#you own pet eels you trained your eels to attack people you released your eels into the wild

[stormtide-leviathan]

Those posts that go around, that are like “DNI if” and list a bunch of criteria and you’re supposed to reblog with how many of those criteria you fit are really abusive not only because they make of of dni lists which are a useful tool for queer people and other minorities but also because they actively encourage breaking peoples’ boundaries since they’re meant to be reblogged specifically by the people you say not to interact and akajsjaakkajajajajkkkkakkakskskakskskskskkakakakskddskkkkkksksjsjjaaakskkss [I am electrocuted by the eels]

[rebeccakingba1a-blog]

Hiccup’s Heroes Journey

11/10/17

Joseph Campbell published the book called ‘The Hero With A Thousand Faces’ retelling many legends and tales with the formula of the hero’s journey. The heroes journey is a cycle beginning with mundane life in the ordinary world and ending there as well. The quest passes through an unusual world or situation. Campbell believed in the monomyth meaning all stories are modified versions of one single narrative.

Campbell’s work relied on Carl Jung’s psychological theories on archetype and the collective consciousness or Self in Jungian psychology, which poses that all people in all places through history have stories that utilise universal themes. This heroes story poses that a hero goes through suffering, experiences something new and profound and returns to change their ordinary society for the better. For instance Steve gives up his job at shield and goes on the run in pursuit of a less corrupt government and society in ‘Captain America The Winter Solider’. A more historical instance of this is ‘Robin Hood’ who stole from king john to give to the poor sacrificing safety and living in the woods to better his society.

Some scholars disagree with Campbell’s mono myth, citing that it is too reductive of other cultures and some even accuse him of antisemitism. Robert Elllwood disagrees with Campbell stating, "A tendency to think in generic terms of people, races... is undoubtedly the profoundest flaw in mythological thinking.” in ‘The Politics of Myth: A Study of C.G. Jung, Mircea Eliade, and Joseph Campbell’, SUNY Press, September 1999.

Christopher Vogler (1998) a disney screenwriter adapted the hero’s journey for screenwriters defining 8 character archetypes. These archetypes are the hero, shadow, shapeshifter, mentor, threshold guardian, trickster, herald and ally. The journey itself had 12 stages; The ordinary world, the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossing the threshold, tests, allies and enemies, approach to the innermost cave, the ordeal, reward, road back, resurrection and finally the return with the elixir as the cycle completes.

I can apply this journey to Hiccup.

The ordinary world - Hiccup lives on Berk, an island with his Viking tribe. Hiccup’s tribe is fighting a war with the dragons, who attack regularly causing destruction and chaos. Hiccup often tries to slay a dragon using his inventions, to prove himself to his father, Stoik, the chief of the tribe and his peers Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, as well as his tribe as a whole. Unfortunately these inventions often backfire and make him the laughing stock of the tribe as inferred by Gobber, Hiccups mentor “You’ve left plenty of marks and all of them in the wrong places”. This is shown in the opening scene when dragons attack and multiple adults say Hiccup should leave, “What are you doing here?”, “Get inside”, “what are you doing out” including his father. Hiccup’s peers are allowed out to fight when he is not. Hiccup commenting “Their jobs are so much cooler than mine”. It is established he would like their approval and friendship with a slow motion shot of them walking away from an explosion. This sets up Hiccup to earn the respect of his peers later on in the film as he grows and goes through a character arch of self discovery, through the change from the role of outcast to leader.

The call to adventure - Hiccup attempts to prove himself during the dragon attack by shooting down a Nightfury. He hits it, but his father doesn't believe him and the villagers laugh at him and taunt him. He admits to Gobber “I just want to be one of you guys”. Hiccup goes alone to find the night fury and kill it for his father.

Refusal of the call - Although killing the Night fury would earn Hiccup praise as he states “this fixes everything”, when he intends to slay the dragon he does not. We late learn he looks into its eyes and sees himself, afraid to kill it as much as the beast is to be killed. This emotion from the supposed evil creature shows hiccup they are not so different and he cannot kill the dragon, instead releasing it. This is his refusal to the call to adventure.

Meeting with the mentor - Although Gobber was already Hiccup’s mentor in some ways, being in charge of the forge and teaching Hiccup from a young age to be a blacksmith, now Hiccup is entered into dragon training by Stoik against his own insistence that he cannot kill dragons. The recruit who does best in training will be the first to kill a dragon infant of the village. Gobber equips hiccup with advice, knowledge and training in dragon training so this is when Gobber is utilised in the plot as a mentor as he states to the recruits “a downed dragon is a dead dragon”. Stoik goes to try to find the dragon’s nest and leaves hiccup to training. Toothless later mentors hiccup about dragons during the Tests, allies and enemies phase of the journey.

Crossing the Threshold - Hiccup goes back to the dragon he released and realises it’s tail fin is injured so it cannot fly, with Gobber’s advice “a downed dragon is a dead dragon” he begins work on an inventing a prosthetic tail fin at the forge to allow the dragon to fly. Hiccup feeds, interacts and bonds with the dragon, naming him Toothless. The threshold is broken when Hiccup bonds with Toothless. He sees him as more than a beast to be killed saying “Everything we know about you guy’s is wrong”. He has committed to peaceful living with the dragons and friendship with Toothless.

