Today we’re going to talk about the Hero archetype and its traits, and the Hero’s Journey, a crucial psychological and mythological framework that describes how the Hero, and how we, make a vision reality.
To get a solid understanding of this archetype, which is predominantly a male archetype, I recommend you look for it in fictional characters and in your life and those of others.You’ll be amazed at how often it appears in fiction.
You’re also about to learn the Hero’s Journey, which describes how the Hero archetype follows and realises his grand vision. This journey forms the framework for hundreds of films, and it brilliantly captures the journey we ourselves undertake when trying to achieve anything significant.
Key Traits of The Hero Archetype
Vision
First and foremost, the Hero archetype has vision, a strong, compelling vision that undergirds and guides all his heroic deeds. This is the target he shoots for as he fights enemies, seizes prized objects and jumps into the fire. This what gives him motivation to act. Without a vision, the Hero has no verve. He envisions bolstering his kingdom, rescuing a dame, capturing the jewels, or saving his citizens from danger.
The Hero Archetype and Courage
The Hero knows that his life is on a knife’s edge, yet he continues to fight for the good cause. And as he undertakes the Hero’s Journey (see below), he must overcome many Guardians and obstacles on his way. Eventually, he must descend down into the depths of hell so he can conquer himself psychologically and become the warrior who will defeat the Final Boss.
Persistence
The Hero archetype must be doggedly persistent in his attempt to realise his vision and size the Holy Grail. He constantly comes up against obstacles, both external and internal. He fails many times on his journey, but knows that through sheer persistence he will achieve his target. Though he is tempted to give up, his persistence is stronger than his fear, and eventually he prevails in his mission.
Transformation of the Hero Archetype
Before he undertakes the good fight, he is usually an immature, unexperienced farm boy who fears anything that eclipses his small circle of concern. By the time he has prevailed, he is a seasoned warrior who is capable of fighting dark forces. He undergoes wholesale physical and mental transformation.
The Hero’s Journey: How We Live Out The Hero Archetype
To get a full understanding of the Hero archetype, you want become ultra-familiar with the Hero’s Journey.
This journey is the framework for the journey of protagonists in hundreds of novels, films and stories. It’s a journey you know very well: you yourself walk the Hero’s path whenever you undertake a new pursuit or change your life in a meaningful way. In any area that entails growth, you experience this journey.
Learning about this will help you understand your previous life phases and help you navigate those to come. It maps out your journey with new careers, hobbies, relationships, and any other undertaking.
I doubt I’d have been able to start my site, YouTube channel, classes and coaching if I hadn’t know about it. I’ll describe the different phases of my journey as they relate to those of the formal Hero’s Journey.
Humdrum Life
The Hero begins in his humdrum, ordinary life. In fact, he’s not a Hero in this phase. His journey is yet to begin. He’s usually a naïve, weak, fearful young man who lives a sheltered, insular life in some remote village. He feels the tug of a higher calling but can’t articulate it and is too fearful.
I felt this very strongly in the first few years after graduating from university. I didn’t want a career related to my degree, but I had no second option. I spent a few years doing various kinds of self-employed work, and could have lived very comfortably on that, but all the while I felt hollow inside. I knew I was capable of so much more, and I had a passion for psychology and meditation. But I was also too scared to start something new. I was in limbo mode. I went round and round in my head bemoaning my situation and hitting up against the ceiling of fear.
The Call to Adventure
The Hero’s Journey begins with the Call to Adventure. This is when he is summoned to begin his journey. Sometimes it’s a playful invitation; other times it’s a knock on the door; other times his entire village is destroyed and he has no option but to leave and face his destiny. In any case, something comes in and shakes up his humdrum existence.
Now, he often rejects the first Call to Adventure. Though he’s not happy in his humdrum life, it seems better than the discomfort and uncertainty required to undertake the journey. His fear dominates and keeps him stuck.
After much resistance, eventually he is forced to say yes to the Call to Adventure. Like it or not, he’s on the Hero’s Journey.
This happens metaphorically in our lives whenever we’re living an unsatisfying but comfortable life and something comes in to shake it up, forcing us to pursue our higher calling or start a new endeavour.
In my case, the initial Call to Adventure came back in 2018, when I started my first blog. I was excited and began regularly publishing material related to psychology and spirituality, but my dominant feeling was fear. I didn’t feel remotely capable of making a living from it. I felt I was too young to have an opinion on the topics I discussed. And after a few months I threw in the towel. Three years later, sick of my stagnation in life, I accepted the Call to Adventure for real, and began seriously trying to make a living online.
