Religious Themes in Film

Lesson 2: Lord of the Rings II

The Hero’s Journey and Society

The hero’s journey is a reflection of the human journey in general. Indeed, many cultures have rituals which follow the Hero’s journey. Anthropologists have noted that many rituals which initiate a member of a society into adulthood follow the structure of separation, tests of initiation, and return.

• Certain indigenous tribes separate the teenage boys from the tribe and send them off by themselves. Think of the vision quest for Native Americans. A young man will go into the wilderness (exactly as the scriptures note that Jesus did), on a mountain top or a similar isolated spot. The young man will undergo certain trials while on his own, trials of physical courage as well as spiritual development. Here is one narration of a Native American vision quest:

  Well, there comes a time when a young fellow starts to feel uneasy, kind of sad, kind of worried, that's just about the time he's getting to be a man grown up. Then he starts to "Wander," that's the time you go to the hills, you don't come home, you stay out all night, you get scared, you cry; two, three days you go hungry... You get pretty hungry, you get dizzy , you are afraid of grizzly bears. (Beck, Peggy V., Anna Lee Walters, Nia Francisco. The Sacred: Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. Arizona: Navajo Community Community College Press, 2001. Page 98-99.)

  The young man returns to the tribe, a certain ritual of return is conducted, and the man is then considered an adult member of the community with his own function in that society.

• In Native American and other cultures, a vision quest for a shaman is similar. The young man learns more about his powers of communicating with spirits and assumes the identity of shaman. He returns to the community with full knowledge of his powers and takes on the responsibility of the role of shaman.

• The idea of the wandering holy man is another parallel. The story of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical founder of Buddhism, has resonance in this category. Born a prince, Siddhartha gives up his wealth, and his wife and child to become an ascetic – a wanderer who shuns earthly pleasures. Herman Hesse describes the account in his novel Siddhartha:

  "Siddhartha gave his robe to a poor brahmin he met on the road. Now he wore only a loincloth and an unstiched, earth-colored shawl. He ate only once a day and never cooked food. He fasted for fifteen days... The flesh fell away from his cheeks and thighs." (Herman Hesse. Siddhartha. Boston: Shambhala Press, 2000. Page 11.)

  After many years as an ascetic, Siddhartha sits beneath a tree and reaches Nirvana. He then returns to society to teach others how to reach Nirvana.

  To this day, it is customary for Hindu males to leave their homes and families after middle age and become a wandering mendicant.

• We have noted that the period known as Lent in Christian Churches refers to the time Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness. In the early Christian communities, Lent was also the time when the new converts would prepare for their baptism the occurred at Easter. From what we have learned so far, how do you think the catechists, as they were called, prepared themselves for their baptism during those forty days? That's right, they fasted and prayed, as well went through tests and exorcisms.

  At that time, the catechists were not allowed to stay for the whole Sunday service. They were asked to leave at a certain point. Only after their forty days of initiation, and their "return" embodied in their baptism , were they allowed to become full participants. With their new identity as Christians, they assumed new responsibilities in their community.

• Finally, note the other places in the Bible where this "into the wilderness" pattern is seen in which an individual or a community undergoes a series of tests of initiation. When the individual or group returns, they have a new identity with a new set of responsibilities. In the Bible, of course, these tests almost always last in timespans of three or forty:
  1. The flood lasts forty days and nights. Gen. 7:12.
  2. Moses runs away from Egypt and stays away for forty years. Acts 7:30.
  3. Moses lead the Hebrew people through the desert wilderness for forty years. Ex.16:35
  4. Moses goes up to Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments for forty days and nights. Ex:34:28: "Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water."
  5. Goliath comes and challenges the Israelites to battle for forty days straight. 1 Sam. 17:16
  6. Jesus appears to his disciples for forty days after his resurrection. Acts 1:3
  7. Joseph interpets many dreams as having to do with three days. Later, he puts his brothers into jail for three days. Gen.40, 42:17.
  8. Moses sends plagues to Egypt that last for three days. Ex. 10:22
  9. The first three days of the Exodus, the Israelites find themselves without food or water. Ex. 15.22
  10. Jonah is inside the fish for three days. Jonah 1:17
  11. Jesus is lost as a child but found, three days later, teaching in the Temple. Lk. 2:46
  12. For three days, Saul/Paul is blind and does not eat or sleep before his conversion. Acts 9:9. (Remember this one when we get to The Matrix and talk about loss of sight.)
  13. Paul stays in many of the cities he preaches to for three days or three months.

Think of your own culture and compare modern rituals to the Hero’s journey of moving from childhood to adulthood.

• One American event that might be considered a coming of age ritual is the earning of the driver’s license. Think of the separation (even for a few hours) from family, the written and physical test, and the return with a document which gives new, adult responsibility to the recipient.
• Or even the 21st birthday. The young adult goes out with friends, has their “first drink,” and may even take part in taboo activities which would not be acceptable in normal society (Drinking too much, dancing, getting crazy). After that 21st birthday, the young person has a new “right” as well as new responsibilities.
• Think of the honeymoon, where two people go away for a time and come back with a new identity. The word "honeymoon" comes from a time when the husband and wife separated from society for a full cycle of the moon (a month) – and drank honey wine the whole time. Sometimes, the honeymoon was just three days and nights. (Did you catch the Biblical implication?) Depending on your situation, a honeymoon will have many trials. And when you return from your honeymoon, you return to your community as husband and wife, assuming new responsibilities.

  Apparently, Attila the Hun was not ready for this new identity. He died drinking too much honey wine on his honeymoon.

Now, think of yourself and your own life. Do you separate, go through trials, and then return to society anew? Do you find yourself alone at times, separated from friends and family, having to go through battles with career and relationships by yourself?

Do you take some time to go "into the wilderness" and reflect upon where you are in your life, what you are doing, where you are headed? Do you have a special place in nature, away from the hubub of society, where you can escape for a bit and think things out?

With what new identity and responsibilities do you emerge after these times? Will you emerge from these life battles with a message or lessons for your community or your world?

  1  2  3  4