Comparing the Herakles Myth with Joseph Campbells Hero Myth List Essay Example for Free

Comparing the Herakles Myth with Joseph Campbells submarine sandwich sandwich Myth leaning EssayKaren Wagner World Mythology September 27th 2012 Essay 1 Herakles, or more commonly know as Hercules according to Disney is probably one of the most popular fabrications people have seen or heard, further could Herakles myth follow Joseph Campbells Hero myth harken. Carl Jung defined an archetype myth or Jungian archetype as a pattern of thought that can be translated to worldwide par completelyels (The Columbian encyclopedia) that the human race experiences as a culture or an individual. The myth of Herakles includes parts that compare to the Hero Archetype, however there are also parts that do not fit the archetype at all. Joseph Campbells leaning of myths for the common hero includes a disputation that does and does not relate to the story of Herakles. Herakles voyage begins from the shared birth from his mother Alcmena, father genus Zeus and half-brother Iphikles. Hera ( Zeus wife) decides to take revenge because of the affair Zeus had with Alcmena for Herakles. One the morning Herakles was supposed to be born Zeus had made a former oath stating the son of his bloodline by dint of Pereus who was born that morning would rule Mycenae.Hera made sure Zeus swore to this and direct d avouch the goddess of childbirth Eileithuia to slow the birthing process. A sly serving girl named Galanthis had told the goddess of childbirth that Alcmena had her twins, in one case Eileithuias guard was down and so was her spell. Alcmena bore twins and Herakles was not the premiere born, one was the son of Amphitryon and the other Zeus. Hera decides to take action by putting snakes in the twins crib in hopes to suppress Zeus latest offspring (Martin 148), while Iphikles only wailed, Herakles decided to strangle both snakes to death, identifying the true son of Zeus.Amphitryon stated, well, that ones not my boy (Martin 148). Herakles grew up quickly, learning his new found strength through his human father and other relatives. His first official voluntarily task was to eliminate the lion with hard hide from Mt. Kithairon. Once the beast was defeated, Herakles skinned the lion and wore his mane and head as a booty and as a form of protection (Martin 153). Herakles continued doing many labors for different people throughout a large portion of his life he lay with many women, and marries a few as well.Herakles did virtually wrong doings and towards the end of his mortal life he dies and becomes immoral, forever to live on in myth. Joseph Campbells monomyth list for mythological adventures magnifies the formula described in the rites of passage Departureinitiationreturn. Campbells list for the hero archetype can be compared to Herakles, while other parts do the opposite. The first stage of the heros journey is their birth Campbell goes into explaining that the birth involves fabulous circumstances surrounding conception, birth, and childishness (Campbell).Herakles birth could be seen under fabulous circumstances, an affair, another child, and two dead snakes on the first dark Campbells second stage is the Call to Adventure (Campbell), Herakles whilst working on his human fathers cattle ranch heard news of a lion killing the family cows, he volunteers to rid the beast and is successful in the end. Herakles had helpers throughout his journeys, such as Apollos grandson Eurytos teaching him archery (Martin 150) or Atlas assisting Herakles in getting the Golden Apples as one of his labors, but not from a specific being or person alone.This being a piece of the myth that doesnt exactly fit into Campbells list but can lighten compare. Campbells fourth entry on the list Crossing the limen somewhat relates to Herakles story in that he does travel 30 days to defeat the mother of all lions, another with impenetrable hide. Campbells crossing the thres cop entry explains that the hero must undergo a task or event that takes the her o from everyday life into the world of adventure (Campbell) this could be something dinky from traveling to a cave or traveling for 30 days.One of the major parts of the myth of Herkales is his love for labors he provides for his people, this definitely relates to Campbells work, in that his number five explains the tests the hero must go through, involving a series of monsters and traveling to different worlds and each conquered task increases said heros baron to overcome even stronger encounters he will face. Campbells number six on his list goes into the helpers the hero will encounter through his journey, this also relates to Herakles.There were parts in his myth where Herakles needed assistance, for object lesson when Herakles wanted to get the golden apples as one of his labors, he asked Atlas to go and he would hold up the heavens until he returned, even though Herakles elucidate of deceived Atlas in the end, he was soundless of assistance to the hero. The climax and fin al battle of Herakles involved his attempt at sacrifice and a debate to continue living. He was given a cloak that was accidentally poisoned by his wife Deianeira with a previous enemies blood that mixed in with the blood he dipped his arrows from one of his labors.The cloak began to tighten or so the hero and poison him he sought revenge on his wife to discover she already killed herself in learning what she had done. Herakles myth doesnt have a happy ending like Campbells list basically says in 9, 10, and 11, Herakles dies to live on forever immorally, or in this case actually passed but his fame lives on, his story is continued being told and he is recognized as a Greek hero, without any sort of elixir Campbell mentioned in his list, feasting with the gods and his god parents, Zeus and Hera (Martin 179), the mother who was trying to rid him from the beginning.Campbells list is to describe how a hero myth translates to actual events and situations people encounter in their lives while developing up, there is an underlying meaning to each situation that happens to the hero. While some parts did relate to Campbells list, overall Herakles myth strays away from following his list, although there are parts that do relate, the myth is still completely different from Campbells interpretation and Jungs archetype definition, giving Herakles his own myth and his own journey thats not as cliche from the rest of the myths in the world.