the hero's journey revelation

Zach Leighton

The biblical narrative through the stages of the hero’s journey.

• April 15, 2024

The Bible is a profound collection of ancient texts that has captivated readers for centuries with its compelling stories. Within its pages, we find stories of love, loss, redemption, and triumph that mirror everyday life and the journey of the archetypal hero.

But have you ever wondered if there is a deeper structure to these narratives? Could the biblical story follow a pattern similar to Joseph Campbell’s concept of “The Hero’s Journey”? 

In this article, we will explore how the six-act structure of the biblical narrative aligns with this timeless storytelling framework, revealing the intricate design of human life as it crosses the threshold of adventure toward personal transformation. 

Get ready to embark on a journey through creation, rebellion, salvation, redemption, mission, and reconciliation as we discover the hero’s path in the biblical narrative, confronting the fear of death, experiencing a symbolic death, and participating in the literary traditions that form a common template for our most cherished stories.

Table of Contents

Introduction: unveiling the stages of the hero’s journey.

Stories have a way of capturing our hearts and minds, taking us on thrilling adventures and leaving us forever changed. One such storytelling framework is Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey,” which describes a pattern found in myths and legends from cultures around the world. This narrative structure consists of several key stages that a hero must go through to achieve their ultimate goal.

Interestingly, the biblical redemptive narrative can be perceived as a universal story structure that mirrors “The Hero’s Journey,” including the initiation stage and the journey steps crucial for the hero’s transformation.

This framework can also provide a new lens through which we can understand and appreciate these ancient stories. Let’s dive into the six-act structure of the biblical narrative and discover how it aligns with the journey of the hero.

Act 1: God Establishes His Kingdom – Creation

In the first act of the biblical narrative, we witness the grand beginning of all things. It is here that God establishes His kingdom, creating the heavens, the earth, and everything in them. This act sets the stage for the hero’s journey, presenting an idyllic world where harmony reigns supreme.

The Call to Adventure: The Beginning of All Things

Just as every hero receives a call to adventure, so too does the biblical narrative begin with a divine call. In Genesis, we read how God spoke the universe into existence, crafting the heavens and the earth out of nothing. Through His creative power, God sets the foundation for the heroic journey that unfolds throughout the Bible.

Meeting the Mentor: God’s Role as Creator and Guide

As heroes embark on their quests, they often encounter mentors who provide guidance and wisdom. In the case of the biblical narrative, God takes on this role. As the creator of all things, He possesses infinite knowledge and wisdom. His presence throughout the story serves as a guiding force for both individual heroes and humanity as a whole.

Crossing the Threshold: Humanity Enters the World

In the hero’s journey, crossing the threshold represents leaving the ordinary world behind and entering into the realm of adventure. For humanity in the biblical narrative, this moment occurs when God breathes life into Adam and Eve, placing them in the Garden of Eden. This marked the beginning of humanity’s epic journey through creation, rebellion, salvation, redemption, mission, and ultimately, reconciliation.

Act 2: Rebellion in the Kingdom – The Fall

No heroic journey is without its challenges and setbacks. In act two of the biblical narrative, we witness the tragic rebellion that tarnishes God’s perfect kingdom. This act highlights the consequences of humanity’s choice to turn away and rebel against the God who had created them.

Tests, Allies, Enemies: The Temptation and Its Consequences

As heroes face tests, they encounter allies who aid them on their quest and enemies who seek to hinder their progress. Similarly, Adam and Eve are faced with temptation in the form of the forbidden fruit and succumb to the deceitful words of the serpent. This act of rebellion introduces sin and brokenness into the world, forever altering the course of human history.

The Ordeal: Humanity’s Banishment from Eden

In every hero’s journey, there comes a point where they must confront their greatest fears or endure an intense ordeal. For humanity, this moment arrives when Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden. It is here that they experience the harsh reality of their actions and bear the weight of their disobedience. Yet, even in their darkest hour, hope shines through as God promises a future deliverance and restoration.

Act 3: The King Chooses Israel – Salvation Initiated

In act three of the biblical narrative, we witness God’s pursuit of salvation for humanity. Through His chosen people, Israel, He establishes a covenant and initiates a plan that will ultimately lead to redemption.

The Road of Trials: The Exodus and Covenant

Just as heroes must face trials and tribulations, so too does Israel undergo their own set of challenges. The most significant trial comes during the story of Exodus, where God delivers His people from 400 years of slavery through miraculous signs and wonders. It is during this time that God establishes a covenant with Israel, setting them apart as His chosen nation.

Approach to the Innermost Cave: Moses Receives the Law on Mount Sinai

As heroes venture further into their journey, they often approach an innermost cave—a place of transformation and revelation. In the case of the biblical narrative, this pivotal moment occurs when Moses ascends Mount Sinai and receives the divine law. 

This encounter solidifies the bride and groom relationship between God and Israel, outlining the guidelines for righteous living and establishing the groundwork for future redemption. It also acts as a crucial initiation stage for the nation of Israel, confronting their internal conflict between obedience to God and their inclinations, thus setting the stage for the narrative’s unfolding.

Act 4: The Coming of the King – Redemption and Salvation Accomplished

The hero’s journey often reaches its climax with the ultimate confrontation and triumph. Act four of the biblical narrative unveils the long-awaited coming of the promised Messiah—Jesus Christ—who accomplishes redemption and brings about salvation for all who believe.

The Supreme Ordeal: Jesus’ Crucifixion and Resurrection

The supreme ordeal in any hero’s journey represents the height of conflict and struggle. In the biblical narrative, this climactic event takes place with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

Through His sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection, Jesus achieves victory over sin and offers the gift of eternal life to humanity. This act not only fulfills the prophecy but also embodies the universal story structure of death and rebirth, highlighting the hero’s journey towards redemption.

The Reward: Eternal Life and Salvation for Humanity

Following the supreme ordeal, heroes are often rewarded with treasures or knowledge that benefits both themselves and their communities. 

In the case of the biblical narrative, the reward for humanity is the offer of eternal life and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This act of redemption paves the way for a restored relationship between God and His creation. The initiation into a new life through faith symbolizes the completion of the journey’s steps towards becoming true heroes in the spiritual sense.

Act 5: Spreading of the News of the King – The Mission of the Church

With redemption accomplished, heroes often embark on a mission to spread their knowledge or share their newfound wisdom. Act five of the biblical narrative unfolds as the early disciples become ambassadors of the good news, spreading the message of salvation throughout the world.

The Resurrection of the Disciples: Empowered by the Holy Spirit

After Jesus’ resurrection, He appears to His disciples and commissions them to continue His work on earth. Just as heroes are empowered with newfound abilities or knowledge, the disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to proclaim the gospel boldly and perform signs and wonders that confirm the truth of their message.

Crossing the Return Threshold: Spreading the Good News

Heroes must eventually return to their ordinary lives, armed with their new understanding and experiences. For the early church, this moment arrives when they venture out into the world, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. 

Their mission transcends geographical boundaries and cultural barriers, as they fulfill the Great Commission given to them by Jesus. This phase mirrors the journey’s steps back to the ordinary world, yet with the capability to transform it through the story template of redemption and grace they carry.

Act 6: The Return of the King – Reconciliation Completed

In the final act of the biblical narrative, we witness the ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan—a time of complete reconciliation and restoration. The return of the king ushers in a new era where all things are made right, and harmony is fully realized.

The Resurrection and Judgment: Restoring Harmony to All Creation

As hero’s journey towards the end of their story, there comes a point where they face judgment or reconcile past conflicts. 

Likewise, the biblical narrative concludes with the resurrection of all believers and the final judgment. At this moment, God’s justice is fully realized, and harmony is restored to all creation. This culmination echoes the universal story structure’s theme of reconciliation and the restoration of the status quo, albeit at a higher, more profound level of understanding and peace.

Conclusion: The Hero’s Journey Unveiled

The biblical narrative weaves together a tapestry of stories that reveal a heroic journey spanning across creation, rebellion, salvation, redemption, mission, and reconciliation. As we view these ancient texts through the lens of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey,” we gain a deeper understanding of their structure and significance.

Just as heroes embark on quests to overcome challenges, find redemption, and restore balance, so too does the biblical narrative present a grand adventure of humanity’s pursuit of God’s kingdom. This timeless story continues to resonate with readers from all walks of life, inviting us to explore our own heroism within the context of faith and divine purpose.

Key Takeaways

• The biblical narrative follows a six-act structure akin to Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey.”
• Act 1 focuses on creation, introducing the hero’s call to adventure, mentorship, and crossing the threshold.
• Act 2 presents the fall of humanity, highlighting temptation, tests, and the ordeal of banishment from Eden.
• Act 3 introduces the chosen people of Israel and showcases trials, covenant-making, and revelation on Mount Sinai.
• Act 4 unveils the coming of Jesus Christ, featuring the supreme ordeal of crucifixion and resurrection, and the reward of eternal life for believers.
• Act 5 explores the spreading of the gospel by the early church, empowered by the Holy Spirit and crossing the return threshold.
• Act 6 concludes with the return of the king, resurrection, judgment, and the restoration of harmony to all creation.

Through each act, the integration of “The Hero’s Journey” stages, such as the initiation stage, internal conflict resolution, and the progression through various journey steps, enriches our understanding of the biblical narrative as a universal story structure. This structure serves as a story template that resonates across different cultures and eras, underscoring the timeless appeal of the Bible’s themes and its relevance to the Bible.

💡 How does viewing the biblical narrative through the lens of “The Hero’s Journey” deepen your understanding of its themes and significance?

As you reflect on this exploration of the biblical narrative, our hope is that you discover new insights and inspiration in the heroic journey of faith. We also hope to shine light on the story structure as a viable story structure that the ministry world can use to tell stories more often and more efficiently. Embrace your own hero’s path, knowing that within the biblical story lies a roadmap for courage, redemption, and ultimate reconciliation with God.

Note: The Hero’s Journey framework is used here as a tool to analyze the narrative structure of the Bible and should not be seen as an endorsement or affirmation of its theological implications.

About the Author:

• No Comments

Share this Article

Read more of our news & insights.

Will AI Replace SEO? The Importance of Search for Christian Ministries

Will AI replace SEO? There is an ongoing debate about the role of AI in the field of search engine optimization (SEO). Some argue that AI-powered tools and algorithms are making traditional SEO techniques obsolete. This article challenges that notion

How Flexible Ministry Staffing Solutions Helps Projects Adapt

Introduction: The Benefits of Flexible Staffing Solutions in Ministry Jobs A key benefit of flexible ministry staffing solutions is better adapting to project scope changes.  Often, as projects evolve, they require adjustments in resource allocation and team composition. This poses

Christian Nonprofit Talent Management: Fitting Talent to Specific Project Needs

Good nonprofit talent management involves tailoring talent to specific project needs and offers ministries a strategic advantage in achieving their goals. By identifying and engaging professionals with the precise skills required for each project, ministries can ensure optimal performance, efficiency,

Let's tell powerful stories of how God's working through your ministry.

Don’t lose out on partner investment because your stories are not being told effectively. The stories of how God is at work through your ministry are powerful and can inspire the Church to action. BOOK A CALL and learn how we can help you become the guide your partners need to be the heroes for your cause.

The creative agency for ministries.

© 2024 | Reliant Creative, Inc

Take Action

About reliant.

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

Enter something special:

Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.

Eternalised

In Pursuit of Meaning

The Hero’s Journey: Experiencing Death and Rebirth

“Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to be asking the question when you are the answer.”

Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

Joseph Campbell was influenced by Carl Jung’s analytical psychology and his extensive work in comparative mythology and religion covers many aspects of the human experience. In his best-known work The Hero with a Thousand Faces published in 1949, Campbell describes the archetypal hero’s journey or monomyth shared by the world, the hero being one who serves and sacrifices. He writes:

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.”

Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Hero’s Journey is not just a mythological story, but is deeply embedded within the human condition. It tells the story of a person encountering a difficult life problem and their journey in resolving it through personal transformation. Sometimes the change is intentional (new relationships, marriage, a new job, etc), and the Hero is motivated to attempt and endure the process of change. Other times, the change is unintentional (trauma, injury, relationships breaking apart, etc), leaving the Hero shocked.

The hero journey provides a template for all change, intentional and unintentional. Patients who were introduced to the Hero’s Journey as a means of reconceptualising their disorder as a hero quest, rather than an external stressful task, shifted their attitude from passive to active , supporting them to become the “author of their own lives”. This has been clinically tested in a diverse range of issues, such as: anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, PTSD and psychosis.

The role of the therapist is to guide and support personal change, acting as a mentor. It allows clients to become client-heroes, assisting them to recognise where they are in their own process of change, how to navigate their own treatment journey, and author their own change story.

In many of the hero myths, the weakness of the hero is balanced by the appearance of strong “tutelary” figures. A central hero of Greek mythology is Achilles, the greatest of all the Greek warriors. As a boy, he was guided by the wise centaur Chiron, tutor of gods and heroes, who instructed him in the arts of medicine, music, riding and hunting.

“These godlike figures are in fact symbolic representatives of the whole psyche, the larger and more comprehensive identity that supplies the strength that the personal ego lacks. Their special role suggests that the essential function of the heroic myth is the development of the individual’s ego-consciousness – his awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses – in a manner that will equip him for the arduous tasks with which life confronts him.”

Man and His Symbols. Part II: Ancient Myths and Modern Man – Joseph L. Henderson

The significant life problem is a situation where the Hero’s existing knowledge and skills are no longer efficacious. In finding a solution, the Hero is required to leave his familiar, known world, and venture into the unknown.

Significant life problems forces us to change, however, many of us are reluctant to do so as we do not want to sacrifice our comfort. Ignoring these matters forms unconscious snags which give us a state of impoverishment in our personality and inhibit the growth of the good qualities that lie dormant in our psyche, making our shadow blacker and denser. We lose control of our life and become puppets of existence. As Stoic philosopher Seneca writes:

“Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.”

Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, CVII

It is as if one keeps living but is dragged by chains or swimming against the river currents. This is a characteristic attitude of the neurotic, an artificial barrier invented by oneself which causes one to suffer from internal conflict, in order to avoid facing difficult life choices.

Campbell tells us that Heroic myths provide the individual with “inspiration for aspiration”. Myths have the ability to link the everyday to the eternal, to give meaning to the mundane.

Introduction to the Phases of the Hero’s Journey

In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell identified that a Hero’s Journey occurs in three sequential phases: separation, initiation, and the return. These are further divided into 17 substages. However, we will be using the more popular and modern adaption by Christopher Vogler, detailed in his work “The Writer’s Journey”, which is inspired by Campbell. He proposes a Twelve Stage Hero’s Journey.

The very first stage of the Hero’s Journey is the Ordinary World , referring to one’s familiar life: daily routine, the stresses and joys of work, family and social connections. A common characteristic is a growing awareness that something is not quite right, life is somehow lacking. For instance, an employee may be aware that the enjoyment of his work has been diminishing for some time, but the demands of their day-to-day or concerns about finding an alternative job lead them to an increasingly stressful situation and so they cling to their Ordinary World.

First Phase of the Hero’s Journey: Separation

The separation phase of the Hero’s Journey begins with the second stage, the Call to Adventure , disrupting the comfort of the Hero’s Ordinary World and presenting him with a quest that must be undertaken.

Unintentional calls may include the discovery of an infidelity, the death of a loved one, the diagnosis of an illness, etc., while intentional calls include seeking a new career, moving cities, the arrival of a first child, etc. The Call to Adventure separates the person from the aspects of their previous life and causes anxiety. Many are overwhelmed and believe that their problem is beyond their capabilities leading to the third stage, Refusal. This is a very common and important stage that communicates the risks involved in the Journey ahead.

However, remaining in the Refusal stage will lead to a deterioration in one’s life and relationships. One finds himself with little or no motivation, highlighting the ineffectiveness of one’s coping strategies. This unfamiliar situation causes stress as one is unable to deal with the life problem. At this crucial turning point, the Hero desperately needs guidance, leading to the fourth stage: Meeting the Mentor.

The Mentor is the archetypal wise old man. It is his role to assist the Hero’s progress to the realisation that personal change is a necessity for the resolution of his problem, giving him practical training, wise advice or self-confidence in order to overcome the initial fears, allowing him to move from inaction to action.

These tutelary figures do not necessarily have to be physical ones, they can also be your favourite philosopher, public figure, family member or any other person you look up to as your ideal-self.

Second Phase of the Hero’s Journey: Initiation

When the Hero is committed to change, we enter the second phase of the Hero’s Journey: Initiation, and the fifth stage: Crossing the First Threshold .

The Hero now leaves the safe haven of the “Ordinary World” and enters the “Special World” , an unfamiliar place where one confronts his “dragon” , his worst fear, event, person, situation or memory long avoided. As trials become more difficult, the Hero hones his skills and gains experience. However, as the trials increase in complexity, the demands placed on the Hero lead to higher levels of anxiety, and his first confrontation with the dragon is likely to fail. Without help, he may consider giving up.

In the sixth stage : Tests, Allies, and Enemies , the Hero explores the Special World and encounters tests and enemies. Here he must seek Allies, friendly forces who support change attempts and decrease the Hero’s isolation. A common barrier here is the fear of asking for help, for being seen as less than capable or for possibly being rejected. Ironically, vulnerability becomes a key skill in resiliency, rather than a sign of weakness. Stage seven is the Approach to the Innermost Cave , where one must make his final preparations before descending into the unknown.

When the Hero is ready, he faces the eighth stage: The Supreme Ordeal . It is the greatest challenge yet, the moment when all looks lost for the Hero, many feel like they are “back at square one”. Fortunately, Allies have witnessed this major setback and are present to assist the Hero.

Over a period of time, the repeated confrontation with the dragon leads to the growing realisation that what was once believed to be impossible is now possible. After facing the unknown and defeating the dragon, the Hero experiences a psychological death and rebirth . The death of an old aspect of one’s self and the birth of a new and more capable self. The Hero gains insights receiving this as his Reward (the ninth stage) . But the journey is not over yet.

Third Phase of the Hero’s Journey: The Return

Now begins the third phase: The Return. In the tenth stage: The Road Back , The Hero must hold his reward and make his way back to the Ordinary World, but on the way he will be confronted with more enemies and dragons. However, the Hero knows that there’s no way back and is motivated to keep going.

In the eleventh stage: The Resurrection , the weary Hero must experience a second psychological death, experiencing a resurrection with the attributes of his ordinary self in addition to the new insights from the journey and characters he has met along the road of life. He moves from dependence to responsibility, from silence to finding his voice. The Hero has increased resilience and has learned how to regulate fear, sadness and other emotions that arise when taking action.

He is now purified from the land of the dead and can return home, leading to the twelfth and final stage: Return with the Elixir . The elixir is the final Reward earned on the Hero’s Journey. It is something for the Hero to share with others, or something with the power to heal: wisdom, love or simply the experience of surviving the Special World. The Hero comes back to his Ordinary World with a new self, having faced terrible dangers and possibly death, but now looks forward to the start of a new life.

This is not just a one-time linear path, but in fact a lifelong cyclical process.

“Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem, do I dare? And then if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfilment or the fiasco.”

Joseph Campbell, Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation

This awareness to see life as a Hero’s Journey allows the chaos and challenges of life to have both some sequence and purpose. It gives us a beautiful framework for dealing with life’s problems. An unwanted event can be viewed as a Call to Adventure, difficult life events as confronting one’s dragon. When one completes these, one receives a reward, transforming into a new self, with an elixir to share the experience of one’s Special World with others.

The Hero’s Journey is:

“The quest to find the inward thing that you basically are.”

Follow Your Bliss

One of Campbell’s most frequently repeated phrase is to “Follow your bliss”:

“If you do follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.”

To follow one’s bliss is not simply doing what one likes to do and certainly not what one is simply told. It is to search deeply within oneself and identifying that pursuit or burning need which one is truly passionate about, giving oneself absolutely to it, and the rest will follow.

“People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive.”

This feeling of rapture or bliss is associated to the Hero’s Journey that we face on a daily basis in this life, he writes:

“The experience of eternity right here and now is the function of life. Eternity isn’t some later time. Eternity isn’t even a long time. Eternity has nothing to do with time. Eternity is that dimension of the here and now that all thinking in temporal terms cuts off… the experience of eternity right here and now, in all things, whether thought of as good or as evil. Heaven is not the place to have the experience; here is the place to have the experience. When you realise that eternity is right here now, that it is within your possibility to experience the eternity of your own truth and being, then you grasp the following: That which you are was never born and will never die.”

The Hero’s Journey – Experiencing Death and Rebirth

In his best-known work The Hero with a Thousand Faces published in 1949, Joseph Campbell describes the archetypal Hero’s Journey or “monomyth” shared by the world.

Support Eternalised

Buy Official Merch

Artwork used in the video.

