The Journey of the Hero: Archetypes of Earthly Adventure and Spiritual Passage in 1 Nephi

Study of the varied metaphorical levels of the Book of Mormon continues to yield new insights into the message and meaning of that book. Several prominent typological readings of aspects of the Book of Mormon have been published, but despite calls for such an effort, little inquiry into its possible...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Book of Mormon studies
Main Author: Harris, Tod R. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Foundation 1997
In: Journal of Book of Mormon studies
Year: 1997, Volume: 6, Issue: 2, Pages: 43-66
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Study of the varied metaphorical levels of the Book of Mormon continues to yield new insights into the message and meaning of that book. Several prominent typological readings of aspects of the Book of Mormon have been published, but despite calls for such an effort, little inquiry into its possible archetypal levels, or what has been called "the mythic dimension" of the book, has yet been undertaken. As an initial attempt at such an endeavor, I compare certain events described in 1 Nephi with the elements of one prominent mythic archetype, the hero's journey, as elucidated by Joseph Campbell in his famous The Hero with a Thousand Faces. A strong correlation between the hero's journey archetype and the events from 1 Nephi is intriguing and seems to demonstrate at least the presence of mythic patterns in the Book of Mormon. This leads to some preliminary conclusions about what the apparent presence of such patterns might signify.
ISSN:2168-3158
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of Book of Mormon studies