Monomyth: Difference between Meeting the Goddess and Woman as Temptress in the hero's Journey

Monomyth: Difference between Meeting the Goddess and Woman as Temptress in the hero's Journey

In this video Josh briefly explains the difference between the Meeting with the Goddess and Woman as Temptress Stage in the Monomyth.

The main take-aways are as follows:
1) Monomyth means the “one story." It's also known as the Hero's Journey (and loosly associated with the Fool's Journey). Elements of the monomyth can be found in nearly all forms of mythology and fairytales from around the world.

2) The Hero's Journey is comprised of a three act structure. The three main phases (or acts, or stages, or major plot events--depending on what you're writing) are:
--Separation (or Departure)
--Initiation (or Trials/Tests)
--Return

Today we are exploring the second phase, Initiation. In particular, we are looking at the Meeting of the Goddess and Woman as Temptress Stages.

Many people get confused with these stages because they happen closely together. The first thing to keep in mind is that neither the Goddess or the Temptress actually has to be female. Back when Joseph Campbell coined those terms, he based them off of ancient mythology which predominantly had male heroes. From a modern sense the Goddess should probably be renamed to the Devine. And the Temptress should be relabeled to Temptation. Below are the keys for understanding the different purposes of these stages. Meeting of the Goddess is an enlightenment stage, which means the hero is directly involved.

Below are the key things during this phase:
-Goddess is a divine being that wields godlike powers
-Goddess represents the enlightenment of balance, so they are usually the opposite sex of the hero, or an androgynous creature (such as an alien, or magical being)
-Goddess provides shelter, information, and tools for the rest of the journey
-Goddess gives hero the impossible task (normally to retrieve the boon) which leads them on a path toward the innermost cave to confront their dragon.

The Temptation Stage is not an enlightenment stage, therefore the hero isn't always involved. His team can be tempted, and so too, can the antagonist. Many times the temptation involves leaving the journey to pursue some other venture. Often fear of the impossible task, is what makes this option so appealing. The most powerful temptations are those focused at the character's flaw.

Below are a few examples of temptations that happen.
-Lust
-Fear
-Promotion
-Duty
-Guilt
-Addiction
-Love
-Power

These temptations can happen anytime after meeting the Goddess (and sometimes begin with the divine figure themselves) and can last through the whole approach to the innermost cave. Many times in the hero's journey this approach is depicted as a labyrinth where the hero and team are split up. Each character must face a temptation in order to return to the group.

This post is just to cover a small section of the Monomyth. Over the course of the next few months Josh intends to provide several detailed explanations on the different aspects of the Hero’s Journey, and analyze more advanced steps in the narrative structure of the monomyth.

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