The Call to Adventure

"A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." -- Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (Pg. 30)

This is the basic outline for the hero's journey described by Professor Joseph Campbell in his masterwork, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. This cycle appears in stories and legends dating back to the earliest days of recorded history, and oral traditions place its origins even earlier. But is this unifying theme limited to legends from cultures and societies that have vanished from the earth, or do these tales of the hero continue to be rendered into new forms for modern audiences?

In this, the first part of a continuing series, I will examine how the various stages of the hero's journey manifest in the lives of Xena and Gabrielle, showing that the mythic traditions of centuries past continue to thrive in the modern day.

All references and quotes from The Hero With a Thousand Faces are taken from the 1990 Paperback Edition, published by the Princeton University Press. If you are interested in exploring the themes I discuss in this series in greater depth, I strongly recommend reading the book yourself. It can be found or ordered at your local bookstore. If you can't find it locally, it is available from online merchants like Amazon.com.

"The first stage of the mythological journey -- which we have designated the call to adventure -- signifies that destiny has summoned the hero and transferred his spiritual center of gravity from within the pale of his society to a zone unknown." -- Campbell, pg. 58

There comes a moment in the life of the hero-to-be that marks the start of the adventure. The normal, everyday existence of this person is thrown into disarray, marking the arrival of forces beyond mortal understanding. In some cases the hero is ready for this adventure, while in others the call is ignored. This stage of the journey appears beautifully in the first episode of the series, Sins of the Past, where we are introduced to a village girl from Potedeia, Gabrielle.

It can be assumed that life in the village was mundane. Gabrielle lived with her family, did whatever chores were required, and was betrothed to a young man in the village. But as we learn, she was never really satisfied with this life. As she says to her sister Lilla, "You know I'm different from everyone else in this town. I don't fit in here."

This difference is often a defining characteristic of the hero-to-be. According to the stories, Herakles (also known as Hercules) was set apart from an early age, when he killed a viper that had been sent by Hera. It is often a sign that when the call to adventure is made, the hero will answer with little hesitation.

Gabrielle's call to adventure comes when Draco's warriors disrupt the mundane order of life in the village. As Gabrielle and her fellow villagers are being led away, a mysterious woman appears and fights off their captors. Campbell points out that a messenger or herald often delivers the call. "The herald or announcer of the adventure is often dark, loathly, or terrifying, judged evil by the world." (Pg. 53) This description strongly resembles our Warrior Princess!

"In these adventures there is an... irresistible fascination about the figure that appears suddenly as guide." (Pg. 55) As we can clearly see from watching the episode, Xena fascinates Gabrielle. The young girl pesters her with questions, and a plan to follow the warrior begins to take shape.

Xena recognizes the plan right away, and discourages the excitable young girl from following. Gabrielle will have none of that, however. "I'm not cut out for this village life. I was born to do so much more." The call to adventure has been made, and Gabrielle stands willing to accept the challenge.

On the other hand, Xena's call to adventure is less obvious. It is difficult to point to any one moment and clearly say, "This is where her adventure started."

If we look at the first episode, Xena's call to adventure is the moment Draco's men arrive with the captured villagers. Just moments before, the warrior princess had buried her weapons and armor, turning away from the path she had followed for so many years. The arrival of Draco's men (who also fit the description of dark, loathsome figures) can be seen as the moment when the call is made. Xena can either accept the call and aid these innocents, or she can ignore the summons and leave them to their fate.

But is this the only moment like this in Xena's life? Hardly. There are tantalizing hints given in Sins of the Past when Xena is telling the people of Amphipolis of Draco's approach. As we later learn, ten years earlier Xena organized her village to fight off the advances of Cortese. Based on events in both Death Mask and Remember Nothing, Xena was more than willing to answer the call to adventure.

But there is a third moment as well. In the "Xena Trilogy" from Hercules the call to adventure is made again, this time by the Hercules himself. After a knockdown drag-out brawl, Herc asks this fierce warrior to help him defeat Darphus. At first she refuses, intent on regaining control of her army in her own way.

As you can see from these multiple examples in Xena's life, unraveling the thread of the hero's journey is not always a simple task. Some stages manifest multiple times, and certain events can be interpreted as different (or even multiple) stages along the cycle. In my opinion, this complexity makes the story of Xena and Gabrielle even more compelling.

Incidentally, the last example leads us to the next stage of the hero's journey as defined by Joseph Campbell. I will explore this stage, Refusal of the Call, in the next installment of this series.

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