell refers to it as the “belly of the whale.” The hero experiences a major hurdle or obstacle, which causes them to hit rock bottom.

This is a pivotal moment in the story, the main event of the second act. It is time for the hero to come face to face with their greatest fear. It will take all their skills to survive this life-or-death crisis. Should they succeed, they will emerge from the ordeal transformed.

Keep in mind: the story isn’t over yet! Rather, the ordeal is the moment when the protagonist overcomes their weaknesses and truly steps into the title of hero .

The Ordeal in The Matrix :

When Cipher betrays the crew to the agents, Morpheus sacrifices himself to protect Neo. In turn, Neo makes his own choice: to risk his life in a daring rescue attempt.

#9: Reward (Seizing the Sword)

The ordeal was a major level-up moment for the hero. Now that it's been overcome, the hero can reap the reward of success. This reward could be an object, a skill, or knowledge—whatever it is that the hero has been struggling toward. At last, the sword is within their grasp.

From this moment on, the hero is a changed person. They are now equipped for the final conflict, even if they don’t fully realize it yet.

Reward (Seizing the Sword) in The Matrix :

Neo’s reward is helpfully narrated by Morpheus during the rescue effort: “He is beginning to believe.” Neo has gained confidence that he can fight the machines, and he won’t back down from his destiny.

#10: The Road Back

We’re now at the beginning of act three, the return . With the reward in hand, it’s time to exit the inmost cave and head home. But the story isn’t over yet.

In this stage, the hero reckons with the consequences of act two. The ordeal was a success, but things have changed now. Perhaps the dragon, robbed of his treasure, sets off for revenge. Perhaps there are more enemies to fight. Whatever the obstacle, the hero must face them before their journey is complete.

The Road Back in The Matrix :

The rescue of Morpheus has enraged Agent Smith, who intercepts Neo before he can return to the Nebuchadnezzar . The two foes battle in a subway station, where Neo’s skills are pushed to their limit.

#11: Resurrection

Now comes the true climax of the story. This is the hero’s final test, when everything is at stake: the battle for the soul of Gotham, the final chance for evil to triumph. The hero is also at the peak of their powers. A happy ending is within sight, should they succeed.

Vogler calls the resurrection stage the hero’s “final exam.” They must draw on everything they have learned and prove again that they have really internalized the lessons of the ordeal . Near-death escapes are not uncommon here, or even literal deaths and resurrections.

Resurrection in The Matrix :

Despite fighting valiantly, Neo is defeated by Agent Smith and killed. But with Trinity’s help, he is resurrected, activating his full powers as The One . Isn’t it wonderful how literal The Matrix can be?

#12: Return with the Elixir

Hooray! Evil has been defeated and the hero is transformed. It’s time for the protagonist to return home in triumph, and share their hard-won prize with the ordinary world . This prize is the elixir —the object, skill, or insight that was the hero’s true reward for their journey and transformation.

Return with the Elixir in The Matrix :

Neo has defeated the agents and embraced his destiny. He returns to the simulated world of the Matrix, this time armed with god-like powers and a resolve to open humanity’s eyes to the truth.

If you’re writing your own adventure, you may be wondering: should I follow the Hero’s Journey structure?

The good news is, it’s totally up to you. Joseph Campbell conceived of the monomyth as a way to understand universal story structure, but there are many ways to outline a novel. Feel free to play around within its confines, adapt it across different media, and disrupt reader expectations. It’s like Morpheus says: “Some of these rules can be bent. Others can be broken.”

Think of the Hero’s Journey as a tool. If you’re not sure where your story should go next, it can help to refer back to the basics. From there, you’re free to choose your own adventure.

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The hero’s journey archetype: a call to adventure.

• February 26, 2020
• TEDxMileHigh Admin
• Art & Design

Think of the last movie you watched. Think of everything that happens in this film. Think about the characters, plot, conflict, and ending. Now think of a different movie or even a book. Think about the same elements. Do you notice a trend? Yes, all stories are different and have different characters and outcomes, but have you noticed how most characters in a story follow a similar path?  This path— this overlaying arc— is called the Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell first introduced this term in 1949, but the hero’s journey archetype has a longstanding place in storytelling.

Essentially, every character, whether in a book or a film, follows the same path and encounters three fundamental experiences along the way— separation, initiation, and return.

This is the beginning of our Hero’s Journey series where we will explore the archetype and how it shows up in our everyday lives. 

As we lead up to TEDxMileHigh’s Summer 2020 event, Journey , discover that this journey is more relatable than you think—and that you may be the hero or heroine of your own journey.

The Hero’s Journey Archetype

So what exactly are we talking about here? We are diving into and dissecting the most basic form of storytelling, the arc that can be laid over any plotline and match it exactly, more or less.  We’re talking about how Harry Potter receives his Hogwarts letter and goes on this massive quest to ultimately defeat Lord Voldemort and save the wizarding world. Marlin travels the entire Pacific Ocean, meets Dori and some sharks along the way, and finds Nemo. Luke Skywalker trains with Master Yoda, discovers who his father is, and blows up the Death Star. 

All of these stories, every story, follow this hero’s journey archetype. It is the ultimate narrative archetype. And, you can break them all down into three basic points.

Whether they ask for it or not, something happens to the protagonist, or hero, that separates them from their ‘normal’ mundane world. This event, also termed the “call to adventure,” is the start of their journey, and it can manifest in different ways. 

In the hero’s journey, drawn out by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces , there are several sub-points that occur along the hero’s journey that accompany the three main encounters. In the separation stage, the hero receives some kind of aid to push them to the threshold of their adventure. This aid can be the discovery of supernatural powers or the hero’s realization that they are not totally who they think they are.

For example, Harry Potter’s call to adventure came bursting through the door on his 13th birthday in the form of Rubeus Hagrid and his acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Harry discovers and fully embraces his wizarding powers and thus is pushed to the threshold of the next part of his hero’s journey: the initiation.

This stage of the hero’s journey archetype takes up the bulk of the journey. Throughout this stage, the hero meets several sub-points along the way including the introduction of a helper, a mentor, and the trials and temptations that eventually lead to a major conflict. 

A classic example of this stage is Dorothy’s yellow-brick road journey to find the Wizard of Oz. Glenda, her mentor that she meets when she first lands in Oz, provides Dorothy with an answer to her problem (i.e., getting back home to Kansas) and aids her along the way. She meets helpers like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion. On her journey, Dorothy also runs into conflict with the Wicked Witch of the West. 

A few flying monkeys and a conveniently placed water bucket later, Dorothy resolves, or melts, her conflict and is set to embark on the final part of her journey: the return.

This is the end of the hero’s journey. *Spoiler alert* Lord Voldemort dies, the Death Star blows up, and Dorothy makes it back to her family in Kansas. However, this resolution goes deeper than just a happy homecoming. In this stage, the hero returns but has changed. They have learned valuable information about themselves and the world around them. 

In some cases, the hero’s journey is not complete unless this knowledge is shared. For example, Luke Skywalker defeats the Dark Side but is also left with the responsibility to continue to teach and share the ways of the Jedi. Dorothy’s lesson is more personal. She learns that there is adventure out there over the rainbow, but she shouldn’t take her current life or family for granted.

The Hero’s Versus the Heroine’s Journey

The hero’s journey archetype is similar across seemingly every example. However, how does the journey differ for a female character?

Author Maureen Murdock has examined and written about a key difference in her work The Heroine’s Journey: A Woman’s Quest for Wholeness . In her response to Campbell’s initial publication of the hero’s journey, Murdock outlined the separate experience the contemporary women embark on in their own heroine’s journey.  

The three points along the journey are still the same. However, each stage consists of a deeper level of overcoming the expectations assumed by society. Essentially the journey “ involves the healing of the wounding of the feminine that exists deep within her and the culture,” says Murdock.

Returning to our Wizard of Oz example, Dorothy embarks on the quintessential heroine’s journey. During the separation stage, she has to overcome the expectations that the rest of her life will be spent on her family’s farm. Society’s expectations are that she will continue to support her uncles and follow in her aunt’s footsteps.  When she finally receives the adventure she is longing for, Dorothy has to overcome the notion that she can’t complete this journey on her own. She meets helpers along the way, but rather than depending on them, they depend on her to help, thus reversing society’s view of women . 

Upon her return, Dorothy learns that her life can be different and that she does not need to depend on her uncles. She can live her own life and have her own adventure all while still appreciating her family.

Are You a Hero or Heroine?

So, maybe you’ve read through these stages and are thinking ‘ That’s great! Why should I care? ’ Or maybe you’ve heard of the hero’s journey archetype before or you’ve at least noticed the trend in your favorites books or movies, but you don’t really see why it’s important. 

The hero’s journey is important because it’s personal.

We are all the heroes of our own lives. That is, we are the protagonist in our own story— we are the main character. We are all on our own hero’s journey. Fictional characters are based on human experiences, and this time, that experience is ours. It’s our lives.

We are all in different stages of this journey but are on it, or will be on it soon. It’s important to understand where you are in your life in order to see where you are going.  Maybe you’re in the midst of massive conflict and it seems endless and impossible. The hero’s journey tells us that this stage of your life is temporary and the next stage will be one of learning and resolution. 

Maybe you’re hearing that call to adventure or an opportunity has presented itself and you’re unsure of what to do. The hero’s journey tells you to take that leap. Cross that threshold and discover your path, but be prepared for some conflict along the way. 

The hero’s journey is important because it is a map, a cheat sheet, to life. Whether you wield a lightsaber or not, we are all on this same journey. And knowing where you are will give you a glimpse into where you are headed. 

The hero’s journey is relatable and personal. We all find ourselves on some part of the path eventually. But what happens when you deviate from that path? Where are you on your path and who are the important characters in your journey? Stay tuned. We will explore the details of the hero’s journey archetype and discover just how relatable it is.

TEDxMileHigh is gearing up for its next event: Journey . This summer, we will explore the individual journeys that form societies, advance technologies, and inspire movements. If this article sparked your interest, and if you’re looking to dive deeper into your own personal life journey, join us on June 27th.

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The Hero's Journey: 12 Steps to a Classic Story Structure

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Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Dario Villirilli

Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.

The Hero's Journey is a timeless story structure which follows a protagonist on an unforeseen quest, where they face challenges, gain insights, and return home transformed. From Theseus and the Minotaur to The Lion King , so many narratives follow this pattern that it’s become ingrained into our cultural DNA. 

In this post, we'll show you how to make this classic plot structure work for you — and if you’re pressed for time, download our cheat sheet below for everything you need to know.

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Hero's Journey Template

Plot your character's journey with our step-by-step template.

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero's Journey, also known as the monomyth, is a story structure where a hero goes on a quest or adventure to achieve a goal, and has to overcome obstacles and fears, before ultimately returning home transformed.

This narrative arc has been present in various forms across cultures for centuries, if not longer, but gained popularity through Joseph Campbell's mythology book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces . While Campbell identified 17 story beats in his monomyth definition, this post will concentrate on a 12-step framework popularized in 2007 by screenwriter Christopher Vogler in his book The Writer’s Journey .

The 12 Steps of the Hero’s Journey

The Hero's Journey is a model for both plot points and character arc development: as the Hero traverses the world, they'll undergo inner and outer transformation at each stage of the journey. The 12 steps of the hero's journey are: 

• The Ordinary World: We meet our hero.
• Call to Adventure:  Will they meet the challenge?
• Refusal of the Call: They resist the adventure.
• Meeting the Mentor: A teacher arrives.
• Crossing the First Threshold: The hero leaves their comfort zone.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies: Making friends and facing roadblocks.
• Approach to the Inmost Cave: Getting closer to our goal.
• Ordeal: The hero’s biggest test yet!
• Reward (Seizing the Sword):  Light at the end of the tunnel
• The Road Back: We aren’t safe yet.
• Resurrection:  The final hurdle is reached.
• Return with the Elixir:  The hero heads home, triumphant.

Believe it or not, this story structure also applies across mediums and genres. Let's dive into it!

1. Ordinary World

In which we meet our Hero.

The journey has yet to start. Before our Hero discovers a strange new world, we must first understand the status quo: their ordinary, mundane reality.

It’s up to this opening leg to set the stage, introducing the Hero to readers. Importantly, it lets readers identify with the Hero as a “normal” person in a “normal” setting, before the journey begins.

2. Call to Adventure

In which an adventure starts.

The call to adventure is all about booting the Hero out of their comfort zone. In this stage, they are generally confronted with a problem or challenge they can't ignore. This catalyst can take many forms, as Campbell points out in Hero with a Thousand Faces . The Hero can, for instance:

• Decide to go forth of their own volition;
• Theseus upon arriving in Athens.
• Be sent abroad by a benign or malignant agent;
• Odysseus setting off on his ship in The Odyssey .
• Stumble upon the adventure as a result of a mere blunder;
• Dorothy when she’s swept up in a tornado in The Wizard of Oz .
• Be casually strolling when some passing phenomenon catches the wandering eye and lures one away from the frequented paths of man.
• Elliot in E.T. upon discovering a lost alien in the tool shed.

The stakes of the adventure and the Hero's goals become clear. The only question: will he rise to the challenge?

3. Refusal of the Call

In which the Hero digs in their feet.

Great, so the Hero’s received their summons. Now they’re all set to be whisked off to defeat evil, right?

Not so fast. The Hero might first refuse the call to action. It’s risky and there are perils — like spiders, trolls, or perhaps a creepy uncle waiting back at Pride Rock . It’s enough to give anyone pause.

In Star Wars , for instance, Luke Skywalker initially refuses to join Obi-Wan on his mission to rescue the princess. It’s only when he discovers that his aunt and uncle have been killed by stormtroopers that he changes his mind.

4. Meeting the Mentor

In which the Hero acquires a personal trainer.

The Hero's decided to go on the adventure — but they’re not ready to spread their wings yet. They're much too inexperienced at this point and we don't want them to do a fabulous belly-flop off the cliff.

Enter the mentor: someone who helps the Hero, so that they don't make a total fool of themselves (or get themselves killed). The mentor provides practical training, profound wisdom, a kick up the posterior, or something abstract like grit and self-confidence.

Wise old wizards seem to like being mentors. But mentors take many forms, from witches to hermits and suburban karate instructors. They might literally give weapons to prepare for the trials ahead, like Q in the James Bond series. Or perhaps the mentor is an object, such as a map. In all cases, they prepare the Hero for the next step.

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5. Crossing the First Threshold

In which the Hero enters the other world in earnest.

Now the Hero is ready — and committed — to the journey. This marks the end of the Departure stage and is when the adventure really kicks into the next gear. As Vogler writes: “This is the moment that the balloon goes up, the ship sails, the romance begins, the wagon gets rolling.”

From this point on, there’s no turning back.

Like our Hero, you should think of this stage as a checkpoint for your story. Pause and re-assess your bearings before you continue into unfamiliar territory. Have you:

• Launched the central conflict? If not, here’s a post on types of conflict to help you out.
• Established the theme of your book? If not, check out this post that’s all about creating theme and motifs.
• Made headway into your character development? If not, this author-approved template may be useful:

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies

In which the Hero faces new challenges and gets a squad.

When we step into the Special World, we notice a definite shift. The Hero might be discombobulated by this unfamiliar reality and its new rules. This is generally one of the longest stages in the story , as our protagonist gets to grips with this new world.

