Archetypes and Stages in Hero's Journey: Literary and Mythological Analysis

The Road of Trials

The initiate, given supernatural aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness, and endurance.

The Ritual

An actual ceremony the initiate experiences that will mark their rite of passage into another state.

The Fall, AKA The Loss of Innocence

The descent from a higher to a lower state of being usually as a punishment for disobedience.

Death and Rebirth

The most common of all situational archetypes, this motif grows out of a parallel between the cycle of nature and the cycle of life.

The Battle between Good and Evil

A battle between two primal forces, with humankind showing eternal optimism in the portrayal of good triumphing over evil.

The Unhealable Wound

Either a physical or psychological wound that cannot be fully healed, symbolizing a loss of innocence.

The Innermost Cave

The initiate descends into a place of great trial, which can be within their own mind, leading to a form of rebirth.

The Unexplained Birth

Initiates are often born through non-biological explanations.

Supernatural Intervention

Spiritual beings intervene on the side of the initiate or sometimes against them.

Initiate/Hero as warrior

A near god-like hero faces physical challenges and external enemies.

Initiate/Hero as lover

A pure love motivates the hero to complete their quest.

Initiate/Hero as Scapegoat

The hero suffers for the sake of others.

Transcendent Hero

The hero of tragedy whose fatal flaw brings about their downfall, achieving a transforming realization or wisdom.

Romantic/Gothic Hero

Hero/lover with a decidedly dark side.

Proto-Feminist Hero

Female heroes; initiates and heroes can be of any gender.

Apocalyptic Initiate/Hero

Hero who faces the possible destruction of society.

Unwilling Initiate/Hero

The hero who is thrust into their journey.

Anti-Hero

A non-hero, given the vocation of failure, frequently humorous.

Defiant Anti-hero

Opposer of society's definition of heroism/goodness.

Unbalanced Initiate/Hero

The Protagonist who has (or must pretend to have) mental or emotional deficiencies.

The Other—the Denied Hero

The protagonist whose status or essential otherness makes heroism possible.

The Superheroic Initiate/Hero

Exaggerates the normal proportions of humanity; frequently has divine or supernatural origins.

Initiate

Young heroes or heroines who must go through training and ceremony before undertaking their quest.

Mentor

An older, wiser teacher to the initiate, serving as a father or mother figure.

Threshold Guardian

Serves as an obstacle that tests the hero's courage and worthiness to begin the journey.

Parent-Child Conflict

In this relationship, the tension is built due to separation from childhood or some other source when the two meet as adults.

Loyal Retainer

These are loyal companions willing to face hardship and ordeal in order to stay together. The Retainer's duty is to reflect the nobility and power of the hero.

Friendly Beast

An animal companion showing that nature is on the side of the hero.

The Shadow

A worthy opponent with whom the hero must struggle in a fight to the end. Must be destroyed or neutralized. Psychologically can represent the darker side of the hero's own psyche.

Devil Figure

This character is evil incarnate.

Evil Figure with Ultimately Good Heart

A devil figure with the potential to be good. This person is usually saved by the love of the initiate/hero.

Trickster

A creature who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior; with the help of their wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, they evade or fool monsters and villains and dangers with unorthodox manners. Often provides comic relief.

Herald

The role of the herald is to announce the challenge which begins the initiate on their journey. The herald is the person or piece of information which upsets the sleepy equilibrium in which the initiate has lived and starts the adventure.

Creature of Nightmare, AKA the Scarecrow

A monster usually summoned from the deepest, darkest part of the human psyche to threaten the lives of the initiate. Often it is a perversion or desecration of the human body.

Scapegoat

An animal, or more usually a human, whose death in a public ceremony expiates some taint or sin of a community. They are often more powerful in death than in life.

Outcast

A character banished from their social group, usually for a real or rumored transgression. They are usually destined to wander the world without home.

Platonic Ideal

A person who is a source of inspiration to the initiate/hero, who has an intellectual rather than physical attraction to them.

Damsel (Person) in Distress

A vulnerable person who needs to be rescued by the initiate/hero. They are often used as a trap to ensnare the unsuspecting hero.

The Earth Mother (Parent)

Symbolic of fruition, abundance, and fertility, this character traditionally offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to those with whom they come in contact.

Temptress/Temptor

Characterized by sensuous beauty, this person is one to whom the initiate/hero is physically attracted and who ultimately brings about his downfall.

Goddess/God

A good, beautiful person who may make an ideal marriage partner for the initiate/hero; they often have religious or intellectual overtones.

Unfaithful Spouse

A married person who sees their partner as dull or distant and is attracted to a more virile or interesting person.

Star-Crossed Lovers

Two characters engaged in a love affair fated to end tragically for one or both due to the disapproval of society, friends, family, or some tragic situation.

Shapeshifter

represents change, and is usually an enemy of the initiate/hero. The Shapeshifter will often appear as an ally, but turn out to be a false friend.

Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity

Some characters exhibit wisdom and understanding of situations instinctively as opposed to those supposedly in charge.