Joseph Campbell

The Hero with a Thousand Faces

The Hero’s Journey Chart

Work:

Separation

Call to Adventure: How does the character receive the call to adventure?

Refusal of the Call: Does the character accept the call immediately?

Answering the Call: What motivates the character to accept the call?

Supernatural Aid

Guide/Mentor: Is there  a specific character who helps the hero understand the life situation or provides the hero with special training?

Talisman: Is there a particular item that has special significance to the hero?

Companions: Who is with the hero on his journey? How do these companions help the hero face the challenges?

Crossing the Threshold: At what point in the story does the hero leave the familiar world and move into a new, unfamiliar circumstance?

Threshold Guardians: Are there characters that try to prevent the hero from crossing over into the unfamiliar territory or circumstance?

Initiation / Road of Trials: What specific challenges does the hero face?

Brother Battle: Does the hero battle physically or mentally with someone who is a relative or close friend?

Meeting with the Goddess: Does the hero meet with a character with special beauty and power?

Abduction:  Is the character kidnapped, or is someone close to the hero kidnapped?

Night or Sea Journey: Where do the hero’s travels take him?

Dragon Battle: Does the hero battle some kind of monster? Does the hero have to face some inner demon?

Ritual Death or Dismemberment: Is the hero injured and thought to be dead? Does the hero mistakenly believe someone close to him is dead? Does the hero suffer an injury in which he loses a limb or use of some other body part?

Sacred Marriage: Does the hero have a special emotional bond (it could literally be a marriage) with another character?

Atonement (“at one with”) with or Recognition by the

Father: Is the hero reunited with his father in some way?

Entering the Belly of the Whale: Is there some point in the story where the hero must face his deepest fear or the darkest evil in the story?

Apotheosis (Deification): Is there a point in the story where the hero is held up as an ideal or where the hero is worshipped as a god?

Ultimate Boon / Magic Elixir: Does the hero find some special solution to the problem he is attempting to resolve? This might be a magic potion or a key to something.

The Return

Refusal of the Return: Does the hero initially refuse to return to the homeland or the place that he began the journey?

Magic Flight / Pursuit: Is there some point (generally toward the end) where the hero is being chased or is otherwise trying to escape something?

Rescue from Without: Is there so point in the movie, when all seems hopeless, when it looks like the hero is going to die, then suddenly he is rescued unexpectedly?

Crossing the Return Threshold: Is there some point where the hero clearly returns “home”?

Master of Two Worlds: Does it appear that the hero has conquered life in both the familiar and unfamiliar worlds?

Freedom to Live: Since the hero typically begins the journey to resolve a problem, does it appear the problem is at last resolved so that all can live freely?