The Heroic Pattern

Lord Raglan, The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth, and Drama (1936), ch. 16.
  1. The hero's mother is a royal virgin
  2. His father is a king, and
  3. Often a near relative of his mother, but
  4. The circumstances of his conception are unusual, and
  5. He is also reputed to be the son of a god.
  6. At birth an attempt is made, usually by his father or his maternal grandfather, to kill him, but
  7. He is spirited away, and
  8. Reared by foster-parents in a far country.
  9. We are told nothing of his childhood, but
  10. On reaching manhood he returns or goes to his future kingdom.
  11. After a victory over the king and/or a giant, dragon, or wild beast,
  12. He marries the princess, often the daughter of his predecessor, and
  13. Becomes king.
  14. For a time he reigns uneventfully, and
  15. Prescribes laws, but
  16. Later he loses favour with the gods and/or his subjects, and
  17. Is driven from his throne and city, after which
  18. He meets with a mysterious death,
  19. Often at the top of a hill.
  20. His children, if any, do not succeed him.
  21. His body is not buried, but nevertheless
  22. He has one or more holy sepulchres.

The Heroine's Pattern (the "girl's tragedy")

Walter Burkert, Structure and History in Greek Mythology and Ritual (1979), p.7.
  1. The girl leaves home.
  2. The girl is secluded, e.g. with a band of girls accompanying a god/dess, via incarceration, or simply by taking a walk alone.
  3. The girl is raped and impregnated by a god.
  4. The girl faces tribulation, and is threatened with death and severe penalties by parents or relatives.
  5. The girl is rescued by the son she bears when he attains manhood.

This information is derived from the Site Maintainer: Laurel Bowman
Last Updated: 12/2/97 4:24 PM