Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Hero's Journey


'The Path'
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been re-reading a book that all writers and lovers of history and mythology should have on their shelf: The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell.

Every time I pick up this book, I’m struck by the truth of what Campbell says. I think of all of the stories that have struck a chord with me over the years, and the things they have in common. Campbell says:

The archetypes to be discovered and assimilated are precisely those that have inspired, throughout the annals of human culture, the basic images of ritual, mythology, and vision… The hero... has died as a modern man – he has been reborn. His second solemn task and deed therefore… is to return then to us, transfigured, and teach the lessons he has learned of life renewed.
(The Hero with a Thousand Faces; Third Edition, 1973)

Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed
in the Enchanted Forest
If you stop to look at storytelling, past and present, you can indeed see the recurring themes and archetypes of myth. They are everywhere. And this applies not only to western literature but to storytelling across time, across cultures.

In studying Greek, Roman and Celtic literature and mythology, medieval and Arthurian romance, I have noticed that I am drawn to certain elements. It’s not just because of the way these stories are told, or the language the writers or poets used. Let’s remember that the beauty of language is often lost in translation.

No. What draws me in to these stories are common elements that appeal to something deep within my psyche, the blood in my veins, the fibre of my muscles, the dreams at the back of my mind. My inner youth, adventurer, lover, warrior and wise man all yearn for the stories that are food for the soul.
Without that food I begin to starve.

Such is the power of storytelling.

Sir Galahad upon his Quest
The Hero with a Thousand Faces takes you into a world of great depth, of ideas and examples. There is too much to be able to do it justice in one blog post. However, in the book there is a chart of the Hero’s Journey that I believe can be infinitely useful to a writer.

Oftentimes, writers can get stuck, feel as though they have written themselves into a corner and are not sure how to get out of it. Perhaps they are not sure where to turn next, which path their protagonist should take. Other times, a writer will wonder whether a certain path in the story will appeal to the reader, or else put them off so much that they go off in search of another adventure.

Campbell’s chart of the Hero’s Journey is an excellent point of reference, a tool or weapon to help a writer to get out of the traps that can halt the creative process.



I think it prudent here to quote Campbell on what the journey entails:

The mythological hero, setting forth from his commonday hut or castle, is lured, carried away, or else voluntarily proceeds, to the threshold of adventure. There he encounters a shadow presence that guards the passage. The hero may defeat or conciliate this power and go alive into the kingdom of the dark (brother-battle, dragon-battle; offering, charm), or be slain by the opponent and descend in death (dismemberment, crucifixion). Beyond the threshold, then, the hero journeys through a world of unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces, some of which severely threaten him (tests), some of which give magical aid (helpers). When he arrives at the nadir of the mythological round, he undergoes a supreme ordeal and gains his reward. The triumph may be represented as the hero’s sexual union with the goddess-mother of the world (sacred marriage), his recognition by the father-creator (father atonement), his own divinization (apotheosis), or again – if the powers have remained unfriendly to him – his theft of the boon he came to gain (bride-theft, fire-theft); intrinsically it is an expansion of consciousness and therewith of being (illumination, transfiguration, freedom). The final work is that of the return. If the powers have blessed the hero, he now sets forth under their protection (emissary); if not, he flees and is pursued (transformation flight, obstacle flight). At the return threshold the transcendental powers must remain behind; the hero re-emerges from the kingdom of dread (return, resurrection). The boon that he brings restores the world (elixir).
(The Hero with a Thousand Faces; p.245-246, Third Edition, 1973)

Luke Skywalker
with his father's sword
As I read this, all the stories that I ever loved flash through my mind. I see heroes such as Arthur, Frodo and even Luke Skywalker, taken from their quiet worlds and cast into the unknown with the aid of such legendary characters as Merlin, Gandalf, Obi-Wan Kenobi and others.

Often, a hero experiences an event that thrusts him into the adventure. I think of Odysseus being ordered to go to war at Troy and leave his wife and baby behind, or in the Mabinogi when Pwyll Prince of Dyfed goes into the otherworld of Annwn. Jason confronts Pelias and ends up on an expedition to find the Golden Fleece, the proposed price for getting back his father’s throne. There are so many examples. And often times, there is a sword: Arthur’s Excalibur, Luke’s father’s lightsaber or Bilbo’s sword, Sting, which goes to Frodo.

The tests are often what make up the bulk of the story which takes place in
Odysseus and Calypso
unknown realms. There are helpers in the form of other people, gods or animals along the way. In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo has the help of Aragorn (a hero on his own journey – a journey within a journey) and the rest of the Fellowship, elves, dwarves and others. Arthur has his knights who each have their own adventures. 
Theseus has Ariadne whose aid provides him with the key to the labyrinth. Jason gets aid from the blind prophet Phineas who tells him how to reach the Golden Fleece.

When the hero reaches what Campbell calls the ‘nadir of the mythological round’ there is an ordeal and reward. Odysseus passes through death in the form of Scylla and Charybdis to be washed up on the shore of the goddess Calypso’s island. He spends time there, loved by the goddess, and regains his strength before embarking on the final stages of his journey.

Jason and the Golden Fleece
Other themes at the nadir are the attainment, by theft of gift, of the elixir that is sought by the hero. This could be the Golden Fleece, the Holy Grail, or the promise of a return home in the case of Odysseus. The promise of a healing of the land, of body, of spirit is in the hero’s sights. But the journey is not yet over.

More challenges emerge before the hero can cross that threshold once more to get back into the known realms. Arthur must face Mordred, Odysseus must still reach Ithaca before destroying the suitors and taking back his home. Luke must escape the Death Star to destroy it in a final battle.