Related Posts:

Published by Eternalised

In Pursuit of Meaning. I hope to help as many people as possible who seek to enrich their lives with value and meaning. That is the ultimate purpose of Eternalised. View more posts

2 thoughts on “ The Hero’s Journey: Experiencing Death and Rebirth ”

• Pingback: The Hero’s Journey: Experiencing Death and Rebirth — Eternalised | Vermont Folk Troth
• Pingback: The Psychology of Astrology - Eternalised

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from eternalised.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Practice With Us

• Our Teachers
• Daily Meditations
• Online Education
• The Living School

The Hero’s Journey

Richard Rohr uses the framework of the “hero’s journey” to describe the path of spiritual transformation. He points to The Odyssey as a powerful metaphor:

The universe story and the human story are a play of forces rational and nonrational, conscious and unconscious, involving fate and fortune, nature and nurture. Forces of good and evil play out their tragedies and their graces—leading us to catastrophes, backtracking, mutations, transgressions, regroupings, enmities, failures, mistakes, and impossible dilemmas. The Greek word for  tragedy  means “goat story.” The Odyssey is a primal goat story, where poor Odysseus keeps going forward and backward, up and down—but mostly down—all the way home to Ithaca.  [1]

The hero’s journey is a key myth that keeps repeating in different cultures. I learned about it from mythologist Joseph Campbell. The hero or heroine—the gender really doesn’t matter—must leave home or business as usual. They have to leave what feels like sufficiency or enoughness. There is a sense of necessity in discovering the bigger world. We’ve got to know there’s a bigger world than my home state of Kansas, or wherever we’re from. In The Wizard of Oz , Dorothy has to leave Kansas—and she’s taken away by a tornado. We usually don’t leave home willingly. More often than not, we’re taken there by some circumstance, shipwreck, accident, death, or suffering of some sort. That’s called the departure . The hero has to lose or walk away from their sense of order and enter some kind of disorder. 

Then there’s the encounter . After the hero leaves their castle or their stable home, they have to experience something bigger, something better, something that is more real and more demanding of their real energies. Of course, that takes different forms. In the Gospels, after his baptism, Jesus goes into the desert for forty days.

Surprisingly, the third stage of the hero’s journey is the return . The hero’s journey is not to just keep going to new places, making the trip a vacation or travelogue. We have to return to where we started and know it in a new way and do life in a new way. We are not somehow “beyond” the order and disorder of our lives; we’ve learned how to integrate both of them. This stage of return is so rarely taught. What is good about the order, what is good about the disorder, and how do we put them together? That is the “reorder” or the return.

We have the departure , then we have the encounter , which will always lead to some kind of descent away from status, away from security, away from ascent. Eventually something happens, something gets transformed, and then there’s the return . [2]

References: [1] Adapted from Richard Rohr, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life , rev. ed. (San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2024), 36.

[2] Adapted from Richard Rohr, Falling Upward: Life as a Spiritual Journey (Albuquerque, NM: Center for Action and Contemplation, 2020–), online course.

Image credit: Jeremy Bishop, Untitled (detail), Australia, 2016, photograph, public domain . Click here to enlarge image .

The desert and the new sprout of spring green are part of the journey.

Explore Further

Meet The Team

Story from Our Community:   

I am part of a group of 6 friends who have started our own “journey” within the mystery of God. Fr. Richard’s Daily Meditations and CAC’s podcasts are beautiful guides as each of us walks different phases of our spiritual growth. Our next adventure is a discussion on Radical Resilience. Thank you from Canada. —Richard P.

This year’s theme

Radical Resilience

We live in a world on fire. This year the Daily Meditations will explore contemplation as a way to build Radical Resilience so we can stand in solidarity with the world without burning up or burning out. The path ahead may be challenging, but we can walk it together.

The archives

Explore the Daily Meditations

Explore past meditations and annual themes by browsing the Daily Meditations archive. Explore by topic or use the search bar to find wisdom from specific teachers.

Join our email community

Sign-up to receive the daily meditations, featuring reflections on the wisdom and practices of the christian contemplative tradition..

The Resurrection and Return With the Elixir

From Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure"

Moviepix / GettyImages

• Tips For Adult Students
• Getting Your Ged

• B.A., English, St. Olaf College

In his book, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure , Christopher Vogler writes that for a story to feel complete, the reader needs to experience an additional moment of death and rebirth, subtly different from the ordeal.

This is the climax of the story, the last dangerous meeting with death. The hero must be cleansed from the journey before returning to the ordinary world. The trick for the writer is to show how the hero’s behavior has changed, to demonstrate that the hero has been through a resurrection.

The trick for the student of literature is to recognize that change.

Resurrection

Vogler describes the resurrection by way of sacred architecture, which, he says, aims to create the feeling of resurrection by confining worshipers in a dark narrow hall, like a birth canal, before bringing them out into an open well-lit area, with a corresponding lift of relief.

During the resurrection, death and darkness are encountered one more time before being conquered for good. Danger is usually on the broadest scale of the entire story and the threat is to the entire world, not just the hero. The stakes are at their very highest.

The hero, Vogler teaches, uses all lessons learned on the journey and is transformed into a new being with new insights.

Heroes can receive assistance, but readers are most satisfied when the hero performs the decisive action herself, delivering the death blow to the shadow.

This is especially important when the hero is a child or young adult. They absolutely must single-handedly win in the end, especially when an adult is the villain.

The hero must be taken right to the edge of death, clearly fighting for her life, according to Vogler.

The Climaxes

Climaxes, nevertheless, need not be explosive. Vogler says some are like a gentle cresting of a wave of emotion. The hero may go through a climax of mental change that creates a physical climax, followed by a spiritual or emotional climax as the hero’s behavior and feelings change.

He writes that a climax should provide a feeling of catharsis, a purifying emotional release. Psychologically, anxiety or depression are released by bringing unconscious material to the surface. The hero and the reader have reached the highest point of awareness, a peak experience of higher consciousness.

Catharsis works best through a physical expression of emotions such as laughter or tears.

This change in the hero is most satisfying when it happens in phases of growth. Writers often make the mistake of allowing the hero to change abruptly because of a single incident, but that's not the way real life happens.

Dorothy’s resurrection is recovering from the apparent death of her hopes of returning home. Glinda explains that she had the power to return home all along, but she had to learn it for herself.

Return With the Elixir

Once the hero's transformation is complete, he or she returns to the ordinary world with the elixir, a great treasure or a new understanding to share. This can be love, wisdom, freedom, or knowledge, Vogler writes. It doesn't have to be a tangible prize. Unless something is brought back from the ordeal in the inmost cave, an elixir, the hero is doomed to repeat the adventure.

Love is one of the most powerful and popular of elixirs.

A circle has been closed, bringing deep healing, wellness, and wholeness to the ordinary world, writes Vogler. Returning with the elixir means the hero can now implement change in his daily life and use the lessons of the adventure to heal his wounds.

One of Vogler's teachings is that a story is a weaving, and it must be finished properly or it will seem tangled. The return is where the writer resolves subplots and all questions raised in the story. She may raise new questions, but all old issues must be addressed.

Subplots should have at least three scenes distributed throughout the story, one in each act. Each character should come away with some variety of elixir or learning.

Vogler states the return is the last chance to touch the emotions of your reader. It must finish the story so that it satisfies or provokes your reader as intended. A good return unties the plot threads with a certain degree of surprise, a taste of unexpected or sudden revelation.

The return is also the place for poetic justice. The villain’s sentence should directly relate to his sins and the hero’s reward be proportionate to the sacrifice offered.

Dorothy says goodbye to her allies and wishes herself home. Back in the ordinary world , her perceptions of the people around her have changed. She declares she will never leave home again. This is not to be taken literally, Vogler writes. The house is the symbol of personality. Dorothy has found her own soul and has become a fully integrated person, in touch with both her positive qualities and her shadow. The elixir she brings back is her new idea of home and her new concept of her Self.

• The Reward and the Road Back
• The Hero's Journey: Refusing The Call to Adventure
• An Introduction to The Hero's Journey
• The Ordinary World in the Hero's Journey
• The Ordeal in the Hero's Journey
• The Approach to the Inmost Cave in the Hero's Journey
• The Hero's Journey: Meeting with the Mentor
• The Role of Archetypes in Literature
• The Hero's Journey: Crossing the Threshold
• Writing SMART Goals
• Adult Education
• 5 Ways to Improve Adult Literacy
• Questions to Ask Before Going Back to School
• Activities and Ideas for Students with an Auditory Learning Style
• How to Write a Learning Contract and Realize Your Goals
• 10 Writing Ideas Concerning Women

Exploring the 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey Part 11: The Resurrection

This celebrated archetypal story concept is explored here, according to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey and Christopher Vogler's interpreted twelve stages of that journey within his book, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 

Welcome to Part 11 of our 12-part series ScreenCraft’s Exploring the 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey , where we go into depth about each of the twelve stages and how your screenplays could benefit from them. But first, if you haven't already, be sure to download our free e-book while it's still available:

The first stage — The Ordinary World — happens to be one of the most essential elements of any story, even ones that don't follow the twelve-stage structure to a tee.

Showing your protagonist within their Ordinary World at the beginning of your story offers you the ability to showcase how much the core conflict they face rocks their world. And it allows you to foreshadow and create the necessary elements of empathy and catharsis that your story needs.

The next stage is the Call to Adventure. Giving your story's protagonist a Call to Adventure introduces the core concept of your story, dictates the genre your story is being told in and helps to begin the process of character development that every great story needs.

When your character refuses the Call to Adventure, it allows you to create instant tension and conflict within the opening pages and first act of your story. It also gives you the chance to amp-up the risks and stakes involved, which, in turn, engages the reader or audience even more. And it also manages to help you develop a protagonist with more depth that can help to create empathy for them.

Along the way, your protagonist — and screenplay — may need a mentor. Meeting the Mentor offers the protagonist someone that can guide them through their journey with wisdom, support, and even physical items. Beyond that, they help you to offer empathetic relationships within your story, as well as ways to introduce themes, story elements, and exposition to the reader and audience.

At some point at the end of the first act, your story may showcase a moment where your protagonist needs to cross the threshold between their Ordinary World and the Special World they will be experiencing as their inner or outer journey begins. Such a moment shifts everything from the first act to the second, allowing the reader and audience to feel that shift so they can prepare for the journey to come.

It showcases the difference between the protagonist's Ordinary World and the Special World to come. And, even more important, we're introduced to the first shift in the character arc of the protagonist as they decide to venture out into the unknown.

And it's within this unknown that the protagonist faces many tests and meets their allies and enemies — all of which define the meat of your story by introducing the conflict, expanding the cast of characters, and offering a more engaging and compelling narrative.

Once you've put your protagonist through those tests and once they've met their allies and enemies, they're going to need to Approach the Inmost Cave of the story — preparing to face their greatest fears and conflicts. This is an essential element of your narrative, allowing the reader, audience, and characters to catch their breath, reflect, review, and plan ahead for the conflict just over the horizon. And it allows you, the writer, to build the necessary tension and anticipation that you need going into the midpoint of your story.

Everything within the first act — and beginning of the second — builds up to The Ordeal, which is the first real conflict that the protagonist must face. The Ordeal is the midpoint of your story that works as a false climax, taking your protagonist to the depths of despair. It offers you the ability to create an engaging midpoint climax that takes you into the third act. It ups the stakes within your story by taking away beloved allies and mentors. And it sets up the necessary transformation that your protagonist must go through in order to prevail.

And after your hero has gone through all of that, you may want or need to reward them with something that they can use to take on the final threat they face during the climax of your story.

The Reward offers the protagonist the added boost they need to propel themselves through the conflict they face during the climax of the story where they are facing their toughest challenge — be it physical or emotional. A special weapon, an elixir, some knowledge, an experience, or reconciliation are the five types of rewards that heroes need to prevail.

Once they've attained the Reward, it's time for the hero to get on The Road Back to their Ordinary World. The Road Back allows the hero — and the reader and audience — to see the light at the end of the tunnel, if not for a few brief moments. It then introduces more conflict, higher stakes, and reveals everything that is at risk going into the climax of the protagonist's journey.

And the climax of your hero's journey encompasses The Resurrection stage.

But what does that stage entail, and what does it have to do with your hero's resurrection?

It Begins with the Highest of Stakes

If you've employed The Road Back stage of the Hero's Journey within your story, you've done the necessary work to set up the high stakes. And make no mistake, the climax of your story has to have your protagonist dealing with the highest stakes they've ever experienced.

It's the big fight, the final showdown, the emotional confrontation — everything that your protagonist has been preparing for throughout their entire journey has led up to this final moment or sequence.

In Star Wars , It's the Battle of Yavin. If the Rebels don't destroy the Death Star, their hidden base will be destroyed, and the Galactic Empire will rule the galaxy unchallenged.

https://youtu.be/2WBG2rJZGW8

In Raiders of the Lost Ark , it's Indy trying to stop the Nazis, realizing he can't do so single-handily, and then witnessing the opening of the Ark of the Covenant and the dire results. If the Nazis aren't stopped, they'll use the power of the Ark to take over the world.

In Rocky , it's the final rounds of the fight. If Rocky doesn't go the distance, he'll just continue being another bum on the streets.

In Field of Dreams , it's Ray meeting his father and learning that his whole journey was to reunite with him — "If you build it, he will come." 

Your protagonists have to face the ultimate emotional or physical (preferably both) challenge. The higher the stakes, the better the ending.

Hero Resurrected

The best type of stories showcases a character arc that culminates to a real transformation. If you follow the stages of the Hero's Journey within your story, there's a reason that we show the protagonist in their Ordinary World to start — we need to see the beginning of their arc.

If we don't see Luke Skywalker as a naive dreamer of a farm boy, we can't experience a character arc with him as he later destroys the Death Star.

In The Karate Kid , if we don't see the angry, resentful, and weak Daniel from New Jersey, we won't feel an empathetic connection with the young man that faces his bullies and fears.

The climax stage of Campbell and Vogler's structure is the ultimate culmination of what the hero has learned and been through. We need to see the hero resurrected in this final act. Gone is the character we met in the Ordinary World. Now we must see them apply what they've learned through their many tests and conflicts.

And this climax begins with that resurrection, whether it be physical or emotional.

When Daniel goes down during his semifinal fight, there's a moment where he and his allies (Ali, his mother, and Mr. Miyagi) believe that his journey is over — that he has done all that he can to prove himself.

When Daniel shares his feelings about balance, Mr. Miyago realizes that Daniel must be given a chance to fight in the final bout against Johnny. It's less about Daniel's revenge and more about him being able to attain the balance he seeks in life. And that is when Daniel is given the reward of resurrection.

Luke Skywalker is resurrected as a Rebel pilot and hero.

Rocky is resurrected as a boxer who went the distance with the champ. He's no longer a bum.

Indiana Jones is a treasure hunter resurrected as an artifact attainer that respects the mysticism that he once scoffed at.

Ray is resurrected as a man who has finally seen life through his father's eyes, forgiving him.

The climax of your story is where the character arc comes to its end. They aren't the same person they were when they were in their Ordinary World, and they'll be forever affected by the journey they've been on.

Catharsis Is Key

Cinematic catharsis is the feeling we feel after the resolution of the story and the protagonist’s overall journey.

You've experienced it when you've watched a movie or read a screenplay that stayed with you afterward — when you walked out of the theater or closed that script and felt truly changed or affected somehow.

That’s the magic of a fantastic story, leaving the reader and audience truly touched, affected, and sometimes changed — catharsis .

It's the final moment in Field of Dreams where Ray has a catch with his father.

It's the end of The Pursuit of Happyness , where we witness Chris manage to see his own dream come true.

It's the moving scene in Dead Poets Society where Keating's students decide to act on the inspiration that Keating once supplied for them, while also giving him the justice that he deserved.

It's the moment when Daniel defeats Johnny and is finally embraced by everyone around him. Even Johnny hands him the trophy.

If you can inject your climax — The Resurrection — with cathartic emotional connections, you can close your story with an emotional bang that stays with us as we close that script or walk out of that theater.

It's not just about defeating the villain, winning the big game, getting the girl or guy, or accomplishing a goal. Your hero needs to be transformed by the end of the story. They need to be resurrected as a better version of themselves after having endured this long journey full of tests, obstacles, and hurdles. And their final test in this climax needs to be the ultimate challenge with the highest of stakes.

That's how you end your script with a bang — both physically and emotionally, as far as whatever the story and genre may be.

And remember...

"The Hero's Journey is a skeleton framework that should be fleshed out with the details of and surprises of the individual story. The structure should not call attention to itself, nor should it be followed too precisely. The order of the stages is only one of many possible variations. The stages can be deleted, added to, and drastically shuffled without losing any of their power." — Christopher Vogler, The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers

Joseph Campbell's 17-stage Monomyth was conceptualized over the course of Campbell's own text, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, and then later in the 1980s through two documentaries, one of which introduced the term The Hero's Journey .

The first documentary, 1987's The Hero's Journey: The World of Joseph Campbell , was released with an accompanying book entitled The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work .

The second documentary was released in 1988 and consisted of Bill Moyers' series of interviews with Campbell, accompanied by the companion book The Power of Myth .

Christopher Vogler was a Hollywood development executive and screenwriter working for Disney when he took his passion for Joseph Campbell's story monolith and developed it into a seven-page company memo for the company's development department and incoming screenwriters.

The memo, entitled A Practical Guide to The Hero with a Thousand Faces , was later developed by Vogler into The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Storytellers and Screenwriters in 1992. He then elaborated on those concepts for the book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers .

Christopher Vogler's approach to Campbell's structure broke the mythical story structure into twelve stages. We define the stages in our own simplified interpretations:

• The Ordinary World : We see the hero's normal life at the start of the story before the adventure begins.
• Call to Adventure : The hero is faced with an event, conflict, problem, or challenge that makes them begin their adventure.
• Refusal of the Call : The hero initially refuses the adventure because of hesitation, fears, insecurity, or any other number of issues.
• Meeting the Mentor : The hero encounters a mentor that can give them advice, wisdom, information, or items that ready them for the journey ahead.
• Crossing the Threshold : The hero leaves their ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure.
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies : The hero learns the rules of the new world and endures tests, meets friends, and comes face-to-face with enemies.
• The Approach : The initial plan to take on the central conflict begins, but setbacks occur that cause the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas.
• The Ordeal: Things go wrong and added conflict is introduced. The hero experiences more difficult hurdles and obstacles, some of which may lead to a life crisis.
• The Reward : After surviving The Ordeal, the hero seizes the sword — a reward that they've earned that allows them to take on the biggest conflict. It may be a physical item or piece of knowledge or wisdom that will help them persevere.
• The Road Back : The hero sees the light at the end of the tunnel, but they are about to face even more tests and challenges.
• The Resurrection : The climax. The hero faces a final test, using everything they have learned to take on the conflict once and for all.
• The Return : The hero brings their knowledge or the "elixir" back to the ordinary world.

Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.

He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries  Blackout , starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner. Follow Ken on Twitter  @KenMovies

For all the latest ScreenCraft news and updates, follow us on  Twitter,   Facebook , and  Instagram .

Get Our Screenwriting Newsletter!

Get weekly writing inspiration delivered to your inbox - including industry news, popular articles, and more!

Facebook Comments

Free download.

Screenwriting Resources:

$ 15.00 Original price was: $15.00. $ 12.00 Current price is: $12.00. Add to cart

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

Next Related Post

Get Our Newsletter!

Developing your own script.

We'll send you a list of our free eCourses when you subscribe to our newsletter. No strings attached.

You Might Also Like

• Hidden Name
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Connect With Us

Writing competitions, success stories.

© 2024 ScreenCraft | An Industry Arts Company

Screenwriting Newsletter

Join our community of over 100,000 screenwriters and get weekly inspiration delivered to your inbox:

✓ Popular blog posts and industry news ✓ New ScreenCraft online events ✓ Screenplay competition announcements!

" * " indicates required fields

• Testimonials

What is the Hero’s Journey?

• by Andrea Feccomandi
• December 6, 2023

Have you ever been captivated by a story that follows a protagonist on an epic adventure?

From ancient myths to contemporary films, many narratives share a common structure known as the Hero’s Journey . This timeless story template takes us on a journey of self-discovery, transformation, and triumph.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the essence of the Hero’s Journey. We’ll delve into its acts and stages, we’ll see some great examples and some tips to use in our narrative.

HERO’S JOURNEY DEFINITION What is the Hero’s Journey? The Hero’s Journey, also known as the monomyth, is a universal story structure that has been present in various cultures for centuries. It was popularized by Joseph Campbell in his book “ The Hero with a Thousand Faces “. At its core, the Hero’s Journey is a narrative arc where a hero goes on a quest or adventure to achieve a goal, facing challenges, gaining insights, and ultimately returning home transformed.

The Three Acts of the Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey can be divided into three distinct acts: Departure, Initiation, and Return. Each act consists of several stages the Hero must navigate to complete their transformation.

Act 1: Departure

The Departure stage sets the foundation of the Hero’s ordinary world and introduces the call to adventure. Here, the Hero lives a seemingly ordinary life until they receive a call that disrupts their status quo .

Initially, they may hesitate or refuse the call, but with a mentor’s guidance, they decide to embark on their Journey.

Act 2: Initiation

In the Initiation stage, the Hero ventures into the unknown. He crosses the Threshold from their ordinary world to the special world. They face trials, meet allies and enemies, and approach the inmost cave where their ultimate goal awaits.

The Hero undergoes an Ordeal, a significant test that pushes them to their limits and forces them to confront their greatest fears . Through this challenge, they gain valuable insights and seize the Reward.

Act 3: Return

The Return stage marks the Hero’s journey back to their ordinary world, forever changed by their experiences. They encounter further obstacles on the road back but ultimately face their final hurdle, experiencing a resurrection that solidifies their transformation .

Finally, the Hero returns with the Elixir. It’s the wisdom or treasure gained on their quest, ready to share it with their community.

