Introduction

The chosen archetype for this essay is hero archetype. This type of archetype represents the procedure in which obstacles are overcome to accomplish certain goals. In the concept of myths, the objective of the hero is usually to look for a treasure such as returning with the elixir of life, finding a golden egg, or saving a princess. Notably, all these are metaphors which represent the psychological journey  of an individual to return to one's unique potential and true feelings, a concept that is commonly referred to as the process of individuation (Snider para3). Myths from different cultures regarding the hero archetype share a common structure which is known as monomyth. The monomyth is a concept which can be broken down into three rites of passage and these are separation, initiation, and return. Additionally, different cultures believe that the hero is an individual with extraordinary gifts, one who is frequently highly respected by the community and frequently scorned, and he finds himself in a world suffering from symbolical deficiency. The relevance and significance of hero archetype is that it plays a critical role of mobilizing the individual's will, energy, and power and this implies that the hero is pushed to limits and challenged to dream, to be courageous, and to overcome obstacles that seem impossible.

In myths, archetypes are understood to act as symbols for certain characters or themes.

The hero is an archetype that appears in all mythologies, religions, and epics of the world. A hero represents the expressions of the personal and collective consciousness. Notably, archetypes are spread through the creation of patterns by the unconscious mind in myths as well as other forms of storytelling. Archetypes are used in myths to create personal reflection and lessons. The dispersion theory implies that an archetype started in an early culture and was transferred within that culture in similar manner. The heroic mythology also applies to this theory due to the need to understand the impact of the heroes in the society during the ancient and the present time.

Comparison and Significance of Myths

The two cultural variations presented in this paper are Greek and Celtic representing Theseus and King Arthur respectively. Both cultural mythologies have both differences and similarities. King Arthur is portrayed as generous and wise while at simultaneously as a feeble leader who is childish, stubborn, and unable to make wise decisions for the good of the people (Bobr para4). He is a powerful warrior and possesses leadership qualities as seen in the establishment of the Round Table to ensure prevalence of peace and justice. Among the legends in Celtic, King Arthur is a supernatural hero since he battled monsters, witches, and giants.  He murdered the demon cat of Losanne and pursued the Boar Twrch Truyth which drove him to the sea. Arthur is depicted as the chosen king through his ability to remove the sword from the stone (pbs para2). Arthur has an advisor, Merlin the magician, who is responsible for his glory (Bobr para7). The presence of this advisor is crucial in every step of Arthur 's life including his birth.

Without Merlin's advice, King Arthur seems lost and the decisions he makes without consultation with the advisor seem to backfire. Arthur is accountable for his downfall by having an incestuous affair and by valuing his knights more than his queen thereby creating a rift which sets the stage for the irreversible path towards his downfall. King Arthur is portrayed in two dimensions. One as an epic and flawless leader who can never do wrong and the other is a more human Arthur with weaknesses and imperfections.  Despite his flaws, King Arthur always maintains his prestige making him a true legend (Bobr para8). On the other hand, Theseus has an ethically upright mindset, is courageous, and strong. Being a young man, his destiny was to embark on a journey in Athens to go meet his father and instead of using water as means of transportation, he used land. The journey is dangerous but he is not harmed or killed instead he deals with the bandits by doing to them what they do to others (Plutarch paralO). Additionally,  his courage and strength are shown when he portrays his bravery to battle the Minotaur (Plutarch para25). He is selfless as he risks his life after realizing he was the next Athens' king to ensure that the people will not be harmed again. His care for the people is shown by his act of not just standing and allowing his people to be sacrificed. He gave limited thoughts to the dangers and continued with the journey. Theseus weakness is that he is mortal and he also gives in to peer pressure and engages in many reckless adventures. Theseus was the greatest, intelligent, and wise hero of Athens whose early adventures were beneficial to the city and the region.

The similarities between the two mythologies is that both Arthur and Theseus are of noble birth but they are kept away from the royalty which is kept as a secret (Arthur) and they have to claim it (Theseus). Both find out about their fathers in unexpected situations. Arthur finds out about his dead father and his birth after drawing the sword from the stone. Theseus embarks on a dangerous journey to Athens to meet his father. Both fulfilled their quests which proved that they were worthy of being kings. The action of Arthur of removing the sword from the stone proves he is the rightful king. Theseus defeated and killed the Minotaur and also got out of labyrinth unharmed proving his worthiness.  Both emerged as noble kings. Theseus laid the foundation for democracy in his land and he regarded his responsibility towards the people as of paramount significance. Arthur on the other hand is an ideal king who made his land prosperous and his action of establishing the Knights of the Round Table emerged as legendary.

