The surprising history of the Hero's Journey®

Before there were blockbuster movies...

Before there were blockbuster movies or even books, the Hero's Journey® was passed down around ancient fires. It was told as legend and myth in every culture for millennia. Our ancestors were sharing the most precious wisdom: how an ordinary person can overcome their obstacles and fulfill their destiny.

Mythologist Joseph Campbell discovered this story embedded in all the world's legends and myths. The cast of characters was different but the story the same. He named it the Hero's Journey.

He wrote about it in his unlikely best-seller "The Hero With a Thousand Faces".

It has been adopted by psychologists, coaches, educators, and leaders of every kind. It is taught in thousands of schools.

The journey in pop culture

Filmmaker George Lucas modeled his Star Wars saga on the Hero's Journey®. You can also see the Hero's Journey® clearly in many great stories from the Odyssey to Harry Potter, from the Wizard of Oz to Avatar.

Our goal for Hero's Journey® Interactive has been to update this precious resource and, using new technology, to convert it into a form that people can apply to their own lives.