CHARACTER ARCHETYPES SERIES
The Herald Archetype
Communicates the beginning of the Hero’s Journey: it’s the triggering event that starts the whole story.
The fifth article of the Character Archetypes Series talks about Herald.
In the previous article, we arrived at the last step of the Hero’s Journey. But let us stop for a moment in our narration and return to the initial stage, the “Call to Adventure”.
We have always said that it is an event that starts the story. At this very moment, in this event, we know the next archetype, the Herald.
The Hero’s Journey begins with an inner need, a kidnapping of someone dear, or with someone’s warning.
Who is the Herald?
The name of this archetype Herald itself, already makes us understand its role.
It corresponds to that moment in which even the reader or viewer will understand that things are about to change. We know the Hero is about to leave the “Ordinary World” to respond to the “Call to Adventure”.
The Herald communicates the beginning of the Hero’s Journey, an upcoming change, and the need for the Hero to face it. Similarly, it is the triggering event that starts the whole story. For instance, the Herald can be a loved one, a stranger, an object, or even an event like a phone call.
You must give up the life you planned in order to have the life that is waiting for you.
The function (and the importance) of the Herald in the Hero’s Journey
We can make some examples to understand better this archetype's role in narration or some movies.
Think about Harry Potter. What event causes the narrative to begin? Harry Potter is a little boy who lives with his uncles, unaware of having magical powers. So he discovers what Hogwarts school is when he receives some letters brought home by different owls. These animals are the Herald of this story.
Similarly, there is also a Herald in the movie Star Wars. Can you guess who or what it might be?
R2D2 is the Herald with the mission he has to accomplish for Princess Leia. Inside his memory, there is a hidden message that Luke Skywalker discovers. This moment and the secret message mark the beginning of his adventure.
This archetype has an essential and profound function for the Hero. The Herald has a psychological role that affects the deepest part of the Hero. Moreover, the Herald prepares the Hero for a change that is about to happen and for something inevitable that must be faced.
Sometimes you hear this inner voice when you live in a situation that no longer satisfies you. Some call it conscience, others destiny. Anyway, this strength allows us to make some decisions even in the most unexpected moments and to take our life in hand.
Conclusion
In conclusion, not all the essential characters in a story are the most powerful ones. Neither who appear throughout the development of the narrative or to whom you become more attached.
The Herald is someone or something that initially seems marginal, but without which the narrative would have no reason to exist.
So, at first, we do not remember the letter that Cinderella and her family received announcing the ball at the castle. But thinking more carefully, it becomes the moment without which the story would never have begun.
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