Joseph Campbell writes in The Hero of a Thousand Faces: “The call to adventure signifies that destiny has summoned the hero and transferred his spiritual center of gravity from within the pale of this society into a zone unknown. This fateful region of both treasure and danger may be variously represented: as a distant land, a forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves or above the sky, a secret island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream state; but it is always a place of strangely fluid and polymorphous beings, unimaginable torments, superhuman deeds, and impossible delights.”
Explain this in the context of the chapters assigned so far. Relate to two specific myths from two different chapters. Cite chapter and page number. If not using the assigned text include a note so I can locate the cite. Cite as in (Chapter XX, page XXX) right after the myth.
This posting will be longer—about 100 words.
The call to adventure always offers both unbelievable treasure and terrible tragedy, two things that humans are undeniably captivated by. Therefore it is difficult to reject this mythical call. For instance, the Arapaho Indian girl in the first chapter wanted to hunt a porcupine for its valuable quills (the treasure) yet also feared the potential tragedy (falling from the tall tree). Nevertheless, her call led the girl to a seemingly impossible and undoubtedly mystical destination- the sky. “…she continued to mount the tree…and with the porcupine she finally reached the sky” (“The Call to Adventure” 46). Another example can be found in the Irish myth of a young price who was called to save a beautiful queen (his treasure), but first had to pass through numerous trials (tragedy). “The whole place…was filled with sleeping giants and monsters of the sea and land…beasts of every form and kind…but when he reached the thirteenth chamber…on the couch lay the Queen of Tuber Tintye” (“Meeting With the Goddess” 91). To accomplish this rescue, he first traveled to a completely new world, one filled with all the promising characteristics that Campbell describes.
ReplyDeleteAs humans, we are always drawn to treasures and adventure. Therefore, when we are presented with an opportunity to have an adventure or gain treasure, it is very hard to pass up--no matter what the adventure entails. Campbell states, "The adventure is always and everywhere a passage beyond the veil of the known into the unknown; the powers that watch at the boundary are dangerous; to deal with them is risky; yet for anyone with competence and courage the danger fades" ("The Crossing of the First Threshold" 68). In the myth of Prince Five-Weapons, the Prince was on the road to see his father (a distant land) when he came across a forest. In the forest lived an ogre (polymorphous being). The Prince faced great danger when fighting with the ogre, yet he eventually won by tricking the ogre. The young prince got the "impossible delight" of being the first person to defeat the ogre in the forest. ("The Crossing of the First Threshold" pgs. 69-73) Another example is in the myth of the five sons of King Eochaid. After a day of hunting, the sons were trapped in a forest (danger). Each son goes out to find water, only to find that a woman was guarding the well whose “whole description in fact was disgusting.” The first four sons denied this woman a kiss in order to get water, however the final son gave her the kiss. The ugly woman turned into a princess. (“The Meeting with the Goddess” pgs 97-98) In the end, the fifth son, Niall, got his treasure (the princess) and also, an “impossible delight.”
ReplyDeleteBeing attracted to adventure and treasure is human nature. Therefore, it makes sense that most myths center around a hero’s adventure. In these adventures, like Campbell points out, the hero is transported into another world, whether it be a forest, dream, etc. An example of this is an Oriental story about a caravan leader who led his crew into a “waterless demon wilderness.” They encounter ogres and demons, the polymorphous beings, who trick them into throwing their water out so they will grow weary in the dry forest. Then the ogres slay them in their sleep, the unimaginable torment (pg 68-9). Another example of a hero entering a supernatural world is the Sumerian myth of the goddess Inanna’s travels to the underworld. This world is described as the “nether world of death and darkness” (p. 87-88).
ReplyDeleteThe call to adventure takes the hero out of his/her comfort zone and places him/her into a world unknown where he must face dangers. King Arthur went into a forest to hunt when the call to adventure came. He rode his horse until it died chasing the hart. As the king was sitting by a fountain, a beast came and drank the water (Chapter 1 pp. 44). This story shows how a person can be in the midst of doing something ordinary (like hunting) when they are transported into the unknown world of adventure. Psyche had to go to the underworld and complete many tasks in order to free Cupid. She faced many trials in this unknown world and returned triumphant (Chapter 2 pp 81). Campbell says that every story basically begins with a call to adventure and entering some unknown world.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Campbell’s quote could be best explained using the story of the frog and the princess (Chapter 1. Pages 41-42). The girl is simply playing by the side of the pond and loses her favorite toy (something we could imagine any child anywhere doing). This blunder is the call to adventure. Suddenly the talking frog appears, and the reader is taken out of a world we would consider normal into a world of talking frogs who can transform into princes. In the quote Joseph Campbell says the world is filled with “strangely fluid and polymorphous beings, unimaginable torments, superhuman deeds, and impossible delights.” These can be found in the myth of the five sons of king Eochaid (Chapter 2, pages 97-98). The sons, looking for a place to quench their thirst, are met by a hideous old woman. The only way for them to reach the “treasure” that is the water is to kiss her on the cheek. Four of the sons would not, but Niall would not be dissuaded by the ugliness. He kissed and hugged her, and she transformed into a glorious being. She not only rewarded him with water, but also gave him the throne for his good deed.
