Download Epic heroes

Homer,
HEROES, and
The Odyssey
Archetype Definition
Greek arche=first, typos=mold
Dictionary: Original pattern or first of its kind; a
prototype
In literature: A symbol, setting, story structure, or
character type that recurs in different times and
places in myth and literature, suggesting that it
embodies some universal human experience
Forms: archetypal (adj.)
Difference between archetype and motif?
The Archetypes
The Hero (“to serve and sacrifice”)
His/her purpose is to separate and
sacrifice self for the service of the
Journey
He/she does not have to be all good
(antiheroes, outlaws, loner heroes)
He/she grows or learns the most
during the Journey
Epic Characters
The epic hero, who represents the values of a society, is at
the center of every epic.
Epic heroes are exceptional people who undertake
difficult quests or journeys.
Through the journey, heroes aim
to achieve something of value to
themselves or their people.
Epic Characters
Epic heroes may experience many obstacles, or conflicts,
along the way.
These conflicts are sometimes
external, created by forces of
nature or, as in many epics and
myths, the gods.
Epic Characters
Epic heroes also experience internal conflict.
Faced with an internal conflict, the heroes struggle to
overcome their own fears, doubts, or downfalls.
HUBRIS
Character Foils
Most epic heroes have a foil.
A foil is a character that
stands in stark contrast to
another character.
For example, Superman’s
foil is Lex Luthor, a villain
whose evil contrasts with
Superman’s goodness.
[End of Section]
Goes through the Epic Hero Cycle: Epic heroes
also all follow the same storyline. They go
through the same cycle.
• They are special, or supernatural, from birth.
• They are charged with a quest.
• They go through trials and challenges designed to test
their strength and intelligence.
• Epic heroes go to unnatural worlds that others may
not enter.
• Epic heroes get help from companions.
• Even when they hit a low point, epic heroes always
come back fighting. They have a resurrection and then
they are restored to their rightful place.
Types of Heroes
Situation Hero:
A person who “saves the day” by completing a heroic act.
This person’s hero status may be celebrated, but only for a
short period of time.
Epic Hero:
A hero has some unusual qualities that separates him from
the average person.
In Greek mythology, a hero was often of divine origin,
being the progeny of a deity.
A hero can be defined as a person who acts in a way that
benefits the greater good of his society.
OTHER TYPES OF HEROES
Heroes fall into one of (or sometimes a
combination of) three main archetypes or
categories:
• the Warrior,
• the Scholar,
• and the Saint.
The Warrior Hero
The Warrior archetype are those who in
some way base their sense of hero-hood on
strength.
This could be strength of purpose, physical
strength, will power, endurance,
perseverance, or some other form of
strength
The Scholar
The Scholar archetype bases their sense of
hero-hood on being 'smart'.
This could be founded in formal education,
street-smarts, skills and abilities.
The Saint
The Saints base their sense of hero-hood in
a desire to be (or be seen as) good.
This could be played out through formal
religion or through doing things that are
generally seen as "good."
The Tragic Hero
Noble birth
Well-liked
Tragic flaw (hamartia)
Downfall
Other epic heroes you may know
A Few Archetypes
Character types, places, or symbols
every culture shares
Trickster Archetype
God, human or animal
that plays pranks or jokes
on others and disobeys
normal rules of behavior
Prometheus (Greek)
Raven (Northwest)
Loki (Norse)
Brer Rabbit (African
American)
Paradise Archetype
 A perfect place that
once existed and will
exist again
 Garden of Eden, return
of Christ or life in
Heaven (Christianity)
 Golden Age, Elysian
Fields (Greece)
 Gold Age of Osiris,
Fields of Aaru (Egypt)
Paradise by Jan Brueghel (1620)
The Underworld Archetype
“The eye of the sun can never/flash his rays
through the dark and bring them light” (Book 11,
lines 17-18)
Ghosts drawn to the blood—metaphor for life (they
want to live again)
“unearthly cries” (lines 48, 724)
“Three times I rushed toward her (Odysseus’
mother), desperate to hold her/three times she
fluttered through my fingers, sifting away/like a
shadow, dissolving like a dream” (lines 235-237)
“By god, I’d rather slave on earth for another
man—some dirt-poor tenant farmer who scrapes to
keep alive—than rule down here over all the
breathless dead” (Achilles, lines 556-558)
The Greek Underworld and Hell
 How does the
underworld in The
Odyssey compare or
contrast with modern
depictions of Christian
Hell?
Another Journey to Hell and Back:
People symbolically
dead
Don’t truly live
Trapped with no
escape
No knowledge of
outside world
David and Jennifer are
like Odysseus
What archetype do the Sirens present?
John William Waterhouse, Odysseus and the Sirens (1891)
Temptress Archetype: The Sirens
Temptress figures—females
who seduce or sleep with men
in order to cause them harm
Sirens:
Women with bird’s bodies
Enchanting voices
Lure sailors to the rocky cliffs
Metaphor for the power of
women?
Metaphor for women who
seduce men and keep them
from home?
Temptress Figures in The Odyssey
 The Sirens
 Calypso
 Circe
 Nausicaa
 Helen
 Right: Circe Offering
the Cup to Odysseus
(1891) by J. W.
Waterhouse
Other archetypes?
The Archetypes
The Mentor (“to guide”)
The Mentor provides motivation,
insight, training, guidance
Has traveled the road before
May provide the hero with magical
gifts
May be an Inner Mentor like a code of
honor or justice
The Archetypes
The Threshold Guardian (“to
test”)
Protects the Special World and its
secrets from the Hero
Provides Tests which the Hero must
pass to prove commitment and worth
May be characters, objects, or forces
The Archetypes
The Herald (“to warn and challenge”)
Issues challenges or announces the
coming of significant change
Often appears at the beginning of the
Journey
The Archetypes
The Shapeshifter (“to question and
deceive”)
Misleads the Hero by hiding a
character’s intentions and loyalties
Presence causes doubts and questions
in the Hero’s mind
Creates suspense
The Archetypes
The Shadow (“to destroy”)
Represents our darkest or rejected
desires
Symbolizes our greatest fears and
phobias
May not be all bad
May be another character or
something lurking within the Hero
that must be accepted or purged
The Archetypes
The Trickster (“to disrupt”)
Disrupts the “status quo”, turning
the Ordinary World into chaos
Uses laughter to help the Hero see the
absurdity of a situation
Often is the Hero’s sidekick
JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S
HERO JOURNEY
A Review
Campbell’s Heroic Archetype
The Hero’s Journey
A hero’s journey can be divided into steps.
The journey is a single process and an individual adventure
towards growth and transformation.
The sequence of elements and the duration of the
experiences will vary from one person to another.
Remember that the journey is a process of separation,
transformation, and return.
Each stage must be completed successfully if the herocandidate is to become Heroic.
The Hero Journey (Review)
Separation or Departure (from the known)
-The Call to Adventure
-Refusal of the Call
-Supernatural Aid
-Crossing the First Threshold
Initiation and Transformation
-The Road of Trials
-Meeting with the Goddess
-Atonement with the Father
-Apotheosis
-Ultimate Boon
The Return (to the known world)
-The Refusal of the Return
-Rescue from Without
-Magic Flight
-Crossing of the Return Threshold
-Master of Two Worlds
-Freedom to Live