Two things that we find in all known cultures throughout recorded history are the belief in a spirit realm and the presence of hero stories. When we see things that are so ubiquitous, from the earliest records right down to the present, we should pay attention! They convey messages—signposts displaying things that define us. Hero stories and the belief in a spirit realm serve to give purpose and meaning to our lives. The lessons that they teach are more than just lessons; they are universal imperatives.
Humans have believed in a spiritual realm—probably since the dawn of our species. It seems reasonable to guess, and guesses are all we really have here, that it all may have started with early humans, and maybe even their predecessors, seeing others who had died living on in their dreams. We can also see how they, after seeing the spirit realm in their dreams, said, “Ok, so there’s that. But what are we supposed to do about it?”
And religion and hero stories were born.
The belief in a spirit realm and hero stories are inextricably related. Hero stories remain our guides, providing humanity with role models that lead the way, showing us how to navigate through the challenges of physical existence. While the core lessons are the same, the tales have been adapted to every culture. Ancient myths can contain history, but were never meant to be seen as historical records in the modern sense. This is also true of creation myths, including Genesis. All myths are true in that they reflect the values of the cultures that birth them. That is, they ring true psychologically for their audiences.
The commonalities among hero stories are nothing short of astounding. They run through the oldest hero on record in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, to Odysseus, right down to the celluloid heroes of the silver screen—Luke Skywalker, Dorothy Gale, Charlie Bucket and hundreds of others. The vast majority of movies garnering top box office sales are hero stories. Motion pictures have become another vehicle for filling our unchanging need to surround ourselves with heroic role models.
The Monomyth Model
Hero stories are a type of myth, and no one has garnered more recognition for encyclopedic knowledge of them and insights into their commonalities than Joseph Campbell. In his landmark work, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Campbell introduced the world to what he called the “monomyth.” He developed a model showing how all heroes go through the same mechanical steps in their journeys. Here are the basics of the hero’s journey in Campbell’s words:
“The hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are 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.” (2nd edition, 1968, Princeton University Press, P.30)
Campbell’s concise summation is packed with things the hero needs to do and be in order to reach the goal. Some of the most important qualities that the hero needs to possess (which are most often acquired along the journey), as they relate to this abbreviated description of the monomyth are:
- “The hero ventures forth”: The hero story starts with what Campbell refers to as the “Call to Adventure”. The Call can be refused many times. If the call is never accepted, the story rarely gets told except as a cautionary tale. Lifelong refusal is no doubt an underlying cause for Thoreau’s observation that “The mass of (people) lead lives of quiet desperation.”
- “Into a realm of supernatural wonder”—That universally acknowledged spirit realm.
- Fabulous forces are encountered”—both constructive and destructive: The Force and The Dark Side in “Star Wars”, for example.
- “A decisive victory is won,” only after the hero refuses to quit and acquires the necessary qualities.
- The successful end to the journey tells of our hero’s new ability to “bestow boons on his fellow man”—The end goal for every worthy hero.
The common elements within hero stories point to universal truths for humankind. That’s why there are so many observations (and great quotes!) about them. Once our heroes accept the Call and commit to their quests, they receive what Campbell calls “supernatural aid”.
“Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.” (Attributed to Basil King.)
The timeless truths of Campbell’s model and its components resonate in our language and can feel like pokes from the Universe. If we’re paying attention, we can recognize them as hints, revealing to each of us where our true path lies. In this case, what Campbell labels the Call to Adventure we sometimes refer to as a person’s “calling.”
Once the journey is underway, difficulties are inevitable. We recognize the dogged determination that makes the hero heroic in phrases like “perseverance builds character” or, as Nietzsche put it, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
“Effort only releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.” —Napoleon Hill
“Magic happens when you don’t give up, even when you want to. The universe always falls in love with a stubborn heart.” —JM Storm
We acknowledge the power behind the Supernatural Aid when we attribute it to Grace, Divine intervention, and Providence.
The public holds up our real-life heroes as celebrities and role models. We exalt in the boons they bestow on us with public displays, from banner headlines and parades to Nobel Peace Prizes.
While the lessons of hero stories may be common to all cultures, the contexts in which they are told vary. These differences give insight into how the same formula is tailored to fit each culture. Since cultures are not static but constantly changing, we can also see how the stories are adapted to fit the changes brought by time’s passing.
