What Is Herakles A Hero Archetype

The Journey of Herakles A hero as described by Joseph Campbell is “someone who has achieved or experienced something beyond the range of the ordinary, often through self-sacrifice, that is bigger than themselves”. The myth of Herakles is one that has withstood the test of time and continues to influence modern society for these same reasons. The myth follows the hero as he undertakes twelve labors in search of self-redemption for murdering his own family. In addition, these deeds that Herakles overcame throughout his journey were thought to be impossible yet after completing each task he helped and inspired those around him, as well as teaching humans the meaning of persevere through difficult times. These are just some of the reasons why Herakles perfectly fits the hero archetype described by Joseph Campbell. The journey of every hero is one that contains twelve stages that play a role in molding the character into a heroic figure. The first of these stages is known as the ordinary world, here Herakles

This was Herakles’s twelfth and final labor in which Eurystheus tasked him with kidnapping the beast Kerberos, who guarded the entrance to Hades. The eight stage is the ordeal, this consist of the hero facing possibly death or facing misfortune is present in the myth as Hercules has many near death experiences throughout his journey but the most dangerous was venturing into the underworld, a place where no mortal has ever returned from. The ninth stage, the reward, is where the hero obtains the object of the quest. After completing the twelve labors, he was finally freed from the sin of killing his family. Following this, the tenth stage is the road back, here the hero returns to the ordinary world. Herakles returns to Thebes but finds his life is without purpose and sets out to partake in a contest with one of his old