Tests, allies and enemies - After dragon training everyday, Hiccup sneaks out to see Toothless and some tribe members are becoming suspicious including Astrid who is angry and jealous of Hiccup’s success.

Hiccup earns allies in his peers who now like and accept him; Gobber even goes so far as to call Hiccup a “celebrity” with “new fans”. A shot from earlier in the film wherein Hiccup sits at a table and everyone moves to a different one is reversed, as people flock his table now. Toothless is his most prominent ally in this time and he gains inner knowledge of dragons from Toothless grows as he learns and he fixes Toothless’s fin with a prothetic one he invented.

Stock returns having not found the dragon’s nest and tries to connect to Hiccup through dragon training, but fails to find common ground with his son. “All those years of the worst viking Berk has ever seen. Odin it was rough, I almost gave up on you and all the while you were holding out on me… we finally have something to talk about”. Stoik sees his son as lesser because of his different skill set and can be seen as a physical embodiment of a mental enemy for Hiccup, his self esteem and otherness to his tribe. He is also a shaky ally, as they have a family bond and he wishes for Hiccup to succeed in training.

Hiccup uses what he has learnt from Toothless to help him in the dragon killing classes allowing him to go from the worst candidate to fighting for lead place with Astrid. For instance when feeding Toothless fish Hiccup finds dragons are frightened by eel and uses this information in practice. This is the first time he shows an aptitude for dragon training and the start of finding allies in the trainers. Hiccup also discovers dragon nip which dragons love, that they love to chase light and the best spot to rub a dragon to bring their defences down.

These are small tests leading up to the ordeal and the road back. Hiccup fights a dragon using all his new information and is named the winner. This means he has kill a dragon soon so he turns to leave but is confronted by Astrid who learns of Toothless and finally allies herself to them both.

Importantly Hiccup learns when studying a terrible terror that dragons are “not so fireproof on the inside”, this knowledge is later used in the plot.

Approach to the innermost cave - Hiccup, Astrid and Toothless find the Red Death’s nest discovering the queen, the Red Death. This is possible because dragons can hear the call that leads to this dragon. They find that the dragons are all afraid of the Red Death as she consumes dragons and is able to control them. The food they steal from Berk is offered up to her causing the divide between human and dragon.

The ordeal - Hiccup remarks “What my dad wouldn’t give to find this”, referring to the dragon’s nest foreshadowing his father’s betrayal. Hiccup believes “they’ll kill Toothless”. Astrid remarks the nest is what they have searched for “since Vikings first sailed here… you want to keep it secret to protect your pet dragon, are you serious?”. Hiccup choses to go against his tribe and keep Toothless secret.  

Reward - Hiccup protected Toothless who is safe for now and Astrid, his love interest, kisses him.

Road back - Hiccup has to choose between his own personal objective, being popular and accepted by his father and peers, and that of a Higher Cause, protecting the dragons even excluding Toothless, when he is told to slay one for the final exam.

Before the exam Stoik remarks “No one is more surprised or more proud” than he is, claiming “Today he becomes one of us”. Hiccup attempts to show Berk that dragons are not evil by befriending the one he is to kill in front of the whole tribe. He tells the dragon “I’m not one of them” throwing his helmet to the ground. Stoik shouts to stop the fight however, enraging the dragon and endangering Hiccup. Toothless hears and protects Hiccup who tries to turn him away, but Stoik angers him and they fight. Hiccup tells toothless “No” as he is about to blast him stopping Toothless’ attack and Stoik captures him. Stock renounces Hiccup and will not listen to him explain There is a contrast in that Toothless listens when Hiccup says “No” where Stoik ignores his pleas saying “you’re not my son”. He then uses Toothless to find the dragon’s nest.

Hiccup choses the side of the dragons. Astrid bestows knowledge in him acting as a mentor when he thinks things are hopeless. She says “you’ve lost everything, your father, your tribe, your best friend”, Hiccup replies “I wouldn’t kill him because he looked as frightened as I was”. Astrid spurs him into action saying “bet he’s pretty frightened now”.

Resurrection - Hiccup helps his peers from dragon training ride dragons so he can save Toothless from Stoik and the Berk tribe from the Red death. This is the climax of the story where Hiccup faces his tribe and the Red Death, Queen of the dragon nest, to bring peace to both clans.

Stoik helps to save toothless from drowning and tells Hiccup “I’m proud to call you my son” and all the warriors, Stoik and Hiccup’s peers cheer him in battle resolving the conflict. Hiccup falls at the end of the battle while defeating the Queen and looks to be dead but is resurrected when we see Toothless protected him in the fall. Hiccup loses a leg in the battle, which is the heroes sacrifice and mirrors toothless’ loss of tail fin.

The return with the elixir - When Hiccup awakes dragons are flying around berk freely co-existing   and Hiccup and Toothless are now welcome and accepted on the Island. Hiccup’s world is transformed because of his actions and sacrifice.

Hiccup’s Journey fits into the narrative of Vogler’s adaptation of Campbell’s  heroes Journey really well and i would like to use this as a key aspect in my essay. It could be interesting to try to fit other movies into this journey and measure how successful each one is.