The Hero: Symbolic Vitality Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. (Coach Carter) The Adventure A Hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from the mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man (J. Campbell, H1K, 30) Separation: In the call and separation, the hero’s activity must be directed toward some goal outside him/herself to lead to his/her authentic wholeness. The Call: “The journey always begins here. The call is to leave a certain social situation, move into your loneliness and find the jewel, the center that’s impossible to find when you are socially engaged” (J. Campbell) We are off center in the social. We define ourselves through external criteria, expectations, contexts. Initiation: The Battles. The passage over and through these thresholds is a kind of self-annihilation, either inward or outward, a contest between contradictory forces within the self which the hero must face before he can perform his life renewing act. The Temptations at the Threshold JesusEconomic: power over othersPolitical: power over othersSpiritual (when ideology becomes dogma): power over God. BuddhaLust (desire): personalFear: personalSocial Duty (do what you are told): social In these struggles, the hero comes to wholeness and a new relationship to the world and is made suitable for his role within the culture. These struggles/trials/temptations are where to gain yourself, you must lose the self you have come to cling to as “yourself.” This is the giving up of what you planned for yourself in order to embrace what has been waiting for you. “Psychologically, it’s a shift into the unconsciousness, otherwise, it’s a move into the filed of action of which you know nothing.” (J. Campbell) The result of these trials may be favorable or unfavorable. It depends on your reasons/your purpose. The Return: “The Hero has died a modern man; but as eternal man—perfected, unspecific, universal man—he has been reborn. His second solemn task and deed therefore is to return to us, transfigured, and teach the lessons he has learned of life renewed.” (J. Campbell, H1K, 20) The hero winds up where he/she began, but is transfigured and posses boons to bestow upon his fellowman. In Sum: “Where we had thought to slay another, we .

1. The Hero:
Symbolic Vitality
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not
our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does
not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about
shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of
us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we
unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As
we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically
liberates others.
(Coach Carter)
The Adventure
A Hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a
region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there
encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back
from the mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons
on his fellow man (J. Campbell, H1K, 30)

2. Separation:
In the call and separation, the hero’s activity must be directed
toward some goal outside him/herself to lead to his/her
authentic wholeness.
The Call:
“The journey always begins here. The call is to leave a certain
social situation, move into your loneliness and find the jewel,
the center that’s impossible to find when you are socially
engaged” (J. Campbell)
We are off center in the social. We define ourselves through
external criteria, expectations, contexts.
Initiation:
The Battles.
The passage over and through these thresholds is a kind of self-
annihilation, either inward or outward, a contest between
contradictory forces within the self which the hero must face
before he can perform his life renewing act.
The Temptations at the Threshold
JesusEconomic: power over othersPolitical: power over
othersSpiritual (when ideology becomes dogma): power over
God.
BuddhaLust (desire): personalFear: personalSocial Duty (do
what you are told): social

3. In these struggles, the hero comes to wholeness and a new
relationship to the world and is made suitable for his role within
the culture.
These struggles/trials/temptations are where to gain yourself,
you must lose the self you have come to cling to as “yourself.”
This is the giving up of what you planned for yourself in order
to embrace what has been waiting for you.
“Psychologically, it’s a shift into the unconsciousness,
otherwise, it’s a move into the filed of action of which you
know nothing.” (J. Campbell)
The result of these trials may be favorable or unfavorable. It
depends on your reasons/your purpose.
The Return:
“The Hero has died a modern man; but as eternal man—
perfected, unspecific, universal man—he has been reborn. His
second solemn task and deed therefore is to return to us,
transfigured, and teach the lessons he has learned of life
renewed.”
(J. Campbell, H1K, 20)
The hero winds up where he/she began, but is transfigured and

4. posses boons to bestow upon his fellowman.
In Sum:
“Where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves;
where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the
center of our existence; where we had thought to be alone, we
shall be with all the world.”
(J. Campbell, H1K, 25)
The Rite of Transformation
At its heart, this is what the Hero’s Journey is all about. “The
quest and the return are two halves of the same circle. They
comprise the empowerment process or journey of beginning that
joins the participants with the ideal realm of their deities.”
Seperation→Initiation→Return
The way we want to look at this is in the context of symbol. So,
we can begin with the idea that the heroic journey is a symbol
of our own transformation.
Campbell: The hero is a model of behavior. And the heroic act
is one of transformation.
In this perspective, the journey or trip is a manifestation of his
or her own nature. The adventure is the experience of life that
leads to a change in consciousness.
What is the goal? Follow your BlissThe hero is a symbol of our
vitality. The influence of a vital person is to vitalize.
This is done going through life looking for those symbols that