This makes a prime hunting ground for the series of tests to pass! Luckily, there are many ways for the Hero to get into trouble:

• In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle , Spencer, Bethany, “Fridge,” and Martha get off to a bad start when they bump into a herd of bloodthirsty hippos.
• In his first few months at Hogwarts, Harry Potter manages to fight a troll, almost fall from a broomstick and die, and get horribly lost in the Forbidden Forest.
• Marlin and Dory encounter three “reformed” sharks, get shocked by jellyfish, and are swallowed by a blue whale en route to finding Nemo.

This stage often expands the cast of characters. Once the protagonist is in the Special World, he will meet allies and enemies — or foes that turn out to be friends and vice versa. He will learn a new set of rules from them. Saloons and seedy bars are popular places for these transactions, as Vogler points out (so long as the Hero survives them).

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

In which the Hero gets closer to his goal.

This isn’t a physical cave. Instead, the “inmost cave” refers to the most dangerous spot in the other realm — whether that’s the villain’s chambers, the lair of the fearsome dragon, or the Death Star. Almost always, it is where the ultimate goal of the quest is located.

Note that the protagonist hasn’t entered the Inmost Cave just yet. This stage is all about the approach to it. It covers all the prep work that's needed in order to defeat the villain.

In which the Hero faces his biggest test of all thus far.

Of all the tests the Hero has faced, none have made them hit rock bottom — until now. Vogler describes this phase as a “black moment.” Campbell refers to it as the “belly of the whale.” Both indicate some grim news for the Hero.

The protagonist must now confront their greatest fear. If they survive it, they will emerge transformed. This is a critical moment in the story, as Vogler explains that it will “inform every decision that the Hero makes from this point forward.”

The Ordeal is sometimes not the climax of the story. There’s more to come. But you can think of it as the main event of the second act — the one in which the Hero actually earns the title of “Hero.”

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)

In which the Hero sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Our Hero’s been through a lot. However, the fruits of their labor are now at hand — if they can just reach out and grab them! The “reward” is the object or knowledge the Hero has fought throughout the entire journey to hold.

Once the protagonist has it in their possession, it generally has greater ramifications for the story. Vogler offers a few examples of it in action:

• Luke rescues Princess Leia and captures the plans of the Death Star — keys to defeating Darth Vader.
• Dorothy escapes from the Wicked Witch’s castle with the broomstick and the ruby slippers — keys to getting back home.

10. The Road Back

In which the light at the end of the tunnel might be a little further than the Hero thought.

The story's not over just yet, as this phase marks the beginning of Act Three. Now that he's seized the reward, the Hero tries to return to the Ordinary World, but more dangers (inconveniently) arise on the road back from the Inmost Cave.

More precisely, the Hero must deal with the consequences and aftermath of the previous act: the dragon, enraged by the Hero who’s just stolen a treasure from under his nose, starts the hunt. Or perhaps the opposing army gathers to pursue the Hero across a crowded battlefield. All further obstacles for the Hero, who must face them down before they can return home.

11. Resurrection

In which the last test is met.

Here is the true climax of the story. Everything that happened prior to this stage culminates in a crowning test for the Hero, as the Dark Side gets one last chance to triumph over the Hero.

Vogler refers to this as a “final exam” for the Hero — they must be “tested once more to see if they have really learned the lessons of the Ordeal.” It’s in this Final Battle that the protagonist goes through one more “resurrection.” As a result, this is where you’ll get most of your miraculous near-death escapes, à la James Bond's dashing deliverances. If the Hero survives, they can start looking forward to a sweet ending.

12. Return with the Elixir

In which our Hero has a triumphant homecoming.

Finally, the Hero gets to return home. However, they go back a different person than when they started out: they’ve grown and matured as a result of the journey they’ve taken.

But we’ve got to see them bring home the bacon, right? That’s why the protagonist must return with the “Elixir,” or the prize won during the journey, whether that’s an object or knowledge and insight gained.

Of course, it’s possible for a story to end on an Elixir-less note — but then the Hero would be doomed to repeat the entire adventure.

Examples of The Hero’s Journey in Action

To better understand this story template beyond the typical sword-and-sorcery genre, let's analyze three examples, from both screenplay and literature, and examine how they implement each of the twelve steps. 

The 1976 film Rocky is acclaimed as one of the most iconic sports films because of Stallone’s performance and the heroic journey his character embarks on.

• Ordinary World. Rocky Balboa is a mediocre boxer and loan collector — just doing his best to live day-to-day in a poor part of Philadelphia.
• Call to Adventure. Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed decides to make a big fight interesting by giving a no-name loser a chance to challenge him. That loser: Rocky Balboa.
• Refusal of the Call. Rocky says, “Thanks, but no thanks,” given that he has no trainer and is incredibly out of shape.
• Meeting the Mentor. In steps former boxer Mickey “Mighty Mick” Goldmill, who sees potential in Rocky and starts training him physically and mentally for the fight.
• Crossing the First Threshold. Rocky crosses the threshold of no return when he accepts the fight on live TV, and 一 in parallel 一 when he crosses the threshold into his love interest Adrian’s house and asks her out on a date.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Rocky continues to try and win Adrian over and maintains a dubious friendship with her brother, Paulie, who provides him with raw meat to train with.
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. The Inmost Cave in Rocky is Rocky’s own mind. He fears that he’ll never amount to anything — something that he reveals when he butts heads with his trainer, Mickey, in his apartment.
• Ordeal. The start of the training montage marks the beginning of Rocky’s Ordeal. He pushes through it until he glimpses hope ahead while running up the museum steps.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Rocky's reward is the restoration of his self-belief, as he recognizes he can try to “go the distance” with Apollo Creed and prove he's more than "just another bum from the neighborhood."
• The Road Back. On New Year's Day, the fight takes place. Rocky capitalizes on Creed's overconfidence to start strong, yet Apollo makes a comeback, resulting in a balanced match.
• Resurrection. The fight inflicts multiple injuries and pushes both men to the brink of exhaustion, with Rocky being knocked down numerous times. But he consistently rises to his feet, enduring through 15 grueling rounds.
• Return with the Elixir. Rocky loses the fight — but it doesn’t matter. He’s won back his confidence and he’s got Adrian, who tells him that she loves him.

Moving outside of the ring, let’s see how this story structure holds on a completely different planet and with a character in complete isolation. 

The Martian 

In Andy Weir’s bestselling novel (better known for its big screen adaptation) we follow astronaut Mark Watney as he endures the challenges of surviving on Mars and working out a way to get back home.

• The Ordinary World. Botanist Mark and other astronauts are on a mission on Mars to study the planet and gather samples. They live harmoniously in a structure known as "the Hab.”
• Call to Adventure. The mission is scrapped due to a violent dust storm. As they rush to launch, Mark is flung out of sight and the team believes him to be dead. He is, however, very much alive — stranded on Mars with no way of communicating with anyone back home.
• Refusal of the Call. With limited supplies and grim odds of survival, Mark concludes that he will likely perish on the desolate planet.
• Meeting the Mentor. Thanks to his resourcefulness and scientific knowledge he starts to figure out how to survive until the next Mars mission arrives.
• Crossing the First Threshold. Mark crosses the mental threshold of even trying to survive 一 he successfully creates a greenhouse to cultivate a potato crop, creating a food supply that will last long enough.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Loneliness and other difficulties test his spirit, pushing him to establish contact with Earth and the people at NASA, who devise a plan to help.  
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. Mark faces starvation once again after an explosion destroys his potato crop.
• Ordeal. A NASA rocket destined to deliver supplies to Mark disintegrates after liftoff and all hope seems lost.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Mark’s efforts to survive are rewarded with a new possibility to leave the planet. His team 一 now aware that he’s alive 一 defies orders from NASA and heads back to Mars to rescue their comrade.
• The Road Back. Executing the new plan is immensely difficult 一 Mark has to travel far to locate the spaceship for his escape, and almost dies along the way.
• Resurrection. Mark is unable to get close enough to his teammates' ship but finds a way to propel himself in empty space towards them, and gets aboard safely.
• Return with the Elixir. Now a survival instructor for aspiring astronauts, Mark teaches students that space is indifferent and that survival hinges on solving one problem after another, as well as the importance of other people’s help.

Coming back to Earth, let’s now examine a heroine’s journey through the wilderness of the Pacific Crest Trail and her… humanity. 

The memoir Wild narrates the three-month-long hiking adventure of Cheryl Strayed across the Pacific coast, as she grapples with her turbulent past and rediscovers her inner strength.

• The Ordinary World. Cheryl shares her strong bond with her mother who was her strength during a tough childhood with an abusive father.
• Call to Adventure. As her mother succumbs to lung cancer, Cheryl faces the heart-wrenching reality to confront life's challenges on her own.
• Refusal of the Call. Cheryl spirals down into a destructive path of substance abuse and infidelity, which leads to hit rock bottom with a divorce and unwanted pregnancy. 
• Meeting the Mentor. Her best friend Lisa supports her during her darkest time. One day she notices the Pacific Trail guidebook, which gives her hope to find her way back to her inner strength.
• Crossing the First Threshold. She quits her job, sells her belongings, and visits her mother’s grave before traveling to Mojave, where the trek begins.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Cheryl is tested by her heavy bag, blisters, rattlesnakes, and exhaustion, but many strangers help her along the trail with a warm meal or hiking tips. 
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. As Cheryl goes through particularly tough and snowy parts of the trail her emotional baggage starts to catch up with her.  
• Ordeal. She inadvertently drops one of her shoes off a cliff, and the incident unearths the helplessness she's been evading since her mother's passing.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Cheryl soldiers on, trekking an impressive 50 miles in duct-taped sandals before finally securing a new pair of shoes. This small victory amplifies her self-confidence.
• The Road Back. On the last stretch, she battles thirst, sketchy hunters, and a storm, but more importantly, she revisits her most poignant and painful memories.
• Resurrection. Cheryl forgives herself for damaging her marriage and her sense of worth, owning up to her mistakes. A pivotal moment happens at Crater Lake, where she lets go of her frustration at her mother for passing away.
• Return with the Elixir. Cheryl reaches the Bridge of the Gods and completes the trail. She has found her inner strength and determination for life's next steps.

There are countless other stories that could align with this template, but it's not always the perfect fit. So, let's look into when authors should consider it or not.

When should writers use The Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is just one way to outline a novel and dissect a plot. For more longstanding theories on the topic, you can go here to read about the ever-popular Three-Act Structure, here to discover Dan Harmon's Story Circle, and here to learn about three more prevalent structures.

So when is it best to use the Hero’s Journey? There are a couple of circumstances which might make this a good choice.

When you need more specific story guidance than simple structures can offer

Simply put, the Hero’s Journey structure is far more detailed and closely defined than other story structure theories. If you want a fairly specific framework for your work than a thee-act structure, the Hero’s Journey can be a great place to start.

Of course, rules are made to be broken . There’s plenty of room to play within the confines of the Hero’s Journey, despite it appearing fairly prescriptive at first glance. Do you want to experiment with an abbreviated “Resurrection” stage, as J.K. Rowling did in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? Are you more interested in exploring the journey of an anti-hero? It’s all possible.

Once you understand the basics of this universal story structure, you can use and bend it in ways that disrupt reader expectations.

Need more help developing your book? Try this template on for size:

Get our Book Development Template

Use this template to go from a vague idea to a solid plan for a first draft.

When your focus is on a single protagonist

No matter how sprawling or epic the world you’re writing is, if your story is, at its core, focused on a single character’s journey, then this is a good story structure for you. It’s kind of in the name! If you’re dealing with an entire ensemble, the Hero’s Journey may not give you the scope to explore all of your characters’ plots and subplot — a broader three-act structure may give you more freedom to weave a greater number story threads. ​​

Which story structure is right for you?

Take this quiz and we'll match your story to a structure in minutes!

Whether you're a reader or writer, we hope our guide has helped you understand this universal story arc. Want to know more about story structure? We explain 6 more in our guide — read on!

6 responses

PJ Reece says:

25/07/2018 – 19:41

Nice vid, good intro to story structure. Typically, though, the 'hero's journey' misses the all-important point of the Act II crisis. There, where the hero faces his/her/its existential crisis, they must DIE. The old character is largely destroyed -- which is the absolute pre-condition to 'waking up' to what must be done. It's not more clever thinking; it's not thinking at all. Its SEEING. So many writing texts miss this point. It's tantamount to a religions experience, and nobody grows up without it. STORY STRUCTURE TO DIE FOR examines this dramatic necessity.

↪️ C.T. Cheek replied:

13/11/2019 – 21:01

Okay, but wouldn't the Act II crisis find itself in the Ordeal? The Hero is tested and arguably looses his/her/its past-self for the new one. Typically, the Hero is not fully "reborn" until the Resurrection, in which they defeat the hypothetical dragon and overcome the conflict of the story. It's kind of this process of rebirth beginning in the earlier sections of the Hero's Journey and ending in the Resurrection and affirmed in the Return with the Elixir.

Lexi Mize says:

25/07/2018 – 22:33

Great article. Odd how one can take nearly every story and somewhat plug it into such a pattern.

Bailey Koch says:

11/06/2019 – 02:16

This was totally lit fam!!!!

↪️ Bailey Koch replied:

11/09/2019 – 03:46

where is my dad?

Frank says:

12/04/2020 – 12:40

Great article, thanks! :) But Vogler didn't expand Campbell's theory. Campbell had seventeen stages, not twelve.

Comments are currently closed.

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How to Write a Hero: The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Character Arc

by Lewis / September 17, 2019 / Character Development

Heroes are integral to the history of storytelling.

Not only are heroes beloved, but they’re practically required for many stories. Classic heroes such as Robin Hood and King Arthur mix with modern variations like Simba and Shane to form a formidable pantheon. However, perhaps more interesting than who we consider a hero is what all heroes have in common: the hero’s character arc.

This hero’s character arc demands that the hero leave home, sent away to prove themselves and grow into the leader their community needs. Their journeys are always ones of service and self-sacrifice. Most importantly, this hero’s character arc is something you can use to write memorable, compelling heroes all your own!

How to Write a Classic Hero: The Hero’s Journey

• 1 How to Write a Classic Hero: The Hero’s Journey
• 2 Understanding the Hero’s Inner Journey
• 3.1 Starting in the Ordinary World:
• 3.2 Entering the Unknown:
• 3.3 Returning Home:
• 4.1 Starting in the Ordinary World:
• 4.2 Entering the Unknown:
• 4.3 Returning Home:
• 5 Writing a Hero’s Character Arc for Your Story

After all, we can’t talk about heroes without first talking about the Hero’s Journey.

At its most basic, the Hero’s Journey is a common pattern all hero characters follow, popularized by Campbell.

It follows a character as they’re called on an adventure, face a series of trials, and undergo a final challenge where they prove they’ve grown into the hero’s archetype. However, unlike similar story structures like the Three Act Structure , the Hero’s Journey doesn’t stop there.

You see, the success of society is just as important as the success of the hero themself.

This is why the Hero’s Journey requires the hero to return home and share their new skills and knowledge, helping their society heal and prosper as the final phase of their journey. Without that crucial step, their hero’s character arc is incomplete.

“Heroes are symbols of the soul in transformation, and of the journey each person takes through life. The stages of that progression, the natural stages of life and growth, make up the Hero’s Journey.”  — Christopher Vogler

While Campbell’s legacy may be complex these days (especially because of his rather toxic views of women), the basic structure he outlined in The Hero with a Thousand Faces remains one of the best explanations of the journey characters must go on to be considered a hero.

