In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Bilbo Baggins is chosen by Gandolf to help reclaim the stolen mountain home of a group of Dwarves He asks if Gandolf can promise him that he will come back. Gandolf replies “No, but if you do come back, you will not be the same.”

In 1949, Joseph Campbell wrote The Hero With A Thousand Faces in which he showed how thru the ages men and women have been Chosen and sent on quests that changed their lives and their worlds.  This notion of the chosen plays an important role in our popular culture – especially in movies. 

There’s many stages to the heroic journey.  Using examples from Harry Potter and the Lord of the Ring, let’s take a look at the three main stages.

The first stage is the departure when the chosen accepts the task – usually under protest – and leaves his familiar world behind.  Harry Potter travels to Hogwarts the starting point for his quest to defeat Voldermort and save the world. Echoing in his mind are the words of the wand maker, Mr. Ollivander,“I think we must expect great things of you, Mr. Potter”.  Frodo sets out on foot from the shire to Mount Doom where he has must destroy the One ring.

The second stage – known as The Initiation – centers around the quest itself where much happens including – ready?

– they have a mentor – Harry has head master Dumbledore, Frodo has the wizard Gandolf,

–  they find allies –  Harry has Hermione and Ron plus – later on – his own army,  Frodo starts out with his best friend Samwise and two cousins but is joined by Aragorn, Gandalf, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, and the Man Boromir,

– they face many enemies  – Harry encounters the  Death Eaters, followers of Voldermort, and finally the dark Lord himself.    Frodo comes up against  the Nazgul, the Watcher in the Water, the orcs – to name a few and to say nothing of his confrontations with Gollum. 

and finally as the task is near completion the chosen one faces a moment of death and rebirth of some sort.  Both Harry and Frodo appear to die – Frodo from a spider bite and Harry by the curse of Voldermort. 

– they encounter love  and its power – Harry has what Voldermort never had – Harry is capable of love. That love saves him just as Samgee’s brotherly love for Frodo saves him. 

When they return – Harry to Hogwarts and Frodo to the Shire – each finds a changed world and are themselves changed. They both come to accept the power of love in their lives as an antidote to all their fears.  And to understand what Dumbledore told Harry – “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Few film heroines are chosen to go on similar quests.  Joseph Campbell asked why this was replied: “It was the men who got involved in spinning most of the great myths. The women were too busy. “ 

That was then – this is now. Think of Katniss from the Hunger Games or Buffy or Joan of Arcadia.  But that’s a topic for another time.