What is the Hero’s Journey? It’s a classic narrative structure that makes up the backbone of some of the most recognisable stories across both cultures and countries. At its heart, the Hero’s Journey is a storytelling framework in which a central character sets out on an adventure, faces and defeats challenges, and returns home changed. The term was coined by Joseph Campbell, a mythologist and author of The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Campbell identified recurring patterns in global myths, distilling them into what he termed the “monomyth” – a universal story structure found in everything from ancient myths to modern blockbusters. Whether it’s Harry Potter entering the wizarding world or Moana saving her village, join us at What We Writing for our guide on why the Hero’s Journey continues to resonate today, and how you can use it to construct powerful, emotional stories of your own!
What Is The Hero’s Journey?
The Hero’s Journey is a famous narrative archetype, or story template, that follows a hero as they embark on a journey, learn lessons along the way, win a victory thanks to that newfound knowledge, and then return home transformed. The hero’s journey can be further broken down into three essential stages:
- The departure: The hero leaves their familiar world behind.
- The initiation: The hero learns to navigate their new surroundings.
- The return: The hero makes their return back home.
The classical version of the Hero’s Journey was known as an “epic,” often written in lyrical form. One of the most famous examples of this type of Hero’s Journey is seen in Homer’s Odyssey. Today, this storytelling technique is applied in many different forms and almost every genre.
Joseph Campbell’s iconic work, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949), explores the concept of the Hero’s Journey and its different components. A professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College, Campbell outlines his theory that all mythological narratives share the same basic structure. He uses the term “monomyth,” or Hero’s Journey”, to describe this structure.
The 3 Main Stages Of A Hero’s Journey
Joseph Campbell’s monomyth consists of 17 steps, which can be grouped into three main categories.
1. Departure
In short, the hero is living their day-to-day life in their familiar world when they receive a call to adventure. Typically, the hero is uncertain whether they should follow this call – known as the “refusal of the call” – but is guided by a mentor figure, who gives them counsel and convinces them to follow the call.
2. Initiation
In the initiation part of a story, the hero enters the “special world,” where they must begin facing a series of tasks until they reach the climax of the story, i.e. the main obstacle or enemy. Here, the hero must put into practice all they have learned over the course of the journey to overcome the challenge.
Campbell talks about the hero attaining some kind of prize for their efforts – this can be a physical token (sometimes referred to as “elixir”), or just some handy pieces of wisdom.
3. Return
Feeling like they are ready to return back to their normal world, the hero then leaves the special world. Once back in the ordinary world, they demonstrate how much they have grown on the back of their adventure.
17 Steps Of The Hero’s Journey
In all, here are the steps of the Hero’s Journey as termed by Campbell.
Departure
1. The call to adventure: Something, or someone, upends the hero’s familiar life to present a problem, threat, or opportunity.
2. Refusal of the call: Unwilling or frightened to step out of their comfort zone, the hero is initially hesitant to embark on their journey.
3. Supernatural aid: A mentor figure provides the hero with the tools and inspiration they need to accept the call to adventure.
4. Crossing the threshold: The hero sets out on their quest.
5. Belly of the whale: The hero ventures beyond the point of no return and encounters their first major hurdle.
Initiation
6. The road of trials: The hero is forced to navigate a series of tests or ordeals to begin their transformation. Typically, they will fail at least one of these.
7. The meeting with the goddess: The hero encounters one or more allies, who assist them along their journey.
8. Woman as temptress: The hero is tempted to abandon or stray from the quest. Usually, this temptation is a love interest; however, it can also come in the form of fame, wealth, or power.
9. Atonement with the father: The hero is confronted with the reason for their journey, facing in the doubts and anxieties that rule their life. This is a pivotal turning point in the story. Every moment before leads up to this, and every moment after happens because of this.
10. Apotheosis: As a result of this confrontation, the hero gains a newfound understanding of their purpose. With this new ability, the hero prepares for the most challenging part of their journey.
11. The ultimate boon: The hero achieves the goal they set out to accomplish, fulfilling the call that inspired them in the first place.
Return
12. Refusal of the return: If the Hero’s Journey has been a success, they might be hesitant about returning back to the normal world.
13. The magic flight: The hero must get out with the object of their adventure, evading those looking to reclaim it.
14. Rescue from without: Mirroring the meeting with the goddess, the hero receives help from an ally or mentor in order to make it home.
15. The crossing of the return threshold: The hero makes a successful return to their normal world.
16. Master of two worlds: The audience sees that the hero has achieved a balance between who they were before their journey and who they are now. Usually, this means balancing the material world with the spiritual enlightenment they’ve acquired.
17. Freedom to live: The audience then leaves the hero at peace with their life.
Hero’s Journey Examples From Film And Literature
Many writers have used the monomyth in literature and across the Hollywood world over the years. Here are some of the most defining examples of modern-day Hero’s Journeys from both film and books:
The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
1. The ordinary world: Frodo lives in the Shire, enjoying a peaceful, quiet life with his friends.
2. The call to adventure: Following Gandalf’s discovery of the ring of power, he asks Frodo to undertake a journey and keep the ring with him.