You can find his Hero’s Journey at work in nearly every myth, novel, movie, and play out there—and, despite Campbell’s views, there’s absolutely no requirement for the hero character to be male or female.

Understanding the Hero’s Inner Journey

Despite how useful Campbell’s work is on its own, there have been some important additions that have not only clarified his ideas, but added new and unique interpretations. Most notably is The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler, which turned the Hero’s Journey into a more usable guide for writers.

In particular, Vogler helped create the idea of the hero’s character arc by separating the Hero’s Journey into two halves:

The Outer Journey (story structure) and the Inner Journey (character development).

This Outer Journey is all about the plot of the Hero’s Journey, which we discussed above, while the Inner Journey focuses on the growth and psychological state of the hero. This Inner Journey is the foundation of the hero’s character arc, and you can see it at work in any of the three different primary character arcs . It’s this journey that takes a standard character arc and turns it into a hero’s arc, even if the hero fails at the end.

This understanding of the hero’s Inner Journey is incredibly valuable, because almost all writers will wonder how to write a hero at some point. Heroes are an integral part of our storytelling language, and this pattern of the hero’s character arc provides a guide to help you create the type of memorable, compelling heroes readers can’t get enough of.

The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Character Arc

Starting in the ordinary world:.

In every hero’s character arc, the hero begins in their ordinary world. This is their home and community, and it gives the reader a baseline from which to judge their later growth.

At this stage the hero is often ignorant of the outside world, but still feels a certain level of discontent. Something about their ordinary world isn’t right, and this something will slowly push them to venture into the unknown in hopes of solving this problem.

#1: The Call to Adventure:

The Call to Adventure is a pretty well know plot point within the hero’s Outer Journey. Here they’re introduced to the conflict and pushed to engage with it. However, there’s another side to this.

In the hero’s Inner Journey, the Call to Adventure marks the first time they’re asked to come face to face with the flaws of themselves and their world. Until now they’ve lived a life sheltered from the outside, even if only through their own naivety.

#2: Refusing the Call:

The Refusal of the Call is the immediate follow up from the Call to Adventure. Here, most heroes will refuse to believe the flaws they saw through the Call. They’ll be unwilling to answer the Call at this stage.

#3: Meeting the Mentor:

To clear their mind, the hero will need to meet with a mentor figure . This could be another character, a spiritual guide, or even an aspect of the hero’s own mind. Whatever it is, this stage helps push the hero to recognize reality by showing them another example of the conflict, both Inner and Outer, that they’re being called to face.

#4: Finding Allies:

Before the hero can set out on their journey, they need allies to support them. These allies help the hero mentally prepare for the massive change they’re about to experience by giving them a lasting connection to their community and their old self.

#5 Facing the First Threshold:

This much like the traditional First Plot Point of the Three Act Structure . At the First Threshold, the hero begins their Outer Journey, setting off from their community into the unknown world. In their Inner Journey, the hero finally recognizes the Call and sets out hoping to find answers. At this stage, most heroes still believe their lives can return to normal, and it is often this belief that propels them forward—even though they’ll soon find it isn’t true.

Entering the Unknown:

Once the hero has faced the first threshold and stepped outside their ordinary world, they’ve begun the next phase of the hero’s character arc.

This portion of their journey is all about learning.

Here they suddenly come face to face with the truth of what the outside world is—and often, the truth about their own community as well. They’ll likely be beat down a lot at this stage as the story shows them their weaknesses and forces them to grow. They can no longer remain naive if they’re to survive here.

#6: The Road of Trials:

The hero has entered the unknown, and will now have to face the many new challenges and tests of that world. Here they’ll learn a lot about themselves, and will come face to face with the conflict they were warned about in the Call. In their Inner Journey, they’re likely holding on to hopes of returning home, but slowly they will recognize that things were never as simple as they seemed.

#7: Approaching the Cave:

Here the hero will approach a major showdown (The Ordeal), both in their Outer and Inner Journeys. For their Inner Journey in particular, the hero will need to face their old beliefs in new ways and will be tempted to abandon their quest.

In many traditional stories, this manifested as the hero meeting with a goddess or being tempted by an evil female figure—though again, there are no gendered requirements when creating a hero’s character arc. If they overcome this challenge, they’ll have passed a critical test of the hero’s character arc.

#8: The Ordeal:

Here the hero will have to prove all they’ve learned thus far. They’ve overcome their temptation, and now must show that through action. The conflict of the Outer Journey will reach a turning point, and the psychological conflict of the Inner Journey will as well. The hero will need to make a choice here; either embrace their role in healing the wounds of their world, or abandon their quest and their role as the hero.

#9: A Reward:

If the hero succeeded during The Ordeal, they’ll receive a reward. This reward is key both to the conflict of their Outer Journey, and the wounds they’re struggling to heal in their Inner Journey. Their reward could be anything, but it must have both plot and character related aspects. It should reveal the answer they set out to find after the First Threshold.

Returning Home:

The final phase of the hero’s character arc sees them return to their community.

It’s finally time for them to share their newfound knowledge and skills.

The hero has learned the secrets of the outside world, but their community is still suffering. This is when the self-sacrifice of the hero’s character arc really comes into play, as the hero often has to risk losing their newfound life and allies to return home.

They’re no longer the person they once were, but that doesn’t free them from their responsibility to their community. Returning home and healing society is integral to the hero’s character arc, and the final stage in the hero’s development.

#10: The Road Back:

The Road Back is, in many ways, a mirror of the first five stages of the hero’s character arc. The hero will refuse to return home, unwilling to give up their new life (or sometimes unwilling to jeopardize up their old life, depending on the Inner Journey of the hero). This is the hero’s darkest moment, when they’re unsure what all of this has been for and if they’re really capable of fulfilling the hero’s role.

Eventually, if they’re to succeed in the hero’s character arc, they’ll realize they must return. From there, they’ll often receive aid from a spiritual guide or from another powerful source that helps transport them home, often in the nick of time before the conflict of the Outer Journey reaches its head.

#11: Resurrection:

Here the hero crosses the “return threshold,” returning to their community and using all of their skills and knowledge to help heal their world and overcome the conflict of the story. This is the Climax of their story, where all the threads of both the Outer and Inner Journey meet.

#12: Returning With the Elixir:

Finally the hero has returned. They’ve resolved the story’s conflict and put their reward to work, helping their society proper. They’ve overcome the flaws of their world and of themselves, and will help steer their community on a new and better path.

This also comes with the freedom for the hero to live their own life at last, often with a foot in both the outside world and their own community. This resolution is often bittersweet, but triumphant, and it what sets the hero apart from other protagonists.

Ashitaka: The Hero’s Arc of Princess Mononoke

While working on the first draft of this article, I was watching Princess Mononoke by Hayao Miyazaki. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Miyazaki’s work, and this movie is no exception, but this time I saw the movie in a new light.

You see, the protagonist of Princess Mononoke , Ashitaka, perfectly follows the hero’s character arc.

If you’re not familiar with it, Princess Mononoke follows Ashitaka as he journeys west, searching for a way to lift the curse placed on him when he defeated the demon boar Nago. What he finds outside his isolated village is a world torn by violence.

On one side feudal lords wage war against each another, and on the other the spirits of nature struggle to survive against encroaching humans. As you might imagine, Ashitaka gets caught up between these wars, both sympathetic to the humans but deeply reverent towards the spirits.

Ashitaka’s time in his ordinary world is short.

He begins the story when the demon boar Nago arrives at his village (The Call to Adventure) . At first he avoids it, watching from afar (Refusal of the Call) , and an older village guard warns him not to let the demon touch him or risk being cursed himself.

As the demon approaches the village, it traps a group of girls in front of it, and Ashitaka dives in to kill the demon and protect them. In the process he enters the demon’s path and it touches his arm. Though he kills the boar, he is now cursed.

That evening, Ashitaka meets with the elders of his village (Meeting with the Mentor) and they tell him the curse will eat away at him, eventually killing him. The elders talk about how their bloodline is weakening, and how all the human kingdoms outside their isolated village are in decay as well. They mourn Ashitaka’s loss, but know he cannot stay.

However, before he goes they tell him to journey west in hopes of lifting his curse. Ashitaka leaves under the cover of night, bringing his loyal elk, Yakul, with him (Finding Allies) . He and Yakul disappear into the darkness of the forest (Facing the First Threshold) .

Having officially left home, Ashitaka makes the long journey west, facing a variety of challenges along the way. He gets caught up in a battle with samurai and discovers his cursed arm gives him increased strength, and a traveling monk tells him to seek the mountain of the Deer God to find answers.

Later, he helps rescue two men who were thrown from a cliff, and they warn him about the war between the people of the Ironworks and the nature gods that live in the Deer God’s mountains. Ashitaka even sees the Deer God while traveling through their woods, and discovers that his cursed arm moves on its own, still imbued with the raging spirit of the demon boar (Road of Trials) .

The plot of the story moves more quickly when Ashitaka finally reaches the Ironworks. There he discovers the humans have been clearing the forests and killing the local gods to mine more iron. When he finds out their leader, Lady Eboshi , personally killed Nago and turned him into a demon, he feels enraged by her cruelty.

However, Lady Eboshi shows him another side of the Ironworks; not only is it a shelter for the sick, but it provides safe haven for people who otherwise would face terrible abuse from those more powerful than them. Still, Lady Eboshi is bent on killing the Deer God once and for all. Ashitaka isn’t sure what to think (Approaching the Cave) .

At first, Ashitaka helps around the Ironworks, unsure if he should stay or go. When he is about to leave, however, the wolf-princess Mononoke arrives intent on killing Lady Eboshi. Ashitaka knows Eboshi will kill her if he doesn’t stop them and fights to protect Mononoke, getting shot in the process.

He carries Mononoke out of the Ironworks and back to the wolf gods who raised her, before passing out from his wound (The Ordeal) . At first Mononoke wants to kill him, but realizes he is on nature’s side. She and the wolves take him to the Deer God’s forest, where the Deer God heals him. However, the curse remains; it seems the Deer God won’t save him after all (A Reward) .

Ashitaka struggles with the fact that he is still cursed and is unsure what he should do next. Meanwhile, the war between the humans of the Ironworks, the opposing samurai, and the nature gods escalates into a massive battle. Ashitaka goes to the wolf gods and tries to explain that humans and nature can coexist, but they refuse to believe him. Eventually Ashitaka gives up, leaving the Deer God’s forest and Mononoke behind.

However, Ashitaka won’t surrender so easily. When he passes the Ironworks and sees that it’s under attack, he steps in to protect it—Ashitaka races to find Lady Eboshi so she can send reinforcements to protect the people at the Ironworks.

In the process he realizes Mononoke has gone to war with the humans, and that one of the other leaders of the nature spirits is horribly wounded. They’re heading for the Deer God’s forest, and Ashitaka must stop Lady Eboshi from following them (The Road Back) .

Upon reaching the forest, Ashitaka saves Mononoke from certain death, but cannot stop Lady Eboshi, who kills the Deer God and steals his head. As soon as he loses his head the Deer God becomes a massive demon, consuming and killing everything it touches.

Ashitaka and Mononoke race to retrieve the head and warn the Ironworks of the coming calamity. Eventually, they force Eboshi’s allies to relinquish the head and return it to the Deer God, seeming to die in the process (Resurrection) . However, when the Deer God regains his head, a divine wind blows across the mountains.

Not only are the forests healed, but the sick people of the Ironworks are as well. Ashitaka and Mononoke are both alive and Ashitaka’s cursed arm is healed. While Mononoke is unwilling to come live at the Ironworks with him, she promises to live in peace alongside the humans. Ashitaka returns to the Ironworks, forging a new balance between nature and humanity (Returning With the Elixir) .

Writing a Hero’s Character Arc for Your Story

If you’re wondering how to write a hero of your own, Ashitaka’s journey is a great example of the hero’s character arc in action.

Not only does he follow every beat of the hero’s character arc, but he shows how the Outer and Inner Journeys of the hero interact and weave together into a powerful story. When you sit down to write a hero of your own, start by considering what flaw, sickness, or weakness their society has. What does their society need to grow and prosper? Most importantly, what does their society need to learn to become better?

With that information you can build the basic framework of your hero.

The world around Ashitaka was decaying because humans and nature were at war, so his Hero’s Journey ties into a quest to unite the two. While Ashitaka was a flat arc character , your hero can follow any of the three primary character arcs —positive, negative, or flat—as long as the ending wraps around to them solving the problems of their community.

This defines them as a classic hero, though it’s possible for them to be a failed hero (negative arc) that not only fails to grow into a better character, but fails to lift up their society.

Of course, there are plenty of other archetypes beyond the hero archetype, and Campbell and Vogler discuss many of them. If you want to learn more about the Hero’s Journey and the characters you can find within it, check out these articles next:

• 9 Stages of the Hero’s Journey and How to Use Them
• 8 Key Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey

—–

As you can see, the hero’s character arc follows many of the common patterns seen in the three primary character arcs all characters—regardless of hero status—follow. However, what sets it apart is its focus on the hero’s return to their community.

To truly be a hero, it seems we have to not only grow into a better person, but into a leader as well. 🙂

What journey does your story’s hero go on? Let me know in the comments!

Thoughts on how to write a hero: the 12 stages of the hero’s character arc.

The best description yet! Or is it because it confirms that without knowing this my character arc is right on track!

Thank you Marta. 🙂 I’m glad to hear you were already ahead of the curve. I’ve found that many writers pick up on these character arcs subconsciously over the years, and many are shocked it’s actually an official structure when they find out!

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Writing Tips

My philosophy, monday, september 14, 2020, 8 archetypes of the hero's journey.

Today we are covering the eight character archetypes of The Hero's Journey .

Archetypes are recurring patterns and figures in storytelling (well, to put in simplified terms). Often a story won't feel "complete" without the proper archetypes .

But keep in mind that archetypes don't have to manifest exactly like this in your manuscript--it's not necessarily a character-for-character thing. In fact, these work more as functions , especially today. You can mix and match and combine them in your cast of characters. Or sometimes the functions may be like masks that different characters wear at different times.

Threshold Guardian

Shapeshifter

Remember, often today we don't use characters that fit archetypes exactly , but rather these are different character functions to bring into the story. Feel free to mix them up or bring something new to your character. 

Why does this matter? Well, there is a reason these figures appear and reappear throughout human history. They represent different parts of the human experience : encouragement to do right, feelings of doubt, resistance, motivation, imbalance, repressed or unrealized desires. . . . 

Including the different parts, makes a story feel more complete or whole, because it mimics life .

To learn more about this or other archetypes, check out and compare The Hero's Journey's list to Dramatica's list . 

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What Are The Hero’s Journey Archetypes?

Storytellers have used hero’s journey archetypes in the greatest stories, novels modern films. Learn what they are.

You may not think you know anything about the hero’s journey archetypes – but you’re actually way more familiar with these character types than you think! Hero’s journey archetypes permeate literary and popular culture and have done for time out of mind. They appear, in different forms, in cultures from around the world, and without them, the scaffolding behind the narrative structures of works from Indiana Jones to King Lear would likely collapse.

But who exactly, then, are these hero’s journey archetypes? Come along with us on a deep dive into these enigmatic, charismatic figures, their role, and why they’re so important – plus, we’ll give you some getting-started tips on how to use them in your own stories.

