The Hero’s Journey: Phase 3, The Return

Introduction:

The Return is the third and final phase of the Hero’s Journey. This blog post will outline the three parts of The Return, including: The Road Back, The Resurrection, and The Return with the Elixir.

The Return

This phase involves the hero’s journey home, and the powers and knowledge that he acquired during the journey.

Part 1: The Road Back

After The Reward part of the story has been celebrated, the hero must make a choice. He needs to decide if he wants to remain in the Special World, or make the journey back to the Ordinary World. The majority of hero’s will make the decision to return home, even though the Special World has its charms. Some hero’s will do neither. They’ll either continue their journey or seek a completely new destination.

Part 2: The Resurrection

This part of the story is challenging for both the hero and the writer. The hero must experience another sequence of death and rebirth in order for the story to feel complete. It’s fairly similar to The Ordeal, with subtle differences. Essentially, this is where the climax of the story occurs, and it will be the final, most dangerous meeting with death.

Part 3: Return with the Elixir

This is the final part of the story, where the hero has lived through death, and survived all ordeals. The hero’s have made a decision, either to return home, stay where they are, or continue their journey. They will feel as if they are commencing a new life that will never be the same because of what the hero has experienced. The hero will always bring something back with him.

 

For more information, try reading:

The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition

or

Joseph Campbell – The Hero’s Journey