Introducing TolkienKey Terms

A traditional story about the relationship between mortal beings and the supernatural realm of gods, goddesses, wizards, enchantresses, and monsters. Every ancient society boasts a cycle of myths reflecting shared beliefs. The Greek myths are the most famous—Perseus and Medusa, Theseus and the Minotaur, Jason and the Golden Fleece, and dozens of others—but Tolkien was inspired more by Norse mythology than by the Greek myths.

Myth

Basic pattern found in many narratives from around the world.

Described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Campbell describes 17 stages—few myths contain all of them.

Monomyth— the hero’s journey

Six-part television documentaryConversations between Joseph Campbell, mythologist, and Bill Moyers, journalist

Christopher Volger based on Campbell’s work.

Most stories can be boiled down to a series of narrative structures and character archetypes

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers

The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma. The hero is shown against a background of environment, heredity, and personal history. Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different directions and causing stress.

Ordinary World

Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change.

Homer’s Odyssey: Odysseus is caught in the terrible winds of the angered god Poseidon and sent off to distant lands.

Call to Adventure

The Matrix? Harry Potter? The Lord of the

Rings?

The Matrix: Neo receives a literal phone call from Morpheus, imploring him to escape his dreary office life and come see him.

Harry Potter: a letter arrives for Harry, telling him that he’s been accepted into Hogwarts.

The Lord of the Rings: Gandalf arrives on Frodo’s doorstep and tells him he must take the ring out of the shire.

Call to Adventure--Examples

Refusal of the Call

Description Campbell Quote

The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly. Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead.

"Refusal of the summons converts the adventure into its negative. Walled in boredom, hard work, or 'culture,' the subject loses the power of significant affirmative action and becomes a victim to be saved. His flowering world becomes a wasteland of dry stones and his life feels meaningless…”

Lot’s Wife turned into a pillar of salt for looking back to her old life when she had been called forth from her old life by Yahweh—could have been a hero.

The Matrix—Neo is captured by Agents as a result of not taking Morpheus’s advise.

Star Wars: A New Hope—Luke returns home to find his family killed and home destroyed after refusing to help Obi-wan find and rescue the princess.

Harry Potter—Doesn’t realize he has the power to leave his situation and thus allows his uncle to take him to a remote island to avoid the Hogwarts’ letters.

Lord of the Rings—Frodo offers the ring to Gandalf and later to the council to rid himself of responsibility.

Examples of Refusing the Call

Mentor’s encouragement

Description Campbell Quote

The hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey. Or the hero reaches within to a source of courage and wisdom

"For those who have not refused the call, the first encounter of the hero’s journey is with a protective figure (often a little old crone or old man) who provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is about to pass. What such a figure represents is the benign, protecting power of destiny.

Star Wars? Harry Potter and

the Philosopher’s Stone?

The Lord of the Rings?

Obi-wan gives Luke his father’s light saber

Dumbledore gives Harry a cloak of invisibility

Frodo is given mithril armor, a sword, and Phial of Galadriel

Examples of Mentor’s Encouragement

Crossing the Threshold

Description Campbell Quote

At the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition with unfamiliar rules and values.

"With the personifications of his destiny to guide and aid him, the hero goes forward in his adventure until he comes to the 'threshold guardian' at the entrance to the zone of magnified power. Such custodians bound the world in four directions — also up and down — standing for the limits of the hero's present sphere, or life horizon….”

Star Wars: A New Hope?

Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone?

The Lord of the Rings?

Luke leaves Tatooine for the first time on the Millennium Falcon

Harry kills the troll, plunging him into a situation where he and his 2 companions will actively fight the darker powers

Sam stops in the middle of field and says to Frodo, “If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.”

Examples of Crossing the Threshold

The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the Special World.

What are some of the tests, allies and enemies for each of these? Star Wars Harry Potter The Lord of the Rings

Tests, Allies and Enemies

The hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the Special world.

What is the in-most cave for each of these? Star Wars Harry Potter The Lord of the Rings

Approach to the in-most cave

Near the middle of the story, the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear. Out of the moment of death comes a new life.

Can you apply this idea to these stories? Star Wars Harry Potter The Lord of the Rings

The Ordeal

The hero takes possession of the treasure won by facing death. There may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing the treasure again.

What is the reward in: Star Wars Harry Potter The Lord of the Rings

The Reward

About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home. Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission.

Star Wars? Harry Potter? The Lord of the Rings?

The Road Back

At the climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the threshold of home. He or she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level. By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved.

Can you apply this to: Star Wars Harry Potter The Lord of the Rings

The Resurrection

The hero returns home or continues the journey, bearing some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.

What are their transformations? Star Wars Harry Potter The Lord of the Rings

Return with the Elixir

Carl Jung—Swiss psychiatrist who advanced the idea of archetypes in psychology.

In archetypal literary criticism:Archetypes determine the form and function of literary works and a text's meaning is shaped by cultural and psychological myths.

Archetypes: The Roles Characters Play

1. The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype.

2. (in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally prsent in individual psyches.

Archetypes: basic forms

literary devices that employ the use of a famous concept, person or object to convey a wealth of meaning. Archetypes are immediately identifiable and even though they run the risk of being overused, they are still the best examples of their kind.

Archetypes in literature

Primary purpose is to: separate from the Ordinary World and

sacrifice himself for the service of the Journey at hand

answer the challenge, complete the quest, and restore the Ordinary World’s balance

The Hero

Provides motivation, insights and training to help the hero overcome doubts and fears

May reward him with magical gifts (weapon, clothing, piece of advice, or a key) that will help him on the Journey ahead.

Might present a powerful magical gift to lure the Hero to accept the challenge.

Mentor

Protects the Special World and its secrets from the hero and provides essential tests to prove a Hero’s commitment and worth.

Hero must bypass these obstacles and use any method available: ignoring, outwitting, overcoming, appeasing, or befriending.

May be characters, a locked door or secret vault, an animal, or a force of nature such as a tornado.

Threshold Guardian

Issues challenges and announces the coming of significant change.

Can appear at any point during the journey but often appears at the beginning to announce a Call to Adventure.

Might report a news flash or deliver a letter or make an announcement or judgment

Can reside within the character in form of dreams/visions that push the character to change his life.

Can be external: declaration of war or a storm

Herald

Misleads the hero by hiding a character’s intentions and loyalties.

Its presence surfaces doubts and questions in the hero’s mind and can effectively infuse suspense.

In romances and romantic comedies, the Shapeshifter is often a member of the opposite sex.

Shapeshifter

Can represent our darkest desires, our untapped resources, or even rejected qualities.

Can symbolize our greatest fears/phobias. Not all are bad—some may reveal admirable

or redeeming qualities. Hero’s enemies and villains often wear the

Shadow mask. Could also be an inner demon lurking within

ourselves that must be accepted or purged.

Shadow

They relish the disruption of the status quo, turning the Ordinary World into chaos with the quick turns of phrase and physical antics.

They might not change the course of the Hero’s journey, their world and its inhabitants are transformed by their antics.

Uses laughter and ridicule to make characters see the absurdity of the situation and, perhaps, force a change.

Sometimes the Trickster’s voice can be the most sane and reliable in the confusion of the Journey.

Trickster