Initiation

By, Jen, Marie, Katie, and Moheb

Road of Trials• First step- hero crosses to a new realm• encounters a series of tests• grows -->reach his ultimate objective.• A series of tests, tasks, or ordeals: begin

transformation• often occur in threes • hero often fails at least one of these tests

Road of Trials Cont.• Hero moves in a dreamlike

landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials.

•  aided by a supernatural helper • original departure- beginning of

perilous path of conquests and moments of illumination

• Road of Trials- Sparring with Morpheus (edited for young viewers)

Meeting of the Goddess

•  commonly represented as a mystical marriage (triumphant hero soul with the Queen Goddess of the world)

•  the final test of the talent of the hero to win the boon of love, which is life itself enjoyed as the encasement of eternity.

• is the symbol of life and is all that can be known. • guide through trials

Meeting of the Goddess Examples

•  King Arthur meets the Lady of the Lake

• Harry- Hermoine, Ginny, and Lily•  first meeting with Hermoine

 

Woman as Temptress

• Along the way, the hero may meet temptation, often in female form.

• short-term relief or gratification • giving in- fail/ prove unworthy. •  chance to prove his worth and his morals and

values • material and carnal love (short-term pleasure has

no longer-term value)

  

Woman as Temptress Example

• In Star Wars- Leia • In Lord of the Rings- Frodo meets

much temptation to rid himself of the burden of the ring

Sam Galadriel 

• Spiderman 3- Jazz Dance•  Ursula tempts Prince Eric

Atonement with the Father: “the inner challenge”

• A competitive and authoritative force (the father figure) wants to keep the hero from succeeding.

• starts in nursery • abandons his ego and submits to the father. • approval of the father- the hero is permitted to a higher

plane.• beating the father figure- the hero takes the head of the

table and thus becomes the father.• AT-ONE-MENT  

Atonement Examples• Teenage sons rebel against fathers-

discover when they are older that their fathers only wanted the best for them 

 

•  In Star Wars when Luke and Darth Vader• Luke's little surprise

  

Apotheosis

• elevation to divine status; deification, perfect example • commonly used to refer to the Roman pagan process-

deification/ divine right• American presidents such as Washington and Lincoln have

undergone apotheosis.• After trials -the hero transcends• point of realization -a greater understanding is achieved. • Armed with this new knowledge and perception--> ready for the

more difficult part of the adventure.• transition- symbolized with the change in appearance• the cycle of death and rebirth is repeated- hero dies as their

former self and is reborn into new self• birth signals another death- hero is now truly ready for the self-

sacrifice of the final act

Apotheosis examples

• Star Wars- Luke is prepared to sacrifice himself rather than be taken by the Dark Side.

 • Obi-Wan- transforms, disappearing

just as he is about to be killed by Darth Vader in battle

 • Sherlock Holmes's 'aha' moment in

which he realizes how the crime has been committed and who the criminal really is.

• In Lord of the Rings, after battling the Balrog and Saruman, Gandalf changes from Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White.

• Hercules

The Ultimate Boon

• the goal of the journey is achieved • after a battle with the ultimate villain or a

particularly difficult last trial. • a blessing that the hero may share with

mankind after returning to them.• often the climax of the story- major tension

of the story is resolved.• the hero is now ready to receive the great gift

The Ultimate Boon examples

• Star Wars- Luke finally trusts in the force, manages to drop the bomb in the right place and so destroys the Death Star.

• In Lord of the Rings- the One Ring is finally destroyed.

• Aragorn-heir of Isildur to the throne of Gondor.

• Indiana Jones- gains the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail and other treasures.

• The Big Finale

Works Cited: moongadget.com/origins/myth.html http://www.mythichero.com/meeting_with_the_goddess.htmhttp://www.uky.edu/~aubel2/eng104/myth/hero.pdfhttp://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/plots/hero_journey/woman_temptress.htmhttp://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/plots/hero_journey/atonement_father.htmhttp://www.apocprod.com/Pages/Hero/Hero_Diagram_Pages/father_atonement.htmhttp://changingminds.org/disciplines/storytelling/plots/hero_journey/ultimate_boon.htm