After we decided on the book theme for our deck we focused on how to structure it.
We already had certain cards in mind, so what was the best way to order them?
Having studied Literature at university I was aware of a system called The Monomyth, or more commonly known as “The Hero’s Journey”.
We already had certain cards in mind, so what was the best way to order them?
Having studied Literature at university I was aware of a system called The Monomyth, or more commonly known as “The Hero’s Journey”.
The monomyth is a narrative pattern, discovered by Joseph Campbell, that can be found in many stories and myths from all around the world at different times in history. It can be broken down into different stages, with some narratives focusing on certain points or reshuffling the order slightly. We felt that this was a good place to start in structuring our deck, whilst tailoring the ordering to suit our needs.
Those of you familiar with the monomyth will notice how it influenced The Chronicles of Destiny, for those who have never come across it before – we highly recommend Joseph Campbell’s book “The Hero of a Thousand Faces” if you would like to know more about this journey. It comes up in a few surprising places, Star Wars and Harry Potter, for example, even if the writers had no prior knowledge of this pattern, it finds its way into the story and keeps the balance
To provide as much flexibility as possible there are also alternative Hero and Heroine cards in the deck, that you can swap, leave in or take out, as suits your purpose for different case scenarios or personal circumstances. Which one are you?