Even though heroes may follow different paths to solve a problem and achieve their ultimate goals, their journey follows five stages with similar structural elements; departure, initiation, trials, the innermost cave, and return into the society.
Departure
Departure is the first stage of the journey where a hero is called to consider taking on an adventure (Williams, 2019). The call to adventure can be in the form of an announcement, a death, arrival of a villain, or a man's dying words. The stage is further divided into a refusal of the adventure call and meeting of a mentor.
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Refusal of the Adventure Call
The hero becomes adamant to accept the request at first because of fears and insecurities regarding the call ( Williams, 2019). The hero prefers to remain in the comfort zone of the ordinary world while contemplating the likelihood of failure or the risks involved in the journey that lies ahead.
Meeting of a Mentor
The hero seeks the experience or wisdom, someone, to provide lessons on how to face the journey better. The mentor trains him, gives advice, insight, or magical fears to overcome insecurities and fears of accepting the call of adventure.
Initiation
The hero gains confidence and commits himself to the journey after confronting an event that forces him to take some action (Effthimiou & Franco, 2017) . The mentor influences the hero to accept the inherent fears and crosses into a new and but dangerous world, from which there is no turning back.
Trials
The hero is subjected to tests of strength, encounters allies, confronts enemies, becomes resourceful, and learns the rules of the extraordinary world (Williams, 2019). While struggling to find out who can be trusted, sidekicks may join up, or a rival to the hero's success may reveal himself.
The Innermost Cave
It is a stage and place of great trial, like the underworld, that the hero descends into for the mission. The hero usually takes a break after surviving the trial in the peculiar world. The recess may be in the form of a romance or a dance, before facing the ordeal.
Ordeal
The ordeal is the central life of the journey where the hero confronts his most difficult challenge (Williams, 2019). The hero directly tastes or witnesses death because the ordeal pits him against a villain. The hero defeats the villain in the end and survives death and earns the reward sought.
Return and Reintegration into the Society
The hero completes the journey and makes an effort to return to the ordinary world (Effthimiou & Franco, 2017) . He uses the new wisdom and lessons gained from the journey to restore order in the ordinary world.
References
Williams, C. (2019). The hero’s journey: A mudmap for change. Journal of Humanistic Psychology , 59 (4), 522-539 .
Effthimiou, O., & Franco, Z. (2017). Heroic intelligence: The hero's journey as an evolutionary and existential blueprint. Journal of Genius and Eminence , 2 (2).
