Paganism, Goddess Spirituality, and Elsa in Disney’s Frozen 2

Audiences in the United States recognize Pagan elements like the use of magic and animism in the Disney film Frozen 2. This article discusses such Pagan ideas in the Frozen films and then applies two archetypal themes from Goddess spirituality to Elsa’s characterization. Scholars like Carol Christ and Starhawk of nature-based Pagan Goddess movements in the United States are employed to compare Elsa in Frozen 2 with notions about the fifth element and rebirth. The article engages neo-Pagan religious ideas about female independence, balance, and transformation, providing a comparison to Elsa’s heroic journey. A discussion about Elsa’s deification in popular culture and body image conclude the article.

USE OF THE HEROIC JOURNEY NARRATIVE IN THE DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW AND TREATMENT WITH FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

The aim: To explore and corroborate personal and family narratives within the framework of “heroic journey”, delineate function of the narrative in the diagnosis and treatment of families of children with special needs, and to describe the process of improving psychological well-being of these families. Materials and methods: The study material consisted of articles on the subject found in American and international databases (Springer, Thompson ISI’s Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO, Google Scholar), using keywords “family and child psychotherapy”, “heroic journey”, “differentially able”, “attachment”, “narrative”, “therapeutic storytelling”. Two case vignettes, parents of a) a special-needs adult and b) a pre-teen psychotherapeutic patient, illustrate application of the heroic journey narrative in psychotherapeutic treatment. Conclusions: Formation of the narrative identity is simultaneously the ends and the means: while a parent is encouraged to tell the story repeatedly over time, a new narrative identity emerges. Purpose, roles, patterns, and the structure of the storytelling process are outlined. Increased coherence of the family stories leads to strengthening attachment patterns. Using personal and family narratives for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment; incorporating and interpreting stories told in treatment can become a useful tool in the clinicians’ toolbox.

Comparative Study of "Wolf Warriors II" and "Braveheart" from the Perspective of "Hero Tour"

The article takes the famous American writer and mythology scholar Joseph Campbell's "Heroic Journey" theory as a clue to make a comparative study of "Braveheart" and "Wolf Warriors II” and analyze the cultural differences on heroic shaping between the Chinese and English.

Heroic Journey of Katniss Everdeen in Suzanne Collins' Novel Catching Fire

This research aims to reveal the journey of Katniss Everdeen by using monomyth cycle in Suzanne Collins’ novel Catching Fire (2009). This research used the literary criticism that employs the monomyth cycle of Joseph Campbell. The monomyth theory was used to explore Katniss’ heroic journey within the novel Catching Fire. All data were classified into the following stages of monomyth cycle: departure, initiation, and return. Each stage represented the development of Katniss’s traits during her journey. From the analysis, it was discovered that Katniss began her journey by adapting herself in Victor’s Village after winning the 74th Hunger Games. She began her journey after President Snow provided her a challenge to convince him to reduce the uprising acts in each District. She refused to return home since she must rescue Peeta. Therefore, this paper concludes that this novel can be a continuity step of Katniss’ Journey for transforming herself to be a heroine at the end of her Journey.

Representasi Hero’s Journey Pada Tokoh Chihiro Dalam Anime Spirited Away Karya Miyazaki Hayao

(Title: Representation of Hero’s Journey on Main Character Chihiro in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away Anime) This paper is the result of a qualitative descriptive type of literature study. The purpose of this study was to reveal the heroic journey process of main character of Spirited Away anime named Chihiro, based on the Hero’s Journey theory proposed by Vogler. Data about Chihiro's heroic journey are obtained from anime with note taking techniques. The method used in the analysis is the method of content analysis based on the theory of Hero's Journey. From the results of the analysis, it can be seen that the main character Chihiro has undergone a total of the twelve stages of the hero’s journey. Chihiro's adventure has succeeded in changing her personality which was initially timid, spoiled, and whiny to be brave, independent, calm and confident, and full of compassion. Chihiro's heroic journey proves the true definition of a hero according to Vogler, while also proving that to win a fight does not always use physical strength. There are times when thinking intelligence and emotional intelligence are much more needed. In addition, this anime also features a lot of kamisama which was once believed by the Japanese. Miyazaki might want to remind again about the existence of Japanese gods by displaying them in this anime, either those actually found in Japanese mythology or Miyazaki's own creations. Thus, the story of Spirited Away which has a mythical structure as stated by Vogler becomes much more alive and interesting.

An Archetypal Analysis of Doctoral Education as a Heroic Journey

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this conceptual paper is to align key aspects of the heroic journey archetype with existing research and writing about doctoral students, thereby extending previous discussions of this topic. Background: While obtaining a doctoral degree is often described as a heroic journey, that assertion has not been fully explored from a depth psychology standpoint. Because myth is a form of pedagogy, key heroic archetypes (Pearson, 1986; 1991) provide a means to describe and understand the student experience. Methodology: This synthesis of the scholarship on doctoral education is framed within an alignment of the heroic journey monomyth described by Campbell (2008) to the progression of doctoral student experiences (Gardner, 2009). Various movie characters are used to illustrate the three primary stages of the heroic journey: the departure, initiation, and the return. Contribution: Consistent with other applications of archetypal psychology to education (e.g., Mayes, 2010), the paper presents a way for faculty and students to understand and reflect on the overall educational process. Findings: A more elaborated view of the doctoral journey is provided, including the sequence of challenges faced by students in the process and the types of Hero energies expressed at different points. Recommendations for Practitioners: The responsibilities of doctoral program faculty to create an experience that helps assure success and to mentor students appropriately are reinforced. Recommendation for Researchers: While not a research study, the discussion in this conceptual paper provides a broader context for use of the monomyth as an organizing framework for studies of doctoral education. Impact on Society: The commonly recognized 50% success rate of the best-and-brightest in higher education speaks to the size and scope of the challenge and the resulting stresses from taking this journey. Based on the apparent congruency of the monomyth to the process of doctoral education, continued use of this archetype to address these challenges would seem to be indicated.

The Life and Death of Gannicus

This chapter turns to another hero in the series, Gannicus, in discussing the portrayal of the messianic death given to this character. It argues that Gannicus experiences an anti-heroic journey as he resists the role of rebel or leader until the very end of the series; as such, he is sharply juxtaposed to both Spartacus and Crixus but also complements these other characters in underscoring their very deficiencies. The chapter analyzes Gannicus' symbolic death by crucifixion to demonstrate how his death showcases the transformations of the rebel leader, Spartacus, by complicating and multiplying the paradigm of the single hero, just as audiences are invited to rediscover the true meaning of freedom.