He is told by local villagers that an ogre named Sticky-Hair, who kills every man he sees, resides within. Returning from his military training to the city of his father, Prince Five-Weapons comes to the edge of a great forest, which he is warned not to enter. But to those who paid him proper respect and homage, Pan would bestow bounty and wisdom.Ĭrossing the Threshold Example: Sticky-HairĪ myth from India illustrates the element of crossing the threshold. To some, Pan would frighten his victims to death. He instilled a wild, irrational fear into those who dared to cross into his realm (this is where the word “panic” comes from). The Greek god Pan is perhaps the best-known of this type of border guard. Only those with competence and courage can overcome the danger at the stage of crossing the threshold of the hero’s journey. The hero must overcome this obstacle, just as we all must overcome our fears of the unknown if we are to thrive and grow as human beings in the great adventure of life. This guardian is often a fearsome and monstrous figure who represents our fears of leaving our comfort zone and stepping out into the world beyond. It is at this point that the hero meets the guardian of the threshold, who stands between the worlds of the known and the unknown. On an individual level, this aspect of the heroic monomyth parallels the dangers and uncertainties of growing out of childhood and away from the protection of one’s parents. This is the moment of crossing the threshold in the hero’s journey. Ahead of them lies the danger of the unknown. With aid and guidance in hand, the hero sets off on their adventure until they come to a point where they are further away from the world of comfort and familiarity than they have ever been before. We’ll cover what crossing the threshold entails and look at an example of this stage of the hero’s journey. Crossing the threshold is stage 4 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, from The Hero with a Thousand Faces. What is stage 4 of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? What is “crossing the threshold”?Ĭrossing the threshold is the stage at which the hero comes to a point where he is further away from the world of comfort and familiarity than he has ever been before. Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of 'The Hero with a Thousand Faces' by Joseph Campbell.

The hero with a thousand