The Holy Grail
As the Hero sets off on his journey, he becomes aware of his ultimate goal. To this unseasoned youth, it seems lofty, far-out, impossible to attain. For this reason, it’s called the Holy Grail. The Hero’s Journey is the journey that the Hero takes to reach the Holy Grail.
To reach it, he must traverse the dark, uncharted woods and face all kinds of monsters and demons on his path.
I was very clear about the Holy Grail when I started. I knew I wanted to make a living from the website. I sensed I was capable, but had no idea how to make it happen.
The Mentor
Once the Hero begins the journey, he finds or stumbles upon a mentor, who helps him to orient himself, gain the required skills, overcome his fears, and fight off the Hero’s enemies. Often he’s a wise old man who has completed the Hero’s Journey himself.
In fact, on his journey the Hero usually has a series of mentors. They come and go, and at some point in the journey (usually when he’s approaching the Final Boss), the Hero is forced to go it alone.
On my journey, my mentors have been all those people who have given me knowledge, courage, advice and guidance as I overcome the Threshold Guardians and fight to overcome the Final Boss. Books, podcasts, articles, and internet forums have served as mentors and given rise to human ones.
Threshold Guardians
On his journey, the Hero comes up against many obstacles, some minor, some major. There are a series of large obstacles called Threshold Guardians. These are the big milestones on the journey to the Holy Grail, the monsters that block the gates to the next stretch of the path. Sometimes the Hero defeats the guardians at first attempt; other times he is defeated and must retreat and regroup.
Beautiful Vistas
Every now and then, the Hero is rewarded for his efforts with a taste of success. This doesn’t come close to the grandeur of the Holy Grail, but they show him that his work was worth it and encourage him to continue, even if his ultimate goal remains distant.
Though my journey has been filled with drudgery and failure, I’ve had moments when I’ve glimpsed what it’s like to capture the Holy Grail. Building my new website. Reaching 1,000 monthly website users. Selling my first ebook and online course. These gave me the boosts of motivation I needed to continue on my path.
The Final Boss
Eventually, after much travelling and fighting, the Hero comes to face the Final Boss. This is the final obstacle on his journey to the Holy Grail. It’s also the toughest. This is the dragon that guards the dame, the evil tyrant who threatens his kingdom, the monster protecting the jewels.
The battle with the Final Boss is a matter of life and death. The Hero could easily be killed or fatally wounded. Yet if he prevails, the Holy Grail is his.
Before he can tackle the Final Boss, the Hero must go down into the depths of hell and face his greatest fear, whether it’s a fear of death, of poverty, of embarrassment, or of rejection. His psychology starts screwing with him. He has a moment of despair. Only once he has overcome his greatest limitation is he able to summon the courage to give battle.
Seizing The Grail and Returning Home
The Hero goes inside and overcomes his fears, and faces the Final Boss. By hook or by crook, he prevails and the Holy Grail is waiting for him. As he goes to seize it, he thinks back to his humdrum life, the ordinary world in which he started. He realises the transformation he has undergone in undertaking the journey.
The Holy Grail changes its meaning to him. He now desires to use it for altruistic purposes.
He seizes the Grail and takes it home to parade it to the kids and elders in the village. He shares his tales of adventure and the wisdom he has gained.
What’s Your Journey?
You have lived out many Hero’s Journeys, and you will live out many more. You might even be fighting a Threshold Guardian right now, or about to give battle to the Final Boss. I ask you, what’s your next Hero’s Journey? What are your highest visions for yourself and your life?
Be prepared: the Call To Adventure will eventually come. You can either accept the call and begin the fight, or stay comfortable in your humdrum, run-of-the-mill existence. If you summon enough courage to accept it, this map will serve you well as you navigate the terrain and fight the monsters that stand between you and the Holy Grail.
The Hero Archetype vs The Warrior
The Hero archetype, according to Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, is a boyhood archetype (in contrast to the Warrior, King and Magician). It tends to be younger and more afraid than the Warrior. The Hero often undertakes his cause, knowingly or not, for self-aggrandisement, while the Warrior is only interested in the cause itself.
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The post The Hero Archetype: My Take first appeared on Deep Psychology.
The post The Hero Archetype: My Take appeared first on Deep Psychology.
