The Eight Character Archetypes of the Hero’s Journey

In his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell identified the broadly recurring pattern of superhuman or otherwise extraordinary exploits of individuals known as the hero archetype and described his theory of the ‘monomyth’ – the cross-cultural story formula for a hero’s journey.

Campbell’s concept of monomyth (one myth) refers to the theory that sees all mythic narratives as variations of a single great story. The theory is based on the observation that a common pattern exists beneath the narrative elements of most great myths, regardless of their origin or time of creation.

• Hero. The hero is the audience’s personal tour guide on the adventure that is the story.
• Mentor. The hero has to learn how to survive in the new world incredibly fast, so the mentor appears to give them a fighting chance.
• Herald.
• Trickster.
• Shapeshifter.
• Guardian.
• Shadow.

Joseph Campbell, (born March 26, 1904, New York, New York, U.S.—died October 30, 1987, Honolulu, Hawaii), prolific American author and editor whose works on comparative mythology examined the universal functions of myth in various human cultures and mythic figures in a wide range of literatures.

three major phases: departure, initiation, and return. Within this three stages there are several sub-stages.

– Lastly, Joseph Campbell is a beautiful writer, and it is a beautiful book (as are all of his works), they exude love and a deep compassion for humanity and are absolutely worth reading. Whether you’re attempting to find those Answers in Campbell, Vogler, or anyone else, the hero’s journey is a clue, not a highway.

• “The Hero With a Thousand Faces” is his classic work – and most would agree it remains his best – but it’s not an easy read…
• So start with one of his more accessible works: “The Power of Myth” is one possibility but in terms of spiritual fulfillment I’d suggest you try “Pathways to Bliss”.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself,” according to Campbell’s definition. Anyone can become a hero—on purpose or even accidentally.

Carl Jung was very important to Joseph Campbell’s work. Of the psychological theorists that Campbell drew from, Jung was by far the most important. Jung’s theory of the inner life of the human being was visual. Jung’s view was that we process experiences by the flow of energies.

The hero’s journey is a metaphor for the inner adventure Jung described as individuation, ‘the treasure hard to attain’ and life’s true goal. “The dream consisted of 3 segments.

Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was a world-renowned mythologist who helped modern society understand the true power that storytelling has in our culture and within our personal lives. George Lucas was an avid admirer of Campbell’s writings, and used them as a direct reference in his creation of Star Wars.

Campbell was a heavy smoker throughout his life and was seldom seen without his customary cigarette holder.

The Star Wars story follows the mythical hero’s journey, a familiar storytelling structure that bridges cultures across time. The hero’s journey follows many familiar steps, where the protagonist takes up the call for action and grows to be a great hero.

In narratology and comparative mythology, the hero’s journey, or the monomyth, is the common template of stories that involve a hero who goes on an adventure, is victorious in a decisive crisis, and comes home changed or transformed.

Jedi Master Yoda

Master Dooku

Though trained by his uncle Luke Skywalker as a Jedi, he was seduced to the dark side of the Force by Supreme Leader Snoke, and aspires to be as powerful as his grandfather, the Sith Lord Darth Vader.

Yoda, a wise and trusted counselor, becomes Luke’s mentor. Yoda played an important role in Luke’s life – he helped Luke grow as a person and served as his guide for his Jedi journey. Their relationship developed over time, and Luke reaped the rewards of Yoda’s wisdom and experience.

Yoda demonstrates, as the mentor to mentors, how to give support to a promising individual, how to offer challenges that permit one to learn and grow, and how to provide vision so that the “mentee” gains confidence and, eventually, independence.

Obi-Wan Kenobi

The mentor is a guide for the protagonist, and is often seen giving them advice and sometimes gifts. They can be a parent, grandparent, friend, coach, or teacher. They are often mystical or foreign in origin — sometimes portrayed as a wizard — and can take many forms, including dark, fallen, and comic.

Padmé Amidala

Qui-Gon

As a diversionary tactic to help the others escape, Kenobi sacrificed himself to Vader. The Dark Lord struck the Jedi down, and Kenobi became one with the Force. He left behind no body, just empty robes and his own Jedi weapon. Kenobi’s death strengthened Skywalker’s resolve to serve both the Rebellion and the Force.

He found the key to immortality. By using the living and cosmic Force in tandem, he was able to unlock the secrets of eternal life. He shared his knowledge with Yoda in Season Six of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, telling Yoda, “I am a manifestation of the Force, a Force that consists of two parts.

The young Jedi, in a surprising move, cut Maul in two and sent him tumbling down the planet core, seemingly destroyed. Thought dead, Darth Maul survived his injuries by focusing on his hatred of Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Jedi who cut him in half.

Dathomirian

Palpatine is killed by a blaster shot fired by Han, but his spirit is captured by the mortally wounded Jedi Empatojayos Brand. When Brand dies, he takes Palpatine’s spirit with him into the netherworld of the Force, destroying the Sith Lord once and for all.

the stormtroopers