Hero Quest

Universal/Unique- Representative of every man with a special characteristic that sets him apart.
"...and the baby grew up thus into an active, daring little girl."
"She became in the end more than their equal in all the feats of a hunter's life."

Major Flaw- Hero is special, but not perfect.
“…when a daughter and not a son was born to him, he was of course bitterly disappointed.”

Call To Adventure- Hero is given a goal or assigned a quest.
“Then came the famous hunt of the Calydonian boar…Oeneus called upon the bravest men of Greece…with them came as a matter of course Atalanta, ‘the pride of the woods of Arcady.’”

Initiation- Entering of a strange world and leaving behind the familiar.
“Once two centaurs, swifter and stronger by far than any mortal, caught sight of her when she was alone and persued her.”

Journey- The road of trials, battles and obstacles.
“In this confusion of dying men and wildly flying weapons, Atalanta kept her head and wounded the boar. Her arrow was the first to strike it.”

Companions- Sidekicks, partners and support.
“Some of the heroes resented her presence and felt it beneath them to go hunting with a woman, but Meleager insisted.”

Supernatural Guide- Provides information, magic, weapons, or charms.
“A she-bear took care of her, nursed her and kept her warm. Kind hunters then found her and took her to live with them.”

Ultimate Battle- The final test.
“…the goal was now very near. But then the third golden sphere flashed across her path…she could not resist it. As she picked the apple up, her lover panting and almost winded touched the goal. She was his.”

Transformation- Hero is altered in some way in the final battle.
“The two are said to have been turned into lions because of some affront offered either to Zeus or Aphrodite.”


Death/Rebirth- Out with the old, in with the new.
“Her free days alone in the forest and her athletic victories were over.”

Boon- Gift of renewal; reward to be shared.
“The pride of the woods of Arcady…she walked in on that masculine gathering.”