The myth of Theseus is significant to the Greeks. Notably, Theseus is regarded as a significant legendary leader in the history of Athens. He unified the Attica as an Athenian king under the Athenian hegemony. The story about how Theseus dealt with the bandits on the way to Athens to recover his birthright is believed to be the foundation of the procedure in which Athens were able to control the neighboring societies. Additionally, the victory of Theseus over the Minotaur represents the civilization victory over brutality and savagery. Moreover, the myth represents decline in the Crete influence and a triumph of political principle against the arbitrary rule (Plutarch para19). The mythology of Theseus is remembered as an usher into a new age of civilization, political innovation, and learning. The myth of King Arthur is significant more so because the generations that followed him recognized him as a legend who thought more about the human psyche. Arthur represented the people's epitome which symbolizes the most genuine part of them which is infused in his bequest. This implies that the legacy of King Arthur lives on and the people retaliate to what he represented since there is something that inspires them to communicate the same.

The purpose of the myths is to show that an individual can overcome obstacles and embrace adventures to accomplish certain goals. The myths illustrate how one can be pushed to limits and overcome the barrier of darkness. The myths are the long-hopes for and the expected success of consciousness over unconscious events. The metaphysical function of the myths is that they awakened and supported a sense of wonderment before the being enigma. The myths reconciled consciousness to the preconditions of its being. The myths induced a determination that beyond the surface of the world phenomenology, there is an abstract source of mystery (Young). According to the psychological function, the myths showed how the life of a human can be lived under any situation. This mythological function carries a person through the different stages of life. The function of the myths helped the people to grasp the life unfolding with integrity. The function also initiated the people into the reality order in their psyches thereby guiding them towards realization and enrichment (Young).

Evolution of Myths

Myths are the basis of contemporary media in each culture. The designs and elements of the conventional myths are repeated in the contemporary media with slight alterations to make them interesting and fresh in the modern setting. Both the myths and modern media share common elements of cultural consciousness, journey of the protagonist towards becoming a hero, and remembrance hence they captivate audiences. For example, the myth of Theseus is still captivating to the audiences through different modern ways in which it is transmitted. His remains lie in the middle of the city and the tomb act as a sanctuary for the slaves and those who run away from persecution by those in power. This representation of the mythology as well as through writing, science fiction movies, and video games resonates with the people making the takes to be remembered for their cultural significance and the influence on new narratives (Plutarch para54).

The hero archetype has the concepts of adversity, honor, victory, strength, and challenges.

The heroes give a narrative of sense making to the people where reality is perceived as a social construction. The journey of the heroes depicts self-sacrifice, adversity, and bravery. The morals of the heroes enable them to overcome ordeals, live normal lives, and embrace rewards. In the contemporary culture, mass media participate in performativ discourse regarding heroes and what they look like. The roles of the leaders have been influenced by the mythology of hero archetypes. Modern media provides images of the heroes in the ancient myths and leaders develop cognitive schemas about the heroes. Exposure to such concepts makes leaders to consider actions of the heroes as the authentic state of affairs which must be emulated to become exemplary leaders. For example King Arthur was recognized in the Celtic Mythology as a legendary figure of the Bretons. Leaders see him as a hero in the narratives from Wales, Ireland, and Brittany (Ancient Mythology paral).

In modern media, hero archetypes are very significant and they highly influence the contemporary culture. Media represents a socio-cultural agent which shapes the assumptions and attitudes of people. The archetypes have influence the modern media such that most of the media and television portray leaders and heroes in line with the ideological views and stereotypical views of the ancient heroes. The heroic myths were considered as reality by those who lived in the ancient times but the current media has changed how they are portrayed to pass on the constant theme. For example, the contemporary mythology revolves within the epics of each genre and hero archetypes have been used in movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars to portray the significance and parallels between mythology and modern media (Evans 7).

Works Cited

• Ancient Mythology. Arthur: Celtic Mythology. (n.d). Retrieved from: http://www.ancient­ mythology.com/celtic/arthur.php
• Bobr, Janet. King Arthur: Character Analysis. Retrieved from: http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/prjs3f/arthur2.htm
• Evans, Rebecca E., "The mythological perspective of modern media: Cross-cultural consciousness and modern myths" (2018). Senior Honors Projects, 2010-current. 620. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/honors201019/620
• Pbs. Myths and Heroes: Four myths, King Arthur. (2005). Retrieved from: https://www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes/mythsfourarthur.html
• Plutarch. "The Internet Classics Archive: Theseus by Plutarch." The Internet Classics Archive I Theseus by Plutarch. Retrieved from: http://classics.mit.edu/Plutarch/theseus.html
• Segal, Robert A. "Introduction." Jung on Mythology, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998, p.4