3. Refusal of the call: Frodo is initially hesitant about leaving the Shire, having never set foot outside it before.
4. The mentor: Gandalf convinces Frodo that he has a pure heart and therefore, needs to be the one who “bears the burden”.
5. Crossing the threshold: Frodo and Sam leave the Shire, which Frodo shows he has mixed feelings about.
6. The ordeal: This is shown in the many challenges Frodo faces during his journey, including the fight with the Balrog.
7. The return: Frodo realises that he can no longer be a part of the Fellowship and must continue his journey alone. He sets out for Mount Doom.
Stars Wars
1. The ordinary world: Luke lives with his aunt and uncle on a farm on Tatooine. He stares at the sunset and dreams of “teleporting off this rock”.
2. The call to adventure: R2-D2 plays Luke a distress call from Princess Leia, who needs someone to transport the droid to her planet, Alderaan.
3. Refusal of the call: Whilst he is intrigued, Luke claims he won’t be able to leave his family.
4. The mentor: Obi-Wan Kenobi convinces Luke to follow his heart by showing him his father’s lightsaber.
5. Crossing the threshold: Luke and Obi-Wan leave Mos Eisley spaceport for Alderaan.
6. The ordeal: Leia is rescued from the Death Star. Later, Luke, using the Force, is able to destroy the Death Star.
7. The return: Luke decides to join the Rebels and become a Jedi.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
1. The ordinary world: Harry lives with his aunt and uncle, who make him sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.
2. The call to adventure: Harry receives a letter from Hogwarts, asking him to attend.
3. Refusal of the call: Harry isn’t sure what is real and what isn’t. As far as he knows, his parents were killed in a car crash, not by some evil wizard.
4. The mentor: In the first entry in the series, Hagrid is introduced as Harry’s mentor, convincing him that he is a wizard. However, through the books, the role of the mentor falls more and more on Albus Dumbledore.
5. Crossing the threshold: Harry crosses a literal barrier – platform Nine ¾ at King’s Cross, leaving the normal world behind and entering the magical one.
6. The ordeal: Harry’s many trials and challenges during his first year culminate in a meeting with Voldemort, resulting in a victory, albeit a temporary one.
7. The return: Harry returns to his aunt and uncle’s house for the summer, happy and safe, knowing that he has a home at Hogwarts.
The Matrix
1. The ordinary world: Thomas Anderson is a bored computer programmer during the day, and a hacker known as “Neo” at night.
2. The call to adventure: Neo receives a message promising him that everything isn’t as it seems. He is told to “follow the white rabbit”.
3. Refusal of the call: Neo isn’t sure that Trinity is telling the truth. He allows himself to be captured.
4. The mentor: Morpheus gives Neo a choice: the blue pill allows him to return to his normal life; the red pill gives him the truth.
5. Crossing the threshold: Neo opts for the red pill and is shown the Matrix.
6. The ordeal: Neo struggles to accept his new role but ultimately learns to become who he was meant to be, defeating Agent Smith inside the Matrix and saving Morpheus.
7. The return: Neo tells the machines he will defeat them and save humanity.
How To Apply The Hero’s Journey In Your Writing
The Hero’s Journey is a powerful framework; however, like any tool, it works best when adapted to fit your unique story. Rather than treating it as a rigid formula, think of it more as a flexible guide to help you shape your protagonist’s emotional and physical transformation.
Tips for Using the Hero’s Journey Without Becoming Formulaic
1. Begin with your character, not the structure.
Ask yourself: What does your protagonist want? What do they fear? What flaw or wound do they have to overcome? Let these answers drive your story, and use the Hero’s Journey to support, rather than dictate, the arc.
2. Mix and match the stages.
You don’t need to hit every single step in Campbell’s process. Many modern stories condense, rearrange, or skip stages entirely. Focus on the emotional beats that serve your story best.
3. Subvert expectations.
Surprise your audience by flipping a stage on its head. Perhaps your mentor betrays the hero. Maybe the “Return with the Elixir” fails. Experimenting with the structure keeps familiar tropes feeling fresh.
4. Think beyond fantasy or epic quests.
The Hero’s Journey works just as well in intimate, character-driven stories. A coming-of-age novel, a romantic comedy, or a contemporary drama can all follow the same arc.
5. Let the transformation lead.
At its core, the Hero’s Journey is about internal change. Whether your hero defeats a villain or confronts a personal truth, the key is that they aren’t the same person at the end of the story.
James has been passionate about storytelling ever since he could hold a pen. Inspired by the epic fantasy and historical dramas he devoured in his youth, his work now centers on dark, psychological tales featuring intense, introspective characters and atmospheric, gothic undertones. In 2025, he founded What We Writing to share his creative journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way with fellow writers and passionate storytellers.
