Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: The Definitive Guide

The hero’s journey is a classic narrative structure that has been used for millennia in literature and storytelling.

It is the journey an individual takes from the ordinary world to one of adventure and significance.

This journey can be literal or metaphorical, with the hero exploring their own mind – an inner landscape of emotional or psychological significance.

It is a journey to self-awareness and greater understanding.

What Is The Hero’s Journey?

The structure of the hero’s journey consists of three parts: departure, initiation and return. These components are present in many literary works and stories, including The Odyssey, The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland and even the Bible.

The first phase of the hero’s journey begins with a call to action – a challenge that the hero must meet.

This challenge may be physical, such as a monster attacking; or it may be emotional, such as when someone rescues or saves someone they love dearly.

Whatever the challenge, it elicits some sort of response from the hero – usually either acceptance or rejection.

Mythology is often considered synonymous with religion but they are not necessarily the same thing.

Religion has to do with metaphysics: the nature of being or reality as well as things we cannot see or have never seen such as deities or other powerful beings.

Mythology is a subset of that which provides symbols that represent those metaphysical elements in a way that allows us to relate to them on a personal level and can help us to understand our own lives better.

Campbell’s definition of mythology was “the body of stories belonging to a cultural tradition” or “the study of myths”. In this sense all cultures have their own mythology but also share common themes that can be found across almost all.

What Are Joseph Campbell’s Stages Of The Hero’s Journey?

What are the stages of the hero’s journey? Joseph Campbell popularized the “hero’s journey,” a structure that he argued all myths, legends, and stories follow. The stages of the hero’s journey are separated into three distinct phases: separation, initiation, and return.

The separation stage is the part of the journey where the hero leaves his home and ventures out into the unknown. The initiation stage is where the hero undergoes a series of tests to prove that they are worthy of greatness.

The return stage is when the hero finds their way back to society with a newfound worldly wisdom.

Campbell believed that every story fits into one or more of these stages because it allows us to see ourselves reflected in stories from history, mythology, religion and other narratives.

In this article, you take a closer look at each stage of the hero’s journey to understand how it applies to your life and can help you better understand your own narrative.

Here are the stages of Campbell’s hero’s journey:

Separation: You leave home on your own terms instead of being forced out.Your decision to separate from your normal life shows that you have initiative and drive. At this point in your story, you’re just setting out on your adventure — not yet fully aware of what.

What Is Joseph Campbell’s Theory?

Joseph Campbell was a brilliant mythologist, who studied the work of Carl Jung and became friends with C.G. Jung himself. Unlike Jung, who took a more scientific approach to the study of dreams, Campbell took a more artistic approach.

He believed that dreams and myths were reflections of the same thing: The human subconscious. In this way, he believed that symbols in dreams could be decoded to reveal their meaning to an individual.

Campbell is most famous for his book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces . In it, he describes what he calls “The Hero’s Journey”, which is essentially a universal story that tests its hero by confronting him or her with a variety of challenges and villains.

The hero then overcomes these obstacles using some form of magic (which could be anything from a sword to an idea). This magic gives him or her the ability to fight back against whatever force represents “evil” in the story.

This story has been told countless times throughout history in every culture throughout the world. It can be found in ancient myths and religions, as well as modern films like Star Wars . In fact, Star Wars creator George Lucas said that Campbell’s theories inspired him to create his epic space themed movie.

What Are The 12 Stages Of A Hero’s Journey?

The hero’s journey is a pattern that can be found in the stories of great novels, movies and even video games. The hero’s journey was first used as an archetype by Christopher Vogler in his book, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Storytellers and Screenwriters.

Vogler used the story of Christ to show how the hero’s journey works.

You’ll notice that there are many similarities between the story of Christ and Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc. This is because these stories all follow the same path of the hero’s journey.

So what is this magical pattern? What does it mean for you as a writer?

Let’s start with the definition: In its basic form, the hero’s journey consists of 12 stages that outline the main plot points of a given story. These  stages are:

The Ordinary World: Your hero lives in some sort of ordinary world where they have everything they need and desire; however, they are not happy with their current situation.

Call To Adventure: Your hero is confronted with a problem or challenge in their ordinary world and they must overcome this challenge to move onto stage 3.

Did Joseph Campbell Create The Hero’s Journey?

Did Joseph Campbell Create The Hero’s Journey?