What’s an Archetype?

The hero’s journey explained, the warrior, the innocent, the creative, the romantic, the researcher, a mentor figure, the shadow: the hero’s dark reflection, developing your hero’s journey archetype’s character, combining hero archetypes, fulfilling expectations.

In the early 1900s, the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung started writing about archetypes. He termed them ancient personality patterns that are the shared heritage of humanity. Archetypes have characteristics that mark them as a typical example of a certain person (or thing). The word comes from the ancient Greek verb ‘archein’, which translates as ‘to begin’ or ‘to rule.’

The hero’s journey story involves the hero setting off on an adventure, often leaving their familiar world behind. This stage is typically described as The Departure. During the next stage, the Initiation, the character learns a lesson and usually wins some form of victory due to this new knowledge.

Next comes The Return, in which the hero returns to his/her familiar world, transformed. In this guide, we also explain how the hero’s journey works , but for context, let’s put some flesh on those conceptual monomyth bones, shall we?

Harry Potter is a classic hero archetype (more on the different versions of the hero archetype in a bit). In the first film and book, Potter sets off to Hogwarts, leaving the world of the muggles behind to begin an exciting new adventure (The Departure). Among the various trials inherent in settling into an enchanted boarding school, Potter and his friends discover the hidden location of the Philosopher’s Stone and triumph over many obstacles to recover it.

Along the way, they learn the true meaning of courage and friendship. Quirrell, who has been harboring Voldemort, then attempts to kill the boy wizard – unsuccessfully (The Initiation). Finally, after recovering in the school’s infirmary, Potter returns to the muggles’ world for the summer vacation, happy with the knowledge that his wizarding journey has just begun (The Return).

This pattern can be discerned in many stories, from The Lord of the Rings to The Wizard of Oz – and now you know about it, you’ll be spotting it in the most unlikely of places! The renowned scholar and professor of literature Joseph Campbell broke down the stages of the hero’s journey even further in his 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces . Story doctor Christopher Vogler has also written extensively about this topic.

The Hero’s Journey Archetypes

So, now we’ve established the hero’s journey trope and how to recognize it, let’s move on to the archetypal characters we’ll meet in these stories. Whether you’re watching a TV series or a movie that follows the hero’s journey , these are the archetypes that you’ll come across.

Probably the archetype that most people would most easily identify as ‘heroic’ is The Warrior. Think Jason Bourne, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars. These characters, as part of their journey, might find themselves confronted by a ‘dark night of the soul’ moment: the point right before the storm, the very edge of the precipice, beyond which is chaos and mayhem.

For Clark Kent/Superman, this is the bit in the movie when he knows he’s got to face an adversary who has kryptonite – or when he’s building up to telling Lois Lane his secret. For other Warrior hero archetypes, it could be the moment they discover the villain’s abducted someone they care about or that the baddie has got hold of a world-obliterating weapon.

The character archetypes offer room for flex, which can add interest or tension to the story. For example, how might The Warrior fare in a world or situation where his skills have become redundant?

One of the most common archetypes of the hero’s journey, this character, often a child and/or an orphan, finds themselves thrust into a dangerous world they’d previously not imagined existed. This is Dorothy finding herself a long way from Kansas, or Luke Skywalker suddenly whisked from his ordinary life on a moisture farm in Tatooine to become a key part in the fight to disarm Darth Vader’s Death Star. It’s Frodo Baggins swept away on that treacherous road to Mordor in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The Innocent often has an optimistic outlook and is loyal, honest, and sincere. They’re able to see the good in others and may be prone to be tricked by characters with fewer scruples.

Fundamentally, The Innocent archetype discovers a strength, resolve, tenacity, or skill they didn’t know they had. Dorothy realizes she can navigate the world independently. Luke learns how to use the Force, while Frodo, a hobbit from the Shire, finds he has the courage to journey to Mordor. For more examples, read our guide to movies that follow the hero’s journey .

Usually plagued by self-doubt, on the verge of obsession, and caught in an unconscious spiral of self-neglect. Characters in the mold of The Creative Archetype aren’t usually the most relaxed of folk.

This archetype often faces staunch resistance from the status quo, who reject or are fearful of their innovations, inventions, or new ways of thinking, which could herald the start of a new world. They have great powers of flair, imagination, and innovation but also tend towards perfectionism and even neuroticism.

As a result, they are often depicted as having a hard time navigating relationships and forming connections. Examples of The Creative hero archetype include Viktor Frankenstein, and Ed Wood, in the Tim Burton-directed movie of the same name. Being a Creative type usually comes at a great cost.

An essential part of The Creative’s story arc is the struggle to bring their vision to physical reality. In the course of the story, they’ll usually succeed, but things don’t pan out, often with disastrous consequences. Interestingly, many of fiction’s greatest villains start on the path of The Creative archetype: Voldemort and Professor Moriarty are just a few examples.

This archetype is prepared to live and die in the service of others; while they’re often cast as the main character, they also frequently appear as a sidekick or foil, adding balance to the narrative and a little comic relief.

Empathy, compassion, and the ability to nurture are traits typically found in The Carer. The drive to protect or heal is often the motivating force behind their actions, and they’re prepared to sublimate their own needs to accomplish these things. These characters often possess a strong sense of intuition – even a sixth sense that tells them when others are in need.

Sandra Bullock’s Leigh Anne Tuohy in Blindside and Denzel Washington’s character in The Equalizer are both caregiver hero archetypes. Woody from the movie Toy Story also falls into this category: his role is to take care of Andy’s toys, arranging their activities in such a way as to bring benefits to the whole group.

However, the Caregiver archetype needs to be wary of their shadow side. Many stories in which they appear as a hero find them confronting this darker reflection. Caring for someone may easily segue into becoming overbearing, even controlling.

Alternatively, they could have trouble finding their path if specific caring duties are no longer required. If you’re interested in using The Caregiver archetype in your own story, introducing these elements is a great way to ratchet up narrative tension and drive the plot.

It’s not enough for a hero to fall in love for his or her character to be categorized as a Romantic archetype. After all, James Bond might fall in love (multiple times) during the course of a movie, but finding love isn’t ever his main goal, so he doesn’t count as one of The Romantic archetypes.

This archetype often appears in literature and film as a Byronic hero . These characters have a set of traits codified by the English Romantic poet Lord Byron: a little aloof, even sullen, but with a rich inner life beneath that prickly surface.

The Romantic hero often also crosses into the neighboring territory of the Tragic Hero, a sub-category of hero archetypes. These characters labor under a single fatal flaw or make one catastrophic error in judgment in the course of the story that ultimately dooms them. As the audience, we can only watch their sad downfall, knowing all too well what will happen.

Romeo Montague is, of course, the epitome of this hero archetype – all his other goals and motivations are secondary to his pursuit of romantic love. The inimitable Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is also a great example of a romantic, Byronic hero.

Whereas The Warrior may overcome his/her enemies with physical strength, skill, and tenacity, The Researcher relies on his wits and his superior mind to succeed.

Character traits of this archetype include persistence, dependability, and curiosity. You can rely on them to come up with the goods. Their minds can make connections that others simply can’t, and a moment of insight is likely to lead to victory.

The Researcher often likes to spend time alone and isn’t afraid to move outside of social ‘norms’ – they’re more concerned with their work and ideas than fitting in. They’re self-sufficient, and this hero archetype may have problems (initially) working with others.

This archetype often manifests as a detective in stories and movies, most notably, Sherlock Holmes and in the tales of the many cases solved by Hercule Poirot. Indiana Jones is another example, using his intellect and exceptional research chops to overcome his adversaries.

Many hero’s journey books and stories include a mentor figure of some description. For example, Obi-Wan Kenobi forms this archetype in Star Wars. At first, he’s reluctant to train Luke in the ways of the force. Later, we discover he’s been looking out for and protecting Luke for years.

He becomes a type of mentor to Luke until his untimely death. He assists Luke in crossing over from an ordinary world into a special world: that of a Jedi Knight! In the subsequent films, Yoda fills this trope.

This hero archetype regularly appears in stories from fairy tales (Jack in Jack and the Beanstalk ) to contemporary movies. All five main characters from The Breakfast Club belong to The Rebel class for different reasons. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games falls in this category, as does Prometheus from ancient Greek mythology, who did some serious sneaking about in a bid to give fire to humanity. For more, read our guide to popular hero’s journey books .

The Rebel figure connects with audiences as this character is usually an underdog: a small cog in a huge machine, apparently powerless to make a difference. Everyone knows the frustration of wanting but feeling unable to change things – of not being heard and seen.

Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell’s 1984, is The Rebel hero archetype. In a world where one’s every move and thought is watched and controlled by the state, he still finds a way to express personal freedom. To learn more, read our guide to the best dystopian novels .

What motivates The Rebel character is to seek out their oppressor, or the root cause of their oppression, and overthrow him/her/them/it. In a nutshell, this archetype wants nothing more than to stick it to The Man – and as an audience, we’re usually right there behind them.

The Ruler archetype frequently takes the form of a king or queen. Throughout the story, they need to negotiate threats to their power. Often, the story begins with this archetype at the peak of their powers and then follows their decline. Needless to say, these tales usually take the form of a tragedy. Mafia or crime stories like Scarface tend to feature these character types and follow this overarching structure. And King Lear follows a similar template, too.

This archetype’s key traits include responsibility and extremely strong leadership skills. They’re usually organized and analytical and are driven by success, prosperity, and the importance of safeguarding their community. The Ruler usually fears a loss of control or influence and chaos.

As a hero archetype, The Ruler is motivated by a desire to provide stability and direction, especially during difficult times. These characters are good at looking at the big picture, aren’t afraid to make tough decisions, and are great at handling stress.

King Theoden, leader of the Rohan people in The Lord of the Rings, is a great example of The Ruler archetype. He is fearless in mounting a defense of his kingdom and committed to protecting all citizens under his care.

The Shadow is one of the most common versions of the villain archetype. This archetype is the hero’s reflection.

The Shadow character isn’t ‘pure evil’. They often believe that they’re the piece’s hero. And while their background is similar to that of the hero, they tend to foster a selfish, indifferent attitude toward others. They may take the form of the trickster: such as The Riddler in Batman or Puck-type figures in folklore.

George Lucas understood this: Anakin and Luke Skywalker’s early stories are similar, and both are inspired, ultimately, to hope and believe in the power of good eventually – even if it takes one of them much longer to get there than the other.

The connections don’t end there; the characters share many of the same associations, and Darth Sidious attempts to recruit both Luke (unsuccessfully) and Anakin (successfully). When it comes to The Shadow, the reader always gets the impression that this incarnation could easily have been the hero’s own destiny but for a twist or two of fate.

Typically, The Shadow will have started out pursuing a moral goal or design to create a better new world, but they end up pushing too far or going too fast and losing sight of their original noble vision. For The Shadow archetype, whatever the ends, they always justify the means, no matter the destruction that will result. And it’s this that most fundamentally differentiates them from the hero.

Choosing Your Own Hero’s Journey Archetype

If you’d like to write your own story and are wondering which of the hero archetypes to choose for your main character, think about the kind of tale you’re telling. Genre is an important consideration.

For example, The Creative will likely work well in a political thriller, while The Warrior will fit neatly into an action-adventure story. If you’ve narrowed it down but are struggling to make a decision, then pick the hero archetype that you’d feel most excited to write about – or how about creating an archetype hybrid?

So now what? The next stage of planning your story is giving your hero a mission or a reason for them to go on a quest. Ideally, this takes the form of a physical goal (taking the ring to Mordor) and a nonphysical imperative (a wistful longing to experience life beyond The Shire). As well as this, you’ll need to ensure you give your hero certain key character traits that will allow your readers or audience to relate to him or her. Inspiring empathy is crucial.

A consistent element of the hero’s journey is the fact that, at some point in the story, what they need isn’t necessarily the same as what they want, and there’ll be a conflict. For example, the hero may have an opportunity to achieve their goals…but at the expense of their values. Think about how you could incorporate this into your own story and how it will drive your narrative. It can make for neat dichotomies and the chance to get stuck into psychological drama.

Want to create a hybrid hero archetype? Go for it! In the film of the same title, Erin Brockovich is both The Researcher and The Rebel, while Simba, in The Lion King, is simultaneously The Innocent and The King. Consider different fusions of archetypes and how each would affect the tone and direction of the story you want to tell.

Finally, to captivate your readers and engage them thoroughly with your story, you need your hero archetype to fulfill audience expectations. They might not know why or even realize it’s happening, but folk love a recognizable archetype.

So if you’ve gone with The Creative hero archetype, be sure to show your readers clearly just how obsessed this character is with their invention or their concept that they’re convinced is going to improve…whatever it is. Let us see them still awake in the early hours, scribbling notes about tweaks they need to make to their plans or knocking on the door of patent offices and getting consistently turned away.

And once you’ve fulfilled your readers’ expectations? Now it’s time to innovate. Don’t be afraid to throw a literary cat in amongst the pigeons. Reimagine the archetype, keeping his/her key tropes intact but adding a large dollop of your own imagination. Your Creative hero? How about having him as someone in their eighties who’s lived a normal life until this point, when he suddenly woke up this morning with the tech idea of the century that could herald the dawn of a whole new world?

Combining fulfillment and innovation makes for the perfect blend, allowing you to create a fresh version of a hero archetype that’ll have your audience rooting for them throughout.

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STAGES AND ARCHETYPES OF THE HERO’S JOURNEY

Introducing the monomyth.

The Hero’s Journey is a fundamental paradigm of human experience that is frequently the basis for written stories, drama, and film. It was initially described by mythologist Joseph Campbell, who relied in part on the insights of psychologist Carl Jung. The stages and archetypes of the Journey have been developed and applied to film by Christopher Vogler. The writings of these men demonstrate that the Journey is helpful in understanding both fiction and reality.

What follows may be modified and used as a handout or serve as the basis for direct instruction. It is designed to be used with TWM’s Lesson plans on the Hero’s Journey which are listed in the English Language Arts Subject Index .

Most films recommended by TWM for the study of the Journey are not action/adventure movies. This will allow teachers to demonstrate that this structure can be found in any important quest and in all types of stories.

The Hero’s Journey in Life and Art

The human condition requires purposeful effort for any achievement and often for survival. Myths and stories in all cultures contain tales of successful quests through which great achievements have been made. Some are efforts to save an individual or a group; others are missions to protect or transform a community; many are stories of personal growth and development. The protagonists of these successful quests are often called heroes and the tale of their efforts has come to be known as “the Hero’s Journey.” Mythologist Joseph Campbell, who pioneered the study of the Hero’s Journey, referred to it as “the Monomyth” because it appears in all cultures and is basic to what it means to be human.

The origins of the Hero’s Journey/Monomyth are in the earliest beginnings of the human race. Undoubtedly, tales of struggle and triumph were heard around campfires of tribes long forgotten. When starvation had stalked the community, there would be a celebration when hunters returned from the first successful effort after many failures. The hunters would have told the story of the difficulties they had overcome and their eventual triumph. When tribes had been locked in mortal combat and the resolution had been in doubt, the victors would have delighted in recalling the tale of the battle and how they had vanquished the enemy. Those best at telling stories, people who had a way with words or music, would be asked to repeat the tale, again and again, praising those who had saved the community.

