The Hero

1
The Heros Journey The Lord of the Rings The
Fellowship of the Ring

• By Andrew Lockard

2
Departure (Separation)
3
The Ordinary World

• This is the heros home environment where his
  friends and family are located. The story starts
  here so that the separation becomes apparent.
• Frodo lives in the isolated Hobbit community
  known as the Shire with his Uncle, Bilbo.

4
Call to Adventure

• There is an awakening of the self to an unknown,
  unexpected world. The hero becomes aware of a
  new, unusual, exciting, forbidden, and/or foreign
  world. The hero outgrows his old world. The old
  concepts, ideals, and emotional patterns no
  longer fit the time for passing the threshold is
  at hand. Sometimes, chance reveals an unexpected
  world therefore the hero is forced to leave.
• Bilbo disappears from his party and leaves for
  Rivendell, leaving behind his magic ring.
  Gandalf gives the ring to Frodo and leaves to
  research the ring and promises to return. Once
  Gandalf realizes the power of the ring, he
  entrusts Frodo to bring it to the Council of
  Elrond.

5
Refusal of the Call

• Often the hero feels that he/she has it too
  good and refuses to give up all that they
  currently have. The hero doesnt understand that
  the refusal of the call means a refusal to move
  on in life. The hero views his present system of
  ideals, virtues, goals, and advantages as fixed
  and secure, or the hero is waiting for the
  perfect call. Often times the refusal will be
  encourage by another character.
• Frodo tries to give the ring to Gandalf to keep
  it.

6
Supernatural Aid

• This can come in the form of a protective figure,
  usually an elder. It provides the hero with
  something which will help the hero move forward
  in his adventure. Supernatural figures represent
  a benign, protector power of destiny. It
  represents the forces of the unconscious at the
  heros side.
• Gandalf gives Frodo the Ring of Power, but warns
  him never to use it.
• Sam overhears the conversation between Gandalf
  and Frodo and Gandalf enlists him to help Frodo
  on his adventure.

7
Crossing the Threshold

• The hero ventures into an unknown world which
  breaks tradition, and the hero meets some
  dangerous presence. The hero encounters a
  threshold guardian at the entrance of the zone
  of magnified power. This guardian stands in the
  way of the hero moving on to the next area.
  Beyond the entrance to this zone is darkness, the
  unknown, and danger.
• Frodo and his party encounter a Ring Wraith on
  the road. They escape him by jumping onto a raft
  to cross a river.

8
In the Belly of the Whale

• Once the hero has crossed the threshold, his old
  world is destroyed. He moves into a world of
  darkness and will not come out until he is ready
  to return. The hero goes inward in order to be
  reborn.
• Aragorn leads the Hobbits into the wild. Frodo
  is stabbed by a Ring Wraiths poisonous sword and
  becomes deathly ill.

9
Initiation
10
The Road of Trials

• The hero experiences miraculous tests or ordeals
  on the road of trials. There are usually several
  incidents that affect the hero at this point.
  The hero will appear weak and vulnerable, but he
  will also begin to show growth. The hero finds
  parts of himself he was unaware of and
  assimilates his unexpected self.
• Frodo and his party must outrun the Ring Wraiths
  to Rivendell and seek treatment for Frodos
  wounds.

11
The Meeting with the Goddess

• The hero meets a goddess that shows him what
  perfection is truly like. The hero witnesses all
  that can be accomplished often times, his mission
  becomes much clearer. The goddess encourages the
  hero to continue.
• Arwen, a woman elf, rides ahead with Frodo to get
  him across the river and into the Elvish land,
  where he will be protected.
• Frodo later encounters Galadriel, an Elven Queen,
  who also possesses a ring of power. She urges
  him to continue on and gives him gifts.

12
The Woman as the Temptress

• The hero meets a presence that attempts to
  destroy the heros mission. Often the temptress
  is sent by the evil forces working against the
  hero in order to try to stop the hero.
• The Ring Wraiths tempt Frodo to give in and
  surrender the Ring to Sauron.

13
Atonement with the Father

• Father symbolizes judgment the hero overcomes
  fear, judgment, and mental blocks that may have
  been holding him back. This stage shows growth
  and the ability to take on adult
  responsibilities.
• Frodo reunites with Bilbo he later accepts his
  uncles gifts and realizes that he now carries the
  burden his father once did.

14
Apotheosis

• The hero is in a divine, god-like state
  (ecstasy). The hero goes beyond the last terrors
  of ignorance. The hero recognizes the big
  picture (spiritual understanding can be known).
  The hero finally understands why he has been on
  his journey. The journey is not over, but the
  hero understands what it takes to return. The
  hero becomes free from all fear, beyond the reach
  of change.
• Frodo is selected to carry the Ring to the fires
  of Mount Doom and destroy it permanently the
  Fellowship of the Ring is created.

15
The Ultimate Boon

• The hero receives the prize that he has been
  after.
• Frodo keeps the Ring and the powers and burdens
  it brings with it.

16
Return
17
Refusal of the Return

• The hero should bring their wisdom back to their
  kingdom of humanity. The hero often wishes to
  remain in isolation with his boon.
• Frodo is tempted to cast the burden onto another
  and return to the Shire to live in peace. He
  instead accepts his fate and continues his
  adventure.

18
Magic in Flight (the Chase)

• The hero has his reward, now he must return to
  safety. There may be forces still working
  against him. A chase ensures. The hero
  usually appears as a changed person by this time.
  Their final chase is characterized by the heros
  confidence and bravery.
• Frodo and the Fellowship must escape from the
  goblins and orcs in Moria and outrun the Balrog.

19
Rescue from Without

• The world may have to come to retrieve the hero.
  Attaining the boon has drained the hero and he
  needs assistance in returning.
• Frodo had to be rescued by Aragorn from the
  collapsing stairwell.

20
Crossing the Return Threshold

• There is a difficulty in the heros return the
  world has changed and so has the hero. The hero
  may not be accepted back to his old world. He
  may feel awkward upon his immediate return. The
  returning hero must survive the impact of the
  world he may not be able to verbalize the wisdom
  he has gained through his journey. The hero
  conquers the difficulty in returning, showing
  that he is able to adapt.
• Frodo has trouble learning to continue his
  journey without his friend Gandalf. He continues
  on with his journey despite trying to deal with
  the death of his long time friend.

21
Master of Two Worlds

• Hero has attained wisdom in both the spiritual
  and material world. The hero gives up completely
  all attachment to his personal limitations,
  hopes, and fears. The hero no longer tries to
  live, but willingly relaxes to whatever may come
  to pass in him.
• Frodo accepts Gandalfs death as one of the
  sacrifices he must make in order for his quest to
  succeed.

22
Freedom to Live

• The hero reconciles the fact that every creature
  lives on the death of another. The hero
  understands that it was only through the death
  of his former self that the new life was able to
  surface. The hero learns never to be afraid of
  the next moment, he has learned to be.
• Frodo accepts that his friends may sometimes have
  to die for the greater good, and that he too is
  sacrificing himself for the burdens he bears.