HERO’S JOURNEY STEPS

What are the steps of the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey has 12 steps:

• The Ordinary World
• Call to Adventure
• Refusal of the Call
• Meeting the Mentor
• Crossing the First Threshold
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies
• Approach to the Inmost Cave
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return with the Elixir.

The 12 Steps of the Hero’s Journey

Within the three acts of the Hero’s Journey, there are 12 key steps that the Hero undergoes. Let’s explore each step in detail and understand how they contribute to the Hero’s transformation.

Step 1: The Ordinary World

The Journey begins in the Hero’s ordinary world, where we are introduced to their daily life, relationships, and challenges.

The Ordinary World is the essential groundwork upon which the Hero’s journey unfolds. During this initial stage, the audience is granted a window into the protagonist’s everyday and routine life before any extraordinary events transpire.

Extraordinary events transpire during this phase. It is fundamental as it offers context, enabling viewers or readers to connect deeply with the Hero’s desires, frustrations, and aspirations within their familiar surroundings. By establishing this baseline, the subsequent journey becomes more impactful. The audience can fully appreciate the transformative nature of the Hero’s experiences as they navigate from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

Step 2: Call to Adventure

In this step, the Hero receives, typically from a Herald , a Call to Adventure. The Call operates as a guiding light, shattering the peace of the Hero’s ordinary world and enticing them onto a path of uncertainty.

The Call is also the catalyst that propels the Hero’s journey forward . It’s an invitation to confront challenges, unveil hidden potentials, and ultimately fulfill a destiny that lies in wait.

This moment marks the departure from the familiar , urging the Hero to venture into the unknown and embark on a transformative quest. The Call is not merely a disruption. It’s an opportunity for growth, self-discovery, and the unfolding of the Hero’s true potential.

Step 3: Refusal of the Call

The Hero may refuse the call, hesitant to leave their comfort zone. The Refusal of the Call unveils the Hero’s internal struggles and doubts as they wrestle with the implications of embarking on a Journey that promises the unknown, challenges, and personal growth.

It represents a moment of hesitation. A pause before the Hero must decide whether to accept or reject the destiny that awaits. This phase is crucial in revealing the Hero’s vulnerabilities and human qualities as they confront the daunting prospect of leaving the safety of the ordinary world.

The inner conflict becomes a poignant exploration of the Hero’s fears and reservations. It adds depth to their character and sets the stage for their transformative choices as the Journey unfolds.

Step 4: Meeting the Mentor

The Hero encounters a Mentor , a figure of experience and knowledge who provides guidance, wisdom, and support . The Mentor becomes a beacon for the Hero, offering insights and tools essential for navigating the challenges that lie ahead.

This encounter catalyzes the Hero’s growth, providing valuable lessons and shaping their understanding of the Journey. The Mentor’s guidance prepares the ground for the unfolding adventure. It infuses the Hero with newfound knowledge and skills that will prove indispensable in the face of trials and tribulations.

The Mentor becomes an important ally, steering the Hero toward their destiny and playing a vital role in the unfolding transformative narrative.

Step 5: Crossing the First Threshold

The Hero leaps and crosses the Threshold, protected by a Guardian , into the special world, leaving behind their familiar environment. It is a moment of profound significance as the Hero encounters new realms, faces adversaries, and begins to unravel the mysteries that lie ahead.

This stage serves as a testament to the Hero’s courage and determination to explore uncharted territories, demonstrating their willingness to confront the journey’s challenges.

The crossing represents a point of no return . It propels the Hero into a transformative adventure where they must navigate unfamiliar landscapes and grapple with the unexpected. It is a fundamental step in the Hero’s quest, shaping the narrative and setting the stage for the trials and revelations that await them.

Step 6: Tests, Allies, and Enemies

In the special world, the Hero faces a series of tests, encounters Allies who aid them, and confronts enemies who oppose them.

It is a dynamic phase that enriches the narrative with complexity and depth, showcasing the Hero’s adaptability and resilience in the face of diverse challenges. The tests serve as opportunities for growth and learning, while alliances provide crucial support and camaraderie on the Hero’s journey. Simultaneously, the emergence of enemies introduces tension and conflict, adding intrigue to the adventure.

This stage is essential in shaping the Hero’s character and determining their capacity to overcome obstacles toward their ultimate goal.

Step 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave

The Hero approaches the Inmost Cave, metaphorically representing their ultimate goal or the heart of their Journey. This phase symbolizes the Hero’s descent into the heart of darkness , whether it be a physical location or a symbolic representation of their deepest fears and vulnerabilities.

This stage is laden with tension as the Hero prepares to confront the ultimate challenge , often personified by a formidable adversary or a hidden truth that lies at the core of their quest. The Journey into this inner sanctum represents a crucial moment of self-discovery for the Hero . It’s a time of reckoning as they grapple with the shadows lurking in the background.

It is a profound stage, rife with emotional and psychological intensity. It marks the Hero’s readiness to face the most significant Ordeal that will determine the trajectory of their entire quest.

Step 8: Ordeal

The Ordeal is the zenith of the Hero’s journey. It pushes them to their limits and forces them to confront their deepest fears .

It is a symbolic death and rebirth, a profound test that the Hero must endure to emerge transformed and ready for the final stages of their quest. This stage is charged with emotional intensity, suspense, and the potential for both failure and triumph .

The Ordeal marks a turning point in the narrative, representing the Hero’s resilience and capacity to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. It is a step that propels the story toward its climax , where the Hero will either rise victorious or succumb to the challenges they face.

Step 9: Reward

After overcoming the Ordeal, the Hero seizes the Reward, whether a physical object, knowledge, or a newfound understanding. This Reward represents the Hero’s growth and the transformation they have undergone.

This phase is characterized by a sense of fulfillment and the recognition of the Hero’s prowess. The Feward may take various forms, such as newfound knowledge, a valuable object, or the liberation of a captive. It serves as a testament to the Hero’s journey, highlighting the transformative nature of their experiences.

The Reward is a crucial pause in the narrative. It allows the Hero and the audience to reflect on the challenges overcome and the progress made, motivating them for the final leg of the quest.

Step 10: The Road Back

The Hero begins their journey back to the ordinary world, but the road is not without obstacles. They may face further challenges, tests, or even temptations that test their resolve and commitment to their transformation.

The Road Back marks the Hero’s transition from a period of Reward and preparation, propelling them back into the familiar realms of the known world. At this juncture, the Hero, equipped with newfound wisdom and enhanced abilities , braces for the imminent return.

This stage blends urgency with determination . The Hero navigates the integration of their transformative Journey into the ordinary world, setting the narrative on a course toward its final climax.

Step 11: Resurrection

In this step, the Hero faces their final hurdle, a climactic battle or confrontation representing their ultimate test. It is a moment of profound transformation and revelation , where the Hero emerges stronger, wiser, and forever changed.

The Resurrection is the pinnacle of the Hero’s journey, portraying intense transformation, sacrifice, and rebirth. It involves a final confrontation with a powerful adversary or internal obstacles, representing a symbolic death and subsequent resurrection into a new state of being.

This phase is marked by the Hero’s ultimate test, showcasing their courage and resilience in the face of the highest stakes. The Resurrection serves as the narrative climax , resolving the central conflict and illustrating the Hero’s evolution and triumph.

Step 12: Return with the Elixir

The Hero returns to their ordinary world, armed with the elixir, resurrection treasure they have gained on their journey. They bring back their newfound knowledge, ready to share it with their community and inspire change .

The Return with the Elixir is the culmination of the Hero’s journey. It symbolizes the triumphant return to the ordinary world with a boon, gift, or wisdom that promises positive transformation. This phase encapsulates the Hero’s final contribution to their community , demonstrating the enduring impact of their odyssey.

The Elixir may take various forms. It could be a tangible object, newfound knowledge, or a transformative quality that enriches both the Hero and the world they return to.

Examples of the Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey can be seen in countless stories throughout history and across various mediums. Let’s explore a few well-known examples to see how this narrative structure unfolds.

Harry Potter Series

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series follows the Hero’s Journey with Harry as the protagonist. He begins his journey in the ordinary world of the Dursleys, living an oppressed and ordinary life. When he receives his call to adventure, the letter from Hogwarts, he initially refuses it due to the resistance from his uncle. However, with the help of his Mentor, Hagrid, he crosses the Threshold into the wizarding world.

Throughout the series, Harry faces numerous tests, allies with friends like Ron and Hermione, and encounters enemies like Voldemort. He goes through trials, ordeals, and personal transformations as he approaches the Inmost Cave, leading to his final confrontation with Voldemort in the Resurrection stage. Finally, Harry returns with the Elixir, the knowledge and power to defeat evil. And brings peace to the wizarding world.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, is another prime example of the Hero’s journey. Frodo Baggins, the ring-bearer, begins his journey in the peaceful Shire, his ordinary world. When he receives the call to adventure to destroy the One Ring, he initially refuses it due to the burden and danger it entails. However, with the guidance of his Mentor, Gandalf, he accepts the quest and crosses the Threshold into the dangerous realms of Middle-earth.

Frodo faces tests, allies with the Fellowship of the Ring, and battles enemies like Sauron’s forces throughout his journey. He approaches the inmost cave, Mount Doom, where he must destroy the ring. The Ordeal tests his resilience and willpower, leading to his resurrection and ultimate success in destroying the ring. Frodo returns with the elixir, having saved Middle-earth from the dark forces and bringing peace to the land.

Tips for incorporating the Hero’s Journey into your storytelling

The Hero’s Journey provides a robust framework for crafting compelling and engaging stories. By combining the various stages and archetypes into their narrative, writers can create characters and plots that resonate with readers and viewers on a profound level.

Here are some tips to help you harness the power of this narrative framework:

• Understand the stages and archetypes . Familiarize yourself with the structure of the Hero’s Journey and the various archetypes in this narrative framework. This will provide a solid foundation for crafting your story.
• Adapt the framework to fit your narrative . The Hero’s Journey provides a general structure. So it’s essential to adapt it to suit your specific story and characters. Don’t be afraid to deviate from the traditional path if it serves your narrative better.
• Create multi-dimensional characters . The Hero’s Journey is not just about the Hero. It is also about the supporting characters (mentors, allies, heralds, shapeshifters , shadows, threshold guardians, tricksters ) they encounter along the way. Make sure to develop well-rounded and compelling characters who serve different roles in the Hero’s journey.
• Embrace the transformative power of the journey . The Hero’s Journey is ultimately about personal growth and transformation. Allow your Hero to undergo a profound change throughout their journey, learning valuable lessons and overcoming their inner demons.

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure. Joseph Campbell

How bibisco can help craft the Hero’s Journey

bibisco novel writer software can help writers to incorporate the Hero’s Journey archetype into their stories. With its features and functionalities , bibisco provides support in various stages of the writing process, helping shape narrative and characters.

Novel structure

bibisco offers a novel structure template that aligns well with the stages of the Hero’s Journey. Writers can organize their chapters following the Hero’s adventure, ensuring a smooth and engaging narrative progression.

Character Development

Through the dedicated character development section, bibisco helps writers thoroughly outline the protagonist and other key characters. bibisco’s tools allow exploration of the protagonist’s growth path, internal and external conflicts, and transformations throughout the story.

Relationship Analysis

bibisco enables writers to analyze relationships between characters, a crucial aspect of the Hero’s Journey. Identifying bonds and dynamics among the protagonist, allies, and antagonists contributes to creating a richer and more engaging plot.

Timeline Management

bibisco’s timeline management function allows writers to plan and organize key events to reflect different stages of the Hero’s adventure. This helps maintain an engaging pace and ensures each phase of the story is adequately developed.

Notes and Ideas

With the ability to annotate ideas and thoughts directly within the application, bibisco helps writers capture and develop inspirations related to the Hero’s Journey as they arise. This feature facilitates the creative process, allowing authors to stay focused on essential plot components.

Conclusion: embracing the Hero’s Journey to captivate your audience

In conclusion, the Hero’s Journey proves to be an unparalleled guide for writers aspiring to create iconic and engaging stories. Exploring the classic stages of this epic adventure not only provides narrative structure but also delves deep into the hearts of characters and their transformations .

Facing the call to adventure , overcoming trials , and returning with the elixir form the foundation of indelible tales. Whether you are a novice writer or a seasoned author, the Hero’s Journey is a steadfast beacon for shaping stories that withstand the test of time and capture the reader’s imagination.

Social Share

• bibisco tips and tricks
• character archetypes
• character development
• literary genres
• narrative perspectives
• narrative techniques
• novel writing software
• story structures
• storytelling

Download bibisco!

Elevate your storytelling with bibisco!

Grab the best novel writing software for authors and dive into a world of creative writing.

Start your story today!

One Response

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Post

How to promote your novel to the right audience.

• September 9, 2024
• Uncategorized

8 Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid in a Novel

How to write a young adult novel: tips and techniques.

• September 4, 2024

Hero's Journey

Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or her swag? Yeah, scholar Joseph Campbell noticed first—in 1949. He wrote The Hero with a Thousand Faces , in which he outlined the 17 stages of a mythological hero's journey.

About half a century later, Christopher Vogler condensed those stages down to 12 in an attempt to show Hollywood how every story ever written should—and, uh, does —follow Campbell's pattern. We're working with those 12 stages, so take a look. (P.S. Want more? We have an entire Online Course devoted to the hero's journey.)

Ordinary World

Well, the Marvel Cinematic Universe never was what you'd call "ordinary," but things are certainly looking peaceful when we start. SHIELD is carefully testing the Tesseract, Captain America is beating up bags, and Iron Man is installing some perpetual energy doo-hickey at his Manhattan building.

Time for a wake-up call.

Call to Adventure

The call to adventure, in this case, is the arrival of Loki and the subsequent stealing of the Tesseract. (Also, zombifying.)

This is most definitely a problem in need of immediate solving, and given that Loki's arrival ended in the destruction of an entire SHIELD base, Fury decides it's time to call in the big guns.

Refusal of the Call

No one really flat-out refuses the call here, but Tony takes a little arm-twisting and Dr. Banner is definitely not keen on it.

That last one is the most interesting because it suggests one of Joseph Campbell's big ideas: if you refuse the call, bad things will happen. Luckily, Dr. Banner has probably read Joseph Campbell and knows what'll happen if he says no.

Meeting the Mentor

Sometimes it's Phil Coulson. Sometimes it's Natasha Romanoff. Sometimes it's Nick Fury himself. But while Fury is the true mentor here, they all come from the same place: SHIELD, the aptly named agency here to keep the world safe. Even veteran heroes need a guide sometime.

Crossing the Threshold

The threshold is crossed when Loki attacks Stuttgart, and the heroes have to learn to work together for the first time. They don't exactly pass with flying colors, but they're also made aware that the Chitauri are planning to invade. The rules have changed, and they're going to have to adjust to get this thing done.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

For the Earth mightiest heroes, they end up failing a number of tests in a big way. Loki's escape goes badly for all of them, resulting in Banner punching a hole through the Helicarrier, Thor chucked out the cargo bay in the anti-Hulk cage, and Iron Man and Captain America almost coming to blows before they put it aside to fix the immediate problems.

It doesn't go well…but it does show them what they're up against and how they're going to have to put their egos aside to get this done.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Ironically, the innermost cave actually comes from outer space: the Chitauri invasion is here, and the heroes are going to have to come together fast if they want to put the kibosh on it but good.

The ordeal is the epic final showdown on the streets of New York, with the Avengers fighting frantically to stop the invasion and the shutdown of the wormhole making it possible.

The only important test is the last one…and they finally nail it.

Reward (Seizing the Sword)

Again, we've got a reversal here, at least symbolically. Iron Man doesn't seize the sword: he releases it, sending the nuke into the heart of the Chitauri fleet.

With that, the gate can be closed and the threat can be lifted.

The Road Back

Tony's road back is short, swift, and goes straight down.

Having dropped the hammer on the Chitauri, he plummets back to Earth…and is caught by the Hulk before going splat on the sidewalk.

Resurrection

Iron Man's kind of carrying the Campbellian load in the finale here, so we'll stick with him.

Having been set down on the sidewalk by the Hulk, he's unconscious and may have actually died. But the Hulk's bellow starts him back to life again—and immediately into a bevy of one-liners to boot—making a nifty symbolic resurrection just to keep us all on the same page.

Return With the Elixir

Um…let's call it shawarma instead of elixir?

Actually, it's the sweet taste of alien-free air as the threat to Earth is lifted and the Chitauri are defeated for good.

Tired of ads?

Logging out…, logging out....

You've been inactive for a while, logging you out in a few seconds...

W hy's T his F unny?

Explaining the Hero’s Journey

Words by maribel leddy, a deep dive into joseph campbell’s monomyth.

Since its publication in 1949, Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With A Thousand Faces has been a hugely influential work in the field of comparative mythology and storytelling. It explores the common patterns found in myths and legends across diverse cultures throughout history. And, most importantly, it introduces the concept of the “monomyth,” or the Hero’s Journey, a narrative structure that Campbell argues transcends cultural boundaries and forms the basis of many of the most compelling and foundational stories ever created. 

The Hero With A Thousand Faces provides a comprehensive cross-cultural framework for understanding what makes a story a story. Its impact, particularly that of the monomyth, has shaped the way we perceive and create stories in literature, film, and beyond. In fact, after reading this article, you may find it difficult not to see the monomyth coloring stories all around you. 

But why is the Hero’s Journey so important for storytelling? Anyone can write a story. But writing something that captures the attention of readers means knowing how to craft it in a way that will tug on their emotions and stay with them long after reading. The Hero’s Journey is one of the most important structures and tools we have for creating compelling stories. In this edition of Facts of Fiction, you’ll learn what it is, how to use it, and what narrative structures lie beyond. 

The Hero’s Journey Demystified

The Hero’s Journey encapsulates a common narrative archetype, or story template, often used in storytelling, particularly from a Western perspective. In it, a hero first departs (or separates ) by going on adventure, is initiated into a new world, and then returns home. 

In The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein, for example, Gandalf calls upon Bilbo to join the dwarves of Thorin’s Company on a quest. Thus, Bilbo leaves his peaceful hobbit hole and finds himself on an adventure where he learns and struggles a great deal. Throughout the story, Bilbo gains a new level of maturity, competence, and wisdom—the skills he needs to secure his own kind of victory in ultimately leading to victories against the dragon Smaug, and at the Battle of Five Armies. Bilbo then returns to Bag End with some treasure and more stories, ultimately setting up for the beginning of Lord of the Rings in which Frodo also follows the call to adventure—once again led by Gandalf. 

We see here the “nuclear unit” of the monomyth in its full form: separation, initiation, and return. 

The first stage of the monomyth, also called the “departure,” has five stages wherein the hero: 

• Receives the vocation to their journey , signifying that destiny—in the form of the “herald”—has summoned them. This may appear in the form of a problem or threat, or as a person, such as Gandalf in The Hobbit . 
• Refuses the vocation , thus seeing for themselves the banality of their normal life. Campbell notes that “the refusal is essentially a refusal to give up what one takes to be one’s own interest.” In stories that take on the full Hero’s Journey, the hero always ultimately accepts the call. 
• Receives unsuspected assistance from a supernatural force , usually a protective figure—often a little old crone or old man—who provides the adventurer with tools against the forces the hero is about to face. 
• Crosses the first threshold , officially departing on their heroic journey.
• Enters the realm of the night , also known as the belly of the whale .  Here, the hero faces the first of their trials and enters into the unknown. In fairytales, for example, this may be an ogre guarding a bridge that the hero must outwit, bribe, or use the tools granted by the supernatural aid to defeat.  

The second stage of the monomyth details the trials and victories of initiation. Our hero must overcome great challenges to fully come into themself as a hero and a person. In this stage, the hero: 

• Takes the road of trials , a series of ordeals they must survive in order to reach the next stage. These include trials that test them both physically and emotionally and serve as a means to help the character grow. 
• Meets the “goddess,” in which the hero meets the allies who help them on their journey. 
• Faces temptation to abandon their journey and must avoid it. Campbell also refers to this stage as “Woman as Temptress” but it signifies any kind of temptation leading the hero away from their fate. 
• Atones with the father , or faces a major turning point in the story and discovers the ultimate reason for their journey. This may manifest in a face-off with a villain or a moment of internal doubt, or even a conflict with the herald who issued their quest. 
• Reaches the highest point of development or apotheosis —the climax of the story wherein the hero learns how they will face the rest of the journey and gains knowledge that will help them continue. 
• Confronts the ultimate boon , fulfilling the reason for their journey. 

Finally, at the end of the hero’s journey, the hero must return home and reintegrate into society. During this time, the hero: 

• Refuses the return , as they are reluctant to end the journey and return to the banality of real life.
• Goes on the magic flight , or is chased by those who would prevent them from returning home. 
• Is rescued from without by an outside force or mentor who guides them home and rescues them from whoever is chasing them.
• Crosses the return threshold and returns to the world they lived in previously.
• Becomes the master of two worlds , learning how to balance the mundane world with the one discovered on the journey.
• Finds freedom to live . The hero acclimates back to their mundane life and lives peacefully. 

In short, the Hero’s Journey is a common narrative archetype, or story template, in which a heroic character—the protagonist—goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, wins a victory, or victories, with that newfound knowledge, and returns home transformed.