ReplyDeleteThe desires for adventures and treasures is second nature for human beings, in that is does not take but a gut reaction o drop everything you are doing and going on a strange adventure in the light of finding a magnificent treasure in the end. Campbell shows in his stories how people will go through troubles and tragedy in order to find a reward in the end. one example of this involves the Arapaho Indian girl who wanted to catch the magic porcupine n order to take its quills as the treasure. However the tragedy came in as "the cottonwood tree suddenly lengthened, and the porcupine continued to climb," causing the girl to continue to climb up the tree that wouldn't stop growing (Chapter 1 p. 44). Another example of someone chasing a treasure in spite of trials is the story of the shaman. The shaman most overcome many obstacles one of which involves him to "soothe the monster again with promises of luxurious offerings" (Chapter 2 p.84). The shaman then reaches his treasure of a life in ecstasy.
ReplyDeleteAs the first couple chapters have shown, the call to adventure comes from the protagonists search for something that is worth the pain and suffering of looking for it. To the protagonists, the discovery of whatever they search for is worth the hardships and trials they must be put through. To make matters worse, these trials occur in an unknown place, taking the hero out of his/ her comfort zone of the world they were raised. For example, Psyche must leave her world to enter the underworld to save Cupid (Chapter 2, page 81). Another example would be the travel of the underworld by the Sumerian goddess Inanna (Chapter 2, page 87-88).
ReplyDeleteThis quote can be explained by the myth concerning the princess and the frog. The princess loses her ball to a world unknown (the spring "so deep that the bottom could not be seen." And the frog, after being promised a relationship with the princess, retrieves her ball from the unknown, only to find that she had lied to him (Chapter 1, p.41-42). At the start, the tale is, for lack of a better term, "normal." Then, the ball is lost, and so begins a descent into the abnormal, followed by the frog conversing with the princess. Another example of the "call to adventure" is the myth about the five sons of King Eochaid. They were on a conquest and in need of water for their party. Each of the five sons went on a search, alone, and in turn, for water. All five stumbled upon the same old hag, and of all five of them, the old hag asked for the same gift: a kiss, and in return she would allow them to get water from her well. Fergus, Olioll, Brian and Fiachra all denied the kiss to the old hag, and all four of them were denied water. However, Niall allotted the old hag the kiss she desired, and she became beautiful and allowed Niall to retrieve water for his brothers and party, as well as for himself. And before he left, she bestowed upon him the knowledge that he and his children shall inherit the kingdom, not one of his brothers, for he was comely and handsome, even to an old hag (Chapter 2, p. 97-98).
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the hero enters into a world unknown and at times fascinating is critical to the internal journey the hero takes. The unknown is often what shapes the being the hero will become. The story of the minotaur in the prologue is an example of this. Theseus must enter the labyrinth, a world unknown and terrifying. On page 18 it is explained how Ariadne gave Theseus linen thread so that he could find his way out of the labyrinth. The labyrinth is a place where Theseus enters and comes out a different man. By passing the test of the labyrinth, Theseus gets to marry Ariadne and take her back to his home.
ReplyDeleteThe first threshold is also important for the hero because it marks the transition between what is familiar and what is unknown. Once the hero crosses this threshold, he will be forever changed. On page 68 there is a myth about men coming home from a fishing trip that must be careful to not be seduced by a snake in the form of a beautiful girl. If they follow the "girl" and have intercourse with her, they will not be followed by the snakes forever. Although this threshold is more mental than physical, the consequences are no less. Stepping into the unknown is a life-changing event for the characters of myth.
The American Indian story about the two youngsters searching for their father displays the hero's departure into the unknown. instead of finding their father, they discover a mysterious, prophetic Spider Woman. The two boys, on their mission to find their father, the Sun, are guided foreward by this otherworldly creature that lives in a smokey hole in the ground. (page 58). Another myth in Cambell's collection that exemplifies the hero's journey into the unkown is the Bible's story of Job. He is entangled in a bet between God and Satan and is afflicted with a plethora of otherworldy sicknesses and pain. In his struggle to become one with God, Job is made to suffer tremedously, while still trying to see the light at the end of the road. After punishing Job thoroughly, God acknowledges that Job has as much faith as any and returns his pleasant life back to him along with his enlightenment (pages 124-125).
