Monomyth Defined

Monomyth:

From the introduction to The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell wrote:[4]"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."

Wikipedia says - (often referred to as the hero's journey) In the monomyth, the hero begins in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unknown world of strange powers and events. If the hero accepts the call to enter this strange world, the hero must face tasks and trials, either alone or with assistance. At its most intense, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help earned along the journey. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift or "boon." The hero must then decide whether to return to the ordinary world with this boon. If the hero does decide to return, the hero often faces challenges on the return journey. If the hero is successful in returning, the boon or gift may be used to improve the world. The stories of Osiris, Prometheus, Moses, Buddha, and Christ, for example, follow this structure very closely.[2]

Campbell describes some seventeen stages or steps along this journey. Very few myths contain all seventeen stages — some myths contain many of the stages, while others contain only a few; some myths may have as a focus only one of the stages, while other myths may deal with the stages in a somewhat different order. These seventeen stages may be organized in a number of ways, including division into three sections: Departure (sometimes called Separation), Initiation and Return. "Departure" deals with the hero venturing forth on the quest; "Initiation" deals with the hero's various adventures along the way; and "Return" deals with the hero's return home with knowledge and powers acquired on the journey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth

Monday, July 28, 2008

One of my inner demons (Aside from the fact that I am a horrible speller)

I have always battled with worrying more about what others will say than what I want to say. I worry more about pleasing others than I do myself, and the consequence has been to turn me in to a social chameleon. So when my Lobster asked me if I was going to make this blog public this was my answer:

nope, I would like to keep it to us right now without the worry of having to edit what I say. I want to get in to the habit of saying what I want before I get worried about how to phrase things for others. That is a battle that I have had for a long time and one I want to overcome.

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