Character Arcs and Turning Points

Perhaps the most important aspect of Campbell’s monomyth is how it serves as a classic structure to develop characters. Here at Brink and F(r)iction , we place a lot of value on character development and see the monomyth as one of the ideal ways to bring a character through a fully thought-out and satisfying character arc. 

The Hero’s Journey as outlined above doesn’t have to be a physical journey. It doesn’t have to take the form of fantasy, as it does in The Hobbit or classic fairytales and myths. It can start with a character getting the call to adventure by accepting a new job or starting at a new school. It can be mundane and every day, but the point is that it changes the protagonist as a person, amplifying both their good traits and their flaws, and bringing them full circle emotionally, mentally, and sometimes spiritually as well. 

A great example of the Hero’s Journey outside of genre fiction is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Our hero, Elizabeth Bennet, lives her ordinary life until she is “called to adventure” by the arrival of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. In this case, the adventure is love, and most of Elizabeth’s trials are internal. But ultimately, her story follows the structure of the monomyth and brings her to the full circle of “returning home,” only this time, it is her home with Mr. Darcy. 

Most importantly to Elizabeth’s Hero’s Journey, however, is her overall character arc. The title Pride and Prejudice gives us a clue: is Elizabeth the prideful one or the prejudiced one? In the end, she is both, and the journey she takes leads her to growing as a person, shedding her pride and her prejudice, and finding love—the very thing she refused at the beginning of the novel. 

The point of the character arc in the monomyth is that the hero changes. The stages of the Hero’s Journey amplify this change, unearthing the character’s greatest strengths and weaknesses and how they may use and overcome them, respectively. The transformative power of the Hero’s Journey for character is what makes it so compelling to readers. For example, think of how Aang in Avatar the Last Airbender changes over the course of the show. He goes from being a scared twelve-year-old boy who ran away from his problems (so effectively that he vanished for one hundred years) to accepting his purpose, overcoming his fears, and becoming the hero he was always meant to be. 

Or, take “Amorpho & The Leering Freak,” a short story by Jason Baltazar, for example. The protagonist, Amorpho, begins the story feeling uncomfortable at being observed “like an ant under a magnifying glass” as he performs his set at a freak show. He hates being watched and lacks personal connection to most people. By the end of the story, Amorpho has come to accept his new roommate “The Leering Freak” as a friend and has even stood up for him, relishing in The Leering Freak’s watchful gaze. 

The Monomyth in Action

Many famous stories adhere to the Hero’s Journey framework. You may begin to notice them all around you. The most popular examples include The Odyssey , Harry Potter , Lord of the Rings , Hunger Games , Star Wars: A New Hope , and many more. If you recognize and enjoy any of these stories, consider revisiting them and examining how they adhere to the monomyth. Or, pick one of your favorite stories and track it to see if it follows the monomyth’s structure. If it does, how? When does the hero get called to their journey? When do they enter the belly of the whale? How do they return home? If it doesn’t, what makes it different from the Hero’s Journey? What does the story do, or not do, that makes it a different narrative? 

As outlined with Pride and Prejudice above, the Hero’s Journey is not only used in fantastical stories, but can also apply across genres. Filmmakers, writers, and storytellers all around the world constantly use the framework of the monomyth to create compelling stories that capture an audience and make us care about their characters and plots. Utilizing the monomyth is a sure way to create an engaging narrative, as it truly lends itself to rich character development, drama, and a strong ending that feels complete. 

Alternatives to the Hero’s Journey

However, just because the Hero’s Journey is a popular framework for storytelling doesn’t mean it’s the only one out there. Alternative narrative structures, from the three-act structure to a classic tragedy to the anti-hero’s journey and more do exist. 

The three-act structure divides a story into three parts, often called the setup, confrontation, and resolution. Films and screenplays often use this structure and it can feel very similar to the Hero’s Journey as it is also made up of three parts that mirror the separation, initiation, and return. However, in the case of the three-act structure, not all of the elements from the Hero’s Journey may be present. Examine classic movies like Jaws , Jurassic Park , and Titanic as prime examples of the three-act structure in action. 

Classic tragedies tend to fall into five stages: anticipation, dream, frustration, nightmare, and destruction or death wish. In these stories, the tragic hero has a goal but ultimately fails to get what they want, and the result is complete undoing. In this way, a tragedy may reflect a Hero’s Journey but end in its opposite: the monsters win, the hero dies. Classic examples would be Shakespeare’s tragedies, such as Macbeth , Hamlet , and King Lear , but modern examples such as horror movies and organized crime films also often follow this structure. 

Deviating From the Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey provides a solid structure for telling a story that is recognizable across cultures and time. It has been amply analyzed and used to tell all kinds of stories for all kinds of characters. In this sense, the Hero’s Journey has pros and cons to using it as a writer. The pros are that you know it will result in a compelling story. The cons are that it may not feel original. Because of this, we don’t recommend viewing the monomyth as a paint-by-the-numbers template, but rather as a roadmap for sketching out a particular kind of story—one focused on a “hero” character who goes through an impactful change. In the end, storytellers can use what they like and change what they need to to tell their best version of their story. 

Crafting Your Own Journey

It’s good practice to study and even create your own Hero’s Journey narrative if you plan to be a writer. Like with all skillsets, storytellers must first master the basics and fundamentals in order to refine and upgrade their craft. Try using the outline below to determine the course of your next story, no matter what world you set it in. Come up with a character who you envision embarking on the monomyth and see how your story develops from there. You may find it’s the easiest story you’ve ever written. You may struggle to differentiate it from others you have read. In the end, doing it for yourself is the best way to see how it serves as such a great formulation for a story—and how it can be adapted to suit many genres and themes. 

Hero’s Journey Template

• Establish your hero and what their everyday life is like. 
• Have your hero encounter an event, problem, or person that forces them outside of their comfort zone/everyday life. 
• Make your hero reluctant to leave behind their everyday life to embark on the adventure.
• Have your hero meet with a mentor who will help them face the challenges ahead. 
• Have your hero officially depart on their journey and fully commit to entering the new world.
• As your hero enters this new world, have them encounter obstacles, enemies, and allies to help them on their journey. 
• Have your hero approach the place where they will encounter their greatest fear or biggest threat/foe. 
• Have your hero confront whatever it is they were approaching above and overcome it. 
• Provide your hero with a light at the end of the tunnel: some kind of tool, belief, or resource that they need to finish their journey.
• Take your hero on the journey home—but have them encounter more dangers along the way.
• Make your hero face a final test before getting a happy ending. 
• Finally, have your hero return home, changed in some way and with some kind of prize—either an insight or physical object.

Once you have mastered—or at least played with—the Hero’s Journey, try other narrative structures. Experiment for yourself to see what suits your style of writing and your characters. If you find yourself getting stuck, or not liking where a structure is taking you, change it up. There are many diverse narratives to explore. 

Think about your favorite short story, novel, movie, or series. What style of narrative does this work employ? Break it down into the “steps” of the Hero’s Journey as outlined above to get a better understanding of why and how it works as a story. An example you could use is Star Wars: A New Hope , which famously follows the Hero’s Journey very closely. 

Beyond the Monomyth: Exploring Diverse Narratives

Non-traditional narratives include the circular narrative, parallel plotlines, or a story told from an unconventional perspective, or that plays with time. 

In a circular narrative, for example, the story ends where it began. The characters still transform, but they return to the same place they began the story. While this may feel similar to the Hero’s Journey and, in some cases, a Hero’s Journey is cyclical, in a circular narrative the characters don’t necessarily go through all the trials and tribulations of the hero. A great example of circular narrative is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 

In parallel structure, the story follows multiple storylines that are tied together through an event, character, or theme. Parallel narratives can be found everywhere throughout popular media, but a strong famous example would be “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by Shakespeare. In this play, multiple plotlines take place at once: the love entanglement of Helena, Hermia, Lysander, and Demetrius; Titania and Oberon’s quarrel; the play being put on by Bottom and the other players; and the wedding of Theseus and Hippolyta. By the end of the play, these plotlines have connected and been resolved. 

Another type of story is interactive in which the reader chooses their own adventure, and the choices they make determine how the story proceeds and what narrative it takes. Video games often use this to make a compelling game that may end poorly for the player if they don’t make the right choices. The next blog in this series takes you on a choose your own adventure that will determine a hero’s fate—and hopefully help exemplify the Hero’s Journey as well as these other narrative structures!

Non-Western Narratives

We must acknowledge that the Hero’s Journey and many of the other narratives discussed today largely come from a western understanding of storytelling and literature. Although Campbell brings up non-Western examples of folklore and stories in The Hero With A Thousand Faces , there is debate over whether his analysis truly applies. Narrative structures outside of Western influence do exist. 

The East Asian four-act structure , for example, also called kishōtenketsu (Japanese), qǐchéngzhuǎnhé (Chinese), and gi seung jeon gyeol (Korean), is sometimes described as a “story without conflict.” This isn’t necessarily accurate, but it does pinpoint how this structure does not employ conflict to drive the story forward as it does in Western narrative structures. Instead, self-actualization, self-realization, and self-development drive the story. The four acts include the introduction, development, twist/turning point, and conclusion/result, although these can vary depending on the specific culture and story. Many popular manga, anime, K-dramas, and C-dramas utilize this story structure. Popular examples include the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away , the Korean Movie Minari , and Nintendo’s Super Mario . Some argue that Pulp Fiction uses this structure and Michel He argues that BTS’s “Love Yourself” album trilogy also employs this.

Aside from East Asian four-act structure, Kim Yoonmi outlines multiple worldwide story structures that fall outside of the Hero’s Journey, including Bildungsroman (the coming of age story), Crick Crack or Kwik Kwak from the Caribbean Black community (a performance-based storytelling tradition that utilizes audience interaction), and Harawi from South America (storytelling through lyrical and other forms of poetry). We won’t go into every possible story structure here, but recognize their existence and that a story is a story whether or not it follows a structure we expect.

On Choosing A Story Structure  

I encourage you to experiment with multiple story structures but to always keep in mind one thing: be purposeful. Whether you’re choosing to form a narrative around conflict, actively avoiding it, or doing something else entirely, make sure that whatever you choose lends itself to telling the story you are trying to tell. This will result in your best-told and most compelling story. 

The Hero’s Journey, Joseph Campbell’s famous monomyth, can be broken down into its nuclear unit of separation, initiation, and return. The hero is called to adventure, must overcome trials and challenges, and returns home changed for the better. The most important aspect of this journey is the way the character develops over it. In storytelling, the characters will always be the most important part of the story as they are what keeps readers reading. 

However, while the Hero’s Journey is a common and popular structure, it is not the only one out there. It can be used and adapted as the storyteller wishes for the sake of the story. As you write your own stories, explore multiple narrative structures and see what lends itself to telling your story the best way possible. 

In the end, Joseph Campbell’s work, The Hero With A Thousand Faces , has changed forever how we view and analyze literature. It has framed the way we see heroes and the journeys they face. This work has left an indelible mark on storytelling and continues to be an important part of learning how to tell great, compelling stories. After doing the exercise above, consider submitting your own take on the monomyth to F(r)iction and continue revisiting this series to learn more about the fundamentals of storytelling! 

Author’s Note: It’s worth pointing out that The Hero With A Thousand Faces does not just detail the Hero’s Journey that we have discussed in depth today. Although Campbell’s major argument and the majority of the work is dedicated to the monomyth and its role in storytelling, he also connects this to psychology in ways that we don’t often acknowledge or discuss today. This is in part because these connections don’t help us tell better stories. It is also because Campbell intertwines them with the Freudian take on human psychology in a way that is often rejected today for lacking evidence and considered a pseudoscience. To learn more about this, I encourage you to read The Hero With A Thousand Faces and check out this article . That said, the monomyth is still important to study when learning how to create stories and, importantly, how to write compelling character arcs. 

Maribel Leddy

Maribel Leddy is a passionate writer, editor, and creative content strategist based in New York, New York. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars and has been with Brink since 2018. With experience in writing professionally for over five years now, Maribel enjoys crafting engaging, thoughtful, and well-researched content across a variety of topics and industries. For fiction writing, her favorite genres are science fiction and fantasy. She currently lives with her sister and their two cats, Cleo and Chai.

Image by Adam Tumidajewicz from Pixabay

Recent Posts

• A Review of What It’s Like In Words by Eliza Moss
• Make Your Character Talk Back: How to Write Compelling Dialogue
• Meet Our Fall 2024 Interns!
• August Staff Picks
• A Review of Coup de Grace by Sofia Ajram
• Contest Winners
• Creative Nonfiction
• Dually Noted
• Facts of Fiction
• Flash Fiction
• Literary Horoscopes
• Read-alongs
• Short Story
• Staff Picks
• Editor's Note
• Uncategorized

• Libraries Home
• Research Guides

Classical Mythology - Greek

• The Hero's Journey
• Reference Resources

Electronic Resources

The monomyth, or Hero’s Journey, was first recognized as a pattern in mythology by Joseph Campbell, who noticed that heroes in mythology typically go through the same 17 stages in their journey toward hero-dom.  

The Hero’s Journey follows a path which is represented by a circle in which the hero travels into the unknown and is faced with many trials only to come full circle, returning to the known world.  The path includes but is not limited to the following segments:

• Call to Adventure
• Supernatural Aid
• Cross the Threshold into the Unknown
• Mentors / Helpers
• Transformation
• Return from the Unknown
• Return to a Normal Life

A popular interpretation of the Hero’s Journey is Luke Skywalker’s journey toward Jedi Knighthood in the original Star Wars films.  George Lucas found tremendous inspiration in the monomyth when creating the original trilogy.  Fans will notice how closely the films mirror the monomyth pattern.  Luke’s call to the rebellion, his aid of the force, the assortment of guides and companions, the many trials he faces along the way, his confrontation with Vader, the temptations of power, the destruction of the Empire, and the freedom of the galaxy from the Emperor’s evil tyranny.  Several documentaries and books have been published on Campbell’s influence on the Star Wars films.

Model of the Monomyth

The Monomyth, or Hero's Journey, is a path commonly represented by a circle.  Along this path the hero encounters numerous stages which he must overcome in order to progress.

Library Print & Media

• The Mythology of Star Wars An interview with George Lucas about the influence of his mentor, Joseph Campbell and his explanation of the Hero’s Journey. Available through Films on Demand.
• Wikipedia - Monomyth
• << Previous: Electronic Resources
• Last Updated: Jul 15, 2024 9:29 AM
• URL: https://guides.stlcc.edu/classical_mythology

Kindlepreneur

Book Marketing for Self-Publishing Authors

Home / Book Writing / The Hero’s Journey: The 12 Steps of Mythic Structure

The Hero’s Journey: The 12 Steps of Mythic Structure

The Hero’s Journey plot structure is a common template for writing a compelling story. It also has a built-in character arc for the hero or heroine. Whether you write detailed outlines before getting into any prose, or you think writing is best done without an outline, the Hero’s Journey can help. Many writers fall somewhere in between, keeping in mind the broad strokes of a plot structure like the Hero’s Journey as they write. 

Now, before you roll up your sleeves and get started with plotting your brand new idea, make sure it's viable to become a bestseller. Take just a few minutes to use book idea validation – without it, your book risks obscurity after it's published. If you have already written your book with a structure like the Hero's Journey and are looking to increase your sales, read how to make your book #1 on Amazon so you don't miss out on new readers.

One thing’s for sure: learning the twelve steps of the Hero’s Journey can only help your writing. This is why I recommend Plottr as an excellent tool to strengthen your writing. They have the Hero’s Journey and other well-known story archetypes to choose from so you can find one that best fits your particular story. 

More on Plottr later. For now, let’s go on an adventure through the Hero’s Journey!

• The origins of the Hero’s Journey
• The 12 Steps of the Journey
• Examples of the Hero’s Journey
• How to incorporate this story structure into your writing

Table of contents

• What is the Hero’s Journey?
• The Hero’s Journey: An Overview
• 1. The Ordinary World
• 2. The Call to Adventure
• 3. Refusing the Call to Adventure
• 4. Meeting the Mentor
• 5. Crossing the Threshold
• 6. Test, Allies, and Enemies
• 7. Approach to the Inmost Cave
• 8. The Ordeal
• 9. The Reward
• 10. The Road Back
• 11. Resurrection
• 12. Return With the Elixir
• Star Wars: A New Hope
• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Hunger Games
• Bonus Option: Use the Hero's Journey in a Series
• What Stories Work With the Hero’s Journey?

Get it for FREE here: Get the PDF Here

Popularized by mythologist Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces , the Hero’s Journey is a story structure that has been used to tell exciting and captivating stories for centuries. Campbell, a literature professor, found that this was a common mythic structure. It’s widely known by the moniker the Hero’s Journey, but this name didn’t come around until well after Campbell’s 1949 book.

Campbell’s name for it was the monomyth. 

Other scholars and storytellers have made tweaks to Campbell’s original monomyth structure, which has seventeen steps instead of the twelve I’ll be discussing today. The version of the Hero’s Journey widely used by screenwriters, authors, and playwrights today was popularized by screenwriter and producer Christopher Vogler .

You can apply this story structure to mythology, films, books, and even short stories.

There are three overall stages to the Hero’s Journey, each with individual story beats. These are 1) Departure, 2) Initiation, and 3) Return.

• The Ordinary World
• The Call to Adventure
• Refusing the Call to Adventure
• Meeting the Mentor
• Crossing the Threshold
• Test, Allies, and Enemies
• Approach to the Inmost Cave
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return With the Elixir

Format Beautiful Professional Books

Easy to use, and and full of amazing features, you can quickly turn your book into a professional book.

The Twelve Stages of the Hero’s Journey

Each of the twelve steps has its own story beats that happen. As we finish each stage, we’ll reflect on each story beat with an example from a famous movie. 

The first step in the Hero’s Journey is your chance to familiarize the reader with the known world in which your story happens. This means giving the reader what they need to know to make sense of the world (otherwise known as exposition ). If your story takes place in a reality much like our own, you won’t have a lot to do. But if magic and mythical beasts are normal, or it’s far into the future and interstellar travel is possible, you’ll have a bit more work to do here.  If you're having trouble picking which type of world is best for your book, research popular keywords in your genre to reveal settings that readers find interesting.

While you introduce the world, you’ll want to introduce the main character(s) as well. And in doing so, it’s important to give the reader a reason to like him, her, or them . While the protagonist is in their normal, ordinary world, they should want something more or different. And this want or need should dovetail nicely with the primary conflict of the story. 

• Introduce the world and the character in an interesting way. Readers will give you some leeway at the beginning of the book, but if it reads like a textbook, you’ll lose them pretty quickly!
• Give the character personality and dimension . Needs, wants, flaws, and characteristics don’t all have to come out right away, but there should be enough for the reader to want to follow the hero through the story. 

Tip: This first step should take the first 10-12% of the story. 

Step two, the call to adventure, is also called the inciting incident. This is something disruptive that pulls the hero out of their ordinary world and toward a journey that will ultimately change their life . . . if they survive. 

This call propels the rest of the story forward , so it should be exciting enough for the reader to want to continue with the story. This will change from genre to genre, so it’s important to know the tropes of whatever genre you’re writing in.  On Amazon, there are thousands of genre categories to choose from, so research potential category options to better understand your market.

• Most heroes will resist this initial call to action. The stakes should be very real and clear to the reader at this point. In many stories, the stakes will be life or death.
• Remember that your story needs to grow in intensity until it peaks at the climax. So the call to action should be dramatic, but things will get worse for the protagonist from here.

Tip: The Call To Adventure should happen around the 12% mark.  

Not every protagonist will refuse the call. Some may be ready to go. But if you pay attention to some of your favorite stories, you’ll likely see that most heroes ‌resist initially until ‌they have no choice. 

Something should happen to make a refusing hero realize that they have no choice but to take on the challenge presented to them. For every refusal, some incident or information should come out that will raise the stakes and make the hero realize they must face the challenge . The hero ventures forth at the end of this section.

• It’s good to have the character refuse the call for a reason that ties in with the need or want established in the first step of the Hero’s Journey. 
• Give them a good reason to refuse — and an even better reason to finally heed the call to adventure. 

Tip: The refusal section starts around the 15% mark of the story.  

At this point in the story, the protagonist has responded to the call to adventure. But their initial unease is still there. They don’t yet have the skills, items, or knowledge to succeed against such a challenge. This is where the mentor comes in. 

The mentor helps the protagonist gain the confidence needed to continue on the journey. This is usually done in a multifaceted manner, with both physical and mental help. Much of the time, the mentor provides tough love, kicking the protagonist’s butt into action, so to speak. While mentors are often people, they can also take the form of information, like a map, a magic scepter, or any other number of things that help the hero along. 

• Make it clear that, without the mentor, the protagonist would likely fall flat were they to continue on unaided. 
• The hero’s time with the mentor should ultimately result in a revelation , giving the hero exactly what they need (or at least what they think they need) to face the antagonist or challenge. 

Tip: Have this section start around the 20% mark of the story.

Step five of the Hero’s Journey is often called the point of no return. While the protagonist has learned from the mentor and gained confidence, this story beat forces them to engage fully with the challenge. Usually, this dramatic turning point is orchestrated by the antagonist, giving both the reader and the protagonist an idea of how powerful the villain really is.

One common tactic is to have the mentor killed in this section. Whatever you choose to do, make it pivotal and have it reinforce the central theme and conflict of the story . This is also the end of the Departure section, otherwise known as the first act. 

