Hero's Journey

 At the moment in Classics, we are looking at the hero's journey and how it applies to Ancient Greek mythology. The hero's journey is an order of 12 events that many believe can be applied to any story. I'll be applying this to the myth of Perseus and the slaying of Medusa. 

The Ordinary World

The ordinary world is the beginning of the hero's journey and sets the story up. This world will later be disrupted by the call to adventure. In the myth of Perseus and Medusa, the ordinary world is when Perseus and his mother - Danae - arrive at the shores of the Isles of Seriphos where they found themselves in the court of King Polydectes. They end up at the Isles of Seriphos due to Danae being locked away by her father due to the oracle claiming he will die at the hands of his grandson. Danae ends up pregnant anyway due to Zeus and her father locks Danae and Perseus in a crate that he then throws into the ocean. 

The Mentor 

The mentor is the point in the hero's journey where the protagonist meets someone who is older, wiser, and more experienced. This person will train them and allow them to have the tools to answer the call to adventure. Typically, the call to adventure comes before the mentor in the hero's journey, however, Perseus first meets the centaur Chiron. While Danae and Perseus are on the Isle of Seriphos, Perseus received training from Chiron who also trained Achilles, Jason, Hercules, and various other famed heroes. 

The Call To Adventure

The call to adventure is what prompts the story to really begin. The call is a challenge that is presented to the protagonist that disrupts the ordinary world. For Perseus, this would be King Polydectes falling in love with his mother and making her his slave. King Polydectes knows this will anger Perseus and challenges Perseus to kill Medusa, knowing he will most likely be turned to stone. Sometimes, the protagonist doesn't answer the call immediately, however, Perseus takes up the challenge and begins his journey. 

Crossing The Threshold

Crossing the threshold occurs when the protagonist accepts the call to adventure and enters the special world. The special world is the lower half of the circle and it is here that the protagonist will face the challenge. The special world doesn't necessarily need to be a world that is special, it just needs to be different from the ordinary world. Occasionally, the hero requires prompting to finally begin their journey, however, Perseus doesn't need this prompt and begins sailing for the Land of the Gorgons.

Tests, Allies, Enemies

Now that the journey has really begun, the protagonist will encounter various challenges that block the path to their goal. However, they will also meet allies that help them in their quest. Perseus's first test is to find the Graeae sisters, three old women who shared one eye and tooth. They were the sisters of the Gorgons and would reveal the location of Medusa. Perseus achieves this with guidance from his two allies - Athena and Hermes - who help him locate the Graeae sisters. The Graeae sisters don't tell Perseus where their sisters are straight away causing Perseus to steal their single eye in exchange for their location. Once he is given the location, he returns the eye.

Approach To The Inmost Cave

The approach to the inmost cave is essentially the final preparations before the ordeal. For Perseus, his approach may also fall under tests, allies, enemies, however, we're going to put it here for now. The Greek Gods and Goddesses gift Perseus tools that will aid him in his battle against Medusa and the Gorgon sisters. Athena gifts Perseus a bronze shield so he will be able to see Medusa's reflection and avoid looking at her and being turned to stone. Hermes gifts him winged sandals that allow him to fly from the location of the Graeae sisters to the Land of the Gorgons while Hades gifts him a cap that makes him invisible. Perseus also receives a sword however, there is conflicting information on whether this sword came from Hephaestus or Zeus. With everything he needed, Perseus takes flight and is headed to the Land of Gorgons. 

The Ordeal

The ordeal is the battle that was the call to adventure. It may be an answer or, in Perseus's case, the challenge the protagonist was given. Perseus snuck into the cave where Medusa resided with her sisters and, with the guidance of Athena, decapitated her and places the head in a bag. He then escapes by flying away to avoid the Gorgon sisters who awoke to their sister's headless body.  

The Reward

The reward aspect of the hero's journey doesn't need much explaining. After the ordeal, the protagonist will most likely be rewarded in some way, whether it's something physical like a sword, or spiritual and more abstract. For Perseus, his reward is Medusa's head which he keeps in a bag for the remainder of the Journey. Because of this, another reward we can consider is the release of his mother from slavery. 

The Road Back

After completing the ordeal and answering the call to adventure, the protagonist must return to the ordinary world. The protagonist may not want to leave the special world immediately, however, they will eventually accept that they must leave. Doing this will complete the hero's journey. Perseus leaves immediately and begins his return to the Isle of Seriphos to free his mother from being a slave to King Polydectes. It's not an easy journey as Perseus encounters Altas who he protects the Garden of Hesperides. Perseus sought to rest here, however, Atlas refused him entry to the garden as he feared Perseus would kill the dragon who protects the golden apples and steal them. Because of this, Perseus held up Medusa's head and showed Atlas who then turned to stone. Atlas's stoned body went on to shape the mountains and rocks. 

The Ressurection 

Before being able to fully return to the ordinary, the protagonist faces the final life and death challenge. Here the protagonist will apply everything they have learned and gathered along their journey. The resurrection will typically be the final battle that rounds everything up, other characters may make an appearance, or it may be a final battle that is internal and occur within the protagonist. For Perseus it is physical and it happens as he is passing by the kingdom of King Cepheus in Ethiopia. Here, Perseus finds a beautiful woman called Andromeda chained to a cliff that hangs over the ocean. He learns that Andromeda is the King's daughter and is being sacrificed due to the kingdom having been overcome with large waves and a sea monster. Andromeda's mother - Cassiopea - had proclaimed she was more beautiful than the sea-nymphs which angered Poseiden. Wanting to marry Andromeda, Perseus agreed to kill the sea-monster in exchange for her hand in marriage. He used the cap of invisibility given to him by Hades and he waited for the sea-monster to come and eat Andromeda. Once the monster arrived, he exposed Medusa's head to the monster, killing it instantly. Andromeda was freed and married Perseus. 

I should note that in one retelling, Perseus also fought Phineus, the man Andromeda was supposedly engaged to. In this version, he still kills the monster, just this time it's with his sword. Once Andromeda was free, Perseus challenged Phineus for her hand in marriage and it's here that Perseus used Medusa's head as a weapon and killed Phineus. 

Return With The Elixir

The final stage of the hero's journey is returning with the elixir. Typically, the elixir is what restores the ordinary world and brings the story to a close meaning, it doesn't have to be something physical. However, for Perseus, the elixir is a physical item. By returning with Medusa's head, the ordinary world is returned to how it was before the call of adventure - Perseus's mother is freed from being King Polydecte's slave. Returning with the elixir also causes a change in the ordinary world, whether it's small or big. This change is Perseus not only returning as a married man but also celebrated as a hero.