The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Short summary

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In the book, the author describes the journey of a standard mythical hero and examines the universal motif of adventure, which is characteristic of all myths, fairy tales and fantasy stories.

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Campbell studied the myths of the peoples of the world and came to the conclusion that the majority of tales, fairy tales and legends have a common plot structure — the journey of the typical hero, the «chosen one.

The author identified three universal stages of the hero’s journey, which are characteristic of all myths, fairy tales, and fantasy novels:

1. exodus. The hero receives a «call» to adventure. Something or someone pushes the hero to leave the familiar and quiet life into the unknown, full of mystery and danger.

2. initiation. The main stage, where the hero has to fulfill his mission. Local failures, help and support from allies are possible at this stage. But after difficult trials, the hero is rewarded.

3. Return. The hero with victory and an «artifact» returns home. Upon returning, the hero can apply the reward received to improve the normal world. But sometimes the hero decides not to return home and stays in the «other» world.

The stages of the hero’s wanderings may change, transform or shorten. But the essence remains the same.