• Until this point, the hero has had one foot in their ordinary world. Now, there’s no choice but to go forward into unknown territory, otherwise called the special world. 
• The hero’s reaction to this pivotal story beat should be in line with what the reader knows about them. They need to work for any major changes that come about in this section. 

Tip: Crossing the Threshold usually starts around the 25% mark. 

This section marks the beginning of the second act. Building on everything that has come before, the protagonist should be challenged, putting their new abilities and knowledge to the test. It will become clear that the hero still needs help to resolve the main conflict of the story. This is where allies come into play. By teaming up with allies, the hero should continue to grow, playing off the other characters and working to overcome the tests or setbacks in the Special World. 

Enemies are those that put the tests in their place, working actively against the hero and allies. The reader should learn to care about the allies, which ‌means making them multifaceted characters. By the time this section is done, not all allies will have made it. Some may have even betrayed the hero. Likewise, enemies can also transform in this section, turning into allies. 

• While the allies may want the same thing as the hero, they may have conflicting views on how to get it. Everyone in agreement all the time makes for a boring story. 
• The hero’s abilities should be in doubt — both by the hero and the reader. 

Tip: This section occurs around the 30% mark. 

The approach to the inmost cave section gives the characters (and reader) a chance to reflect on the challenges of the previous section. Remember that the stakes and tension need to continue rising, so the previous section should have been the hardest challenge yet. The hero and allies are beaten and bruised — maybe one or more has died along the way — but the protagonist is still alive. The journey continues. 

The group is closer to the goal — and to the place or time of ultimate danger. They’re regrouping and gathering their wits as they prepare to face the antagonist or some of the villain’s formidable forces.

• This is a good place for the characters to formulate a plan of attack, clarifying the price of failure and the prize for success. 
• At this point, the hero has redoubled his effort and believes he is ready to face the challenge, despite his setbacks. The ordinary world is now far behind and impossible to get back to. The only way out is through. 

Tip: This section happens around the 40% mark. 

The ordeal is the biggest test yet and a transformative event that affects how the hero goes forward on their journey. This confrontation has the highest stakes so far, and it’s part of the central conflict. It brings the hero to their darkest point yet, and results in a metamorphosis of sorts that allows them to push through to the other side. 

Campbell spoke of the ordeal in terms of death and rebirth for the protagonist. The hero uses all they have learned up to this point to push through the ordeal. A character close to the hero is often killed in this section, whether it be the mentor, a close ally, or a loved one. However, it’s not always a death. It could involve facing fears, going up against the biggest foe, or breaking through some seemingly insurmountable mental barrier. Whatever form the ordeal takes, the hero is broken down and comes out the other side stronger than before . 

• This section is a long one, taking nearly a fifth of the story. It should be dramatic, compelling, and speak directly to the heart of both the external and internal conflicts of the story.
• Don’t be afraid to make things hard on your characters in this section. Even though the reader knows the hero will prevail, they should be left wondering in this section. 

Tip: The Ordeal takes place from around the 50% mark. 

Also called seizing the sword, this is the section in which the hero gets whatever they were searching for during the story. They’ve made it through the ordeal, and this is the reward. It can be an object, clarity, knowledge, or new skills/abilities. Whatever the reward is, it needs to be important in defeating the antagonist at the coming climax . 

After the action and emotion of the ordeal, this section is a place for the reader and characters to regroup and catch their breath again. It can be a good place for a celebration of sorts, something to show for the sacrifices made so far. The hero may even reflect on all it took to get here. 

• It should be clear to the reader how the reward will help the hero to finish the journey.
• This is a major milestone in the journey and should be treated as such. It also marks the end of act two.  

Tip: The Reward section takes place around the 70% mark of the story. 

Reward firmly in hand, the hero starts the journey back to the ordinary world. But every action has consequences, and those of claiming the reward block the hero’s road back. It becomes clear that things aren’t so simple, and the hero’s tribulations aren’t yet over. 

The unforeseen consequences of claiming the reward make the hero realize they’re in more danger than ever before, and they must face the antagonist head-on before returning to the ordinary world. The hero prepares for the ultimate battle — the climax. 

• It should be clear to the reader why the hero must face the antagonist once and for all. There should be no choice, given who the hero has become and the stakes they now face. 
• This is a good place to re-establish the central conflict of the story and make clear the results of failure. 

Tip: This section happens around the 75% mark. 

This is the climax of the story — the ultimate showdown between hero and villain . The tension and the stakes are higher than they’ve been throughout the story. If the hero fails, the world as they know it will be forever changed for the worst. The hero uses all they have learned on the journey to defeat the antagonist. 

The hero comes out of the confrontation changed, transformed into a true hero. This should be a dramatic transformation, completing the resurrection started earlier in the story. 

• Like every other challenge, the hero needs to earn this victory by sacrificing something for it. In some stories, the hero may even sacrifice him or herself.
• By vanquishing the antagonist, the hero should find the strength or gain the knowledge to address their internal conflict in a satisfactory manner. 

Tip: This section happens around the 85% mark .  

The last section of the story details the hero’s return from the special world to the ordinary world. Sometimes called the magic flight, the hero now has changed for the better. Show what new skills, items, knowledge, or understanding of the world the hero brings with them (the elixir). This “elixir” can often be used to help those the hero left behind in the ordinary world. 

In most stories, the hero will return to celebration. They’ve risked it all, saved lives, and learned important lessons. The people in the ordinary world are happy to have them back. The hero may decide to settle back into this world to use their newfound abilities. Or they may find they’ve outgrown it and have a taste for adventure.

• Re-establish the hero’s internal conflict and show how solving it has changed their view and life, completing the character arc . 
• If you’re writing a series, provide a hook for the next story here by hinting at another conflict the hero will need to deal with. 

Tip: This section happens around the 95% mark and finishes out the story! 

Examples of the Hero’s Journey from Famous Works

In George Lucas's Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , we can see the Hero's Journey in action. We also see it in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hunger Games . Let’s take a look now.

• Luke Skywalker — an archetypal hero — in his Ordinary World, living with his aunt and uncle, hoping for adventure. 
• Luke’s Call to Adventure comes when he activates a hidden message from Princess Leia that R2D2 is carrying for Obi-Wan Kenobi. 
• Luke initially Refuses the Call — until he returns home to discover his aunt and uncle have been killed by Imperial forces.
• While Luke has already met his Mentor (Obi-Wan), the active mentoring really starts after Luke's home has been destroyed and the only family he's ever known killed.
• When Luke, Obi-Wan, and the droids step into the dangerous Mos Eisley Spaceport, it signifies the beginning of Luke's heroic journey and the Crossing of the Threshold. 
• Luke and Obi-Wan hire a couple of Allies, Han Solo and Chewbacca, to transport them off the planet. Once on the Millennium Falcon, Luke's Tests begin. 
• The Approach to the Inmost Cave happens when the Death Star captures the Falcon in a tractor beam and pulls them in. 
• The Ordeal happens while Obi-Wan goes off to try and disengage the tractor beam. Luke, Han, and the others rescue Princess Leia. Obi-Wan confronts Darth Vader and sacrifices himself so the others can get away. 
• With the Rewards (the Death Star plans and the princess), Luke thinks he should be able to defeat the Empire. And while Obi-Wan's death weighs on him, he can see success ahead.
• The Road Back is interrupted as the Falcon is attacked. They have no choice but to go to the Rebel base to deliver the Death Star plans, even though they’re being tracked.
• As the Rebels are attacking the Death Star, Obi-Wan's voice speaks to Luke, telling him to use the Force. Luke does, using all that he's learned and finally “sacrificing” his old self, embracing the Force and “Resurrecting” as a true hero. He fires and blows up the Death Star.  
• Luke Returns to the Rebel base triumphant. Both he and Han Solo receive medals and accolades for delivering the (temporary) blow to the evil Empire.
• We get to see Frodo’s idyllic Ordinary World in the Shire. The idea of adventure is attractive to him, but not overly so.  
• Frodo’s Call to Adventure begins after Bilbo disappears, leaving behind the Ring, which Gandalf entrusts to young Frodo. 
• Frodo Refuses the Call not just once, but repeatedly throughout the story. He feels he is not the one to be entrusted with such a job of carrying and disposing of the Ring. 
• Gandalf acts as Frodo’s Mentor, instructing him on what he must do to protect the Ring and, in so doing, protecting the Shire. 
• Frodo and Sam quite literally Cross the Threshold as they leave the Shire after splitting from Gandalf. 
• Frodo and Sam run into Allies Merry and Pippin on their way toward Bree. They are also Tested by Enemies as they’re pursued by the Nazgûl. These tests continue until the group gets to Rivendell. 
• The Approach to the Inmost Cave is the group’s approach to the Mines of Moria — literal caves. 
• The Ordeal happens inside the Mines of Moria as the group is attacked by orcs and then Balrog, which Gandalf fights off, falling down into the depths and presumed dead. 
• The Reward is sparse in The Fellowship of the Rings. Gandalf is gone, and the group escapes with their lives. 
• The Road Back isn’t signified in this story by a turn back to the Ordinary World. Instead, it’s Frodo’s stay in Lothlórien, where he sees the stakes of his failure in a vision. 
• The Resurrection is the climax of the story, where the Uruk-hai catch up with the group and Boromir betrays Frodo, trying to take the ring from him. Frodo realizes he must travel alone to Mordor. 
• The Return with the Elixir portion is Sam’s refusal to let Frodo journey alone. Frodo pulls him into the boat and they cross the river together. Meanwhile, the rest of the Fellowship are determined to save Merry and Pippin. To be continued . . . 
• We see Katniss Everdeen living in her Ordinary World (District 12) with her mother and sister. It’s a bleak, depressing world, but it’s her Ordinary World nonetheless.
• After Prim, Katniss’s sister is called for Tribute, Katniss volunteers in her stead. This is the Call to Adventure. 
• This is one example of a story with no real Refusal of the Call. She may not want to take part in the Hunger Games, but she makes the decision and sticks with it to save her sister. 
• Katniss meets Haymitch, her Mentor. Though a drunk, he guides her on the politics and gives her tips on surviving the Games. 
• Katniss Crosses the Threshold when she’s put on the train to the capital, leaving her Ordinary World behind.
• The Tests, Enemies, and Allies section starts when she has to navigate the preparation for the Games. She meets Rue and has Peeta as an ally, as well. The Careers are clearly enemies to contend with later. 
• Katniss Approaches the Inmost Cave when the Hunger Games begin. 
• The Ordeal is plain to see as the Games commence, and Katniss struggles to stay alive amid the chaos. 
• The Reward comes when only Katniss and Peeta are left alive in the arena. They don’t have to fight, thanks to a rule change; they can both claim victory. 
• It looks good for Katniss and Peeta until the Capital changes the rules again, putting an obstacle in the path of the Road Back. Suddenly, they’re forced to decide which of them gets to live. 
• The Resurrection portion of the story plays out as Katniss and Peeta threaten to kill themselves, leaving no winner and possibly sowing the seeds of revolution. The Capital changes the rules again, allowing both of them to claim victory. 
• Katniss gets to live, Returning from the Games as a hero. One who just may be able to make some real change to her Ordinary World.  

Let's say you want to think big. Like a 12 book series big. One little fun way that I use the Hero's Journey is to use each of the 12 steps to represent an entire book as a whole. You could also condense this into 6 books, 3 books, etc.

For example, the original Star Wars trilogy does a fantastic job of fitting the hero's journey not only into the first movie (A New Hope) but also into the trilogy as a whole. The first movie could easily represent the first four steps of the hero's journey from a macro-perspective (as well as covering all 12 within its self-contained plot), with The Empire Strikes Back covering steps 5-8, and Return of the Jedi covering steps 9-12.

Seriously though, the OG Star Wars trilogy is a masterclass in plotting, you guys.

In other words, the Hero's Journey doesn't have to be used just for a single novel, it can be a great way to progress your character from a more zoomed out perspective through an entire series.

Now that you know what to look for, think about some of your favorite stories. See if you can see the beats of the Hero's Journey in them. From Harry Potter and Toy Story to the Lion King and The Hunger Games , you'll find evidence of this story structure.

Its uses aren't just for adventure stories, though. With a little tweaking, a sweet romance story could also follow this template pretty closely. The point of the Hero’s Journey plot template isn’t to lock you into a formula that you can’t deviate from. Instead, it’s a tool that can guide you along. When you know the tropes of your genre, you can marry them with the major beats of the Hero’s Journey to come up with a novel readers will love . Remember, however, that writing an incredible novel is only part of the battle to find loyal readers- it's also important to have a strong marketing strategy so people can actually discover your book, as outlined in my free e-book on how to become an Amazon bestseller.

To make story beats easier, I recommend giving Plottr a try. It’s a great storytelling tool for writers that can help keep you on track using structures like the Hero’s Journey, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle , the Three Act Structure , and more. 

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

Related Posts

How to write a book using google docs, how to write dark fantasy: a guide for new authors, how to write a book using microsoft word, sell more books on amazon, amazon kindle rankings e-book.

Learn how to rank your Kindle book #1 on Amazon with our collection of time-tested tips and tricks.

Join the community

Join 111,585 other authors who receive weekly emails from us to help them make more money selling books.

• Free Workshop
• Grief Counseling
• Testimonials
• Speaking/Training
• Living With Grief
• From Grief To Peace Guided Journal
• Mindfulness & Grief
• Superhero Grief
• Intimacy and Sexuality During Illness and Loss
• Techniques of Grief Therapy
• Deuil et Pleine Conscience
• Grief Gifts
• About Heather

Grief Help , Grief Journaling & Writing

The Hero’s Journey for Grief: Finding Meaning in a Changed World

By   Heather Stang, MA, C-IAYT

Posted: August 22, 2023

In the aftermath of loss, our assumptive world shatters, leaving us to navigate a landscape unrecognizable and fraught with uncertainty. It is through the earnest journey of self-reflection and the courage to rebuild that we may unearth the profound meaning hidden within our grief, forging a path towards more than mere survival, but living more fully and with a deep understanding of ourselves and the nature of love.

The loss of a loved one can send us on an unexpected and painful journey through grief. Here, we may find guidance and structure in a concept known as the Hero's Journey, a framework that has transcended time and culture to become the foundation for many of our most beloved stories.

In this article, I will share how this can help you navigate grief, and offer an example loosely based on my own journey of love, loss, and posttraumatic growth after the death of my stepfather, Tom Clark.

The Hero's Journey: A Universal Narrative

The Hero's Journey, a concept devised by scholar Joseph Campbell, is a narrative pattern found in myths, movies, and literature across different cultures. This universal structure consists of a series of stages that chart the protagonist's transformation through challenges, personal growth, and eventual triumph. From ancient myths like "The Odyssey" to modern blockbusters like "Star Wars," the Hero's Journey has been the backbone of stories that resonate deeply with audiences. Its three main stages are:

• Departure : The protagonist is called to adventure, often resisting before finally embarking on the journey.
• Initiation : A series of trials and personal transformations shape the protagonist, leading to a significant reward or revelation.
• Return : The protagonist returns to the ordinary world, changed and bearing newfound wisdom or abilities.

This pattern's universality can provide a roadmap for those traversing the complex terrain of grief. These themes are so universal that my colleagues and I co-wrote a book called Superhero Grief: The Transformative Power of Loss (Harrington, 2022), illustrating how Marvel and DC characters deal with loss in a way that us human grievers can relate to. In my opinion, we are all superheroes when faced with grief, both strong and vulnerable.

Writing Prompts for The Hero's Journey through Grief

By exploring Emily's story, who lost her father unexpectedly after surgery, we can uncover insights and writing prompts that may guide others through their unique paths of grief. While it can be very effective to write in the first person (I, me, my), I find journaling in an alternative point of view can provide enough space to cultivate more self-compassion for the hero, as well as deeper insights into their actions. For the Hero's Journey, I typically write in the third person (he, she, they). Here I am writing very loosely about myself, using the pseudonym Emily.

• Call to Adventure: Emily's father dies suddenly post-surgery. She inherits his cameras and photographs, the tangible memories of his passion. She also has to empty out the home he is renting, which not only houses his personal items but his business as well. Writing Prompt: Write about the moment the hero's grief journey began. What were the challenges they faced? How did they feel about this event?
• Refusal of the Call: Emily avoids dealing with her father's belongings, especially his cameras, which she wasn't allowed to touch when he was alive. She remembers the complexities of their relationship, loving yet marred by his mental illness. She also felt angry that he didn't take better care of his physical health, and upset that she didn't do more to encourage wellness activities. Writing Prompt: Reflect on the hero's initial resistance or avoidance in facing their grief. What are the complexities that influence their feelings?
• Crossing the Threshold: Emily takes the courageous step of sorting her father's estate, facing memories and unprocessed emotions. Writing Prompt: Journal about the first major step the hero took towards confronting their grief. How did it feel?

Initiation: 

• Trials, Allies, and Enemies: Emily struggles with loneliness and the physical task of managing her father's home. She finds support from friends who understand her complex relationship with her father, and help her with the overwhelming task of organizing and distributing his belongings. Writing Prompt: Identify the hero's supports and challenges in their grief journey. How have they shaped their experience
• Approach to the Inmost Cave: Emily starts exploring her father's photography, connecting with his world and her own pain. Writing Prompt: Explore a connection or activity that deeply resonates with the hero's loss. What emotions does it stir?
• The Ordeal: Emily's visits to her father's grave and the confrontation with his cameras, his mental illness, and their turbulent relationship become her most significant trials. Writing Prompt: Write about the hero's most profound challenge in their grief journey.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword): Emily begins to understand her father's love for photography and sees her growth through her grief. Writing Prompt: Reflect on any personal growth or insights that have emerged for the hero.
• The Road Back: Emily takes up photography, honoring her father and finding a therapeutic outlet. Writing Prompt: Journal about how the hero has incorporated something from their loved one into their healing process.
• Resurrection: Emily's new perspective allows her to engage in activities she loves, transforming her pain into creativity and compassion. Writing Prompt: Describe how the hero's perspectives or activities have transformed.
• Return with the Elixir: Emily becomes a peer support for other grievers, using her father's camera as a tool to help others explore their emotions and find healing. By capturing moments that reflect grief's multifaceted nature, she turns her personal triumph into a communal experience, offering solace and encouragement to those on a similar path. Writing Prompt: Reflect on how the hero's grief journey has changed them and what wisdom they might share with others, including any tools or activities that have become part of their healing process.

The Power of Reviewing Your Story of Love and Loss

Emily's journey, coupled with the understanding of the Hero's Journey as a timeless narrative framework, offers a compelling example of how this structure can be applied to the grieving process. Whether you're navigating the loss of a loved one or seeking to understand the universal patterns of human experience, the Hero's Journey provides a guiding light. By following Emily's story and engaging with the provided prompts, readers may find direction, empathy, and a sense of connection to a narrative that echoes across cultures and generations.

By integrating her father's camera into her new role, Emily's story vividly illustrates how the grief process can lead not only to personal growth but also to the ability to support and uplift others. Her transformation through the Hero's Journey serves as an inspiring example of how pain can turn into purpose, and how a personal object or hobby can evolve into a profound means of connecting and healing. Her path demonstrates the potential for creativity and compassion that resides in each of us, waiting to be discovered and nurtured.

Everyone Is The Hero of Their Own Story

Grief is a journey that we all must face at some point in our lives. Through the lens of the Hero's Journey, we can find a common language and structure that helps us navigate this complex and deeply personal process. By connecting with these universal themes, we can see ourselves not just as mourners but as heroes, capable of strength, resilience, and transformation.

I hope this framework inspires you to revisit your struggles and victories through the eyes of a compassionate narrator, who understands that grief is hard, and you are doing your best. 

If you enjoyed this process, consider joining me in Awaken, my online grief support group where I lead weekly classes that include meditation and journaling to help you be your own hero. 

Heather Stang, MA, C-IAYT

About the author

Heather Stang, M.A. is the author of Living with Grief and the guided journal, From Grief To Peace . She is the creator of the Mindfulness & Grief System that is featured in the Handbook of Grief Therapies (2023) and is the founder of Awaken, a mindfulness-based online grief support group . Heather also hosts the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast, and offers mindfulness-based grief support online through her organization, the Mindfulness & Grief Institute. She holds a Masters degree in Thanatology (Death, Dying, and Bereavement) from Hood College in Maryland, and is a certified Yoga Therapist. She currently lives in Falling Waters, WV.

You might also like

Nurturing Self-Compassion Through Metaphor and Creativity

Grief exercise: a mindful reset for the transition into fall, understanding self-soothing vs. self-numbing: a path to mindful healing, 4 tips to navigate disenfranchised grief and non-death losses, get the compassionate support you need plus mindfulness-based tools to navigate life after loss..

Privacy Overview

TRY OUR FREE APP

Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Last updated on Aug 10, 2023

The Hero's Journey: 12 Steps to a Classic Story Structure

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Dario Villirilli

Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.

The Hero's Journey is a timeless story structure which follows a protagonist on an unforeseen quest, where they face challenges, gain insights, and return home transformed. From Theseus and the Minotaur to The Lion King , so many narratives follow this pattern that it’s become ingrained into our cultural DNA. 

In this post, we'll show you how to make this classic plot structure work for you — and if you’re pressed for time, download our cheat sheet below for everything you need to know.

FREE RESOURCE

Hero's Journey Template

Plot your character's journey with our step-by-step template.