When people started to put stories into writing, the first epic poem was The Odyssey, which describes the Hero’s Journey of Odysseus on his quest to return home from the Trojan War. Since that time, stories of the Monomyth have appeared in countless variations, not only in epic poems, but also in novels, comic books, and plays. Movie plots frequently employ versions of the Hero’s Journey.

Joseph Campbell describes the mythical quest in its simplest form:

A hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won; the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

In life and in fiction, certain stages can be identified in most Hero’s Journeys. These include a starting place, an ordinary world that is somehow deficient or inadequate; a call to action; first steps on the journey; meeting with a mentor; the crisis, a reward, and a return with the result or a prize that corrects the deficiency or inadequacy that launched the quest. Each journey has its unique aspects and not all stories of the Monomyth contain all of the stages of the classic Hero’s Journey. In many situations, some of the stages are combined or occur simultaneously. The order of the steps usually follow in a certain sequence, but not always. Different scholars have described the stages in slightly different ways, but in countless myths and stories, the outline of the Hero’s Journey can be clearly seen.

In addition, stories that manifest the Monomyth contain certain types of characters whose functions relate to the hero’s progress on the Journey. These include not only the hero and the mentor, but also the threshold guardian, the shadow, the trickster, and the shapeshifter. In similar fashion to the stages of the Journey, not all of these characters appear in every Hero’s Journey and in some Journeys functions of different character types are combined in one individual. Because these character types have a structural relationship to the Hero’s Journey and they are parts of the human experience that appear in generation after generation and in story after story, they are called the archetypes of the Hero’s Journey.

The Monomyth can appear in many different types of stories. Adventure tales describe the experiences of heroes as they overcome villains who threaten certain individuals or endanger an entire community. In a romance, one of the characters, or the couple acting together, are on a quest to requite their love and live happily ever after. Sports stories involve the effort of one team or one contestant to triumph over all the others. In tales of personal transformation and growth, people examine their own lives, muster the courage to change, and accept the challenges presented on the path to fulfillment. Each of these types of stories often employ the stages of the Hero’s Journey.

One reason that the Monomyth has endured is that it matches the way in which many events actually occur: it illustrates how human beings on an important quest interact with their environment and with other people. Each person will at certain times in life perform different versions of the Hero’s Journey or they will see others do it. Some people will go on a quest to make a difference in society; most people will, at times, serve as the hero for a quest that is important to their family, their school, a friend, or themselves. One example of the Hero’s Journey, which has been undertaken by millions of people will be explored in detail in detail in this essay. It is the journey of an alcoholic or a drug addict who decides to take control of life and stop using drugs.

Stages of the Hero’s Journey

Set out below is a description of the stages of the Hero’s Journey developed for screenwriters by Hollywood story consultant Christopher Vogler in his book, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition. Vogler’s work is based on the stages of the Monomyth developed by Joseph Campbell.

Note that: Vogler’s formulation of the Hero’s Journey is not the classic mythical journey in which there is repeated divine intervention and a meeting with the goddess. Vogler’s version is updated for modern sensibilities and reflects the contemporary view of life. It has been adopted by TWM because it has direct relevance to the stories told in film and, quite often, to quests undertaken by people living in modern times. Note also that while Vogler’s work has been in movie-making, the insights in his book apply to any work of fiction.

The stages of the Hero’s Journey can be separated into three sections. The first consists of the expository phase of the story. The second unfolds the complications and the crisis which describe the Hero’s struggle and provide the action in the story. The third section concludes the journey with resolution and denouement.

SECTION ONE — Introduction to Setting, Characters, and Conflict

1. The Ordinary World: This is the setting with which the protagonist is familiar, the life experienced before the quest. There will probably be many loved ones and the comfort of familiarity in the Ordinary World. However, in some way it is unstable or dissatisfying for the protagonist of the mission described in the story; either the Ordinary World has changed or the hero-to-be comes to feel the need for change due to some internal conflict or realization. In some tales that express the Monomyth, the Ordinary World has been destroyed or made uninhabitable by an outside force and the protagonist has no choice but to start on the journey to find a new life. In other stories, the Ordinary World still exists and often exerts a strong influence pulling the protagonist back from the challenges of the quest. In the classic Hero’s Journey, a victorious hero returns to the Ordinary World bringing back objects: the hunter brings food and the victor brings the spoils of war. In other Journeys there is no return to the Ordinary World and the successful hero lives in a new world that is better than the old. This also occurs in quests of personal growth in which a character seeks to resolve contradictions in his or her personality or overcome an emotional challenge, such as grief from the loss of a loved one.

The journey of an alcoholic/addict from addiction to sobriety is an example of a Hero’s Journey. Like all examples of the Monomyth, in life or in fiction, it has its unique aspects. For example, the journey of the recovering alcoholic/addict continues through the life of the individual and has no final conclusion. This contrasts sharply with most Hero’s Journeys, such as those of a hunt to bring food back to the starving clan or the tale of an athlete who wins a medal at the Olympics. However, most stages of the Monomyth are clearly evident in an alcoholic/addict’s road to recovery.

The Ordinary World of alcoholics and drug users are the days, months and years before they decide to quit. For an alcoholic/addict the ordinary world is one in which the drug controls most actions. It is a time of lying, cheating and stealing to support the habit. It is a time in which the alcoholic/addict manipulates loved ones to support the habit or avoid the consequences of an intoxicated life. It is a time of failing to meet responsibilities and in a fundamental way, it is a time of being isolated and alone. For many heroes the comfort and familiarity of the Ordinary World calls to them during their journey, and that is certainly true for alcoholics/addicts. Many recovering alcoholics and drug abusers never lose the urge for their intoxicant of choice.

2. The Call to Adventure: The call to adventure can take many forms, but it always pulls the protagonist away from the Ordinary World into a new situation. The Call to Adventure may be something that the hero-to-be voluntarily accepts or it may be an event which compels the journey, leaving the protagonist no choice but to embark on the journey.

For many heroes there is one call to adventure that sets them on the Journey. For alcoholics/addicts, there are usually many calls to change their lifestyle. For those who become the heroes of their own journey to sobriety, there is a Call to Adventure that finally sends them on their journey. Recovering alcoholics/addicts call this “hitting bottom.” That’s the time when the alcoholic/addict realizes that to continue drink alcohol or use drugs is intolerable. Some come to understand that they will actually die unless they stop. Some, who drive drunk, realize that they will probably kill someone else as well. For others, it’s the knowledge that continuing as an alcoholic/addict will destroy their relationship with their children or other people whom they love.

3. Refusing the Call: At one point (or on many occasions) the potential hero feels the pull of the familiar comforts of the Ordinary World and resists going on the adventure. After all, every quest carries with it the risk of failure and some Journeys are downright dangerous.

There are many alcoholics/addicts who relapse and after hitting bottom, start to use alcohol or drugs again. This is the equivalent of Refusing the Call to the adventure of their personal Hero’s Journey to sobriety. Some of them can rebound from this set back and continue on with their quest; others are lost.

4. Meeting with the Mentor: A Mentor is a guide or a teacher who will help the hero-to-be gather the courage, find the right path, or pass the tests required for successful completion of their mission. The meeting with the Mentor can come at any point in the Hero’s Journey.

Mentorship is so important for recovering alcoholics/addicts that everyone who enrolls in Alcoholics Anonymous is assigned a sponsor, a person to whom they can go for support and who will answer questions about the process of recovery. The same is true in many treatment programs for alcohol or drug addiction. The sponsor is the mentor for the recovering alcoholic/addict. Of course, alcoholics/addicts can also find people outside of AA or their treatment program to serve as mentors.

5. Crossing the First Threshold: This is the point at which there is no turning back without an admission that the protagonist is not to be a hero. Crossing the first threshold can be a voluntary, considered action or it can be an external event which launches the protagonist on the quest.

For most alcoholic/addicts, Crossing the First Threshold is entering treatment or attending the first AA meeting and committing themselves to join the program. For the very few people who can rid themselves of addiction without AA or a treatment program, Crossing the First Threshold is the first time they put down a drink or a syringe, the first time they reject a line of cocaine, with a personal commitment to stop using drugs and reform their life. However, alcoholics/addicts can always start their quest again, and in this way, the turning back is not a permanent admission that they will not be a hero. In this way, the journey of an alcoholic/addict to sobriety differs from the classic Hero’s Journey.

SECTION TWO — Action, Climax, Triumph

6. Tests, Allies, and Enemies: In most important quests there will be obstacles to overcome and challenges to meet; on most, there will be allies to assist the protagonist toward the goal. There may also be enemies seeking to obstruct the way. Enemies may also be aspects of nature or a part of the protagonist’s psyche. In both film and literature, these elements of the Journey provide the action, provoke interest, and serve as complications on the path to the goal.

Many alcoholic/addicts never lose the desire for intoxication; every day they must resist the urge to relapse. In AA there is a saying that recovery occurs one day at a time; every day is a test for the heroes of their own journeys to sobriety. There are also special challenges, as when, at a party, someone mistakenly hands a drink with alcohol to the person in recovery. Another test may occur during a time of emotional distress when the desire to escape and numb reality becomes especially strong. There are allies on the road of recovery, such as family and friends who provide support as well as other members of AA. There are also enemies, such as friends who still drink or use drugs and who want to include the recovering alcoholic/addict in their intoxicated experiences.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave: This is the turning point, the moment in which the protagonist seems to realize completely what must be done and to accept all accompanied risks including the possibility of failure. In some stories, failure means death. The Approach to the Inmost Cave is an essential element in most stories describing a quest. It reveals the fact that the hero-to-be is operating with full awareness of the consequences of failure.

There comes a time when the alcoholic/addict is well launched on sobriety and realizes the extent to which their life has changed and will change forever. This occurs when people in recovery fully accept that they will never again enjoy the intoxication of the drug, something that is desperately desired and physically craved. It comes when they understand that all aspects of the intoxicated life are being left behind. But there are also the benefits of recovery which beckon and the alcoholic/addict must choose. In recovery from alcoholism/addiction, this stage may come after the Ordeal, while in most Hero’s Journeys in which there is a specific challenge that has to be overcome, this stage comes just before the Ordeal. “Hitting bottom” could also be seen as the Approach to the Inmost cave, but this occurs early in the process and is more like the Call to Action.

8. Ordeal: The climax, or the peak experience in the adventure, appears in virtually all stories. The hero-to-be faces the moment of truth: will he or she prevail in the struggle with the enemy?

For a person entering recovery from alcoholism/addiction, the most intense times often occur early on, when the body’s physical desire for the drug is the most intense. However, given the nature of recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction, the moment of truth can be said to reoccur occasionally throughout the life of an alcoholic/addict, or even every day. As they say, for many alcoholic/addicts it’s one day at a time.

9. Reward: The payoff for the protagonist’s struggle may be as simple as survival or it may involve fantastic riches or symbolic prizes that make the experience worthwhile. The Reward may be personal growth, self-knowledge, or the reconciliation of conflicting parts of the personality.

The payoff for a recovering alcoholic/addict is a life without addiction and all that this means for a better quality existence. For many, it means avoiding death, because the alcoholism/drug addiction would have killed them. Many alcoholics stopped maturing emotionally on the day they started to drink, usually as a teenager. When they had a problem in life, instead of dealing with it and learning what was necessary for growth and development, they just took several drinks or a hit from the drug. Many alcoholics/addicts report that when they went into recovery, they were back at the age when they began their intoxicated lifestyle. Recovery allows them to experience growth to maturity, with all of its challenges and rewards.

SECTION THREE — Resolution and Denouement

10. The Road Back: Returning to the ordinary world can be a difficult journey in itself and may offer additional risks for the adventuring protagonist, who is still not yet a hero. Some will be able to negotiate the Road Back and some will not: the hunter bringing the kill back to the village may be set upon by a pack of wolves who steal the hard won prey. For those protagonists who do not successfully pass this stage, the quest ends in failure; they never become heroes.

The road back for a recovering alcoholic/addict can be seen as the rest of their life. In the alternative, it can be said that this stage is absent in this version of the Hero’s Journey.

11. Resurrection: At this point, the protagonist, now a Hero, becomes transformed by the experience of the quest into a new, or at least a better, person.

An alcoholic/addict committed to recovery is a transformed person.

12. Return with the Elixir: In stories in which the Ordinary World still exists, upon re-entering that world, the Hero shares with those who stayed behind the prize won on the adventure. The Elixir shared can be abstract, such as love, or it can be concrete, such as something the group needs in order to survive or prosper. When the Ordinary World no longer exists or the Hero cannot, for some reason, return to the Ordinary World, the Hero will share the Elixir with those who accompanied him or her on the quest or those who inhabit the new world in which the victorious Hero will live. In journeys of personal growth and development, the Elixir is the new realization that the Hero has about life or about the self. The last two or three stages are often combined, especially in journeys of personal growth and development.

The Elixir for the recovering alcoholic/addict is the understanding that a sober life is better than an intoxicated life.

Archetypes in Life and Art

Certain character types and their structural relationships with others in family and community are parts of the human experience that repeat again and again. The functions of the father, the mother, the child, the hero, the mentor, and the trickster are found in most cultures and are timeless. People can take on different roles multiple times during their lives and they will change roles depending upon the situations in which they find themselves. For example, a person may be on a quest in one aspect of life and therefore take on the function of the hero, while at another time or in a different set of circumstances, the same person may function as a mentor for someone else’s quest. People can take on different roles in different situations and at different times. People are children in relation to their parents and later they are parents to their own children. As parents age, they become more child-like and their children take on the role of parent. People can take on more than one function at the same time. For example, every parent takes on different aspects of the mother (nurturing) and of the father (stern and judging); that is, aspects of both the mother and the father usually exist in varying degrees in any parent; and the relative strength of the different roles changes over time and as the situation changes.

Character types which have persisted over centuries and across cultures are called archetypes. The concept of archetypes is derived from the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung who theorized that people are born with a psychic inheritance, a collective unconscious, which affects all of human experience. Jung believed that this knowledge lies in our unconscious mind and can only be accessed indirectly through dreams, myths, forms of religious belief, and the arts, such as written fiction, movies, visual arts, music, and dance. It may be the Jung was correct or it may be that people learn about archetypes as children because there are certain basic ways in which human beings relate to each other in societies, in families, and in personal relationships. Whatever the source of the knowledge, the concept of archetype helps to organize and clarify human experience. As such, archetypes are an important part of understanding life and telling a story, whether in written form or presented on stage or screen.

Another way to look at archetypes is that they embody energies in the psyche that seek to fulfill a function in life and in story. Thus, one character can provide the energy to nurture, another the impetus to quest, a third the desire to the mentor, while a fourth provides the force of a leader, etc. The mother archetype nurtures, the father archetype judges, and the mentor archetype gives sage advice, etc. A person functions as a hero when engaging in purposeful effort, for example, putting a man on the moon or a journey of personal growth. The effort could be as simple as going on a trip and as mundane as learning to fit in when starting at a new school or asking a girl to go out on a date.

Every school contains character types that have existed for as long as we have had schools and which can be considered archetypes. The bully, the sports jock, the nerd, the class clown, and the teacher’s pet are examples. Centuries ago, the bully pattern of personality would have been evident in the powerful hunter or warrior who used his strength to dominate and hurt others. The characteristics of a bully contrast with those of a true leader, another archetype, who uses intelligence, knowledge, or the power of personality to take care of his people. And although math or science as fields of study are rather new in the long history of mankind, certainly there were members of ancient societies who involved themselves with numbers and were devoted to the accuracy of exchange, the measurement of distances, and even the passage of time. There have always been court jesters and comedians, and, of course, an individual favored by a person with power. Each of these functional types have recognizable expressions in school society.

