ARCHETYPES OF THE HERO

1
ARCHETYPES OF THE HERO

• Here are some examples of the 12 archetypes
  presented to you.
• This will help you understand the character of
  Beowulf.

2
1. Heroes Are Often of Obscure/Mysterious
Origins.

• Pinocchio begins life as a puppet.
• Superman is an infant survivor from the planet
  Krypton.
• Harry Potter is the boy who survived an evil
  curse.
• King Arthur is raised in obscurityso is Perseus.
• Perseus and Hercules are sons of Zeus--demigods.
• Transformers arent even human.
• X-Men (other comics) characters are mutants.
• __________________________________________

3
2. Heroes are neither fools nor invincible.

• Odysseus defeats the Trojansnot through strength
  alonebut by using his intelligence to devise the
  plan of the Trojan horse.
• Achilles mother dips him in the River Styx to
  make him invincible, but he is still vulnerable
  on his heal where she held him.
• Superman and kryptonite.
• The Watchmencan be killed.

4
3. The Heros way is not always direct or clear
to him/her.

• In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy knows she should
  follow the yellow brick road, but she does not
  know what dangers she will face along the way.
• Harry Potter knows he must find the horcruxes,
  but he does not know the precise locations.
• Frododoesnt know the true nature of the ring
  that he must destroy.
• Spidermanhad no guidance when he first began to
  transform.

5
The Hero has a goalor goals.

• The Knights of the Round Table search for the
  Holy Grail.
• Dorothy wants to find her way home.
• Shrek must save a princess in order to get his
  swamp backminus all the fairy tale squatters.
• Theseus just wants to become a famous hero.
• Luke Skywalkermust defeat the Empire.
• Transformers must destroy the Allspark.

6
5. The Heros way is beset with dangers,
loneliness, and temptation.

• Frodo is hunted by the wraiths.
• Robin Hood yearns for Maid Marian.
• Luke Skywalker is tempted by the power of the
  force.
• Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan.
• Another mans wife attempted to seduce Sir
  Gawain.
• Batmanfaces seduction by various characters.
• Spidermanloves Mary Jane.
• Hercules and his 12 Labors.

7
6. The hero is accompanied by friends, servants,
or disciples.

• Robin Hood had his merry men.
• Luke Skywalker had Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2,
  C-3PO, etc.
• Dorothy had the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the
  Cowardly Lion.
• Harry Potter had Hermione and Ron.
• Jesus had his disciples.
• Shrek had Donkey and Puss.
• Power Rangers had each other, so did the
  Transformers.
• Frodo had his group with him.

8
7. The hero has a guide or guides.

• Luke Skywalker had Ben Kenobi and Yoda.
• Frodo had Gandalf.
• Harry Potter had Dumbledore.
• Dorothy had Glenda.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Splinter.
• Batman had Alfred.

9
8. The hero descends into the darkness,
literally and/or figuratively.

• Peter Parker (Spiderman) grapples with his own
  dark thoughts of revenge.
• Because he needed information from a dead man,
  Odysseus visits the Land of the Dead (Hades).
• Harry Potter was transported to a cemetery where
  he had to fight for his life.
• Dorothy grappled with despair in the Witchs
  tower.
• Hercules guilt caused him many problems.
• Darth Vader
• Aslan
• Will Turner.

10
9. The hero is not the same after emerging from
the darkness.

• Bruce Wayne changes into Batman when he emerges
  from darkness.
• Luke Skywalker finally becomes a Jedi knight when
  he uses the positive aspects of the force to
  overcome the evil emperor.
• In Greek mythology, Theseus left Hades with only
  part of hisbottomintact.
• Dorothys values/priorities were different when
  she returned home.
• Bilbo Baggins was no longer satisfied with quiet,
  hobbit life.

11
10. What the hero seeks is symbolic of what is
actually found.

• The destruction of the ring in The Lord of the
  Rings represents the defeat of greed, corruption,
  and evil.
• Locating Mary Magdalenes grave represents
  vindication, truth, and honor to Dr. Robert
  Langdon in The Da Vinci Code.
• In The Wizard of Oz, the search for the wizard
  symbolized the search for self-discovery.
• Harry Potter looking for the horcruxesthey
  represent evil.

12
11. The hero suffers a wound or wounds.

• Frodo is stabbed by the wraiths.
• King Arthur is betrayed by his wife and his best
  friend, Lancelot.
• Luke Skywalker loses his hand.
• Under a trance, Hercules murders his own
  children.
• Harry Potter loses characters close to him.
• Optimus Primeloses life.
• Various comic characters suffer pain.

13
12. Heroes tend to be male however, women
represent wisdom.

• Glinda, the good witch of the North from The
  Wizard of Oz, gives Dorothy the wisdom she needs
  in order to finish her quest.
• Hermione represents wisdom to Harry Potter.
• Medea gives Jason the wisdom he needed in order
  to claim the Golden Fleece.
• Ariadne gives Theseus the wisdom he needed in
  order to find his way out of the labyrinth.
• Princess Leiea
• Arwen from The Lord of the Rings.

14
Speaking of women representing wisdom

• When asked on surveys, an extremely high number
  of people list their mother or grandmother as
  their hero. Why?
• Love
• Sacrifice
• Wisdom/Advice