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero's Journey, also known as the monomyth, is a story structure where a hero goes on a quest or adventure to achieve a goal, and has to overcome obstacles and fears, before ultimately returning home transformed.

This narrative arc has been present in various forms across cultures for centuries, if not longer, but gained popularity through Joseph Campbell's mythology book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces . While Campbell identified 17 story beats in his monomyth definition, this post will concentrate on a 12-step framework popularized in 2007 by screenwriter Christopher Vogler in his book The Writer’s Journey .

The 12 Steps of the Hero’s Journey

The Hero's Journey is a model for both plot points and character arc development: as the Hero traverses the world, they'll undergo inner and outer transformation at each stage of the journey. The 12 steps of the hero's journey are: 

• The Ordinary World: We meet our hero.
• Call to Adventure:  Will they meet the challenge?
• Refusal of the Call: They resist the adventure.
• Meeting the Mentor: A teacher arrives.
• Crossing the First Threshold: The hero leaves their comfort zone.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies: Making friends and facing roadblocks.
• Approach to the Inmost Cave: Getting closer to our goal.
• Ordeal: The hero’s biggest test yet!
• Reward (Seizing the Sword):  Light at the end of the tunnel
• The Road Back: We aren’t safe yet.
• Resurrection:  The final hurdle is reached.
• Return with the Elixir:  The hero heads home, triumphant.

Believe it or not, this story structure also applies across mediums and genres. Let's dive into it!

1. Ordinary World

In which we meet our Hero.

The journey has yet to start. Before our Hero discovers a strange new world, we must first understand the status quo: their ordinary, mundane reality.

It’s up to this opening leg to set the stage, introducing the Hero to readers. Importantly, it lets readers identify with the Hero as a “normal” person in a “normal” setting, before the journey begins.

2. Call to Adventure

In which an adventure starts.

The call to adventure is all about booting the Hero out of their comfort zone. In this stage, they are generally confronted with a problem or challenge they can't ignore. This catalyst can take many forms, as Campbell points out in Hero with a Thousand Faces . The Hero can, for instance:

• Decide to go forth of their own volition;
• Theseus upon arriving in Athens.
• Be sent abroad by a benign or malignant agent;
• Odysseus setting off on his ship in The Odyssey .
• Stumble upon the adventure as a result of a mere blunder;
• Dorothy when she’s swept up in a tornado in The Wizard of Oz .
• Be casually strolling when some passing phenomenon catches the wandering eye and lures one away from the frequented paths of man.
• Elliot in E.T. upon discovering a lost alien in the tool shed.

The stakes of the adventure and the Hero's goals become clear. The only question: will he rise to the challenge?

3. Refusal of the Call

In which the Hero digs in their feet.

Great, so the Hero’s received their summons. Now they’re all set to be whisked off to defeat evil, right?

Not so fast. The Hero might first refuse the call to action. It’s risky and there are perils — like spiders, trolls, or perhaps a creepy uncle waiting back at Pride Rock . It’s enough to give anyone pause.

In Star Wars , for instance, Luke Skywalker initially refuses to join Obi-Wan on his mission to rescue the princess. It’s only when he discovers that his aunt and uncle have been killed by stormtroopers that he changes his mind.

4. Meeting the Mentor

In which the Hero acquires a personal trainer.

The Hero's decided to go on the adventure — but they’re not ready to spread their wings yet. They're much too inexperienced at this point and we don't want them to do a fabulous belly-flop off the cliff.

Enter the mentor: someone who helps the Hero, so that they don't make a total fool of themselves (or get themselves killed). The mentor provides practical training, profound wisdom, a kick up the posterior, or something abstract like grit and self-confidence.

Wise old wizards seem to like being mentors. But mentors take many forms, from witches to hermits and suburban karate instructors. They might literally give weapons to prepare for the trials ahead, like Q in the James Bond series. Or perhaps the mentor is an object, such as a map. In all cases, they prepare the Hero for the next step.

GET ACCOUNTABILITY

Meet writing coaches on Reedsy

Industry insiders can help you hone your craft, finish your draft, and get published.

5. Crossing the First Threshold

In which the Hero enters the other world in earnest.

Now the Hero is ready — and committed — to the journey. This marks the end of the Departure stage and is when the adventure really kicks into the next gear. As Vogler writes: “This is the moment that the balloon goes up, the ship sails, the romance begins, the wagon gets rolling.”

From this point on, there’s no turning back.

Like our Hero, you should think of this stage as a checkpoint for your story. Pause and re-assess your bearings before you continue into unfamiliar territory. Have you:

• Launched the central conflict? If not, here’s a post on types of conflict to help you out.
• Established the theme of your book? If not, check out this post that’s all about creating theme and motifs.
• Made headway into your character development? If not, this author-approved template may be useful:

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies

In which the Hero faces new challenges and gets a squad.

When we step into the Special World, we notice a definite shift. The Hero might be discombobulated by this unfamiliar reality and its new rules. This is generally one of the longest stages in the story , as our protagonist gets to grips with this new world.

This makes a prime hunting ground for the series of tests to pass! Luckily, there are many ways for the Hero to get into trouble:

• In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle , Spencer, Bethany, “Fridge,” and Martha get off to a bad start when they bump into a herd of bloodthirsty hippos.
• In his first few months at Hogwarts, Harry Potter manages to fight a troll, almost fall from a broomstick and die, and get horribly lost in the Forbidden Forest.
• Marlin and Dory encounter three “reformed” sharks, get shocked by jellyfish, and are swallowed by a blue whale en route to finding Nemo.

This stage often expands the cast of characters. Once the protagonist is in the Special World, he will meet allies and enemies — or foes that turn out to be friends and vice versa. He will learn a new set of rules from them. Saloons and seedy bars are popular places for these transactions, as Vogler points out (so long as the Hero survives them).

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

In which the Hero gets closer to his goal.

This isn’t a physical cave. Instead, the “inmost cave” refers to the most dangerous spot in the other realm — whether that’s the villain’s chambers, the lair of the fearsome dragon, or the Death Star. Almost always, it is where the ultimate goal of the quest is located.

Note that the protagonist hasn’t entered the Inmost Cave just yet. This stage is all about the approach to it. It covers all the prep work that's needed in order to defeat the villain.

In which the Hero faces his biggest test of all thus far.

Of all the tests the Hero has faced, none have made them hit rock bottom — until now. Vogler describes this phase as a “black moment.” Campbell refers to it as the “belly of the whale.” Both indicate some grim news for the Hero.

The protagonist must now confront their greatest fear. If they survive it, they will emerge transformed. This is a critical moment in the story, as Vogler explains that it will “inform every decision that the Hero makes from this point forward.”

The Ordeal is sometimes not the climax of the story. There’s more to come. But you can think of it as the main event of the second act — the one in which the Hero actually earns the title of “Hero.”

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)

In which the Hero sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Our Hero’s been through a lot. However, the fruits of their labor are now at hand — if they can just reach out and grab them! The “reward” is the object or knowledge the Hero has fought throughout the entire journey to hold.

Once the protagonist has it in their possession, it generally has greater ramifications for the story. Vogler offers a few examples of it in action:

• Luke rescues Princess Leia and captures the plans of the Death Star — keys to defeating Darth Vader.
• Dorothy escapes from the Wicked Witch’s castle with the broomstick and the ruby slippers — keys to getting back home.

10. The Road Back

In which the light at the end of the tunnel might be a little further than the Hero thought.

The story's not over just yet, as this phase marks the beginning of Act Three. Now that he's seized the reward, the Hero tries to return to the Ordinary World, but more dangers (inconveniently) arise on the road back from the Inmost Cave.

More precisely, the Hero must deal with the consequences and aftermath of the previous act: the dragon, enraged by the Hero who’s just stolen a treasure from under his nose, starts the hunt. Or perhaps the opposing army gathers to pursue the Hero across a crowded battlefield. All further obstacles for the Hero, who must face them down before they can return home.

11. Resurrection

In which the last test is met.

Here is the true climax of the story. Everything that happened prior to this stage culminates in a crowning test for the Hero, as the Dark Side gets one last chance to triumph over the Hero.

Vogler refers to this as a “final exam” for the Hero — they must be “tested once more to see if they have really learned the lessons of the Ordeal.” It’s in this Final Battle that the protagonist goes through one more “resurrection.” As a result, this is where you’ll get most of your miraculous near-death escapes, à la James Bond's dashing deliverances. If the Hero survives, they can start looking forward to a sweet ending.

12. Return with the Elixir

In which our Hero has a triumphant homecoming.

Finally, the Hero gets to return home. However, they go back a different person than when they started out: they’ve grown and matured as a result of the journey they’ve taken.

But we’ve got to see them bring home the bacon, right? That’s why the protagonist must return with the “Elixir,” or the prize won during the journey, whether that’s an object or knowledge and insight gained.

Of course, it’s possible for a story to end on an Elixir-less note — but then the Hero would be doomed to repeat the entire adventure.

Examples of The Hero’s Journey in Action

To better understand this story template beyond the typical sword-and-sorcery genre, let's analyze three examples, from both screenplay and literature, and examine how they implement each of the twelve steps. 

The 1976 film Rocky is acclaimed as one of the most iconic sports films because of Stallone’s performance and the heroic journey his character embarks on.

• Ordinary World. Rocky Balboa is a mediocre boxer and loan collector — just doing his best to live day-to-day in a poor part of Philadelphia.
• Call to Adventure. Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed decides to make a big fight interesting by giving a no-name loser a chance to challenge him. That loser: Rocky Balboa.
• Refusal of the Call. Rocky says, “Thanks, but no thanks,” given that he has no trainer and is incredibly out of shape.
• Meeting the Mentor. In steps former boxer Mickey “Mighty Mick” Goldmill, who sees potential in Rocky and starts training him physically and mentally for the fight.
• Crossing the First Threshold. Rocky crosses the threshold of no return when he accepts the fight on live TV, and 一 in parallel 一 when he crosses the threshold into his love interest Adrian’s house and asks her out on a date.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Rocky continues to try and win Adrian over and maintains a dubious friendship with her brother, Paulie, who provides him with raw meat to train with.
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. The Inmost Cave in Rocky is Rocky’s own mind. He fears that he’ll never amount to anything — something that he reveals when he butts heads with his trainer, Mickey, in his apartment.
• Ordeal. The start of the training montage marks the beginning of Rocky’s Ordeal. He pushes through it until he glimpses hope ahead while running up the museum steps.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Rocky's reward is the restoration of his self-belief, as he recognizes he can try to “go the distance” with Apollo Creed and prove he's more than "just another bum from the neighborhood."
• The Road Back. On New Year's Day, the fight takes place. Rocky capitalizes on Creed's overconfidence to start strong, yet Apollo makes a comeback, resulting in a balanced match.
• Resurrection. The fight inflicts multiple injuries and pushes both men to the brink of exhaustion, with Rocky being knocked down numerous times. But he consistently rises to his feet, enduring through 15 grueling rounds.
• Return with the Elixir. Rocky loses the fight — but it doesn’t matter. He’s won back his confidence and he’s got Adrian, who tells him that she loves him.

Moving outside of the ring, let’s see how this story structure holds on a completely different planet and with a character in complete isolation. 

The Martian 

In Andy Weir’s bestselling novel (better known for its big screen adaptation) we follow astronaut Mark Watney as he endures the challenges of surviving on Mars and working out a way to get back home.

• The Ordinary World. Botanist Mark and other astronauts are on a mission on Mars to study the planet and gather samples. They live harmoniously in a structure known as "the Hab.”
• Call to Adventure. The mission is scrapped due to a violent dust storm. As they rush to launch, Mark is flung out of sight and the team believes him to be dead. He is, however, very much alive — stranded on Mars with no way of communicating with anyone back home.
• Refusal of the Call. With limited supplies and grim odds of survival, Mark concludes that he will likely perish on the desolate planet.
• Meeting the Mentor. Thanks to his resourcefulness and scientific knowledge he starts to figure out how to survive until the next Mars mission arrives.
• Crossing the First Threshold. Mark crosses the mental threshold of even trying to survive 一 he successfully creates a greenhouse to cultivate a potato crop, creating a food supply that will last long enough.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Loneliness and other difficulties test his spirit, pushing him to establish contact with Earth and the people at NASA, who devise a plan to help.  
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. Mark faces starvation once again after an explosion destroys his potato crop.
• Ordeal. A NASA rocket destined to deliver supplies to Mark disintegrates after liftoff and all hope seems lost.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Mark’s efforts to survive are rewarded with a new possibility to leave the planet. His team 一 now aware that he’s alive 一 defies orders from NASA and heads back to Mars to rescue their comrade.
• The Road Back. Executing the new plan is immensely difficult 一 Mark has to travel far to locate the spaceship for his escape, and almost dies along the way.
• Resurrection. Mark is unable to get close enough to his teammates' ship but finds a way to propel himself in empty space towards them, and gets aboard safely.
• Return with the Elixir. Now a survival instructor for aspiring astronauts, Mark teaches students that space is indifferent and that survival hinges on solving one problem after another, as well as the importance of other people’s help.

Coming back to Earth, let’s now examine a heroine’s journey through the wilderness of the Pacific Crest Trail and her… humanity. 

The memoir Wild narrates the three-month-long hiking adventure of Cheryl Strayed across the Pacific coast, as she grapples with her turbulent past and rediscovers her inner strength.

• The Ordinary World. Cheryl shares her strong bond with her mother who was her strength during a tough childhood with an abusive father.
• Call to Adventure. As her mother succumbs to lung cancer, Cheryl faces the heart-wrenching reality to confront life's challenges on her own.
• Refusal of the Call. Cheryl spirals down into a destructive path of substance abuse and infidelity, which leads to hit rock bottom with a divorce and unwanted pregnancy. 
• Meeting the Mentor. Her best friend Lisa supports her during her darkest time. One day she notices the Pacific Trail guidebook, which gives her hope to find her way back to her inner strength.
• Crossing the First Threshold. She quits her job, sells her belongings, and visits her mother’s grave before traveling to Mojave, where the trek begins.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Cheryl is tested by her heavy bag, blisters, rattlesnakes, and exhaustion, but many strangers help her along the trail with a warm meal or hiking tips. 
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. As Cheryl goes through particularly tough and snowy parts of the trail her emotional baggage starts to catch up with her.  
• Ordeal. She inadvertently drops one of her shoes off a cliff, and the incident unearths the helplessness she's been evading since her mother's passing.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Cheryl soldiers on, trekking an impressive 50 miles in duct-taped sandals before finally securing a new pair of shoes. This small victory amplifies her self-confidence.
• The Road Back. On the last stretch, she battles thirst, sketchy hunters, and a storm, but more importantly, she revisits her most poignant and painful memories.
• Resurrection. Cheryl forgives herself for damaging her marriage and her sense of worth, owning up to her mistakes. A pivotal moment happens at Crater Lake, where she lets go of her frustration at her mother for passing away.
• Return with the Elixir. Cheryl reaches the Bridge of the Gods and completes the trail. She has found her inner strength and determination for life's next steps.

There are countless other stories that could align with this template, but it's not always the perfect fit. So, let's look into when authors should consider it or not.

When should writers use The Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is just one way to outline a novel and dissect a plot. For more longstanding theories on the topic, you can go here to read about the ever-popular Three-Act Structure, here to discover Dan Harmon's Story Circle, and here to learn about three more prevalent structures.

So when is it best to use the Hero’s Journey? There are a couple of circumstances which might make this a good choice.

When you need more specific story guidance than simple structures can offer

Simply put, the Hero’s Journey structure is far more detailed and closely defined than other story structure theories. If you want a fairly specific framework for your work than a thee-act structure, the Hero’s Journey can be a great place to start.

Of course, rules are made to be broken . There’s plenty of room to play within the confines of the Hero’s Journey, despite it appearing fairly prescriptive at first glance. Do you want to experiment with an abbreviated “Resurrection” stage, as J.K. Rowling did in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? Are you more interested in exploring the journey of an anti-hero? It’s all possible.

Once you understand the basics of this universal story structure, you can use and bend it in ways that disrupt reader expectations.

Need more help developing your book? Try this template on for size:

Get our Book Development Template

Use this template to go from a vague idea to a solid plan for a first draft.

When your focus is on a single protagonist

No matter how sprawling or epic the world you’re writing is, if your story is, at its core, focused on a single character’s journey, then this is a good story structure for you. It’s kind of in the name! If you’re dealing with an entire ensemble, the Hero’s Journey may not give you the scope to explore all of your characters’ plots and subplot — a broader three-act structure may give you more freedom to weave a greater number story threads. ​​

Which story structure is right for you?

Take this quiz and we'll match your story to a structure in minutes!

Whether you're a reader or writer, we hope our guide has helped you understand this universal story arc. Want to know more about story structure? We explain 6 more in our guide — read on!

6 responses

PJ Reece says:

25/07/2018 – 19:41

Nice vid, good intro to story structure. Typically, though, the 'hero's journey' misses the all-important point of the Act II crisis. There, where the hero faces his/her/its existential crisis, they must DIE. The old character is largely destroyed -- which is the absolute pre-condition to 'waking up' to what must be done. It's not more clever thinking; it's not thinking at all. Its SEEING. So many writing texts miss this point. It's tantamount to a religions experience, and nobody grows up without it. STORY STRUCTURE TO DIE FOR examines this dramatic necessity.

↪️ C.T. Cheek replied:

13/11/2019 – 21:01

Okay, but wouldn't the Act II crisis find itself in the Ordeal? The Hero is tested and arguably looses his/her/its past-self for the new one. Typically, the Hero is not fully "reborn" until the Resurrection, in which they defeat the hypothetical dragon and overcome the conflict of the story. It's kind of this process of rebirth beginning in the earlier sections of the Hero's Journey and ending in the Resurrection and affirmed in the Return with the Elixir.

Lexi Mize says:

25/07/2018 – 22:33

Great article. Odd how one can take nearly every story and somewhat plug it into such a pattern.

Bailey Koch says:

11/06/2019 – 02:16

This was totally lit fam!!!!

↪️ Bailey Koch replied:

11/09/2019 – 03:46

where is my dad?

Frank says:

12/04/2020 – 12:40

Great article, thanks! :) But Vogler didn't expand Campbell's theory. Campbell had seventeen stages, not twelve.

Comments are currently closed.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

Bring your stories to life

Our free writing app lets you set writing goals and track your progress, so you can finally write that book!

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

Improve your writing in one of the largest and most successful writing groups online

Join our writing group!

The Hero’s Journey Ultimate Writing Guide with Examples

by Alex Cabal

Alex Cabal is the founder and CEO of Scribophile, one of the web’s oldest and largest writing communities, and the editor-in-chief of Standard Ebooks , a volunteer-led project that creates commercial-quality public domain ebooks for free distribution.

What do Star Wars , The Hobbit , and Harry Potter have in common? They’re all examples of a story archetype as old as time. You’ll see this universal narrative structure in books, films, and even video games.

This ultimate Hero’s Journey writing guide will define and explore all quintessential elements of the Hero’s Journey—character archetypes, themes, symbolism, the three act structure, as well as 12 stages of the Hero’s Journey. We’ll even provide a downloadable plot template, tips for writing the Hero’s Journey, and writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing.

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is a universal story structure that follows the personal metamorphosis and psychological development of a protagonist on a heroic adventure. The protagonist goes through a series of stages to overcome adversity and complete a quest to attain an ultimate reward—whether that’s something tangible, like the holy grail, or something internal, like self confidence.

In the process of self-discovery, the archetypal Hero’s Journey is typically cyclical; it begins and ends in the same place (Think Frodo leaving and then returning to the Shire). After the epic quest or adventure has been completed by overcoming adversity and conflict—both physical and mental—the hero arrives where they once began, changed in some as they rose to meet the ultimate conflict or ordeal of the quest.

Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler

The Hero’s Journey has a long history of conversation around the form and its uses, with notable contributors including Joseph Campbell and the screenwriter Christopher Vogler , who later revised the steps of the Hero’s Journey.

Joseph Campbell’s “monomyth” framework is the traditional story structure of the Hero’s Journey archetype. Campbell developed it through analysis of ancient myths, folktales, and religious stories. It generally follows three acts in a cyclical, rather than a linear, way: a hero embarks on a journey, faces a crisis, and then returns home transformed and victorious.

Campbell’s ideation of the monomyth in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces was influenced by Carl Jung’s perspective of psychology and models of self-transformation , where the Hero’s Journey is a path of transformation to a higher self, psychological healing, and spiritual growth.

While Campbell’s original take on the monomyth included 17 steps within the three acts, Christopher Vogler, in his book The Writer’s Journey , refined those 17 steps into 12 stages—the common formula for the modern structure many writers use today.

It’s also worth checking out Maureen Murdock’s work on the archetype, “The Heroine’s Journey.” This takes a look at the female Hero’s Journey, which examines the traditionally masculine journey through a feminist lens.

Hero’s Journey diagram: acts, steps, and stages

Below, you can see the way Volger’s Hero’s Journey is broken into twelve story beats across three acts.

Why is the Hero’s Journey so popular?

The structure of the Hero’s Journey appears in many of our most beloved classic stories, and it continues to resonate over time because it explores the concept of personal transformation and growth through both physical and mental trials and tribulations. In some sense, every individual in this mythic structure experiences rites of passage, the search for home and the true authentic self, which is mirrored in a protagonist’s journey of overcoming obstacles while seeking to fulfill a goal.

