Often in a hero's journey or quest, they face a challenge that is insurmountable even for the hero to accomplish. At this point in a story, the hero can either quit and return home or receive help from what seems to be an unassuming passerby who may accompany the hero for a portion of the journey. This passerby or companion is described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero With A Thousand Faces as a supernatural aid, a figure who protects the hero throughout his trials, typically through gifts of amulets (57). Typically they are not as unassuming as they appear; without them, the hero might give up his journey and return to a menial life without purpose or fail at a pivotal point in their journey, possibly resulting in death, without accomplishing anything of worth.
Campbell gives a clear explanation of the importance of the supernatural aid through the Navaho story of the Twin War Gods. They are searching for their father, the Sun, following a path that eventually leads to an underground chamber. When they arrive there, they meet an old woman who questions them as to their …show more content…
Typically the supernatural aid appears in story as an old figure, similar to the woman from the Navaho story, or as a virgin, an innocent young woman with little experience in the world. Yet from these figures the hero receives the most important help on their journey. For example, without Ariadne and her string, Theseus would have never been able to navigate the labyrinth and return alive (59). Though she was a virgin, her intelligence was the only thing keeping Theseus alive and her string acted as a charm or amulet that protected Theseus by leading him out of the labyrinth. This in turn allowed him to stop the sacrifices of Athenian youths and maidens to the Minotaur, benefiting not just his own reputation, but preventing the countless deaths that would have continued under King Minos'
Campbell gives a clear explanation of the importance of the supernatural aid through the Navaho story of the Twin War Gods. They are searching for their father, the Sun, following a path that eventually leads to an underground chamber. When they arrive there, they meet an old woman who questions them as to their …show more content…
Typically the supernatural aid appears in story as an old figure, similar to the woman from the Navaho story, or as a virgin, an innocent young woman with little experience in the world. Yet from these figures the hero receives the most important help on their journey. For example, without Ariadne and her string, Theseus would have never been able to navigate the labyrinth and return alive (59). Though she was a virgin, her intelligence was the only thing keeping Theseus alive and her string acted as a charm or amulet that protected Theseus by leading him out of the labyrinth. This in turn allowed him to stop the sacrifices of Athenian youths and maidens to the Minotaur, benefiting not just his own reputation, but preventing the countless deaths that would have continued under King Minos'