In Frank L. Baum’s book, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, what might seem a less-than-worthy goal had a different meaning for its original audience. The wisdom bestowed on Dorothy Gale by the good witch, Glinda, is “There’s no place like home.” Our modern eyes might see this as a denial of women’s rights—a sort of “keep her barefoot and pregnant down on the farm” lesson. But the story was actually empowering in its time. The heroine Dorothy is female, a novel idea at the turn of the twentieth century. The men in the story—the scarecrow, tin man, cowardly lion and of course, the bumbling Wizard himself—do not have the power. The women do. Dorothy is the leader, and the male characters follow her. The most powerful character in the story, Glinda, breaks with the long-standing tradition of only depicting witches as evil.
So the tale challenges the old norms in that the women are the movers and shakers. In the end, the message “There’s no place like home” is a lesson for girls and boys alike; a loving home like Dorothy’s is to be held dear.
Today we can see that Dorothy still has a long way to go. Contrast the wisdom bestowed on her with that of the 1971 movie, “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, a not-so-faithful adaptation of the Roald Dahl book, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Hero Charlie Bucket, a young male nearly three-quarters of a century after Dorothy, receives a completely different message that comes in a song from Wonka himself:
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to
Do it
Want to change the world?
There’s nothing to it.
In Baum’s time, telling Dorothy that if she wants to change the world, there’s nothing to it would not have rang true.
Our culture’s values have changed so much in the last century that if Wonka were remade today, the main character could be female and the lesson learned would still be plausible. On the other hand, Dorothy’s lesson might be seen as offensive today were it not for the fact that “there’s no place like home” is seen as genderless.
While it’s interesting to note how new hero stories are constantly being created to suit ever-changing cultures, the central messages themselves do not change. We learn from the Epic of Gilgamesh (second millennium BC), for instance, that the hero’s goal must be worthy or the hero will ultimately fail. In the Sumerian tale, Gilgamesh’s friend, Enkidu, dies. Gilgamesh then sets off on a journey to obtain immortality for humanity in order to bring Enkidu back. Gilgamesh receives the gift of immortality, but loses it on the return trip when he is tricked by a snake. The snake then sheds its skin and becomes young again. So Gilgamesh doesn’t obtain the object of his quest, but returns a wiser man nonetheless, and with a different boon to bestow than the one he had set out for; immortality is not a worthy goal for mortals.
“The hero’s journey is the journey all of us are on, whether we are aware of it or not, as we try to find out who we are, what we are here for, and how we can fulfill our potential.”
—Joseph Campbell
About a year before his passing, Joseph Campbell completed a series of interviews with journalist Bill Moyers. Here is a passage on the function of hero stories:
Moyers: So these stories of mythology are simply trying to express a truth that can’t be grasped any other way.
Campbell: It’s the edge, the interface between what can be known and what is never to be discovered because it is a mystery transcendent of all human research; the source of life. What is it? No one knows.
Moyers: Why are stories important for getting at that?
Campbell: Well, I think it’s important to live life with a knowledge of its mystery and of your own mystery. And it gives life a new zest, a new balance, a new harmony to do this. It’s therapy. It’s psychological therapy. When people find out what it is that’s ticking in them, they get straightened out.
It’s no coincidence that both hero stories and the belief in a spirit realm are ubiquitous. The heroes need to venture into a realm that is beyond the mundane in one fashion or another. Reaching that place requires Campbell’s “supernatural aid.” This implies that the spirit realm actually wants mere mortals to access it. It wants to help and is the source of the power that heroes seek (“Use The Force, Luke.”).
We benefit immeasurably from tapping into hero stories. They display the means for accessing the Source. Think about it: What benefit is there to even acknowledging a spiritual realm if it’s completely inaccessible? And what good would hero stories be if they didn’t provide the kind of transcendent wisdom we so universally thirst for?
Dedicating oneself to the betterment of others is the main focus of this blog. While I’ve been aware of the monomyth model for decades, it was only a couple of years ago that I realized the obvious: the hero’s universal goal of bestowing boons on his fellow man is the Golden Rule in action! Fulfilling the Golden Rule is the ultimate goal in every hero story throughout recorded history.
The monomyth is a model for what I think of as “exceptional heroes.” But Campbell’s model does not speak to all heroes; simple dedication to a process that serves others can be truly heroic, and needn’t require a harrowing journey. A person who one day decides to volunteer at the local food pantry and quietly continues year after year is indeed heroic. If you doubt that people like these are heroes in the truest sense, ask a parent who depends on that pantry to keep their family nourished and free from the crippling anxiety of food insecurity. The single parent who works long hours, yet still manages to provide a loving and nurturing environment, is as much a hero to their children as any intrepid sojourner. These are just a couple examples of what I think of as “mundane heroes.” They quietly go about their lives of servitude without fanfare, often hardly even being noticed. Some of the world’s greatest souls walk among us in quiet anonymity.
Leave a Reply