Heros journey + Archetypes

Ordinary World

The hero's normal life before the adventure begins.

Call to Adventure

The hero is presented with a challenge or quest.

Refusal of the Call

The hero hesitates or refuses the challenge due to fear or doubt.

Meeting the Mentor

A mentor provides guidance, tools, or inspiration to the hero.

Crossing the Threshold

The hero leaves the ordinary world and enters the adventure's unknown realm.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

The hero faces trials, makes friends, and confronts foes while learning about the new world.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

The hero prepares for the main challenge, often facing inner doubts or external dangers.

Ordeal

The hero confronts a major life-or-death crisis, transforming them profoundly.

Reward (Seizing the Sword)

After surviving the ordeal, the hero claims their reward or achieves their goal.

The Road Back

The hero begins their return to the ordinary world, often facing new challenges.

Resurrection

The hero faces a final test, emerging fully transformed.

Return with the Elixir

The hero returns home, sharing the gained wisdom, power, or treasure to benefit others.

Omen

A sign or event believed to foretell the future, often signaling something good or bad.

Seminary

A school for training religious leaders, especially priests or ministers.

Capricious

Characterized by sudden and unpredictable changes in mood or behavior; impulsive.

Abash

To embarrass or make someone feel ashamed.

Exultant

Extremely joyful or triumphant; filled with great happiness.

Prognostication

A prediction or forecast about the future, often based on signs or evidence.

Golgotha

A place of suffering or sacrifice; originally referring to the site where Jesus was crucified.

Broil

A heated conflict or quarrel; can also mean to cook something with direct heat.

Valor

Courage or bravery, especially in battle.

Compunctious

Feeling remorse or guilt; having a sense of regret for wrongdoing.

Consort

A companion, partner, or associate; can also mean to associate with someone, often disapproved of.

Lamenting

Expressing sorrow, grief, or regret.

Eminence

High rank, fame, or superiority in a specific field.

Jocund

Cheerful and lighthearted; showing high spirits.

Central Idea

The main point or message of a literary work, encapsulating its themes and purpose.

Theme

The overarching message or insight about life and human nature that a literary work conveys.

Satire

A literary technique that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize or ridicule human behavior, institutions, or societal norms.

Archetype

A universal, recurring symbol, character, or motif in literature, representing common human experiences (e.g., the hero, the mentor).

Foreshadowing

A hint or clue about events that will occur later in the story.

Personification

A figure of speech where human characteristics are attributed to non-human objects, animals, or ideas.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or concepts, giving them deeper meanings.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as' (e.g., 'Time is a thief').

Allusion

A reference to a well-known person, place, event, or work of art, often used to enhance meaning.

Flashback

A narrative device that interrupts the chronological flow of events to show something that happened earlier.

Antihero

A central character in a story who lacks traditional heroic qualities like bravery or morality.

Foil

A character who contrasts with another, often the protagonist, to highlight certain traits or qualities.

Deus Ex Machina

A plot device where an unexpected power or event resolves a seemingly hopeless situation, often artificially.

Imagery

Descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating vivid pictures in the reader's mind.

Monologue

A long speech by one character in a play or story, often expressing their thoughts or feelings.

Aside

A brief remark by a character, directed to the audience, that other characters on stage are not supposed to hear.

Soliloquy

A speech in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, usually when alone, revealing inner feelings.

Situational Irony

When the opposite of what is expected occurs, creating surprise or contradiction.

Dramatic Irony

When the audience knows something that the characters do not, creating tension or humor.

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in closely connected words (e.g., 'Peter Piper picked a peck').

Synecdoche

A figure of speech where a part is used to represent the whole (e.g., 'all hands on deck' to mean sailors) or vice versa.

The Mentor

A character that generally appears when the hero is given a mission, guiding them through their journey. Without the mentor, the hero would struggle with their quest.

Significance of The Mentor

The mentor guides the hero through their journey, and without them, the hero would face increased challenges.

The Herald

The messenger who delivers life-changing news for the hero, which could also be an event, serving as a gateway into adventure.

Significance of The Herald

The Herald provides a new beginning and if they didn’t exist, there would be no adventure.

Allies

Characters or helpers who aid the hero in achieving their goals; they help narrate the story.

Significance of Allies

Allies support the hero’s journey and contribute to the overall narrative.

Villain

A character that stands in the way of the hero, creating conflict and challenges for personal gain.

Significance of the Villain

The villain creates conflict, challenges the protagonist, and adds complexity to the hero's journey.

Trickster

A character known for deceiving others and manipulating situations to achieve their goals.

Significance of the Trickster

The Trickster creates tension and conflict and reveals injustice; their absence would make the story ordinary.

Threshold Guardian

A character or entity that tests the hero's readiness to continue on their journey.

Significance of Threshold Guardian

The Threshold Guardian poses challenges and can sabotage the hero, testing their resolve.