{"id":3811,"date":"2019-11-20T18:08:28","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T22:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=3811"},"modified":"2022-03-11T14:39:50","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T18:39:50","slug":"heros-journey-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/heros-journey-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"The 17 Hero’s Journey Steps: The Complete Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How many hero’s journey<\/a> steps are there? What are they? Where did they come from?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces, <\/em>there are 17 hero’s journey steps. The Hero With a Thousand Faces <\/em>is a journey through the world\u2019s mythological traditions, from the ancient Egyptians, to the Romans, the Hindu and Buddhist legends of the east, and the folk-tales and foundation myths of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and Oceania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll cover the 17 hero’s journey steps and what happens in each stage of Campbell’s hero’s journey cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Campbell’s Hero’s Journey Stages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Campbell’s book explores the common themes and story elements<\/a> that define the world\u2019s mythologies\u2014though cultures are separated by vast gulfs of space and time, they all tell their stories in similar ways, using the same essential mythological template: the hero\u2019s journey<\/a><\/strong>. 
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The Hero\u2019s Journey<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The archetypal myth is that of the hero\u2019s journey, which details the exploits of an exalted figure such as a legendary warrior or king. But the hero can also start out as an obscure figure of humble origins, on the fringes of society. Frequently, this hero is born to lowly circumstances in a remote corner of the world and is the product of immaculate conception and virgin birth. Thus, they start out with some essential element of the gods already inside them. <\/strong>
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The hero sets out on a journey to acquire some object or attain some sort of divine wisdom. This can be something material (like Arthur\u2019s quest for the Holy Grail) or something with far greater spiritual weight (like the Buddha\u2019s journey to find ultimate enlightenment). The hero undergoes great trials and tribulations during the course of their quest, undergoes a spiritual (and sometimes literal) death and rebirth, and transforms into an entirely new being. They gain new powers, and with those powers, achieve their goal\u2014they receive the ultimate boon<\/a>. They then return home to share this heavenly reward with their people\u2014and in doing so, redeem all mankind.
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Although the hero\u2019s journey is often filled with daring exploits, the slaying of fantastical monsters, and unions with strange and beautiful goddesses, it is at heart a deeply introspective and inward-looking adventure,<\/strong> one with profound spiritual and psychological implications. Through their arduous trial, the hero learns new things about himself or herself and discovers hidden strengths that were dormant within them the entire time<\/strong>\u2014in fairy tales, this is often made literal by the revelation of the hero to have been \u201cthe Chosen One\u201d or \u201cthe King\u2019s son.\u201d These new (but latent) powers enable a thorough transformation of the hero\u2019s outward being and psyche. 
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When viewed this way, mythology is deeply egalitarian. It tells us who we are and the rewards that await us if we would only set aside our focus on the day-to-day humdrum of life and embrace the hero\u2019s journey. The hero, far from being just a literary character of long-dead civilizations, symbolizes the great godly potential within all of us.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


The Hero With a Thousand Faces <\/em>breaks down this mythological template of Campbell’s hero’s journey cycle even further and also explores the creation and destruction stories that mankind has told since before the age of recorded history, from cultures all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hero’s Journey Step #1: The Call to Adventure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the first part of the monomyth<\/a>, we meet our hero, our \u201cman of destiny,\u201d and witness their call to adventure<\/a>. The call to adventure can come about through chance, even a mistake or blunder, which introduces the hero to a hidden world of possibility, guided by mysterious forces which the hero will come to understand through the course of their journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


A frequent device employed in mythology is that of the herald or conjurer<\/strong>, the (often unlikely) figure who reveals the hero\u2019s destiny and spurs them to action. The herald represents our subconscious, wherein all of our darkest fears are hidden. They are forcing us to confront things that we do not want to. As such, the herald is frequently a grotesque or unpleasant-looking figure, like a frog or a beast<\/strong>, or otherwise some veiled, mysterious, or unknown figure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hero’s Journey Step #2: Refusal to the Call<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A common feature of the monomyth is the hero\u2019s refusal of the call<\/a><\/strong>, an initial reluctance to follow the steps of their destiny. In folk tales and myths across the world and throughout history, this refusal amounts to a selfish impulse to give up one\u2019s narrow, immediate interests in the pursuit of spiritual awakening or even the salvation of the universe. In psychoanalytic terms, the refusal represents the clinging to infantile needs for security<\/strong>. Thus, the mother and father are the figures preventing true growth and transformation as the ego fails to develop and embrace the world outside the nursery. 
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The refusal can have grave consequences, both for the hero and for the wider world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n