Yes, I’m afraid so.

   

The Hero’s Journey is not a creation of Joseph Campbell’s – it’s been around since the dawn of time in every culture. The only thing that is original about Campbell is his name and his approach to the Hero’s Journey.

Hence the title, “The Hero With A Thousand Faces.” It is a story with a thousand faces because it has been re-told over and over throughout history. And that’s why Joseph Campbell is wrong: because he implies that you can’t create a hero without following this predetermined path.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, your hero doesn’t even have to be heroic at all. He can be a thief, a monster or even a super-villain! (Although we’ll leave that for another blog post.)

So how did Joseph Campbell become the grandfather of the Hero’s Journey? The answer lies in this article by Christopher Vogler which appeared in the Writer’s Digest magazine back in 1993.

Vogler was hired by George Lucas to turn Lucas’ 2-hour-long rough draft of Star Wars into an 8-hour epic film script suitable for production. 

Monomyth: The Hero’s Journey

Have you ever noticed that many of your favorite stories are similar?

The Monomyth is a literary term coined by writer, producer and director George Lucas in 1973 as the central motif of his space opera film, “Star Wars:” A New Hope. The term has since been applied to numerous films, books, games and comics.

In a nutshell: the Monomyth is described as a journey that a hero goes on in order to achieve something significant by undergoing certain trials and tribulations. In Star Wars the hero was Luke Skywalker.His journey was a quest to save Princess Leia from the clutches of the Empire, who had kidnapped her and were using her as bait to lure Luke out into the open.

Luke faced many trials and tribulations along his journey including escaping from an Imperial attack on an asteroid field (the Death Star), rescuing Leia from prison and helping her escape, fleeing from an Imperial Star Destroyer, avoiding two more Imperial Star

Destroyers that were hot on their trail, facing off against Darth Vader in a lightsaber duel in which he lost his hand but gained a new cybernetic hand (known as a ‘handicap’), rescuing Leia from Jabba the Hutt’s palace after she was placed in a metal bikini and finally destroying both the first star destroyer.

Star Wars And The Hero’s Journey

While the story of Star Wars is a classic, it also happens to follow Joseph Campbell’s masterpiece of the Hero’s Journey. Campbell was an American mythologist who wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

This book outlines what he called the “monomyth”, or the hero’s journey.

It’s been around since ancient times and it can be found in many stories told around the world.

The Hero’s Journey In Three Traditions

The hero is the protagonist of a story or drama. Usually, but not always, the hero is considered the central character.

This term is used primarily in fiction and fantasy. The hero is the main character of a story or drama who, in the face of danger, combats opposing forces to achieve a positive outcome for humanity.

The most common form of this story has the hero grow throughout the story into either a hero proper or an anti-hero. Many myths have such a character try to bring back civilization after it has fallen into chaos; others tell of how civilization rose once the hero had left.

Derived from the Greek word ἥρως (hērōs), “hero” refers to a man of valor, strong or noble and also one whose actions while on a quest or voyage are heroic. A female heroic figure has been traced back to legends from classical antiquity – most famously Helen of Troy in Homer’s Iliad and The Odyssey and Em.

The Hero’s Journey Sundiata

The Hero’s Journey, also known as the monomyth, is a common pattern that can be found in many different stories. It is a story like no other and has been told and retold countless times by authors around the world. It is what connects all humans, past, present and future.

This something that we as humans have always been drawn to because of its emotional power and its ability to connect us to one another. The Hero’s Journey goes beyond just literature; it can be applied to so many aspects of life such as relationships, culture, spirituality and even politics.

It can give you a better understanding of yourself and your place in the world around you.

The Hero’s Journey Ramayana

The word “hero” gets thrown around a lot today. We have a host of celebrity heroes, from pop stars to athletes.

We even have “super” heroes like Batman and Superman, who fight for good in their spare time. But what does it really mean to be a hero? A hero doesn’t have to have super powers or have a billion dollars.

A hero is someone who stands up for what is right, and helps others when they are in need.The Ramayana is an ancient Hindu epic that tells the story of Rama, one such hero.

The story is over 3,000 years old and has been passed down generation after generation through oral tradition before it was finally written down in Sanskrit between 300 BC and 200 AD.

The Ramayana tells the story of Rama, who is banished from his kingdom by the king of the gods, Indra, through the trickery of Rama’s stepbrother, Ravana. Rama then sets out on a journey that will eventually lead him back to his kingdom and defeat Ravana once and for all.

