24 Aug So far, we have looked at the Hero’s journey by exa
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. 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 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.
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