The Hero’s Journey: Initiation Part 1: The Road of Trials

Introduction:

In The Road of Trials, the hero has entered a brand new world, and he must now endure a succession of trials. This will be new and frightening for the hero, for all the experience he may have gathered in his ordinary world will no longer be relevant.

The Road of Trials

The hero is now fully immersed in a mysterious new world, and has truly began his journey. There’s no turning back now. This can be both an exciting and frightening experience for the hero. All the rules are new, and he has to figure out the correct path in this strange new world. The Hero will be tested, and new territory will be explored.

Contrast

The audience should pick up on a sharp contrast between the ordinary world, and this new, special world. Even if the hero is in the same place physically, new emotional trials should be explored, and the hero should experience a visible change.

Testing

In this part of the story, the hero should go through a series of challenges and trials to prepare him for more difficult ordeals up ahead. It’s possible that the tests will be another phase of training from the mentor; many mentor’s accompany the hero’s on their journey. Tests may also be a part of the new world, which is often dominated by the villain of the story.

Allies and Enemies

The hero should make a few allies and enemies during the Road of Trials. The hero will have to determine who he can trust, and who he can’t.

Allies

Heroes often gain allies as they’re facing the trials in this part of the story.

Sidekicks

A sidekick is a form of ally that is always by the hero’s side, and supports him in his adventure(s). These characters are capable of filling the role of more than one archetype, such as the Mentor and the Trickster.

Teams

Sometimes, the hero forms a team during the Road of Trials. This often means that there are multiple heroes, or that the hero is backed up by a group of people that are special in some way. Often the characters form a well-functioning team before they take on the climax of the story.

Enemies

The hero can also make a number of enemies in this stage of the story. Enemies can fill the role of a number of character archetypes, such as: the Trickster, the Threshold Guardian, the Shadow, and the Herald.

Rivals

A rival is a special type of enemy, as it represents a direct competitor to the hero. The rival’s main goal is to defeat the hero in some sort of competition, not to kill him.

New Rules

There are new rules in the special world that need to be learned quickly, both by the hero and the audience. This is another way to test the hero. How quickly can he adjust to these new rules?

For more information, try reading:

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

or

Joseph Campbell – The Hero’s Journey

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