The Road of Trials

In the previous installments of this series, I examined the first stages of the Hero's Journey as described by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. We have seen that Xena and Gabrielle both exhibit characteristics of this archetypical hero, each of them having passed through the initial trials that set them on the road to adventure.

This installment starts the exploration of the second section in the mythic round, Initiation. The path gets a little more difficult to follow at this point, but with Campbell's book in hand, and a full shelf of Xena videotapes close by we should navigate this part without too much trouble.

Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials. This is a favorite phase of the myth-adventure. It has produced a world of literature of miraculous tests and ordeals. The hero is covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and secret agents of the supernatural helper whom he met before his entrance into this region. Or it may be that he here discovers for the first time that there is a benign power everywhere supporting him in his superhuman passage. -- Campbell, page 97

This stage is perhaps the easiest to find evidence of in the series. Every episode fits this mold. Each adventure is a trial, designed to test the resolve and ability of the hero. In addition, these tests are meant to shape the hero into the form that will allow him (or in our case, her) to fulfill the destiny that has been set down for him by the greater cosmic powers (whatever they happen to be).

We established that Gabrielle and Xena act as spiritual guides for each other; they are the supernatural helpers mentioned in the quote above. Gabrielle provides Xena with the emotional and moral support necessary for the Warrior Princess to stay on her path, while Xena provides Gabrielle with the physical protection necessary for the bard to develop her philosophy (as well as fighting skills of her own).

What I would like to examine more closely is the last comment made by Campbell in the quote above. "[The hero] discovers for the first time that there is a benign power everywhere supporting him in his superhuman passage." There is evidence of this greater force at work in Xena and Gabrielle's lives as well.

It shows up as early as Remember Nothing when the Fates give Xena the opportunity to change her past. The consequences of that choice, and the revelation that despite the pain she has caused, Xena's role as a warrior is critical to the safety of Greece are a hint of the greater guiding hand that is to play a larger part in later seasons of the show.

Another example of this greater force is the third season episode The Bitter Suite, the climax of the Rift Arc. Xena and Gabrielle, their friendship torn by jealousy, deception, and grief, are brought to the dream-like realm of Illusia, where they are given a chance to mend the broken bonds between them.

This episode actually has caused some debate that I would like to address, as it pertains to the subject at hand. Many fans online have questioned how it is that Illusia came into existence. After Xena and Gabrielle have patched things up between themselves, Solan appears and Gabrielle says, "It was him. He's why we're here." Most fans that I have spoken to believe this indicates that Solan created Illusia himself.

I would offer a different interpretation -- especially in light of this particular stage of the journey. I believe that Illusia, in this specific episode, is the realm of the trial; as Campbell says above, it is a "dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms." It was created by the benign power in the universe that has an interest in seeing Xena and Gabrielle remain partners and friends. Just as the Fates offered Xena a second chance, this mysterious patron pulls Xena and Gabrielle back from the brink of death, showing them where they were headed.

Solan appeared so that Xena could mend her relationship with him; she had just decided to make him a more permanent part of her life when Hope killed him. Without the emotional healing their reunion represented, the entire experience in Illusia would likely have been for nothing.

The identity of this benign force starts to be revealed in the fourth season during Gabrielle's spiritual quest. Between the Lines in particular demonstrates the operation of this force through its agent Naiyima drawing Xena and Gabrielle into the future to fight the evil shamaness Alti.

The next episode of the India Arc, The Way, re-introduces Eli. He comes to play a significant role in the world shattering Twilight Arc. The Ides of March introduces the forces of Heaven and Hell, and Fallen Angel continues that story. It becomes clear that the benign force guiding Xena and Gabrielle on their hero path is "The Light", a personification of ultimate goodness.

I would like to remind people that I don't believe the Christian imagery borrowed for much of the fifth season was an attempt by the writers and producers to force that particular ethic down the viewer's throat. Rather, the Christian mythological system provided a dualism that the Greek myths never dealt with, and was more accessible than the Zoroastrian belief in Dahak and Ahura Mazda. (For a more in depth piece on this subject, see my article Closer to God.)

Keep in mind I'm not suggesting that Rob Tapert knew where he was going with this all the way back in the second and third season. I am merely offering another way to look at the series as whole. When examined from this mythic perspective, many of the pieces fall into place.

Another interesting idea that appears when looking at the series through the lens provided by Professor Campbell shows up when we look at a later comment in The Road of Trials.

One by one [the hero's] resistances are broken. He must put aside his pride, his virtue, beauty, and life, and bow or submit to the absolutely intolerable. Then he finds that he and his opposite are not of differing species, but one flesh. -- Campbell, page 108.

The series opens with Xena having little to do with the Olympian gods. In fact, much like her heroic mentor Hercules, actively works against their meddling in the affairs of common folk. In addition, she is a gruff warrior who seldom shows any emotion save anger (or murderous glee). As the series progresses, these aspects of her character are broken down and turned inside out. She becomes more caring, more willing to accept the aid and guidance of higher powers, and in many ways becomes a mirror image of her old, dark self. And yet she remains essentially Xena.

The same can be said of Gabrielle; she starts out as a naive, idealistic village girl. As the story develops, she becomes more pragmatic, develops warrior skills, and in some ways finds her new self to be a mirror image of the old. And yet she remains indelibly Gabrielle; she and her opposite are, as Campbell says, "one flesh."

When looked at through the lens of the Hero's Journey, the development of the fourth and fifth seasons, and the reversal of the roles the characters play in the drama, is almost inevitable. This perspective has given me increased enjoyment of the series, and I hope sharing this analysis with you has given you a greater regard for the artistry of the show's storytelling.

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