While each archetype has its own constellation of attributes which most people recognize, everyone who functions as an archetypal character, in life and in story, will also have unique characteristics depending upon their culture, their own personality, and the situation. Dorothy Gale of The Wizard of Oz is a true heroine who defeats formidable adversaries on her journey. However, Dorothy, as required of a female by her culture, her time and her story, is always kind and considerate. While she kills the wicked witches of the East and the West as thoroughly as any action/adventure hero vanquishes a villain, Dorothy always kills by accident and without an intent to harm.

Joseph Campbell, the mythologist, refers to archetypes as elementary ideas and asserts that anthropologists and archeologists can account for the differences in the archetypes in mythologies across the globe as responses to environmental factors. In stories, the use of archetypes builds an empathic reaction as each reader or viewer sees many familiar aspects of characters who take on the archetypal roles. There is universal appeal when protagonists, antagonists, and ancillary characters exhibit aspects of various archetypes.

Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey – Characters of the Monomyth

There are certain archetypes which are often associated with the Hero’s Journey; their functions relate to the conduct of a quest. The following description of the archetypes of the Hero’s Journey are brief summaries derived from Christopher Vogler’s book. Mr. Vogler based his analysis on the ideas of psychologist Carl Jung and mythologist Joseph Campbell. Note that these summaries are an attempt to briefly describe complex personality patterns; they are necessarily incomplete.

1. The Hero is the person who embarks on the quest seeking to correct an imbalance in community, family, or psyche. For journeys of internal growth or reformation, the hero searches for the true self in its wholeness. The Hero can be willing or unwilling and can be acting on a matter which concerns society as a whole, relates to a specific group of people, or is personal to the Hero. The Hero can act alone or as the leader of a group.

2. A Mentor is an important individual, who transmits encouragement, understanding and wisdom to the Hero. The Mentor can simply give helpful advice or the mentor may also intervene and help the Hero surmount the challenges of the particular quest.

3. Threshold Guardians are characters who serve to challenge or obstruct the Hero’s progress from one stage of the Journey to another. They stand at the gateways to new experiences; their role is to keep the unworthy from continuing on the Journey. The Hero must prove his or her worthiness in some way, often by defeating and killing the Threshold Guardian or by passing some test.

4. A Herald issues challenges and announces the coming of significant change. The Herald is the voice demanding change and providing motivation for the protagonist to get on with the journey.

5. Shapeshifters , as seen from the Hero’s point of view, appear to change their form. The change may be in appearance, in mood, or in function with respect to the quest. For example, the Hero may have a romantic interest in a person who is fickle or two-faced. That person is a Shapeshifter.

6. The Shadow is a character who reflects or represents the dark, unexpressed, or rejected aspects of something, often a part of the Hero’s personality. A shadow character has the function of presenting the allure of qualities that a person must renounce and root out in order to successfully complete the quest.

7. The Trickster who sometimes supplies comic relief in a story, is nonetheless important as a catalyst for change and can sometimes be a Hero in his or her own right. Tricksters are also often Shapeshifters.

Some Other Important Literary Archetypes

Some of the archetypes identified by Carl Jung that are frequently found in the literature are summarized below.

1. The Father: Jung saw the authority figure as a powerful, serious-minded father, stern and judging. Usually, a character manifesting this archetype is male, but not always.

2. The mother: The individual who represents nurturing and caregiving is the Mother archetype. Often a character manifesting this archetype is female, but not always. Mentors often nurture and they are often male.

3. The Child: This archetype represents the innocence and potential for growth of children, who, with their honesty, pure-mindedness, and drive for growth and development offer salvation to errant adults. The Child Savior is a subset of this archetype. See TWM’s The Child Savior: An Example of a Literary Archetype.

4. The Maiden: Like the child, the maiden represents innocence and pure intention but has the added element of female sexual possibility and transition to another female archetype such as the Mother.

These archetypes may be found in many stories, including stories of the quest. They differ from the archetypes of the Hero’s Journey only because their function does not necessarily assist in reaching the resolution of a story of purposeful effort.

The Hero’s Journey/Monomyth is basic to the human experience. Jung, Campbell, and Vogler have shown that the stages of the Hero’s Journey correspond to what actually occurs in life. They have demonstrated that archetypes, assembled and reassembled in life and in stories, remain faithful to truths about human existence throughout time. The Hero’s Journey analysis assists in discovering the elemental messages of myth, drama, literature, and film. The Journey assists in understanding inner meaning and clarifying theme. In life, knowledge of the stages and archetypes of the successful quest will help people organize and understand their own experience.

Bibliography

• The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition, by Christopher Vogler;
• The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers;
• The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell; The quotation beginning “The hero ventures forth . . . ” is from page 23;
• The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious (Collected Works of C.G. Jung Vol.9 Part 1).

This article was written by Mary RedClay and James Frieden for TeachWithMovies.org.

5 Essential Hero’s Journey Symbolic Archetypes (And 4 Bonus Archetypes)

by David Safford | 0 comments

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Symbols enrich your story's meaning by connecting what's literally happening with overarching themes. Does your story include symbols? And what symbols should you include? In this article, we'll look at symbolic archetypes that will help you create powerful symbols in your story.

The Hero's Journey is a beloved storytelling style. One of the reasons why audiences love it so much is that it uses familiar storytelling elements that are familiar and creating a feeling of connectedness between the audience and storyteller.

This begins with character . And while stories are essentially about great characters, a powerful Hero's Journey also includes a number of other objects or symbolic elements.

These are called Symbolic Archetypes.

If character archetypes are the steak, symbolic archetypes are the delicious seasonings that bring out the meat's flavor (sorry to all you vegans/vegetarians out there!).

These storytelling elements are often subtle details that the reader may not consciously notice, but work to great effect in telling your heroic story in a way that establishes a deep and meaningful theme.

Here's how to weave them into your story and create a wonderful reading experience for your audience.

Symbolic Archetypes of the Hero's Journey

Is this post going to be another boring lesson from high school English class?

Of course not! We're about to discover how to put symbols in your story, often hiding them in plain sight.

Here's what a symbolic archetype is and how it works.

Symbolic Archetype Definition

A symbolic archetype is an object, location, or image in a story that contains more than one functional meaning. It has both a physical meaning in the story world and a thematic meaning for the reader to interpret.

First, the object, location, or image “is what it is” in the world of the story. A dungeon is a dungeon. A river is a river. And a sunrise is a sunrise.

But second, the object, location, or image also contains an additional function or meaning connected to eternal themes of human existence. A dungeon represents captivity. A river represents a journey or growth. And a sunrise represents rebirth or a new opportunity.

The Power of Symbols

Joseph Campbell's “monomyth” theory, also known as the Hero's Journey , is the idea that all characters, situations, and symbols in any story (regardless of culture, genre, or time period) are incredibly similar. This means that stories are the product of human psychology, not just a specific culture or generation.

Symbols form the physical fabric of meaning in society. We use them all the time, often without thinking of their meaning.

Companies use them by creating logos, and then fill our world with that symbol everywhere they can. Religions use them, and followers wear those symbols as jewelry and tattoos. We even notice them when certain situations seem ironic, as when a red light stops us in our tracks and we are forced to wait when we'd much rather hurry onward.

In stories, symbols do the same thing. Symbolic Archetypes connect the physical world your characters live in to the nonphysical world of Theme.

That being said, it's important to make a distinction before going forward: Not all symbols are the same. 

A better way to say this is that while archetypes are universal, their implementation and interpretation is not. Here's an example.

In the West, black clothing is symbolic of death and mourning. In many other cultures, however, the color for death and mourning is white. If you're from Europe or America, it may seem absurd to wear white clothing to a funeral! Yet this is exactly what one would find in many other cultures and religious sects.

However, the colors “black” and “white” are not archetypes. They are simply colors.

What is universal and archetypal is the association of color with grief. It is a symbol (an image) that functions as it is, clothing, and as a thematic message, grief.

How you choose to implement this in your story is up to you. What if characters in your world used a different color for grief? This is one way to consider innovating an established symbolic archetype.

So as you consider texturing your world with Symbolic Archetypes, remember that the archetype is a way that humans connect the physical world to the nonphysical, not necessarily the specific way that connection is made (in various cultures, perhaps).

The 5 Essential Symbolic Archetypes of the Hero's Journey

What are the most common symbolic bridges in the Heroic Journey stories that readers love? Let's discuss five essential symbols you can use to add meaning to your story and help establish its themes!

1. Light vs. Darkness

The dichotomy between light and darkness is a straightforward way to show contrast. Usually, light means purity, truth, hope, or holiness. Darkness and shadows, to the contrary, represents guilt, deceit, despair, and being cursed or damned.

This dichotomy works as an archetype for a number of reasons. Humans tend to fear the dark and all the unknowns within it. But when light is thrown upon that darkness, revealing all to see, healing can occur and hope is restored. To see this in effect, simply turn on the bedroom lights for a child who thinks there's a monster in his closet.

How to Use It

In your story, consider how this dichotomy can occur. Remember that the colors, or shades of light, don't have to mean what I've written above. What's primary is the functional fear of darkness that lives inside your reader, and the peace that comes when light shines into that darkness.

2. The Magic Weapon

Heroes are heroic because of their ultimately selfless actions.

However, they may exhibit physical heroism through mastery of some kind of weapon, known in Campbell's theory as the Magic Weapon. Just look at Marvel's superheroes to see this in action.

Iron Man's weapon is his suit. Captain America's weapon is his shield. Black Widow doesn't have a tool as her weapon; her weapon is her body and the martial arts skills she possesses (though she shoots a lot of guns in the Marvel movies, too).

If you're going to give your hero a Magic Weapon, then you do consign yourself to at least one “obligatory” scene : the loss of the Weapon.

Since it is ultimately the hero's heart, not his weapons, that make him a hero, there is almost always a scene where the hero's weapon is lost, damaged, or stolen, rendering the hero vulnerable for a period of time. It is in this time of testing that his true nature is revealed and he becomes “worthy,” at least in the narrative, of wielding the weapon once more.

3. The Underworld

This archetype is so common that it was spoofed in the Austin Powers  films: the villainous underground “lair.”

This archetype is derived from classic epics like  Beowulf  and Dante's  Inferno,  where the hero must descend into the depths of a cave or underwater cavern to slay a beast. In medieval tales, it evolved into dungeons, tunnels, crypts, and more.

But the reason why your story needs a symbolic Underground is because as humans, we know what “going underground” really means: Dying. As is spoken at many a funeral, “From dust you came, and to dust you shall return.” In our guts, we know that the Underground or Underworld is a place of death, darkness, and evil.

That's why so many climactic scenes take place underground. It could be a confrontation with the Shadow or Devil Figure character(s); it could be an escape scene, where the hero(es) must pass through a tunnel or flooded area.

One of the earliest examples of this step is the famous “Red Sea” scene in the story of the Hebrew  Exodus.  Fleeing from Pharaoh's army, the Hebrews pass through the parted Red Sea, a place where no human should logically be. At any moment, God could release the waters and every single man, woman, and child would be destroyed.

But instead, the Hebrews pass through unscathed, a symbolic resurrection and baptismal washing from their previous slavery status.

Indeed, it is not uncommon for the Resurrection step of the Hero's Journey to take place in a symbolic Underground or Underworld!

There are a lot of ways to craft an Underground or Underworld: cellars and basements, caves, tunnels, ditches, underwater areas, and so on. Regardless of your story's genre, there are ways to craft your darkest and highest-stakes scenes in a place that is underground or near to it.

How can you put your characters in a position of symbolic death while they wrestle with the death of their hopes and dreams as well?

4. The Castle

Just as every human instinctually associates the Underground with death, humans connect castles and fortresses with power. There is something overwhelming about a massive structure of reinforced stone, wood, and steel. Even visiting a crumbling castle from the ancient past, one can easily imagine its ramparts manned by innumerable soldiers and archers ready to repel any attack.

This is why your Shadow character needs a Castle.

Of course it doesn't need to be an actual European castle. Remember, symbols are physical representations of nonphysical truths. And the nonphysical truth of a castle is power.

To fashion your Shadow's Castle, consider: What is the type of power that the Shadow wields in your story?

Is it political power? Then perhaps the Shadow should be hidden behind the facade of a massive government building, like the Kremlin.

Perhaps the power in your story is military. In that case, the Shadow should lurk inside the fenced, heavily patrolled walls of a base or compound.

If the power in your world is financial, put your Shadow in a mansion or skyscraper.

Even a film like  Elf  uses this archetype when Buddy first attempts to connect with his father, Walter Hobbs, who works in the upper floors of the Empire State Building. Buddy doesn't realize that his father is the Shadow of the story, a man who hides in his office, surrounded by secretaries and security staff, doing little-to-nothing as he produces crappy children's books.

Yet Buddy, through his kindness and perseverance, is able to penetrate the defenses of Walter's Castle (for awhile) until the story no longer needs the archetype anymore.

So consider what goal your hero is pursuing, and what the Shadow would logically do to thwart the hero. What kind of fortress would the Shadow erect for himself in the world of your story? What defenses would the Shadow put in place?

Remember, the Castle is symbolic, evoking the idea of great defensive power gathered into one impressive place. How would your Shadow bring this about in his or her world?

5. The Unhealable Wound

Injuries are a part of life. Thankfully most of them heal within a few days or weeks.

However, sometimes life brings an injury that never fully heals. The victim is forever scarred, perhaps unable to walk without a limp, use an arm, or live a functional life like before.

While these types of injuries are physical and not symbolic, the emotions that come from them are. With an Unhealable Wound comes feelings of brokenness, mortality, and an inability to let go of the past. That's why this archetype is a subtle-yet-powerful element to include in your story.

As an example, think of Frodo Baggins's wounding by the Witch King of the Nazgul. Trapped on the hilltop at Weathertop, Frodo puts on the Ring of Power to avoid being seen. Instead, however, he sees his attackers in the spiritual realm and one of them stabs Frodo in the shoulder with a Morgul blade.

While he is healed of the wound's immediate danger by the elves, it continues to hobble and hurt him throughout his life. Even at the end of the lengthy novel, Frodo complains of its pain as he nears the time when he will have to choose between staying in the Shire or taking the boats to the Undying Lands (which is, conversely, a symbolic death).

Consider a way that your Hero can be injured or wounded, even nonphysically, in pursuit of their goal.

How can this wound hamper the Hero throughout the journey? How can learning to live with it be a part of the Hero pursuing their internal needs, rather than just external wants? Also, how can this process help the Hero become more selfless (and therefore heroic) in a way that benefits the entire community of your story?

4 Additional Symbolic Archetypes of the Hero's Journey

There are a lot of ways to add meaning and depth to your story using other sources of symbolism. An internet search for “symbolic archetypes” will take you to a long list of Western-centric colors, shapes, and numbers, along with their “meanings.”

But it's important to remember that these are often culturally specific and only reflect how one particular group of people link the physical world to nonphysical meaning. How will you innovate the following four tropes for your story?

