Man vs Woman: The Epic Journey

Many of you may be familiar with the literary concept of The Adventure of the Hero. But are you familiar with The Heroine’s Journey?

The Adventure of the Hero is a literary model that outlines the shapes and stages of the heroic journey. In his cross-cultural study of mythic narratives, Joseph Campbell developed a series of archetypal episodes described in hero adventures throughout recorded history. Many feminists would argue that these similarities exist because the stories have been generated from deep within the male psyche and expressed in masculine narratives.

Maureen Murdock, family therapist and educational consultant has developed an epic cycle for women. I have not only utilized this model to analyze modern feminine literature, but to better understand my own spiritual journey. I will post a brief outline of both models here, as I am sure they will be fodder for future discussions.

The Adventure of the Hero

Departure
The call to Adventure
Refusal to the Call
Supernatural Aid
The Crossing of the First Threshold
The Belly of the Whale

Initiation
The Road of Trials
The Meeting with the Goddess
Woman as Temptress
Atonement with the Father
Apotheosis
The Ultimate Boon

The Return
Refusal of the Return
The Magic Flight
Rescue from Without
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
Master of the Two Worlds
Freedom to Live

The Heroine’s Journey

Separation from the Feminine
Identification with the Masculine and Gathering Allies
Road of Trials: Meeting Ogres and Dragons
Finding the Illusionary Boon of Success
Awakening to Feelings of Spiritual Aridity: Death
Initiation and Descent to the Goddess
Urgent Yearning to Reconnect with the Feminine
Healing the Mother/Daughter Split
Healing the Wounded Masculine
Integration of the Masculine and Feminine

(The Heroine’s Journey also contains many sub-sets that I have omitted here for brevity.)

If you are interested in learning more about the masculine/feminine journey, I highly recommend Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and Maureen Murdock’s The Heroine’s journey, available from most online book retailers.