Additionally, the Hero’s Journey typically includes commonly shared symbols and aspects of the human psyche—the trickster, the mother, the child, etc. These archetypes play a role in creating a story that the reader can recognize from similar dynamics in their own relationships, experiences, and familiar world. Archetypes allow the writer to use these “metaphorical truths”—a playful deceiver, a maternal bond, a person of innocence and purity—to deeply and empathetically connect with the reader through symbolism. That’s why they continue to appear in countless stories all around the world.

Hero’s Journey character archetypes

Character archetypes are literary devices based on a set of qualities that are easy for a reader to identify, empathize with, and understand, as these qualities and traits are common to the human experience.

It should be noted that character archetypes are not stereotypes . While stereotypes are oversimplifications of demographics or personality traits, an archetype is a symbol of a universal type of character that can be recognized either in one’s self or in others in real life.

The following archetypes are commonly used in a Hero’s Journey:

The hero is typically the protagonist or principal point-of-view character within a story. The hero transforms—internally, externally, often both—while on their journey as they experience tests and trials and are aided or hindered by the other archetypes they encounter. In general, the hero must rise to the challenge and at some point make an act of sacrifice for the ultimate greater good. In this way, the Hero’s Journey represents the reader’s own everyday battles and their power to overcome them.

Heroes may be willing or unwilling. Some can be downright unheroic to begin with. Antiheroes are notably flawed characters that must grow significantly before they achieve the status of true hero.

The mentor often possesses divine wisdom or direct experience with the special world, and has faith in the hero. They often give the hero a gift or supernatural aid, which is usually something important for the quest: either a weapon to destroy a monster, or a talisman to enlighten the hero. The mentor may also directly aid the hero or present challenges to them that force internal or external growth. After their meeting, the hero leaves stronger and better prepared for the road ahead.

The herald is the “call to adventure.” They announce the coming of significant change and become the reason the hero ventures out onto a mysterious adventure. The herald is a catalyst that enters the story and makes it impossible for the hero to remain in status quo. Existing in the form of a person or an event, or sometimes just as information, they shift the hero’s balance and change their world.

The Threshold Guardian

This archetype guards the first threshold—the major turning point of the story where the hero must make the true commitment of the journey and embark on their quest to achieve their destiny. Threshold guardians spice up the story by providing obstacles the hero must overcome, but they’re usually not the main antagonist.

The role of the threshold guardian is to help round out the hero along their journey. The threshold guardian will test the hero’s determination and commitment and will drive them forward as the hero enters the next stage of their journey, assisting the development of the hero’s character arc within the plot. The threshold guardian can be a friend who doesn’t believe in the hero’s quest, or a foe that makes the hero question themselves, their desires, or motives in an attempt to deter the hero from their journey. Ultimately, the role of the threshold guardian is to test the hero’s resolve on their quest.

The Shape Shifter

The shape shifter adds dramatic tension to the story and provides the hero with a puzzle to solve. They can seem to be one thing, but in fact be something else. They bring doubt and suspense to the story and test the hero’s ability to discern their path. The shape shifter may be a lover, friend, ally, or enemy that somehow reveals their true self from the hero’s preconceived notion. This often causes the hero internal turmoil, or creates additional challenges and tests to overcome.

The shadow is the “monster under the bed,” and could be repressed feelings, deep trauma, or festering guilt. These all possess the dark energy of the shadow. It is the dark force of the unexpressed, unrealized, rejected, feared aspects of the hero and is often, but not necessarily, represented by the main antagonist or villain.

However, other characters may take the form of the shadow at different stages of the story as “foil characters” that contrast against the hero. They might also represent what could happen if the hero fails to learn, transform, and grow to complete their quest. At times, a hero may even succumb to the shadow, from which they will need to make sacrifices to be redeemed to continue on their overall quest.

The Trickster

The trickster is the jester or fool of the story that not only provides comic relief, but may also act as a commentator as the events of the plot unfold. Tricksters are typically witty, clever, spontaneous, and sometimes even ridiculous. The trickster within a story can bring a light-hearted element to a challenge, or find a clever way to overcome an obstacle.

Hero’s Journey themes and symbols

Alongside character archetypes, there are also archetypes for settings, situations, and symbolic items that can offer meaning to the world within the story or support your story’s theme.

Archetypes of themes, symbols, and situations represent shared patterns of human existence. This familiarity can provide the reader insight into the deeper meaning of a story without the writer needing to explicitly tell them. There are a great number of archetypes and symbols that can be used to reinforce a theme. Some that are common to the Hero’s Journey include:

Situational archetypes

Light vs. dark and the battle of good vs. evil

Death, rebirth, and transformation in the cycle of life

Nature vs. technology, and the evolution of humanity

Rags to riches or vice versa, as commentary on the material world and social status

Wisdom vs. knowledge and innocence vs. experience, in the understanding of intuition and learned experience

Setting archetypes

Gardens may represent the taming of nature, or living in harmony with nature.

Forests may represent reconnection with nature or wildness, or the fear of the unknown.

Cities or small towns may represent humanity at its best and at its worst. A small town may offer comfort and rest, while simultaneously offering judgment; a city may represent danger while simultaneously championing diversity of ideas, beings, and cultures.

Water and fire within a landscape may represent danger, change, purification, and cleansing.

Symbolic items

Items of the past self. These items are generally tokens from home that remind the hero of where they came from and who or what they’re fighting for.

Gifts to the hero. These items may be given to the hero from a mentor, ally, or even a minor character they meet along the way. These items are typically hero talismans, and may or may not be magical, but will aid the hero on their journey.

Found items. These items are typically found along the journey and represent some sort of growth or change within the hero. After all, the hero would never have found the item had they not left their everyday life behind. These items may immediately seem unimportant, but often carry great significance.

Earned rewards. These items are generally earned by overcoming a test or trial, and often represent growth, or give aid in future trials, tests, and conflicts.

The three act structure of the Hero’s Journey

The structure of the Hero’s Journey, including all 12 steps, can be grouped into three stages that encompass each phase of the journey. These acts follow the the external and internal arc of the hero—the beginning, the initiation and transformation, and the return home.

Act One: Departure (Steps 1—5)

The first act introduces the hero within the ordinary world, as they are—original and untransformed. The first act will typically include the first five steps of the Hero’s Journey.

This section allows the writer to set the stage with details that show who the hero is before their metamorphosis—what is the environment of the ordinary world? What’s important to the hero? Why do they first refuse the call, and then, why do they ultimately accept and embark on the journey to meet with the conflict?

This stage introduces the first major plot point of the story, explores the conflict the hero confronts, and provides the opportunity for characterization for the hero and their companions.

The end of the first act generally occurs when the hero has fully committed to the journey and crossed the threshold of the ordinary world—where there is no turning back.

Act Two: Initiation (Steps 6—9)

Once the hero begins their journey, the second act marks the beginning of their true initiation into the unfamiliar world—they have crossed the threshold, and through this choice, have undergone their first transformation.

The second act is generally the longest of the three and includes steps six through nine.

In this act, the hero meets most of the characters that will be pivotal to the plot, including friends, enemies, and allies. It offers the rising action and other minor plot points related to the overarching conflict. The hero will overcome various trials, grow and transform, and navigate subplots—the additional and unforeseen complexity of the conflict.

This act generally ends when the hero has risen to the challenge to overcome the ordeal and receives their reward. At the end of this act, it’s common for the theme and moral of the story to be fully unveiled.

Act Three: Return (Steps 10—12)

The final stage typically includes steps 10—12, generally beginning with the road back—the point in the story where the hero must recommit to the journey and use all of the growth, transformation, gifts and tools acquired along the journey to bring a decisive victory against their final conflict.

From this event, the hero will also be “reborn,” either literally or metaphorically, and then beginning anew as a self-actualized being, equipped with internal knowledge about themselves, external knowledge about the world, and experience.

At the end of the third act, the hero returns home to the ordinary world, bringing back the gifts they earned on their journey. In the final passages, both the hero and their perception of the ordinary world are compared with what they once were.

The 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey

The following guide outlines the 12 steps of the Hero’s Journey and represents a framework for the creation of a Hero’s Journey story template. You don’t necessarily need to follow the explicit cadence of these steps in your own writing, but they should act as checkpoints to the overall story.

We’ll also use JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit as a literary example for each of these steps. The Hobbit does an exemplary job of following the Hero’s Journey, and it’s also an example of how checkpoints can exist in more than one place in a story, or how they may deviate from the typical 12-step process of the Hero’s Journey.

1. The Ordinary World

This stage in the Hero’s Journey is all about exposition. This introduces the hero’s backstory—who the hero is, where they come from, their worldview, culture, and so on. This offers the reader a chance to relate to the character in their untransformed form.

As the story and character arc develop, the reader is brought along the journey of transformation. By starting at the beginning, a reader has a basic understanding of what drives the hero, so they can understand why the hero makes the choices they do. The ordinary world shows the protagonist in their comfort zone, with their worldview being limited to the perspective of their everyday life.

Characters in the ordinary world may or may not be fully comfortable or satisfied, but they don’t have a point of reference to compare—they have yet to leave the ordinary world to gain the knowledge to do so.

Step One example

The Hobbit begins by introducing Bilbo in the Shire as a respectable and well-to-do member of the community. His ordinary world is utopian and comfortable. Yet, even within a village that is largely uninterested in the concerns of the world outside, the reader is provided a backstory: even though Bilbo buys into the comforts and normalcy of the Shire, he still yearns for adventure—something his neighbors frown upon. This ordinary world of the Shire is disrupted with the introduction of Gandalf—the “mentor”—who is somewhat uncomfortably invited to tea.

2. Call to Adventure

The call to adventure in the Hero’s Journey structure is the initial internal conflict that the protagonist hero faces, that drives them to the true conflict that they must overcome by the end of their journey.

The call occurs within the known world of the character. Here the writer can build on the characterization of the protagonist by detailing how they respond to the initial call. Are they hesitant, eager, excited, refusing, or willing to take a risk?

Step Two example

Bilbo’s call to adventure takes place at tea as the dwarves leisurely enter his home, followed by Gandalf, who identifies Bilbo as the group’s missing element—the burglar, and the lucky 14th member.

Bilbo and his ordinary world are emphasized by his discomfort with his rambunctious and careless guests. Yet as the dwarves sing stories of old adventures, caverns, and lineages, which introduce and foreshadow the conflict to come, a yearning for adventure is stirred. Though he still clings to his ordinary world and his life in the Shire, he’s conflicted. Should he leave the shire and experience the world, or stay in his comfortable home? Bilbo continues to refuse the call, but with mixed feelings.

3. Refusal of the Call

The refusal of the call in the Hero’s Journey showcases a “clinging” to one’s original self or world view. The initial refusal of the call represents a fear of change, as well as a resistance to the internal transformation that will occur after the adventure has begun.

The refusal reveals the risks that the protagonist faces if they were to answer the call, and shows what they’ll leave behind in the ordinary world once they accept.

The refusal of the call creates tension in the story, and should show the personal reasons why the hero is refusing—inner conflict, fear of change, hesitation, insecurity, etc. This helps make their character clearer for the reader.

These are all emotions a reader can relate to, and in presenting them through the hero, the writer deepens the reader’s relationship with them and helps the reader sympathize with the hero’s internal plight as they take the first step of transformation.

Step Three example

Bilbo refuses the call in his first encounter with Gandalf, and in his reaction to the dwarves during tea. Even though Bilbo’s “Tookish” tendencies make him yearn for adventure, he goes to bed that night still refusing the call. The next morning, as Bilbo awakes to an empty and almost fully clean hobbit home, he feels a slight disappointment for not joining the party, but quickly soothes his concerns by enjoying the comfort of his home—i.e. the ordinary world. Bilbo explores his hesitation to disembark from the ordinary world, questioning why a hobbit would become mixed up in the adventures of others, and choosing not to meet the dwarves at the designated location.

4. Meeting the Mentor

Meeting the mentor in the Hero’s Journey is the stage that provides the hero protagonist with a guide, relationship, and/or informational asset that has experience outside the ordinary world. The mentor offers confidence, advice, wisdom, training, insight, tools, items, or gifts of supernatural wonder that the hero will use along the journey and in overcoming the ultimate conflict.

The mentor often represents someone who has attempted to overcome, or actually has overcome, an obstacle, and encourages the hero to pursue their calling, regardless of the hero’s weaknesses or insecurities. The mentor may also explicitly point out the hero’s weaknesses, forcing them to reckon with and accept them, which is the first step to their personal transformation.

Note that not all mentors need to be a character . They can also be objects or knowledge that has been instilled in the hero somehow—cultural ethics, spiritual guidance, training of a particular skill, a map, book, diary, or object that illuminates the path forward, etc. In essence, the mentor character or object has a role in offering the protagonist outside help and guidance along the Hero’s Journey, and plays a key role in the protagonist’s transition from normalcy to heroism.

The mentor figure also offers the writer the opportunity to incorporate new information by expanding upon the story, plot, or backstory in unique ways. They do this by giving the hero information that would otherwise be difficult for the writer to convey naturally.

The mentor may accompany the hero throughout most of the story, or they may only periodically be included to facilitate changes and transformation within them.

Step Four example

The mentor, Gandalf, is introduced almost immediately. Gandalf is shown to be the mentor, firstly through his arrival from—and wisdom of—the outside world; and secondly, through his selection of Bilbo for the dwarven party by identifying the unique characteristics Bilbo has that are essential to overcoming the challenges in the journey. Gandalf doesn’t accompany Bilbo and the company through all of the trials and tribulations of the plot, but he does play a key role in offering guidance and assistance, and saves the group in times of dire peril.

5. Crossing the Threshold

As the hero crosses the first threshold, they begin their personal quest toward self-transformation. Crossing the threshold means that the character has committed to the journey, and has stepped outside of the ordinary world in the pursuit of their goal. This typically marks the conclusion of the first act.

The threshold lies between the ordinary world and the special world, and marks the point of the story where the hero fully commits to the road ahead. It’s a crucial stage in the Hero’s Journey, as the hero wouldn’t be able to grow and transform by staying in the ordinary world where they’re comfortable and their world view can’t change.

The threshold isn’t necessarily a specific place within the world of the story, though a place can symbolize the threshold—for example a border, gateway, or crossroads that separate what is safe and “known” from what is potentially dangerous. It can also be a moment or experience that causes the hero to recognize that the comforts and routine of their world no longer apply—like the loss of someone or something close to the hero, for example. The purpose of the threshold is to take the hero out of their element and force them, and the reader, to adapt from the known to the unknown.

This moment is crucial to the story’s tension. It marks the first true shift in the character arc and the moment the adventure has truly begun. The threshold commonly forces the hero into a situation where there’s no turning back. This is sometimes called the initiation stage or the departure stage.

Step Five example

The threshold moment in The Hobbit occurs when the party experiences true danger as a group for the first time. Bilbo, voted as scout by the party and eager to prove his burglar abilities, sneaks upon a lone fire in the forest where he finds three large trolls. Rather than turn back empty-handed—as he initially wants to—Bilbo chooses to prove himself, plucking up the courage to pickpocket the trolls—but is caught in the process. The dwarves are also captured and fortunately, Gandalf, the mentor, comes to save the party.

Bilbo’s character arc is solidified in this threshold moment. He experiences his first transformation when he casts aside fear and seeks to prove himself as a burglar, and as an official member of the party. This moment also provides further characterization of the party as a whole, proving the loyalty of the group in seeking out their captured member.

Gandalf’s position as the mentor is also firmly established as he returns to ultimately save all of the members of the party from being eaten by trolls. The chapter ends with Bilbo taking ownership of his first hero talisman—the sword that will accompany him through the rest of the adventure.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies

Once the hero has crossed the threshold, they must now encounter tests of courage, make allies, and inevitably confront enemies. All these elements force the hero to learn the new ways of the special world and how it differs from the hero’s ordinary world—i.e. how the rules have changed, the conditions of the special world vs. the ordinary world, and the various beings and places within it.

All these elements spark stages of transformation within the hero—learning who they can trust and who they can’t, learning new skills, seeking training from the mentor, and overcoming challenges that force and drive them to grow and transform.

The hero may both succeed and fail at various points of this stage, which will test their commitment to the journey. The writer can create tension by making it clear that the hero may or may not succeed at the critical moment of crisis. These crises can be external or internal.

External conflicts are issues that the character must face and overcome within the plot—e.g. the enemy has a sword drawn and the hero must fight to survive.

Internal conflicts occur inside the hero. For example, the hero has reached safety, but their ally is in peril; will they step outside their comfort zone and rise to the occasion and save their friend? Or will they return home to their old life and the safety of the ordinary world?

Tests are conflicts and threats that the hero must face before they reach the true conflict, or ordeal, of the story. These tests set the stage and prime the hero to meet and achieve the ultimate goal. They provide the writer the opportunity to further the character development of the hero through their actions, inactions, and reactions to what they encounter. The various challenges they face will teach them valuable lessons, as well as keep the story compelling and the reader engaged.

Allies represent the characters that offer support to the protagonist along the journey. Some allies may be introduced from the beginning, while others may be gained along the journey. Secondary characters and allies provide additional nuance for the hero, through interactions, events, and relationships that further show who the hero is at heart, what they believe in, and what they’re willing to fight for. The role of the allies is to bring hope, inspiration, and further drive the hero to do what needs to be done.

Enemies represent a foil to the allies. While allies bring hope and inspiration, enemies will provide challenges, conflicts, tests, and challenges. Both allies and enemies may instigate transformative growth, but enemies do so in a way that fosters conflict and struggle.

Characterization of enemies can also enhance the development of the hero through how they interact and the lessons learned through those interactions. Is the hero easily duped, forgiving, empathetic, merciful? Do they hold a grudge and seek revenge? Who is the hero now that they have been harmed, faced an enemy, and lost pieces of their innocent worldview? To answer that, the hero is still transforming and gestating with every lesson, test, and enemy faced along the way.

Step Six example

As the plot of The Hobbit carries on, Bilbo encounters many tests, allies, and enemies that all drive complexity in the story. A few examples include:

The first major obstacle that Bilbo faces occurs within the dark and damp cave hidden in the goblin town. All alone, Bilbo must pluck up the wit and courage to outriddle a creature named Gollum. In doing so, Bilbo discovers the secret power of a golden ring (another hero talisman) that will aid him and the party through the rest of the journey.

The elves encountered after Bilbo “crosses the threshold” are presented as allies in the story. The hero receives gifts of food, a safe place to rest, and insight and guidance that allows the party to continue on their journey. While the party doesn’t dwell long with the elves, the elves also provide further character development for the party at large: the serious dwarf personalities are juxtaposed against the playful elvish ones, and the elves offer valuable historical insight with backstory to the weapons the party gathered from the troll encounter.

Goblins are a recurring enemy within the story that the hero and party must continue to face, fight, and run from. The goblins present consistent challenges that force Bilbo to face fear and learn and adapt, not only to survive but to save his friends.

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

The approach to the inmost cave of the Hero’s Journey is the tense quiet before the storm; it’s the part of the story right before the hero faces their greatest fear, and it can be positioned in a few different ways. By now, the hero has overcome obstacles, setbacks, and tests, gained and lost allies and enemies, and has transformed in some way from the original protagonist first introduced in the ordinary world.

The moment when the hero approaches the inmost cave can be a moment of reflection, reorganization, and rekindling of morale. It presents an opportunity for the main characters of the story to come together in a moment of empathy for losses along the journey; a moment of planning and plotting next steps; an opportunity for the mentor to teach a final lesson to the hero; or a moment for the hero to sit quietly and reflect upon surmounting the challenge they have been journeying toward for the length of their adventure.

The “cave” may or may not be a physical place where the ultimate ordeal and conflict will occur. The approach represents the momentary period where the hero assumes their final preparation for the overall challenge that must be overcome. It’s a time for the hero and their allies, as well as the reader, to pause and reflect on the events of the story that have already occurred, and to consider the internal and external growth and transformation of the hero.

Having gained physical and/or emotional strength and fortitude through their trials and tests, learned more rules about the special world, found and lost allies and friends, is the hero prepared to face danger and their ultimate foe? Reflection, tension, and anticipation are the key elements of crafting the approach to the cave.

Step Seven example

The approach to the cave in The Hobbit occurs as the party enters the tunnel of the Lonely Mountain. The tunnel is the access point to the ultimate goal—Thorin’s familial treasure, as well as the ultimate test—the formidable dragon Smaug. During this part of the story, the party must hide, plot, and plan their approach to the final conflict. It’s at this time that Bilbo realizes he must go alone to scout out and face the dragon.

8. The Ordeal

The ordeal is the foreshadowed conflict that the hero must face, and represents the midpoint of the story. While the ordeal is the ultimate conflict that the hero knows they must overcome, it’s a false climax to the complete story—there’s still much ground to cover in the journey, and the hero will still be tested after completing this, the greatest challenge. In writing the ordeal phase of the Hero’s Journey, the writer should craft this as if it actually were the climax to the tale, even though it isn’t.

The first act, and the beginning of the second act, have built up to the ordeal with characterization and the transformation of the hero through their overcoming tests and trials. This growth—both internal and external—has all occurred to set the hero up to handle this major ordeal.

As this stage commences, the hero is typically faced with fresh challenges to make the ordeal even more difficult than they previously conceived. This may include additional setbacks for the hero, the hero’s realization that they were misinformed about the gravity of the situation, or additional conflicts that make the ordeal seem insurmountable.

