The Archetypal Hero

1
The Archetypal Hero

• What Do Luke Skywalker, Simba, King Arthur,
  Moses, and William Wallace all have in common?

2
Jung and Campbell

• Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell developed the idea
  of the archetype
• Archetype A recurring pattern of images,
  situations, or symbols found in the mythology,
  religion, art, and dreams that is repeated many
  times in literatures of cultures and eras around
  the world.

Joseph Campbell
Carl Jung
3
An archetype can be

• a character
• a plot
• things events

4
Doesnt that mean that in some ways we are
telling the same old stories over and over?

• Some experts say there are only a dozen or two
  basic stories in the whole world.
• They argue that people have changed the
  characters and settings to make the story
  relevant to the lives of people who are listening
  to them, reading them, or watching them.
• By adapting stories so that they relate to
  contemporary life, storytellers keep the tales
  interesting.

5
Archetypal Hero Traits

• Unusual Circumstances of Birth
• Leaves Family and Lives With Others
• Traumatic Event Leads to Quest
• Special Weapon
• Supernatural Help
• Proves Himself on Quest
• Journey and Unhealable Wound
• Atonement With Father
• Spiritual Apotheosis

6
Unusual Birth

• Often in danger or born into royalty
• Luke w/ aunt and uncle
• Simba born a prince
• Moses put in basket
• King Arthur in danger from Uther Pendragons
  rivals

7
Leaves Family

• Raised away from his people
• Luke w/ aunt and uncle
• Simba w/ Timon and Poombah
• King Arthur w/ Merlin
• William Wallace with uncle
• Moses w/ Pharaohs daughter

8
Traumatic Event

• A heros life is changed forever
• Lukes aunt and uncles death
• Wallaces wife is killed
• Arthur pulls sword from stone
• Simba fights Nala
• Yahweh appears to Moses

9
Special Weapon

• Only the hero can wield his weapon
• Lukes light saber
• Arthurs Excalibur
• Moses staff
• Wallaces sword
• Simbas ... claws?

10
Supernatural Help

• Hero often has spiritual guidance
• Luke hears Obi-Wan Kenobi
• Arthur has Merlin
• Yahweh guides Moses
• Wallace dreams of his dead father
• Simba sees Mufasa in the sky and has Rafiki help
  him

11
Proves Himself

• Hero performs feats while on Quest
• Luke blows up Death Star, leads rebellion
• Arthur leads battles
• Moses perform miracles
• Simba contemplates his life
• Wallace leads his men against British

12
Journey Unhealable Wound

• Hero descends into a hell-like area and suffers
  wounding from encounter w/ evil
• Symbolically goes where normal humans cant and
  finds truth about self

13
Atonement With Father

• Hero either redeems fathers evil deeds or
  reconciles with father over wrongs done by the
  hero

14
Apotheosis

• Hero is rewarded spiritually at the end of his
  life