Devon Carver
New Member
Hi, I'm looking for someone to mentor me about mythology and the Hero's Journey. Is anyone knowledgeable about these fields?
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Aspiring Writer Looking for a Mentor
- Thread starter Devon Carver
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pmmg
Myth Weaver
Well...discussions on those topics come up again and again on the site. If you are an active member and get involved, something like mentoring will happen all on its own. Here, like anywhere, the more you put in, the more you get out.
I am not up for mentoring anyone, but I will give my thoughts on such topics as they come up.
I am not up for mentoring anyone, but I will give my thoughts on such topics as they come up.
What research have you done so far? Perhaps say what it is you *do* know, and that will help others decide if they can help with what you do not know.
Jackarandajam
Maester
@josephcampbell where you at, somebody looking for you over here.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Mr Campbell is pretty tough to read.
Maybe someone who can explain him better than himself.
I'll sum up. Mr Campbell looked around at a lot of mythologies and went...hey....These seem to have something in common. He called that the monomyth, From the monomyth, he put together the heroes journey on the common elements heroes had across all those myths.
But he also meandered all over the place.
Personally, I would not want to tackle the subject as Campbell and mythology. I'd prefer to study either mythology, or the heroes journey separately. Campbell would probably squeeze the life out of mythology if he was my starting point. And I dont need to know the myths to follow a heroes journey template in writing.
This thread is in the wrong spot. Maybe writing discussions.
Maybe someone who can explain him better than himself.
I'll sum up. Mr Campbell looked around at a lot of mythologies and went...hey....These seem to have something in common. He called that the monomyth, From the monomyth, he put together the heroes journey on the common elements heroes had across all those myths.
But he also meandered all over the place.
Personally, I would not want to tackle the subject as Campbell and mythology. I'd prefer to study either mythology, or the heroes journey separately. Campbell would probably squeeze the life out of mythology if he was my starting point. And I dont need to know the myths to follow a heroes journey template in writing.
This thread is in the wrong spot. Maybe writing discussions.
Honestly, discussions of the heroes journey sort of start with an understanding of Platonism. Read The Republic cover to cover. Then the Phaedro. Listen to lectures on Plotinus. Read Aristotle’s Ethics, Politics, and Poetry. Then Augustine. Probably after that Nietzsche and Freud. Then Jung. Then Campbell. At the same time digest myths from every culture you can. The primary texts, not modernizations or interpretations. Theres a lot you can learn about technique from ancient texts. I know you want to jump in, but if you go right at it you end up with a very superficial understanding that isn’t going to work. It needs to seep into your blood. This isn’t something you absolutely need anyway, the monomyth comes out naturally if you’ve read enough stories and listened to enough music. Oh I forgot, listen to and study music. But understanding the heroes journey is good for analyzing what other stories are doing and why it works and adapting that into your own.
Jackarandajam
Maester
Maybe a more specific question.
Is there a particular mythology you're interested in?