Hero's Journey Topic Research

In researching more about heroic stories, I found information about the hero's journey "monomyth", for which there is a lengthy Wikipedia article. The most popular formulation of the monomyth is credited to Joseph Campbell, who writes that there are key narrative stages universal to stories about heroes; that is to say that most heroic myths follow the same pattern. While the existence of such a universal framework appears to be controversial, I had the idea that my storybook could be one that deliberately inverts the formula at each stage.

One interpretation of the monomyth (Wikimedia Commons)

The first stage of Campbell's monomyth is the Departure, in which a reluctant hero-to-be is compelled to action by an outside force. The hero receives supernatural aid as he departs from the comfort of his community to engage in a quest. My first story would parallel the Departure in reverse, in that an eager hero arrives in a community which itself is reluctant to accept him. Instead of receiving divine assistance, our hero finds that the supernatural forces at play in this land reject him and attempt to turn him away.

In the monomyth, next comes the Initiation: the hero faces several trials as part of his quest, all preparing him for victory as he eventually receives the sought-after boon which inspired the quest. In my story, each trial might appear to bring the hero closer to some powerful artifact, but in reality the boon would have been something he brought with him in the first place. The hero's freedom would fit the role, as his passage through each trial in this land might do more to trap him there. This part of the storybook would end with his realization that he had lost that most valuable thing in his quest for power.

The final stage of Campbell's monomyth is the Return, in which the victorious hero must reluctantly return to his community, often facing trials which prevent safe passage homeward. In my final story, the hero, eager to escape, might instead find difficulty departing because of the supernatural forces that now trap him. This story might end with him relinquishing the artifact he sought (and his heroic desire along with it) in vying for the freedom he had at the outset of his quest.

Project Topic Brainstorm

Below are some topic ideas I'm considering for the class project!

“Heroes of Myth and Legend”

The first project idea that stuck out to me was “Heroes of Myth and Legend”. I’d love to write a story of a rags-to-riches hero’s journey. I like some of the twists that the linked storybooks threw in to their heroic stories, so I’ll probably have to think of my own.

"Legendary Creatures"

It would be pretty easy to weave stories about legendary creatures into a hero’s story, so I don’t think I’d have to choose between the topics of “Legendary Creatures” and the above topic. Maybe our noble hero could defeat progressively more terrifying monsters of legend (like Heracles!).

One legendary creature: a griffin as depicted by Wenceslaus Hollar (Wikimedia Commons)

“Stories from the Heptameron”

“Stories from the Heptameron” caught my eye because I had no idea what a Heptameron was. I think the idea of “renaissance urban legends” might be fun to try to adapt to different time periods including the present day. Even if I don’t go with this one for a project, it might be fun to read this unit one week.

“The Kalevala”

“The Kalevala” would be neat to draw inspiration from in my own stories. While of course I haven’t read it yet, it might be a cool idea to adopt the epic poem structure for my own storybook. I could see where that might be a little difficult though as I’m no poet!