Arthur receives Excalibur
Once the final confrontations are achieved, the hero achieves peace for himself and his realm, an overall healing of wounds and righting of wrongs that gives way to a golden time. If the hero dies in the attempt, he goes on to a better place and his example will be one that inspires future generations (e.g. Arthur going to Avalon).

You can take almost any story from any culture and apply the elements Campbell mentions.

The elements of the hero’s journey are universal.

Because these archetypes, these themes, are a part of our storytelling tradition, we often include them automatically in our writing without thinking about it.

Frodo and Gandalf
But a writer often is the hero on a journey and does not always know where the road will lead. We need helpers, a sword (or pen!) and certainly divine help and inspiration should not be shunned. 
Sometimes writers need a guide like Joseph Campbell to put one back on track. And that’s ok!

Odysseus and Arthur, Luke and Frodo, all had help. So did Pwyll and Yvain, Herakles and Jason. It’s not cowardly to receive aid. The true test comes when one decides what to do with the aid provided.

Whether I’m writing the first words, or flipping the first pages, of a new story I relish the adventure to come, the trials and tribulations, learning from the unknown and gathering the courage to slay my own dragons.

I like to think that that is what being human is all about. If you look at it a certain way, you’ll see that our stories are more a part of us than most people think. They are not whimsical flights of fancy that have no real relation to us as human beings, they are a deep part of us and if we ignore or forget those stories, we lose a bit of ourselves. 


The 'Elixir' of Life
Sir Percival at the Chapel of the Grail

Thanks for reading! 

If you would like to find out more, here are a few places to start:

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

ThePower of Myth – A conversation between Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers (filmed at Skywalker Ranch). This is also available as an audio book

StarWars: The Magic of Myth - This is a fantastic book, not only for Star Wars fans but everyone with an interest in mythology. George Lucas was friends with Joseph Campbell and adhered closely to the ideas of the hero's journey in the creation of his brilliant story 'A long time ago... In a galaxy far, far away...' 


Saturday, April 20, 2013

History Empowering Fantasy


I love to read historical fantasy and am always on the lookout for a good read. Whether it’s a story about knights vs. zombies, Romans vs. Celts with mystical powers, or werewolves in the age of Charlemagne, there are ways to weave ancient beliefs into historical fiction while remaining accurate.

But what about the flip side?

I really enjoy fantasy too and am in constant awe of the world-building skills of fantasy writers.

If you are a fantasy reader like me, you will no doubt have noticed that a lot of historical elements creep in to inform those worlds. However, for it to be done right, and with skill, is no small task.

One book I have been reading of late is Lunula, by author, Alyssa Auch. Lunula has won two titles as part of the Blogger Book Fair Readers’ Choice Awards, and last month was named a winner by IndieBookoftheDay.com. I can see why. I’m really enjoying the book and have been really drawn into the world of Lunula.

I’m thrilled to have Alyssa as a guest today on Writing the Past to talk about how she has woven elements from many historical periods into her wonderful novel.

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Thank you, Adam, for inviting me to guest post on your blog! I am no historian, but I cannot deny that I love to incorporate it into my writing, even when it is in a fantasy world!

Lunula was written in the fictional setting of Irador, a medieval style kingdom with much of Fantasy’s well-loved elements added to it. It is one of three kingdoms featured, and each of the kingdoms had their own historical “flavor” you could say. For Irador, I channeled Camelot and bits of Renaissance England. My mother read one of my first drafts, and she mentioned that she felt she was reading a historical piece at first—I definitely took that as a compliment.

But I wanted to branch out from just the usual medieval style fantasy, and so I added some of my favorite pieces of history to the other two kingdoms. Dristol, the “barbaric,” untamed brother kingdom to Irador was (very loosely) modeled after the Vikings. The soldiers are large and intimidating, wearing fur vests and carrying two-handed weapons with ease. They exude a kind of harshness I hoped would represent that culture. However, the politics of their land were taken from Britain’s tumultuous early history. Gethin, the king of that land, alludes to how difficult it has been for him to keep their lords in check. They raid their neighboring lands, and they often refuse to acknowledge the crown of Dristol. 
Much of Gethin’s young adulthood was spent putting unruly land owners back into place.

 And finally, the elven lands, which were the most distinct of the two. I mashed Greek and Roman history together to create a polished and refined, but ancient world. Makynae, the capitol of the elven realm, is the name of an ancient city in Greece (called Mycenae). Their dress was taken from the late B.C. era, around 180 or so, with loosely draped cloth, pallas for the women, and soft-soled sandals. I admit that I looked to the movie “Gladiator” for visual inspiration. Their city is built with marble columns and arches from that time period’s architecture, and they appear to have made several advancements over their human neighbors. Aqueducts and running water, for example. I’ll never understand why they let that advancement slip away from them after Rome was destroyed!

Lunula is actually a Roman necklace. In my book it is a magical artifact, but historically, the lunula was worn by young, unmarried girls. It symbolized their youth, and once they married, it was taken off. It was usually a crescent-shaped locket, and that is exactly how I described the lunula in my book.

The main thing I strove for in weaving history into fantasy was giving my book a feel of authenticity. I believe it makes it more tangible to the reader when they recognize time periods and places, and in a world where anything goes, that kind of tether can be crucial.

So on that note, I hope you give Lunula a try, and find that the little tidbits of history make it all the more enjoyable!

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I’d like to thank Alyssa for taking the time out of her unbelievably busy schedule to tell us a bit about how history inspired aspects of her work.

Alyssa’s writing style is smooth and beautiful and will draw you in. So, if you like fantasy and history, you should definitely check out Lunula.

It’s available from Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes and Noble.

You should also check out Alyssa’s author blog and Facebook page.

Find her on Twitter @alyssa_auch

Cheers and Read on!