The Quest Story Pattern Hero’s Journey The Quest Story Pattern

The Pattern Call to Adventure – Usually a divine being brings a message to the hero in his everyday life. Threshold – The hero embarks on his journey leaving everything familiar behind. Challenges – The hero faces a series of obstacles. He often needs help from his supernatural mentor to complete the tasks.

4. Abyss – This is the low point in the story 4. Abyss – This is the low point in the story. The hero has overcome obstacles, but it looks like he’s not going to make it. 4B. Revelation – During or after overcoming the Abyss, the hero will gain some sort of insight about his life, himself, his journey, or his goal. 5. Transformation and Atonement – The hero continues toward the goal of his quest, but he is changed. His revelation has made the goal he envisioned in the beginning suddenly attainable. He may also have to Atone for his past failures or the failures of someone else in order to finish his quest – to show the “divine” he is worthy.

6. Goal. – Finally our hero achieves what he set out to do 6. Goal!!!– Finally our hero achieves what he set out to do. Oftentimes it feels a bit anticlimactic. We and our hero understand the quest has not been about obtaining the goal but the journey itself. 7. Return – The hero returns home. All along in his travels in the unfamiliar he has been longing for the familiar. Now he’s back, and he’s changed. Oftentimes his quest will be celebrated and glorified. (in epic form *wink*)

Transformation and Atonement – Goal – Return – Think of Beowulf and try to figure out what parts of the quest story parallel the journey pattern. Call to adventure – Threshold – Challenges – Abyss – 4a. Revelation – Transformation and Atonement – Goal – Return –