5. evokes our vital character. We get to know ourselves as we go
along. We have to pay attention and choose symbols and
situations that reveal the best—not the worst.
Dragons: The WorstOur greed and our ego. It is also our shame.
It is the manifestation of that thing that which would prevent us
from achieving our true potential.
The dragon is a symbol of stagnation and futility. Not the
symbol of vitality.
The hero, as symbol, and the journey, as symbol, leads to a
reversal of existence. What we thought was strength is a
weakness. What we thought was our weakness is our strength.
We look to those symbols that raise our consciousness by
changing the field. They infuse all life with that significance.
When we can have that feeling of sanctity always—we have
transformed our life.
Overview
So far, we have looked at the Hero’s journey by examining its
parts. While this approach is helpful in understanding how to
examine the myth, it is important to look at whole texts to see
what and how the process we have examined this semester
creates meaning. To do this, we will examine The Epic of
Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh is one of my favorite characters and this
is one of my favorite stories. If we had more time, we could
delve into the many mysteries that surround this nearly 5,000
year old story. But for now, we will explore it as exemplifying
the Hero’s journey.
As I said, the Hero’s Journey is about more than its parts.

6. Campbell writes that “the quest and the return are two halves of
the same circle. They comprise the empowerment process or
journey of beginning that joins the participants with the ideal
realm of their deities.”
Seperation→Initiation→Return are parts of the process of
transformation. So, we can begin with the idea that the heroic
journey is a symbol of our own transformation. Further,
Campbell argues that the hero is a model of behavior and the
heroic act is one of transformation. In this perspective, the
journey or trip is a manifestation of his or her own nature. The
adventure is the experience of life that leads to a change in
consciousness.
Simply put, the hero is a symbol of our vitality. The influence
of a vital person is to vitalize us. As we read mythological
narratives, we come into contact with those symbols that evoke
our vital character. We get to know ourselves as we go along.
We have to pay attention and choose symbols and situations that
reveal the best in ourselves—not the worst.
This is why heroes often begin as negative characters.
Certainly, at the start of the epic, Gilgamesh is a bad character.
Yet, through a series of tragedies and loss, he discovers not his
“true self” (we are who we are) as much as a positive outlet for
his energies. Often, what causes us to “mess up” is not
channeling our strength in the right direction or not using them
at all. In the end, what makes Gilgamesh a great king are the
same attributes that made him a horrible human being. But, once
channeled in the right direction, he becomes a transformative
figure.
The hero, as symbol, and the journey, as symbol, leads to a
reversal of existence. What we thought was strength is a
weakness. What we thought was our weakness is our strength.
We look to those symbols that raise our consciousness by

7. changing the field of our perception. These symbols and these
narratives infuse all life with the significance of existing .Once
we have completed our own quest, either in reality, through the
stories, or both, we can have that feeling of sanctity always. We
have transformed our life.
Readings
· The Epic of Gilgamesh
Assignments
· Paper 2: Gilgamesh and the Hero's Journey (Due no later than
12:00PM on Wednesday of Week 7)
Paper 2: Gilgamesh and the Hero's Journey
Important Information to Remember:
· Due Date: This paper must be submitted no later than
12:00PM on Wednesday of Week 7.
· Due to time constraints, I will be unable to offer extensions or
grade papers received after this date. Any paper received after
Noon will receive a “Thanks for Sharing” and a zero.
· This counts as your final exam.
The hero’s journey can be summed up with “Separation-
Initiation-Return.” Explain each of these steps in detail using
Gilgamesh to illustrate your explanation. After you have
answered the question above, where do you see these characters
and themes played out in popular culture? Be specific as you
apply the stages of the hero’s journey to the film or TV show.
Finally, discuss how both Gilgamesh and your contemporary
hero vitalize the individual. Play mythographer and explore
your own culture. Be specific by making use of clear examples
from Gilgamesh and your pop-culture text. (quotes).

8. Reminder and Suggestions:
This paper is meant to give you the opportunity to illustrate
your understanding of the material we have covered this
semester
Guidelines:
· Your paper will need to be typed in a 12 point font and double
spaced. Your paper should be at least 3 pages long.
Remember, the idea of this paper is to test your ability to be
both a sponge and a fountain. After you get past the sponge
stuff, really dig deep to make some connections that are
meaningful to you.