These setbacks cause the hero to confront their greatest fears and build tension for both the hero and the reader, as they both question if the hero will ultimately succeed or fail. In an epic fantasy tale, this may mean a life-or-death moment for the hero, or experiencing death through the loss of an important ally or the mentor. In a romance, it may be the moment of crisis where a relationship ends or a partner reveals their dark side or true self, causing the hero great strife.

This is the rock-bottom moment for the hero, where they lose hope, courage, and faith. At this point, even though the hero has already crossed the threshold, this part of the story shows how the hero has changed in such a way that they can never return to their original self: even if they return to the ordinary world, they’ll never be the same; their perception of the world has been modified forever.

Choosing to endure against all odds and costs to face the ordeal represents the loss of the hero’s original self from the ordinary world, and a huge internal transformation occurs within the hero as they must rise and continue forth to complete their journey and do what they set out to do from the beginning.

The ordeal may also be positioned as an introduction to the greater villain through a trial with a shadow villain, where the hero realizes that the greatest conflict is unveiled as something else, still yet to come. In these instances, the hero may fail, or barely succeed, but must learn a crucial lesson and be metaphorically resurrected through their failure to rise again and overcome the greater challenge.

Step Eight example

Bilbo must now face his ultimate challenge: burgle the treasure from the dragon. This is the challenge that was set forth from the beginning, as it’s his purpose as the party’s 14th member, the burglar, anointed by Gandalf, the mentor. Additional conflicts arise as Bilbo realizes that he must face the dragon alone, and in doing so, must rely on all of the skills and gifts in the form of talismans and tokens he has gained throughout the adventure.

During the ordeal, Bilbo uses the courage he has gained by surmounting the story’s previous trials; he’s bolstered by his loyalty to the group and relies upon the skills and tools he has earned in previous trials. Much as he outwitted Gollum in the cave, Bilbo now uses his wit as well as his magical ring to defeat Smaug in a game of riddles, which ultimately leads Smaug out of the lair so that Bilbo can complete what he was set out to do—steal the treasure.

The reward of the Hero’s Journey is a moment of triumph, celebration, or change as the hero achieves their first major victory. This is a moment of reflection for both the reader and the hero, to take a breath to contemplate and acknowledge the growth, development, and transformation that has occurred so far.

The reward is the boon that the hero learns, is granted, or steals, that will be crucial to facing the true climax of the story that is yet to come. The reward may be a physical object, special knowledge, or reconciliation of some sort, but it’s always a thing that allows for some form of celebration or replenishment and provides the drive to succeed before the journey continues.

Note that the reward may not always be overtly positive—it may also be a double-edged sword that could harm them physically or spiritually. This type of reward typically triggers yet another internal transformation within the hero, one that grants them the knowledge and personal drive to complete the journey and face their remaining challenges.

From the reward, the hero is no longer externally driven to complete the journey, but has evolved to take on the onus of doing so.

Examples of rewards may include:

A weapon, elixir, or object that will be necessary to complete the quest.

Special knowledge, or a personal transformation to use against a foe.

An eye-opening experience that provides deep insight and fundamentally changes the hero and their position within the story and world.

Reconciliation with another character, or with themselves.

No matter what the reward is, the hero should experience some emotional or spiritual revelation and a semblance of inner peace or personal resolve to continue the journey. Even if the reward is not overtly positive, the hero and the reader deserve a moment of celebration for facing the great challenge they set out to overcome.

Step Nine example

Bilbo defeats the dragon at a battle of wits and riddles, and now receives his reward. He keeps the gifts he has earned, both the dagger and the gold ring. He is also granted his slice of the treasure, and the Lonely Mountain is returned to Thorin. The party at large is rewarded for completing the quest and challenge they set out to do.

However, Tolkien writes the reward to be more complex than it first appears. The party remains trapped and hungry within the Mountain as events unfold outside of it. Laketown has been attacked by Smaug, and the defenders will want compensation for the damage to their homes and for their having to kill the dragon. Bilbo discovers, and then hides, the Arkenstone (a symbolic double edged reward) to protect it from Thorin’s selfishness and greed.

10. The Road Back

The road back in the Hero’s Journey is the beginning of the third act, and represents a turning point within the story. The hero must recommit to the journey, alongside the new stakes and challenges that have arisen from the completion of the original goal.

The road back presents roadblocks—new and unforeseen challenges to the hero that they must now face on their journey back to the ordinary world. The trials aren’t over yet, and the stakes are raised just enough to keep the story compelling before the final and ultimate conflict—the hero’s resurrection—is revealed in the middle of the third act.

The hero has overcome their greatest challenge in the Ordeal and they aren’t the same person they were when they started. This stage of the story often sees the hero making a choice, or reflecting on their transformed state compared to their state at the start of the journey.

The writer’s purpose in the third act is not to eclipse the upcoming and final conflict, but to up the stakes, show the true risk of the final climax, and to reflect on what it will take for the hero to ultimately prevail. The road back should offer a glimmer of hope—the light at the end of the tunnel—and should let the reader know the dramatic finale is about to arrive.

Step Ten example

What was once a journey to steal treasure and slay a dragon has developed new complications. Our hero, Bilbo, must now use all of the powers granted in his personal transformation, as well as the gifts and rewards he earned on the quest, to complete the final stages of the journey.

This is the crisis moment of The Hobbit ; the armies of Laketown are prepared for battle to claim their reward for killing Smaug; the fearless leader of their party, Thorin, has lost reason and succumbed to greed; and Bilbo makes a crucial choice based his personal growth: he gives the Arkenstone to the king as a bargaining chip for peace. Bilbo also briefly reconnects with the mentor, Gandalf, who warns him of the unpleasant times ahead, but comforts Bilbo by saying that things may yet turn out for the best. Bilbo then loyally returns to his friends, the party of dwarves, to stand alongside them in the final battle.

11. Resurrection

The resurrection stage of the Hero’s Journey is the final climax of the story, and the heart of the third act. By now the hero has experienced internal and external transformation and a loss of innocence, coming out with newfound knowledge. They’re fully rooted in the special world, know its rules, and have made choices that underline this new understanding.

The hero must now overcome the final crisis of their external quest. In an epic fantasy tale, this may be the last battle of light versus darkness, good versus evil, a cumulation of fabulous forces. In a thriller, the hero might ultimately face their own morality as they approach the killer. In a drama or romance, the final and pivotal encounter in a relationship occurs and the hero puts their morality ahead of their immediate desires.

The stakes are the highest they’ve ever been, and the hero must often choose to make a sacrifice. The sacrifice may occur as a metaphoric or symbolic death of the self in some way; letting go of a relationship, title, or mental/emotional image of the self that a hero once used as a critical aspect of their identity, or perhaps even a metaphoric physical death—getting knocked out or incapacitated, losing a limb, etc.

Through whatever the great sacrifice is, be it loss or a metaphoric death, the hero will experience a form of resurrection, purification, or internal cleansing that is their final internal transformation.

In this stage, the hero’s character arc comes to an end, and balance is restored to the world. The theme of the story is fully fleshed out and the hero, having reached some form of self-actualization, is forever changed. Both the reader and the hero experience catharsis—the relief, insight, peace, closure, and purging of fear that had once held the hero back from their final transformation.

Step Eleven example

All the armies have gathered, and the final battle takes place. Just before the battle commences, Bilbo tells Thorin that it was he who gave the Arkenstone to the city of men and offers to sacrifice his reward of gold for taking the stone. Gandalf, the mentor, arrives, standing beside Bilbo and his decision. Bilbo is shunned by Thorin and is asked to leave the party for his betrayal.

Bilbo experiences a symbolic death when he’s knocked out by a stone. Upon awakening, Bilbo is brought to a dying Thorin, who forgives him of his betrayal, and acknowledges that Bilbo’s actions were truly the right thing to do. The theme of the story is fully unveiled: that bravery and courage comes in all sizes and forms, and that greed and gold are less worthy than a life rich in experiences and relationships.

12. Return with the Elixir

The elixir in the Hero’s Journey is the final reward the hero brings with them on their return, bridging their two worlds. It’s a reward hard earned through the various relationships, tests, and growth the hero has experienced along their journey. The “elixir” can be a magical potion, treasure, or object, but it can also be intangible—love, wisdom, knowledge, or experience.

The return is key to the circular nature of the Hero’s Journey. It offers a resolution to both the reader and the hero, and a comparison of their growth from when the journey began.

Without the return, the story would have a linear nature, a beginning and an end. In bringing the self-actualized hero home to the ordinary world, the character arc is completed, and the changes they’ve undergone through the journey are solidified. They’ve overcome the unknown, and though they’re returning home, they can no longer resume their old life because of their new insight and experiences.

Step Twelve example

The small yet mighty hero Bilbo is accompanied on his journey home by his mentor Gandalf, as well as the allies he gathered along his journey. He returns with many rewards—his dagger, his golden ring, and his 1/14th split of the treasure—yet his greatest rewards are his experience and the friends he has made along the way. Upon entering the Shire Bilbo sings a song of adventure, and the mentor Gandalf remarks, “My dear Bilbo! Something is the matter with you, you are not the hobbit you were.”

The final pages of The Hobbit explore Bilbo’s new self in the Shire, and how the community now sees him as a changed hobbit—no longer quite as respectable as he once was, with odd guests who visit from time to time. Bilbo also composes his story “There and Back Again,” a tale of his experiences, underlining his greatest reward—stepping outside of the Shire and into the unknown, then returning home, a changed hobbit.

Books that follow the Hero’s Journey

One of the best ways to become familiar with the plot structure of the Hero’s Journey is to read stories and books that successfully use it to tell a powerful tale. Maybe they’ll inspire you to use the hero’s journey in your own writing!

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien.

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.

The Earthsea series by Ursula K. Le Guin.

The Odyssey by Homer.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Writing tips for the Hero’s Journey

Writing a Hero’s Journey story often requires planning beforehand to organize the plot, structure, and events of the story. Here are some tips to use the hero’s journey archetype in a story:

Use a template or note cards to organize and store your ideas. This can assist in ensuring that you tie up any loose ends in the plot, and that the cadence of your story is already outlined before you begin writing.

Use word count goals for writing different sections of your story. This can help you keep pace while you plan and write the first draft. You can always revise, edit, and add in detail at later stages of development, but getting the ideas written without bogging them down with details can assist in preparing your outline, and may perhaps provide additional inspiration and guidance along the way.

Lean into creativity and be flexible with the 12 steps. They don’t need to occur in the exact order we’ve listed above, but that ordering can offer great checkpoint moments for your story.

Invest in characterization and ensure that your main character is balanced with credible strengths and weaknesses. A perfect, pure hero has no room to grow. A one-dimensional villain who relies on the trope of “pure evil” without any motivations for their actions is boring and predictable.

Ensure tension and urgency is woven into the story. An epic tale to the grocery store for baby formula may still be fraught with danger, and the price of failure is a hungry child. Without urgency, tension, and risk, a Hero’s Journey will fall flat.

Be hard on your characters. Give them deep conflicts that truly test their nature, and their mental, physical, and spiritual selves. An easy journey isn’t a memorable one.

Have a balance of scenes that play on both positive and negative emotions and outcomes for the hero to create a compelling plot line that continues to engage your reader. A story that’s relentlessly positive doesn’t provide a pathway for the hero to transform. Likewise, a story that’s nothing but doom, strife, and turmoil, without a light at the end of the tunnel or an opportunity for growth, can make a story feel stagnant and unengaging.

Reward your characters and your reader. Personal transformation and the road to the authentic self may be grueling, but there’s peace or joy at the end of the tunnel. Even if your character doesn’t fully saved the world, they—and the reader—should be rewarded with catharsis, a new perspective, or personal insight at the end of the tale.

Hero’s Journey templates

Download these free templates to help you plan out your Hero’s Journey:

Download the Hero’s Journey template template (docx) Download the Hero’s Journey template template (pdf)

Prompts and practices to help you write your own Hero’s Journey

Use the downloadable template listed below for the following exercises:

Read a book or watch a movie that follows the Hero’s Journey. Use the template to fill in when each step occurs or is completed. Make note of themes and symbols, character arcs, the main plot, and the subplots that drive complexity in the story.

When writing, use a timer set to 2—5 minutes per section to facilitate bursts of creativity. Brainstorm ideas for cadence, plot, and characters within the story. The outline you create can always be modified, but the timer ensures you can get ideas on paper without a commitment; you’re simply jotting down ideas as quickly as you can.

Use the downloadable template above to generate outlines based on the following prompts.

A woman’s estranged mother has died. A friend of the mother arrives at the woman’s home to tell her that her mother has left all her belongings to her daughter, and hands her a letter. The letter details the mother’s life, and the daughter must visit certain places and people to find her mother’s house and all the belongings in it—learning more about her mother’s life, and herself, along the way.

The last tree on earth has fallen, and technology can no longer sustain human life on Earth. An engineer, having long ago received alien radio signals from a tower in their backyard, has dedicated their life to building a spaceship in their garage. The time has come to launch, and the engineer must select a group of allies to bring with them to the stars, on a search for a new life, a new home, and “the others” out there in the universe.

A detective is given a new case: to find a much-talked-about murderer. The twist is, the murderer has sent a letter to the detective agency, quietly outing a homicidal politician who is up for re-election and is a major financial contributor to the police. In the letter, the murderer states that if the politician doesn’t come clean about their crimes, the murderer will kill the politician on the night of the election. The detective must solve the case before the election, and come to terms with their own feelings of justice and morality.

Get feedback on your writing today!

Scribophile is a community of hundreds of thousands of writers from all over the world. Meet beta readers, get feedback on your writing, and become a better writer!

Join now for free

Related articles

Worldbuilding: The Ultimate Guide (Plus a Template!)

Low Fantasy vs. High Fantasy: What’s the Difference?

Myth in Literature: Definition, and Using Myths to Explore New Ideas

What is a Protagonist? Definition, Examples, and Tools

What is the Herald Archetype, With Examples

What is Plot? Definition, Examples & 10+ Types of Story Plots

Competitions

The hero’s journey breakdown: the lord of the rings.

By Ken Miyamoto · November 4, 2019

How does The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring follow Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey breakdown?

Welcome to another installment of our new series A Hero’s Journey Breakdown where we explore Joseph Campbell’s mythological storytelling structure and how iconic films fit into that mold.

Christopher Vogler’s approach to Campbell’s structure broke the mythical story structure into twelve stages. For this series, we define the stages in simplified interpretations:

• The Ordinary World : We see the hero’s normal life at the start of the story before the adventure begins.
• Call to Adventure : The hero is faced with an event, conflict, problem, or challenge that makes them begin their adventure.
• Refusal of the Call : The hero initially refuses the adventure because of hesitation, fears, insecurity, or any other number of issues.
• Meeting the Mentor : The hero encounters a mentor that can give them advice, wisdom, information, or items that ready them for the journey ahead.
• Crossing the Threshold : The hero leaves their ordinary world for the first time and crosses the threshold into adventure.
• Tests, Allies, and Enemies : The hero learns the rules of the new world and endures tests, meets friends, and comes face-to-face with enemies.
• The Approach : The initial plan to take on the central conflict begins, but setbacks occur that cause the hero to try a new approach or adopt new ideas.
• The Ordeal: Things go wrong and added conflict is introduced. The hero experiences more difficult hurdles and obstacles, some of which may lead to a life crisis.
• The Reward : After surviving The Ordeal, the hero seizes the sword — a reward that they’ve earned that allows them to take on the biggest conflict. It may be a physical item or piece of knowledge or wisdom that will help them persevere.
• The Road Back : The hero sees the light at the end of the tunnel, but they are about to face even more tests and challenges.
• The Resurrection : The climax. The hero faces a final test, using everything they have learned to take on the conflict once and for all.
• The Return : The hero brings their knowledge or the “elixir” back to the ordinary world.

Here we turn to Peter Jackson’s  The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring . This breakdown is unique because the whole journey of the hero (Frodo) is told throughout the course of three films. However, The Hero’s Journey can still be applied to the first installment.

Note: As with any application of story structure or formula, this is just a hindsight interpretation and implementation of The Hero’s Journey to this cinematic tale. There can and will be variances. 

The Ordinary World

Frodo Baggins is living in the peaceful Shire amongst a village of Hobbits, including his uncle Bilbo and his trusted friend Sam. His good friend Gandalf enters the Shire to celebrate his uncle’s birthday, leading to a fun celebration.

Call to Adventure

Frodo is called to adventure by Gandalf when Gandalf entrusts him with the One Ring after Bilbo leaves the Shire.

Gandalf first asks Frodo to keep the Ring in this possession until he returns. He then returns to the Shire and asks Frodo if the ring is still safe. It is.

Gandalf then requests that Frodo take the Ring to out of the Shire.

Refusal of the Call

Frodo refuses the call to adventure at first, not believing that a simple Hobbit, like himself, can be entrusted. This Refusal of the Call is repeated throughout his journey as he tries to relinquish the responsibility by offering it to Gandalf, Galadriel, and Aragorn.

Crossing the Threshold

Frodo and Sam cross out of the Shire.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Frodo and his Hobbit friends face the Ring Wraiths for the first time on their way to meet with Gandalf at Bree.

They survive and manage to make it to Bree.

It’s there that they meet Strider, who will later be revealed as Aragorn.

With Strider’s help, they manage to escape the Ring Wraiths once again.

Frodo is later tested after he has survived what was thought to be a mortal wound. He’s rushed to Rivendell and later reunited with his friends, including Gandalf.

Frodo finally takes on full responsibility as the Ring Bearer. He meets new allies as the Fellowship is formed.

The Approach

The Fellowship struggles to survive the journey through the mountains but is forced into the Mines of Moria. Frodo and Gandalf discuss Gollum and the dangers of the Ring.

The orcs are alerted to the presence of the Fellowship within Moria. Frodo and his friends are forced to fend off hundreds, if not thousands, of orcs — as well as a cave troll. They defeat the cave troll and just as the orcs are about to overrun them, their numbers are scattered as the Balrog appears.

Gandalf fights the Balrog and casts him into a chasm. However, the Balrog drags Gandalf down with him to his apparent death.

Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship mourn the loss of Gandalf.

The Fellowship, now led by Aragorn, reaches Lothlórien, home to elves Galadriel and Celeborn. Galadriel tells Frodo that only he can complete the quest. She then tells him that that one of the Fellowship will try to take the ring from him.

The Fellowship is rewarded with its own bravery for surviving The Ordeal in Moria. But it’s Frodo that receives the knowledge he needs to complete his quest. He knows that only he can take the Ring to where it needs to be destroyed — and that one of his friends will betray him for the Ring.

The Road Back

Saruman has created an army of Uruk-hai to hunt down and kill the Fellowship. Meanwhile, the Fellowship has left Lothlórien by the river.

Frodo wanders off on his own and is later confronted by Boromir. Boromir, seduced by the power of the Ring, tries to take it from Frodo. Frodo escapes.

The Resurrection

Frodo realizes that he must travel to Mordor alone. He will no longer be part of The Fellowship.

The others are ambushed by the Uruk-hai.

Merry and Pippin are taken captive, and Boromir is mortally wounded by the Uruk chieftain, Lurtz. Aragorn appears just in time to kill Lurtz. Boromir dies in Aragorn’s arms.

Sam arrives at the shore as Frodo floats away in a boat. Frodo looks on with longing eyes, knowing that he must go on this adventure alone. However, Sam is having nothing of it. Despite not being able to swim, Sam lunges himself into the river in pursuit of his friend.

When Frodo pulls Sam up into the boat, they’re reunited. We’ve returned to where the adventure started — with Sam and Frodo venturing off on an adventure.

Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli go to rescue Merry and Pippin, understanding that it’s Frodo’s destiny to take the Ring alone (and with his dear friend Sam).

For all the latest from The Script Lab, be sure to follow us on  Twitter ,  Facebook , and  Instagram .

And become a member of TSL 360 to enjoy the LARGEST screenwriting education content library, featuring masterclasses, deep-dive interviews, and lectures from Academy Award-winning screenwriters, TV show-runners, producers, literary managers, agents, studio executives, and leading educators – all in one place. 

Download Free Trending Scripts

The Wolf Of Wall Street

Mr. and Mrs. Smith

The Terminator

Breaking Bad

The Shining

True Detective

Next related article.

8 Ways to Improve Your Screenwriting by Watching Movies and TV Shows

Britton Perelman · November 4, 2019

Recent Articles

Script collection: supernatural horrors that still send shivers.

David Young · September 9, 2024

Scripted Stars: Exploring the Most Iconic Roles of Leonardo DiCaprio

David Young · August 26, 2024

Demons, Dark Lords, and Other Big Bads: The 13 Best Villains in Cinematic History

David Young · August 12, 2024

Shore Scripts Short Film Fund

Deadline: September 30th, 2024

Film Pipeline Short Screenplay Competition

Deadline: September 10th, 2024

ScreenCraft TV Pilot Script Competition

More related articles.

Announcing the 2019 TSL Free Screenplay Contest Finalists!

Admin · November 8, 2019

The Great Television Writers: Part 7 – David Chase

Martin Keady · November 5, 2019

Top 10 Movie Endings that Make us Cry

Shanee Edwards · November 4, 2019

© 2024 The Script Lab - An Industry Arts Company

Sign up for the TSL Newsletter

Stay up to date on the latest scripts & screenwriting articles.

• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.