Figure 2: a simplified representation of the hero’s journey according to
Campbell [1949]
Stages in the Hero’s Journey
Campbell [1949] identifies 17 common, archetypical stages in a typical myth. Both he
and later critics note that most myths only exhibit a few of these stages. Therefore, I
will not discuss all of them in detail, but focus on those that seem most universal (see
Fig. 2). A typical myth will start by setting the stage with a short description of the
hero’s birth, upbringing, and social environment. This gives us a feeling for the
“normal”, i.e. known or predictable, environment.
The first actual stage is the “call to action”: the hero receives some signal of
the existence of a great danger to be tackled or an extraordinary resource to be found.
As the message typically has a mysterious origin—e.g. a dream, a manuscript found
in a bottle, or an announcement made by a witch or angel—, this call can be seen as
an intrusion from another, unknown realm into the everyday world. In essence, the
call represents a mystery or problem to be resolved, thus defining the overall goal or
quest that will direct the hero’s further course of action. Perhaps after some
hesitations and ruminations about whether the potential benefits outweigh the dangers
(“refusal of the call”), the hero decides to follow the call and prepares for the journey
into the unknown.
In this stage (“supernatural aid”), the hero typically gathers special resources
that may help to cope with unfamiliar dangers. These can be material (e.g. a sword, a
magic potion, or an amulet), informational (e.g. advice, a map), or social (e.g. a
companion, or someone to call on in case of emergency). A classic example is the
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