A myth, one hero, 2 factors, and a fistload of corrumpfs

1. The mythological hero,
2.  going forth from his castle.
3. To be carried away. Or else voluntarily embark on the threshold of adventure.
4. There he encounters a shadow presence that guards the passage.
5. The hero may defeat or conciliate the power and go alive into the kingdom. Or be slain by the opponent and descend in death. 
6. Dismemberment. Crucification. Initiation. 
7. Beyond the threshold then, the hero journeys through a world of unfamiliar yet strangely intimate forces.
8. The rise of the nadir, the mythological realm, he undergoes the supreme ordeal and gains his reward.
9. Apotheosis. Fire theft. 
10. Intrinsically, it is an expansion of consciousness and there with it being. Freedom. Return. 
11. The final work is that of the return. If the powers have blessed the hero, he know sets forth under their protection. If not, he flees and is pursued. 
12. Transformation flight. Obstacle flight. 
13. At the return threshold, transcendental powers must remain behind. The hero reemerges from the kingdom with dread. Return. Resurrection. 
14. The boon that he brings restores the world. Elixir.

1. The call to adventure. 

2. In mythology, the hero’s journey starts with the call to adventure. Destiny’s herald is usually someone or something fairly ordinary- in this case, a humble droid that carries an important message for the one who is prepared to receive it. As the Star Wars story begins a battle in space rages between the evil powers of darkness and the forces of good. Princess Leia sends a plea for help to Jedi Knight Obi-Wan on the planet of Tatooine. The hand of fate in the form of Jawa traders brings her message to Luke Skywalker, a young farm boy. When Luke sees the message hologram, he is drawn to a quest to rescue the princess and ultimately, to save the galaxy.

3. The wise and helpful guide. The hero must first encounter threshold guardians. Beings who block the way to the adventure. These are threshold guardians when he is attacked by Tuscan raiders. He is rescued by Ben. Often a hero will find he cannot proceed without supernatural aid in the form of a wise and helpful guide who provides advice and amulets to further the quest. Ben serves as such a guide and gives Luke a special token, a lightsaber that once belonged to Luke’s father. Then also interprets the princess’ message and tells Luke about the spiritual power known as the Force. 

4. Luke resists the call to adventure but when he finds his home burned and his family killed he joins Ben on the journey to Mos Eisley space port to obtain transportation to the planet Alderron, the home of Princess Leia. This threshold, the hero must leave his familiar life behind and begin a journey from childhood to adulthood into life transformation. The Mos Eisley space port is Luke’s threshold to adventure. There he encounters danger but he also finds a hero partner in the form of Han Solo, a pilot and smuggler. Han’s faithful first mate is an enormous wookie, Chewbacca. Helpful animals often appear in myth and fairy tales, symbolizing the power of the hero’s instinctive nature.

5. As they travel from Tatooine to Alderrone in the Millennium Falcon, Ben begins to train Luke in the ways of the Force.

6. Into the Labyrinth. A labyrinth always symbolizes a difficult journey into the unknown. When the heroes arrive in the vicinity of Alderrone, they find the planet has been destroyed by the Death Star, a gigantic imperial space station. The Death Star is a technological labyrinth made of hallways, passageways, dead ends, and bottomless trenches. Like traditional knights, Han and Luke don armor to accomplish their first hero deed. 

7. The Princess Rescue. Hero Deeds. The next step in the hero’s quest is a challenge to mortal combat. The hero experiences an initial rite of passage in the Death Star and accomplishes the princess rescue. Now, Leia leads Han and Luke to the rebel base to plan an attack on the Death Star. Luke joins the fighter pilots of the rebellion. As he puts on his uniform he casts aside his youthful identity and assumes a new role- that of a heroic pilot ready to sacrifice his life for his cause.

8. Further Initiation on the Road of Trials. The Dark Lord of Trials.  Midway through the hero’s journey comes a long and perilous path of trials, tests, and ordeals that brings important moments of illumination and understanding. Again and again, along the way, monster must be slain and barriers must be passed. Ultimately, the hero must undertake the fearful journey of the descent into darkness. Although the Death Star has been destroyed, the powers of darkness have not been conquered. The Emperor has pursued the rebels to the space planet Hoth where the heroes face new dangers from predatory creatures and a harsh climate and are forced to flee during an imperial attack. 

9. Into the Belly of the Beast. One particular mythic motif is the swallowing up of the hero by a large monster. This represents the entry into a mystical world where transformations occur and the eventually escape represents a spiritual rebirth. Han and Leia are pursued by imperial star destroyers and Tai fighters as they leave Hoth. To escape, Han flies Millennium Falcon into an asteroid cave which turns out to be the mouth of a huge space slug. Here, Han and Leia at last open there hearts to love. Vader also undergoes a change at this point. When he emerges from an egg-like meditation chamber, the Emperor appears to him through a holographic message and Vader’s revealed as a slave to the evil forces of the Empire. 

10. The Sacred Grove. The sacred grove is another mythic motif. It is an enclosure where the hero is changed. Ancient peoples widely believed that trees to be infused with creative energy. Forests came to symbolize mystery and transformation. They were home to sorcerers and enchanters. When Luke leaves Hoth, he travels to the planet Dagoba to undergo training with the Jedi master Yoda. The hallmark of Dagoba is it’s oddly shaped trees. Forests can also symbolize the unconscious mind where there is secrets to be discovered and perhaps dark emotions and memories to be faced. In this forest, Luke battles an image of Vader. Prefiguring his battle with Vader later in the story. 

11. Sacrifices. The opening of the mind and heart to spiritual knowledge requires a sacrifice from the hero. At this difficult and dangerous place on the hero path, Han and Luke both reaffirm the meaning and importance of their lives by their willingness to sacrifice themselves. (Luke. 8:42)