ReplyDeleteThe call to adventure is the starting point for our hero. This is the part of the story or myth that captures our hero’s imagination and forces him to imagine a world that is completely unknown to him. This new world being unknown and full of treasure plays to the sense of intrigue in our hero. In the story of the Future Buddha, the king attempts to persuade his son to experience worldly pleasures, but the gods use different means to attract the Future Buddha. “’Sire, this is one who has retired from the world’; and the charioteer thereupon proceeded to sound the praises of retirement from the world. The thought of retiring from the world was a pleasing one to the Future Buddha” (Chapter 1, page 48). This displays the interest shown by the Future Buddha in this new unexplored realm. At this point in the story, the hero is optimistic about the prospect of adventure, and he also displays true enthusiasm for what he believes to be his destiny. The example of the princess and the frog is a more unique and distinct call to adventure. “A blunder – apparently the merest chance – reveals an unsuspected world, and the individual is drawn into a relationship with forces that are not rightly understood” (Chapter 1, page 42). The call to adventure leads to new excitement and challenges for the individual, and it can come in many forms.
ReplyDeleteAs Campbell states in his book, the hero of the story is always pulled by a call to treasure. The treasure is always found in a foreign land, full of trials that the hero must face in order to obtain the treasure. In some cases, the treasure is simply getting to where the hero wants to be. This can be found in the Navajo myth about the two brother gods who want to find home ("Supernatural Aid" 57). In this story, the foreign land is a trail that the spider woman tells them of that is filled with dangers like smashing rocks and cutting reeds. Another representation of this strange region is seen in the Oriental story of Prince Five-weapons ("The Crossing of the First Threshold" 69). The realm is a dark forest. The people who live close to the forest warn the prince of the perils of the forest, namely the ogre named Sticky Hair. This shows how greatly these realms differ in stories: a trail with smashing rocks and cutting reeds to a mysterious forest with an ogre.
ReplyDeleteJoseph Campbell shows the archetypical hero in a usual and typical way. What makes his work stand out, however, is the method and examples he uses to show a hero’s journey. He jumps around from story to story showing how the hero can do many different things and go on many different paths to achieve heroism. The example shown about Prince Five-Weapons and the ogre depicts how heroism can be expressed mentally and not only physically. (Chapter 1, page 72) The story about the Greek King Midas explains how King Midas became a hero through “breaking through limitations” and “spiritual growth”.(Chapter 2, page 163)
ReplyDeleteAnswering the call to adventure is a somewhat enigmatic proposition, some go for personal gain and glory while others decide to leave what is familiar and safe simply for the thrill of adventure and self discovery. The first example I can give is not a myth but instead a dream. The unspecified woman was exploring a dilapidated, muddy part of town when a small river cut her off from the other side of the street. She did not have to be there but instead of turning back to find an easier route she acquired a box to use as a stepping stool to cross over onto the high paved road beyond. This was symbolic of how sometimes we have to travel through the dark and devious ways before we can find peace. (Page 21 Chapter 1) Another example of leaving the familiar on a quest would be the Shamans of the Lapps who seem to kill themselves to gain access to the realms of the dead and traveling to the sacred mountains overcoming obstacles and eventually returning with the knowledge gained from his excursion. (Page 99-100 Chapter 2)
ReplyDeleteBasically what Joseph Campbell is saying here is that the places the hero is called to are generally crazy, interesting places, because otherwise the story would hardly be worth telling. One example of this is myth of Prince Five-Weapons (Chapter 1, Page 69). In this myth, a prince is going to a far away land when he runs into a forest. The forest is home to an ogre, and the prince has to fight him. Or consider the story about the Arapaho girl wanted to steal a porcupine’s quills. (Chapter 1, Page 45) She had to climb a magical tree that grew into the sky. CRAZY.
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ReplyDeletePart 1 Chapter III Section 4
ReplyDeleteThis section was about the hero crossing the "return threshold." Basically what this means is that the hero has to return home. What this return entails is leaving the dream world of bliss and adventure and coming back to reality. One myth that Campbell uses is Rip Van Winkle. Rip Van Winkle's journey is really just a prolonged sleep. This sleep functions as a journey because it is a land of adventure and bliss. He wakes up and must face reality. Campbell says that with sleep we do not really bring anything of use back to the real world. Our adventures in sleep, metaphorical or real, cannot have applicability in our real world. Campbell says that in order to have meaning the hero must "knit together his two worlds" (p. 196).