1. The Significance of Color

Physical colors bear nonphysical meanings in various cultures. In the United States, for example, red is often associated with love and passion; however, it is also associated with violence, blood, and death. Green, on the other hand, represents a wide variety of things: nature, money, and greed, to name a few.

You are welcome to incorporate these interpretations into your own story. But be aware that all readers might not make the same symbolic connections that you intend.

That is why I encourage you to forge ahead with your own use of symbolic color.

J. R. R. Tolkien did this, making the color “white” differ based on regions in his world of Middle Earth. In Gondor, “the White Tower” was a symbol of hope against the black smoke and ash of Mordor. But in Rohan, “the white hand of Saruman” was a symbol of terror and evil, as a “white wizard” attempted to eradicate an entire race of men.

2. The Significance of Numbers

Numerical symbology is heavily dependent on cultural context. In Judeo-Christian societies, the numbers three, seven, and twelve are very symbolic and used in countless ways. This is connected to the Trinity, the holiness of the number seven, and the twelve disciplines and months of the year.

But in other cultures, especially ones that don't embrace Judeo-Christian heritage, the number four is deeply symbolic. It is tied to cycles of nature: the four cardinal directions, the four seasons, and the four classic elements of earth, wind, fire, and water.

So what numbers will be significant in your world? What mythology or history will they be based on?

If your genre is more realistic, like a contemporary romance, then you'd be wise to adopt the numeric symbolism of your story's setting or your character's backgrounds. This could be especially interesting in a story about two people from vastly different cultures falling in love.

But if your genre is more fantastical and open to creative world-building, feel free to conjure a few symbolic numbers. Just make sure they are tied to mythology or history that is relevant to your hero's pursuit of the goal.

3. The Significance of Shapes

Shapes are like the bones of many symbols. For more on this, see anything by Dan Brown about the Catholic Church!

Essentially there are four shapes used to establish physical symbols: circle, triangle, square, and diamond. Animators often use these simple shapes as the building blocks for characters. Pixar's  Inside Out  features five main characters each based on a simple shape.

Another example of this symbology put to use is that of the “deathly hallows” in J.K. Rowling's final  Harry Potter  novel. Even today you can see this symbol on people's car windows and flesh.

A guiding principle for this is to limit the number of shapes you use in your story's symbolic world. Don't overwhelm your reader with ten symbols when one will capture the ideas you're presenting.

Think of it this way: Use the symbol to establish or illustrate your story's primary theme. Make it simple, memorable, and easy to draw (even in one's mind). One can see this principle embodied perfectly in Rowling's “deathly hallows.”

4. The Significance of Seasons

Finally, human beings who live in any latitude with seasons have gut-level feelings that associate seaons with nonphysical realities of life (sorry, Floridians).

In a nutshell, Spring symbolizes birth (hence the festival of eggs and rabbits that we now connect with the resurrection of Jesus, called “Easter”). Summer represents the vibrancy of youth and adulthood.

Autumn symbolizes advanced age and the slow decay of the body (consider how the image of slowly-falling discolored leaves makes you feel); and Winter undeniably represents death, as all life ceases to thrive and succumbs to a long, quiet sleep under the cruel, cold snow.

As with color and numbers, you are free to co-opt these commonly understood associations of the seasons. However, these associations are specifically Western and may not reflect the values of your story's culture, or the culture you are creating for your story.

What does each season mean? Why? How can the passage of time and seasons provide a meaningful backdrop for your Hero's transformation into a truly sacrificial source of hope and redemption?

Bring Meaning With Symbols

The great news about Symbolic Archetypes is that you don't need a ton of them to succeed. You also don't need to use them throughout the entire story. If it serves your story well, you may use an archetype in only a small number of scenes, as Elf  does with the Empire State Building (the Castle).

So how will you build the bridge of meaning between your story's physical world and the nonphysical feelings, sensations, and beliefs we all experience?

Because this is what separates “good” stories from truly great stories. The truly great stories that we love and talk about are layered with symbolic meaning that seem to say something important about how we live our lives.

And these great stories do so with carefully crafted subtlety. Finding the balance between a story with no meaning and a story that bashes readers over the head with preachy symbolism is a tough, time-tested challenge. You will need to rewrite scenes and chapters several times to find the right balance.

You'll also need to share your drafts with your writing community, asking its members to let you know if the symbolism and themes were clear without being too heavy-handed.

After some focused and insightful feedback comes your way, you'll be able to sharpen your symbols like chef's knives so they make a precise impact on your story, and its readers, all the way through.

What symbols can you think of from stories you love? Let us know in the comments .

Think about the Hero's Journey story you've been planning throughout this series. (Want to start from the beginning? Kick off your own Hero's Journey here. )

How might these Symbolic Archetypes appear in your story? Take fifteen minutes to journal about one of the five Essential Symbolic Archetypes, brainstorming ways to craft a physical object, location, or image that could have nonphysical meaning.

Share your writing in the comments , and then leave some constructive feedback on another writer's post!

David Safford

You deserve a great book. That's why David Safford writes adventure stories that you won't be able to put down. Read his latest story at his website. David is a Language Arts teacher, novelist, blogger, hiker, Legend of Zelda fanatic, puzzle-doer, husband, and father of two awesome children.

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Grief Without Heroes: Finding Meaning Beyond the Monomyth

Understanding Grief / Understanding Grief : Litsa

For further articles on these topics:

One of my favorite grief memoirs is Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala . Fair warning: this is not a book for the faint-hearted. Sonali's entire family—her husband, parents, and two children—died while they were on a holiday in Sri Lanka. I know some criticize when people say, "I can’t imagine," to a griever, arguing it implies, "I am not willing to try to imagine." But guess what—I can’t imagine. I've read her staggering memoir; I have lost my breath reading her story and trying to imagine myself in her place. And still, I cannot imagine. It is incomprehensible.

I'm not alone in my admiration for this book. It was named one of the New York Times Book Review's "Top Ten Books of the Year." Michael Ondaatje called it, "the most powerful and haunting book I have read in years." Yet the review I most remember was one I read just after finishing the book. I went on Amazon to leave a five-star rating and happened to see a one-star review. The reviewer accused the book of being "a story without hope," going on to sanctimoniously proclaim, "there is always hope."

I remember feeling that unresolvable ire that only an internet comment section can bring. A story without hope? Are you kidding me? This woman lost her entire family in a natural disaster. She was with them when it happened. She survived, put her heart-wrenching grief into words, and wrote a book about it, and you think it isn’t HOPEFUL enough?

The Hero’s Journey

Grief therapist and author Bob Neimeyer suggests that in Western society and pop culture the arc of the "hero’s journey" has defined our myths and narratives about grief. As human beings, we are storytellers. Across time, age, race, religion, and culture, it is well-documented that we communicate and connect through stories. Stories help us make sense of the world and remember things. And there is no question that the "hero’s journey" Neimeyer mentions is one of the most common and reassuring narrative arcs.

Masterclass’s Writing 101: What Is the Hero’s Journey? describes the hero’s journey as "a common narrative archetype, or story template, that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, wins a victory with that newfound knowledge, and then returns home transformed." Joseph Campbell claimed that all mythological narratives share this "monomyth" structure. It is no wonder this arc feels familiar and comforting. It is both painful and hopeful, and perhaps most importantly, it is what we have come to expect.

Do a quick inventory of nursery rhymes and fairy tales - it's the hero’s journey, again and again. Some of our most famous films and books— Star Wars, The Lion King, The Matrix, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice —again, hero’s journeys.

The Griever’s Journey

With this ever-present narrative template in mind, I shouldn’t be surprised by the Wave reviewer's grievances. Our social beliefs about grief align with a singular arc. Consider "the 5 stages of grief". Despite the many (many) other grief theories, personal experiences, and grief research that contradict “the 5 stages”, the theory persists in society pop culture. Why? One theory is that it is appealing to people because it fits grief into the familiar structure.

Many of our most beloved grief memoirs— The Year of Magical Thinking, Wild, When Breath Becomes Air, H is for Hawk —are hero’s journeys. In their stories, yes, grief is dark and messy and ugly. But as readers, we suffer along with them to be rewarded with their learning, growth, and transformation. Even the symbols associated with grief - rainbows and butterflies - are predicated on a transformation narrative.

When I revisited the negative Amazon reviews to find the one I remembered about the story lacking "hope," I read through others. That reviewer I remembered was not the only one seeking a hero's journey:

“While I feel for the author and what she went through, the book hopefully did her some good getting all her feelings off her chest. But it did nothing for me the reader except bring me down and keep me down. No life lessons at the end, no resolution of her grief or depression and definitely no happy ending. Will keep her in my prayers as several years later it seems she still can't move on much and is still dealing with her demons. Would not recommend to anyone”

“This book is one of those that you pick up with an excitement of reading (especially when you were recommended) and slowly find yourself skipping some lines, paragraphs, then pages asking yourself "so what? Where is it going? When are you going to be done being resentful and angry and tell me what I expected to learn from you?"

“This book is a study in grief and not the good kind. It should have been a journal, kept for private reflection and shared with a few close friends. I understand the book is based on actual events and the author's reponse to those events but I see no reason to share her grief with us readers. She does not show any growth. She has not yet learned how to move away from her grief, how to live a full life with her losses.”

“I bought this book, as I have others, after the loss of our son, in the hope I could learn something from it. Find a way to make sense of a terrible loss that has seemed random and pointless. However, this author seems unable to deliver any insight into loss. There’s no examination of her feelings, no growth between the first page and the last? Did the author change? Did the book show any evidence she had learned anything between the beginning of the book and the end? Come to any conclusions? Is there any guidance to be found in the pages of this book? I have read this book three times and my answers to these questions are “no”. Ms. Deraniyagala states that her therapist encouraged her to write as therapy and this book is the result of that writing. Therefore, I don’t ask why this book was written, but why was it published? This book is a lament. It is the recording of a horrifically tragic event, and from that point of view, it has worth, but beyond that I see little or no value of the book as something that would be chosen to be made public . . . At the end of the book, all I can think is that the writer had a wonderful, perfect life before the tragedy of the tsunami which took the lives of a quarter of a million people, then afterward she had great difficulty dealing with her life and the aftermath of the tragedy as it affected her. That is all. Where is her horror and sorrow for the others who died, also? Where is the saving grace? Where is the reason for the book? Where is her courage and development? Can we learn anything from her experience of this tragedy? Does this book offer us any guidance? Any knowledge?”

Rather than fly off the handle and declare these reviewers objectively wrong, I shifted to approaching them from the very Zen 'place of curiosity'. From here, they offer us more social and cultural insight about grief. They speak to our culture's often-limited idea of what makes a grief story worth telling. Suggesting a story is told for the sake of its reader, not its author, they are unified around a desire for growth, meaning, and transformation.

Can we really blame them? We’ve been fed so many hero’s journeys that we’ve come to expect them. Demand them.

But Wave is not a hero’s journey. It is a griever’s journey— real, honest, raw, and messy, with no clear arc of transformation. The takeaway from these one-star reviews: without that arc, your story isn’t worth sharing.

You may think, oh well, no big deal—this criteria just means a few bad reviews and fewer grief stories in the world. But this editing of which grief stories are worth telling then narrows our idea of what grief is, or what it is supposed to be. And if we put those pressures on the grief stories of others, we run the risk of putting them on our own grief stories.

A Grief Hero’s Journey

Many who choose to tell their grief story do so because they feel their story has found the requisite arc. Now, of course, there is no traditional "happy ending" in a grief memoir - there is no possibility of returning home to their loved one. But they almost always have what I'll call the "grief-happy ending": they found meaning in their loss. They have experienced some grand insight or transformation—the coveted "post-traumatic growth" or perhaps a spiritual awakening. They have learned lessons so significant that they are worth writing. When their arc matches the hero’s journey, they feel confident they have a story worth telling.

As humans, the hero’s journey is already a narrative paradigm. As grievers, when the vast majority of grief stories we consume follow this same hopeful arc, we measure our own story against it. We start to believe that if we don't start a memorial charity, celebrate our own growth, or turn into a butterfly, we are failing at grief.

This matters, especially in early grief. Sometimes we emerge from under the boulder of early grief long enough to hear people say how important it is to find this "meaning," and it feels as far off as turning a frog into a prince. It leaves many of us wanting to crawl back into the darkness and give up hope.

One of the things I love about Wave is that it quietly defies the arc of the hero’s journey. It shows us hope through another lens.

If you’ve been thinking of hiding back under that rock, stick with me for a moment. I have a belief—one grounded in my own grief and years of working with grievers—that we’ve got meaning all wrong. These hero's journeys and grief narratives have laid out a romanticized path of grand transformations and spiritual awakenings. But that is only one path. Meaning comes in countless shapes, many of which happen in the everyday living of life after loss.

Pauline Boss, the mother of ambiguous grief theory and research, says, "Human experience is meaningful when it is comprehensible to those who are having the experience."

For me, it might be the most important thing anyone has ever said about finding meaning in grief.

When we hear the word "meaning," we often hear it with a capital M. We assume it has to do with finding some greater purpose, some grand significance. Many grievers who share their stories in public-facing ways—in memoirs and podcasts, documentaries and films—do find "Meaning". I am glad for those who find it and I see why it makes their stories so appealing to tell.

But for many of us, finding meaning in grief happens with a lowercase m.

When you lose someone, your personal narrative can feel torn to shreds. You can’t comprehend how this happened, who you are in the world, how you will possibly put one foot in front of the other and go on. There is so much that feels impossible to make sense of or put into words. It is, in every way, incomprehensible.

Then slowly, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, we begin to reconstruct the story of what has happened. We start to recognize who we were before this loss and who we are now. Slowly we see that we are in a constant state of becoming, shaped by grief and shaping our grief. We begin the slow process of mapping this new world without them, finding the words that make our story comprehensible. Maybe not to everyone else; maybe not to anyone else. But comprehensible to us.

It is not only in the happy ending of a hero’s journey or a transformational arc that we should look for meaning. It is in the storytelling itself. "Human experience is meaningful when it is comprehensible to those who are having the experience." The hope lies in our ability to keep breathing, to keep pulling ourselves out of bed in the morning despite the crushing weight of grief, and the perseverance required to slowly begin making the incomprehensible life we are living a comprehensible one.

All of this is to say, your grief may not take the shape of the hero’s journey. That’s ok—your grief is not made meaningful based on whether it birthed a personal transformation or not. You may eventually find meaning there—I hope you do.

But if that feels far off or impossible, that’s ok. Meaning is in the storytelling itself.

"Human experience is meaningful when it is comprehensible to those who are having the experience."

It requires incredible hope and strength to keep going in grief, pulling yourself out of bed in the morning despite the crushing weight of grief. It takes immense perseverance to make your incomprehensible grief story into a comprehensible one. That, in and of itself, is meaningful. Some might even call it heroic.

We invite you to share your experiences, questions, and resource suggestions with the WYG community in the discussion section below.

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After writing online articles for  What’s Your Grief for over a decade, we finally wrote a tangible, real-life book!

What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss  is for people experiencing any type of loss. This book discusses some of the most common grief experiences and breaks down psychological concepts to help you understand your thoughts and emotions. It also shares useful coping tools, and helps the reader reflect on their unique relationship with grief and loss.