The story of Rama has become part of India’s national identity and its culture. Every year since 1961 on Janmashtami (the day when Rama was born). The Ramayana is an ancient Indian epic poem written by the poet Valmiki sometime between 500 BC and 100 AD.

The poem is old, but it still has an important role for many Hindus in India today. It’s a story about Rama, one of the incarnations of Vishnu, who is an avatar of the supreme God in Hinduism.

Rama’s wife Sita is kidnapped by the demon Ravana and Rama goes on a journey to save her.

The Ramayana was first written down around 200 BC and has been read as scripture from that time until now. It also has many formal and informal adaptations in every art form, such as: dance, sculpture, theatre and even music.

The Hero’s Journey Yamato

My wife and I have been together for a long time. Even before we were married, she was already a part of my life.

Telling the story of our journey together is like telling the story of Yamato, The Hero’s Journey.

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

Words have a similar power. They can be used to bring great harm or they can be used to bring magic and wonder into our lives.

In our culture today, words are used to create physical realities in the form of technology and corporations.

Words have also been used to create virtual realities that exist in your mind and heart. And words have also caused great pain and suffering in our world, creating fear and misery on an unprecedented scale. But words can also be used to heal these wounds as well.

The word “Yamato” (大和) means Japan in Japanese language and culture but it is also known as “Great Harmony.” In Chinese, Japanese is called 大和華夷 (“Dà hé huá yThe Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar and writer, Joseph Campbell. It is a description of a general narrative found in many stories.

The pattern was first described in 1949, in Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”. Campbell describes the journey as one that proceeds with the hero starting in the ordinary world and entering an unfamiliar, special world or area where the ordinary rules do not apply.

He must then return to his ordinary world with this newfound wisdom.Taken strictly, The Hero’s Journey is a description of a story that follows a certain chronological template consisting of three basic elements: Departure (the call to adventure), Initiation (the trials and tribulations), and Return (the road back).

In this way, it is comparable to the monomyth described by anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss.However, unlike Lévi-Strauss’ version of the monomyth, Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey focuses on individual psychology rather than cultural mythology.

In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell writes about how all heroes follow this journey. This includes Jesus, Buddha, Apollonius of Tyana, and even Gautama Buddha himself (Campbell ).

How To Use The Hero’s Journey Yourself

The most well-known version of the story model is the Hero’s Journey, which was laid out in The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. In this model, a hero ventures forth from the ordinary world into a special realm of supernatural forces.

The hero encounters a wise mentor or guide who gives assistance and advice; after receiving help, the hero must cross a first threshold that leads to an unfamiliar world.The hero may then have to overcome a series of trials before achieving a great reward or “boon” that will enable him to succeed.

For example, epic heroes like Odysseus (Ulysses) in Homer’s Odyssey travel far and undergo many trials before returning home to their loved ones.The most famous aspect of the Hero’s Journey is the “call to adventure.”

The hero is approached by some external agent and told he must go on a quest to save the day. This call can be explicit, as when someone comes to the hero and says, “You must come with me!” or implicit, as when he realizes he has no choice but to follow his destiny.

The hero’s journey is just one of many paths that a story can take. It is not your only option, but it’s one that has been used over and over again in modern entertainment, so you would do well to learn about it.

Create Your Own Hero’s Journey!

A long time ago, there was the great monomyth: the hero’s journey into the unknown. It was about taking that first step into the dark forest and finding out what awaited you there.

It was about leaving home behind; learning to live in new places; gathering your allies; meeting strange new people; and discovering who you really were. It was about facing down monsters and fighting demons, but it was also about facing down your own fears and weaknesses.

This archetype is still very much alive today, especially in movies and TV shows. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of many shows to take the concept of the hero’s journey and turn it on its head, making her a heroine instead of a hero.

More than that, Buffy had slayers before her who went out into the world to fight evil as well. 

   

Ever read a book and noticed that it follows a formula? Or ever watch a movie and asked yourself why it made you feel a certain way?

If so, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, such stories are often created according to a specific formula called the “Hero’s Journey.”

The Hero’s Journey is one of the most widely used story formulas out there. It was made popular by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell, an American mythologist, decided that this particular story structure was the most powerful and effective to evoke emotion and inspire change in people.