| A | B |
|---|
| The Quest | What the Hero must accomplish in order to heal the land and/or restore peace |
| The Task | The nearly superhuman feat(s) the Hero must perform in order to accomplish the quest |
| The Journey | The journey sends the Hero in search of some truth that will help save his kingdom. |
| The Initiation | The adolescent comes into his maturity with new awareness and problems. |
| The Ritual | The actual ceremonies the Initiate experiences that will mark his rite of passage into another state. A clear sign of the character's role in his society |
| The Fall | The descent from a higher to a lower state of being usually as a punishment for transgression. It also involves the loss of innocence. |
| Death and Rebirth | The most common of all situational archetypes, this motif grows out of a parallel between the cycle of nature and the cycle of life. Thus morning and springtime represent birth, youth, or rebirth, while evening and winter suggest old age or death. |
| Battle between Good and Evil | Obviously, a battle between two primal forces. Mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of good triumphing over evil despite great odds. |
| The Unhealable Wound | The Unhealable Wound |
| Mentor | The Mentor is an older, wiser teacher to the initiates. He often serves as a father or mother figure. He gives the hero gifts (weapons, food, magic, information), serves as a role model or as hero’s conscience. |
| Mentor - Pupil Relationship | In this relationship, the Mentor teaches the Hero/pupil the necessary skills for surviving the quest. |
| The Evil Figure with Ultimately Good Heart | The Evil Figure with Ultimately Good Heart |
| Damsel in Distress | A vulnerable woman who needs to be rescued by the hero. She is often used as a trap to ensnare the unsuspecting hero. |
| The Earth Mother | Symbolic of fruition, abundance, and fertility, this character traditionally offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to those with whom she comes in contact. Often depicted in earth colors, has large breasts and hips symbolic of her childbearing capacities. |
| The Temptress or Black Goddess | Characterized by sensuous beauty, this woman is one to whom the protagonist is physically attracted and who ultimately brings about his downfall. May appear as a witch or vampire |
| The Unfaithful Wife | A woman married to a man she sees as dull or distant and is attracted to more virile or interesting men. |
| Nature vs. Mechanistic World | Nature is good while technology is evil. |
| The Magic Weapon | The weapon the hero needs in order to complete his quest. |
| The Platonic Ideal | A woman who is a source of inspiration to the hero, who has an intellectual rather than physical attraction to her |
| The Scapegoat | An animal, or more usually a human, whose death in a public ceremony expiates some taint or sin of a community. They are often more powerful in death than in life. |