You can find What’s Your Grief? Lists to Help you Through Any Loss wherever you buy books:

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Related Blog Posts

Shifting From Grief Literacy to Grief Humility

The Paradoxical Grief of Anticipated Sudden Death

A Grief Greater than the Sum of its Parts

Grief Years Later: 4 Challenges

What You Really Need to Know About 'Grieving Stages'

12 comments on "grief without heroes: finding meaning beyond the monomyth".

Maryella Sirmon   August 17, 2024 at 2:38 pm Reply

This is one of the most logical, beautiful, and meaningful essays I’ve read about grief. Thank you.

Sabiha B   August 17, 2024 at 1:39 pm Reply

‘…shaped by grief and shaping our grief’… brilliant! This was a deeply moving piece that gently reminds us to honor the tender rawness of grief, at every stage, in all shapes and forms. Thank you.

Lizzylou   August 17, 2024 at 12:08 pm Reply

What an insightful piece. It is very true for me the ‘’meaning’ of my grief journey is unique to me, the ways my loved one helped me to recognise my true worth and how our relationship shaped each other to be our best selves. The ‘meaning’ for me is that I do get out of bed each morning and I have the courage to build my ‘B’ life and honour all we had and continue to have by making it the best it can be. This article helps me to see my own hero journey. Thank you

Stephanie Fortune   August 17, 2024 at 12:07 pm Reply

Thank you so much for this profound article. I agree entirely – that society largely feels it is necessary to have hope and find meaning in one’s grief and, if one can’t find it , one is stuck or has prolonged grief. And anything (books or otherwise ) that doesn’t offer that as the end game is not useful. Personally, I can’t relate at all to stories of being transformed or of finding hope. Rather than lifting me up, they depress me and make me feel more hopeless. But I so like your « take » that meaning is in the experience, as Joseph Campbell said. We don’t need to look further than that. That, to me, gives comfort. I look forward to reading Deraniyagala’s book. Thanks again.

Michelle L H   August 17, 2024 at 12:03 pm Reply

WOW thank you for these insights!! It has helped me reconsider and contemplate about if I was to or think my story might be ‘worth’ writing and/or sharing. I lost mt sister Brenda in 2009 age 47 to liver failure from her LONG HARD battle with alcoholism. I lost my sister Annette in 2013 age 48 to suicide, I found her dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to her head. And I lost my sister Susan in 2020 age 59 to (domestic violence) first degree murder. I am the lone survivor of our messed up, very abusive childhood, multiple types of abuses and multiple abusers. I deal with survivors guilt as well. My search for meaning, healing and purpose is quite complicated. 😪😢😭 I often hesitate sharing my grief journey and story for fear of hurting and or triggering people. Thank You for letting me share, and I guess I will continue to look for my heros journey with a little more grace and ease and self compassion!!🙂

Lyn   August 17, 2024 at 11:53 am Reply

Oh I needed this article this morning! Grief without heroes. It’s been a year since I lost my husband and 10 since I lost my daughter. Every day is a journey of perseverance in just managing my life and finding my balance again and again.

Lisa C   August 17, 2024 at 11:43 am Reply

This was the best and most helpful “grief post” I have read. I tragically lost my beloved 21 year old son just 7 months ago and I have yet to find any overarching “Meaning” in my life. I have no desire to start a foundation or volunteer or anything else. I don’t see any kind of “hero’s journey” for me. Nothing I can do or become will in any way make up for the fact that my son’s life was cut short. Yet, here I am. Thank you for putting this perspective on the blog. I really needed to read this.

Nancy   August 17, 2024 at 11:35 am Reply

Great article Litsa. Thank you. This is so true. After my son died I felt this pressure internally, and it came toward me from others as well, often subtly and sometimes almost like a directive. ( ‘you should write a book’ ) I participated in charity walks and other things like it and, while it was a good distraction, it didn’t transform anything in me. Yes. “Human experience is meaningful when it is comprehensible to those who are having the experience.” I attend a group for parents who lost a child to overdose, and I when I listen, and comprehend, and I share and am comprehended, I have moments of light when I see myself and my “story” more clearly and maybe even for a moment, with more compassion.

Mildred   August 17, 2024 at 11:28 am Reply

This comment really resonates with me. It is 2 years ago that my husband died. He was 59. Quite soon after his death I started wrijving short stories. So many things happened to me, so many emotions. Writing is a way to deal with them. After 9 months I started sharing them on Instagram on a closed account. Were I am know in my grief I have the feeling that there is a lot of pain and sadness in me besides the fact that I can enjoy a diner with friends, a film, my children. I don’t know where to go with my life. These things I share. It is just to let people know how it feels for me. There is no arch, no meaning. There is pain, grief and loneliness. I try to live with that and have joyfull moments. I do not think I am going to read The Wave, but I think it is important that it has been written.

Jude   August 17, 2024 at 11:21 am Reply

Wow, wow….your response was just so true and beautifully said….to the negative comment to the writer, of Wave. I haven’t read the book, but I do know grief…..and it’s personal, complicated, and always evolving… not sure what the whole ” Hero ” thing means?? Thanks for all your do, love reading the news letters.

Jennifer   August 17, 2024 at 11:18 am Reply

This. THIS! This is just about the most significant thing I have read about grief. THANK YOU. I am in relationship with several people facing wildly different grief experiences and THESE are the words I can share with EACH of them. So grateful to you.

Kim   August 17, 2024 at 11:05 am Reply

People that read this memoir and talk about no hope, have obviously not had losses like this precious mother , wife and daughter.

I saw my youngest daughter die at age 20 and it is something that you never get over.

I wish no parent to ever have to bury a child Or children.

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Unveiling the Scapegoat: An Analysis of the Hero Archetype in Akhil Sharma's 'Family Life’

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This paper employs a literary analysis framework, drawing upon archetypal criticism, psychoanalytic theory, and cultural studies, to explore the portrayal of the scapegoat hero archetype in Akhil Sharma's novel ‘Family Life’. The qualitative research approach of this work, examines the protagonist's interactions within the family dynamics, themes of guilt and redemption, and the influence of cultural and societal factors. Further the research also explores the parallels between traditional scapegoat figures in literature and the portrayal of scapegoat hero of contemporary individuals in Akhil Sharma’s ‘Family Life’. This paper illuminates Sharma's nuanced portrayal of guilt, sacrifice, and the quest for identity within the immigrant family. Furthermore, by contextualizing the novel within the present era, this study underscores the enduring relevance of Sharma's exploration of these themes. And ultimately contributes to our understanding by offering insights into the complexities of portrayal of the scapegoat hero archetype influenced by immigrant experiences and the dynamics of family life.

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World of Warcraft®: The War Within™ Goes Live August 26!

Get back in the fight as you defend Azeroth from the shadows below. Journey through never-before-seen subterranean worlds filled with hidden wonders and lurking perils, down to the dark depths of the nerubian empire, where the malicious Harbinger of the Void is gathering arachnid forces to bring Azeroth to its knees.

World of Warcraft’s next expansion— The War Within —will launch in the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, and Australia/New Zealand at the same time globally. Wherever you live and whatever faction you represent, you can be part of one globally unified front as the way into the  Khaz Algar opens.

Check the details below for the exact time you can begin logging in to explore all that this new expansion has to offer.

Players who pre-purchase the Epic Edition of The War Within will also gain early access to The War Within on August 22 at 3:00 p.m. PDT. The War Within will go live globally on August 26 at 3:00 p.m. PDT. Players who pre-purchase the Epic Edition can also get bonus content —Gryphon Rider Sets and Squally’s Siblings.

Early Access Launch Times Los Angeles New York São Paulo London Paris Taipei Seoul Sydney 3:00 PM. PDT August 22 6:00 PM EDT August 22 19:00 Brasilia August 22 23:00 BST August 22 00:00 CEST August 23 06:00 CST August 23 07:00 KST August 23 08:00 AEST August 23 Global Launch Times Los Angeles New York São Paulo London Paris Taipei Seoul Sydney 3:00 PM PDT August 26 6:00 PM EDT August 26 19:00 Brasilia August 26 23:00 BST August 26 00:00 CEST August 27 06:00 CST August 27 07:00 KST August 27 08:00 AEST August 27

Table of Contents

• Meet the Earthen
• Uncover the Secrets of Delves

Take Your Character to the Next Level with Hero Talents

Ride into battle in deephaul ravine, explore the zones and dungeons of the war within.

• Get the Band Together for Warbands (now live)
• Take to the Skies with Skyriding (now live)
• User Interface and Quest Updates (now live)

The War Within Season 1 Schedule

The story so far, additional media, meet the earthen, a new playable allied race.

A new playable race arrives in The War Within—the Earthen. Unlock playable Earthen characters after completing their quests and the overall level-up campaign. Enlist this titan-forged race made of living stone by aiding them in their endeavors.

Champions of Azeroth must aid the Earthen and seek a way to restore their harmony and population. They can also be unlocked as a playable race, and you can choose Alliance or Horde to begin your journey starting at level 10 in their capital city of Dornogol. Learn more about them from our previously published article.

Uncover the Secrets of Delves in The War Within

Take your adventure to a new level with Delves.  Explore bite-sized world instances, gain experience, and epic rewards! You can explore alone or with up to four additional friends, along with an NPC companion—Brann Bronzebeard— you customize through their talent tree. Learn more about this new feature and the rewards you can earn either solo or with a few friends in our previously published article .

The War Within™ expansion introduces Hero Talents to World of Warcraft classes. They are an evergreen form of character progression for each class specialization that introduces new powers and class fantasies. There are 11 nodes in a Hero Talent tree. The first of these unlocks with the system at level 71, and you earn 1 talent point per level from level 71 to 80, so you get every talent in the tree by level 80. Learn more about the available Hero Talents for your class and specialization in our article here .

Set your sights on your next PvP adventure within Deephaul Ravine in the Ringing Deeps where you’ll work with your team to secure resources in the mine. Teams earn points by controlling one of the two active mine carts on the map or by capturing the Deephaul Crystal located in the middle of the map. The first team to earn 1500 points wins! Learn more from our article .

Get the Band Together for Warbands (Now Live)

With the arrival of  The War Within , upon first logging into  World of Warcraft , the Warband conversion process automatically enables many of the game's progression systems to be account-wide. Players will not need to log into each character individually for all progression, items, etc., to convert; however, there may be a short wait for the system to completely process your Warband the first time you log in. The Warband conversion process can take up to 20 minutes or longer, and depending on the amount of data being processed, there could be a login queue.

The new Warbands system is effective for all characters on a player's Battle.net account and the items, Collections, and progression they share. It's important to note that your Warband is limited to characters within a  single region  (for example, the Americas or Europe) but spans every realm, faction, and even subscription you may have within that region.

Please note that as the character selection screen shows all characters on the Battle.net account in one convenient location, some may show up as “gray” in the listing and are not available to select to use a Character Service on. To use a service for that character, you will need to select the realm that the character is from first by clicking on the “Realm” selection at the top of the screen and then apply the service to that character. You can also hover your mouse cursor over a character listed on the right side of the screen to see additional information including the realm it is currently on. Learn more about Warbands in our previously published article .

Take to the Skies with Skyriding (Now Live)

Dragonriding is here to stay and is available for many flying mounts in all flyable areas. Players can also toggle between Skyriding (previously known as dynamic flight) or the flying style introduced originally in  The Burning Crusade (TBC)  which we’re calling Steady Flight.

You can easily identify the mounts that are enabled for Skyriding from within the Warbands Collection tab (Shift-P) which is noted as Skyriding. To switch between Skyriding and Steady Flight, you can do so directly in the mount collection by clicking on the Skyriding icon in the middle of the interface and selecting “Switch Flight Style” in the drop-down menu. It’s important to note that any mount that doesn’t support Skyriding will be grounded if Skyriding is active. You will also be able to open your Skills Unlock here as well.

The ground mounts in your collection will continue to stay grounded, but most flying mounts will be able to be put to use for Skyriding save for a select few such as the Otterworldly Ottuk Carrier, some fish mounts, and brooms.

User Interface and Quest Updates (Now Live)

With the start of Early Access on August 22, Normal difficulty dungeons will become available.

• Ara-Kara, City of Echoes (Levels 70-80)
• Priory of the Sacred Flame (Levels 70-80)
• The Rookery (Levels 70-80)
• The Stonevault (Levels 70-80)
• Cinderbrew Meadery (Level 80)
• City of Threads (Level 80)
• Darkflame Cleft (level 80)
• The Dawnbreaker (Level 80)

With the launch of the expansion on August 26, Heroic difficulty dungeons will be available to play.

On September 10, The War Within Season 1 will begin with Heroic and Raid Finder Wing 1 of Nerub-ar Palace opening, Mythic 0 dungeons also become available along with Heroic Seasonal dungeons and the new World bosses.

World Bosses

• Kordac, the Dormant Protector
• Aggregation of Horrors
• Shurrai, Atrocity of the Undersea
• Orta, the Broken Mountain

On September 17, Mythic raids, Raid Finder Wing 2, Mythic+ dungeons and raid Story Mode will open.

On September 24 Raid Finder Wing 3 will open.

Dungeon Item Rewards:

Catch up on the story so far with our video.

WoWCast: Dive into The War Within’s Delves, Dungeons, PvP, and Raid

"threads of destiny".

Warning: Arachnophobe Alert! This content contains references to spiders and arachnid-related imagery which may be unsettling to individuals with arachnophobia. Viewer discretion is advised.

Alleria: "Light and Shadow"

Follow Alleria Windrunner’s journey as she battles through the trials that have shaped her into one of Azeroth’s most formidable heroes.

Short Stories

After several younglings are lost attempting their om’gora rites, Thrall begins questioning the value of the trials. The new generation places such emphasis on martial strength and battle prowess that they would risk death attempting the rites before they are ready. Walking through Orgrimmar with his family, Thrall reflects on his son’s readiness for the trials, his own coming of age, and how to prepare this new generation to build on the legacy he and his friends started long ago. Read it here.

"The Lilac and the Stone"

Queen Regent Moira Thaurissan is exhausted. Her son, Dagran II, is rapidly coming of age and stands to inherit leadership of both the Dark Iron and Bronzebeard Clans. But Dagran is bookish and odd: He would easily choose the company of his library over leadership. Can Moira inspire her son to take up his birthright, or will her fears for his future—and the future of the clans—prove true?  Read it here.

"The Goblin Way"

Monte Gazlowe, Trade Prince of the Bilgewater Cartel, has been probing working conditions among the goblins. Everywhere he tours he sees a burned-out workforce, cheap machinery, and unhealthy working conditions that drag production and denigrate their people. “This is the goblin way! Dog eat dog! Only the winner comes out on top!” But is this really the goblin way, or is it just the way Jastor Gallywix wanted them looking?  Read it here.

"The Calling"

Since leaving the realms of Death, Anduin Wrynn has only sought to keep his hands busy. Plagued by night terrors and grisly flashbacks, the young king finally finds the isolation he seeks in Stormsong Valley, milling flour for a local village. But while Anduin may be able to hide his identity, he cannot escape who he is or the stuff he is made from.  Read it here.

"A Whisper of Warning "

Khadgar has dispatched Alleria Windrunner on a dark mission, one that portends an uncertain future for Azeroth. Before she departs, she visits her lost home of Silvermoon on a mission of peace and connection. Much remains unsaid between Alleria and her son, Arator—hindered by fear and misunderstanding—but Alleria would have her son know his mother and her intentions before a new evil threatens Azeroth again.  Read it here.

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Gather your allies and we’ll see you in The War Within !