Part 1: Chapter 1, Sections 4 and 5 Summary and Analysis

"The Crossing of the First Threshold" The next phase of the Hero's Journey, Campbell suggests here, takes place as the Hero enters the literal physical world of that which lies outside his home village - a physical manifestation of the psycho-spiritual circumstance of entering into new understanding of the self and the soul. In myths and stories throughout the world, Campbell writes, the Hero's first steps into that understanding, into both the physical and psycho-spiritual new worlds, are blocked by a Guardian, a "deceitful and dangerous presence" that challenges the Hero's determination to move forward and courage to face the dangers he finds there. Campbell offers several examples from several cultures - the African Hottentots (whose journeys are blocked by hideous spirits) and Russian peasantry (blocked by sensual, sexual, capricious female spirits). Campbell also cites...