There is generally a misunderstanding of what the Myth genre really embodies. As a writer, it will greatly help you if you can distinguish between the different kinds of Myth forms that you can utilize when crafting your story. Whereas ancient myth dealt with a pastoral world and contained gods and goddesses who ruled that world in various forms, what can be called “the new myth forms” deal with mankind in the modern world.
To imbue your Hero with mythological elements when crafting his character is to create a Hero with great depth. This is a Hero who is also universally compelling because the genre is not “culture specific.”
Here are some of the basic Myth story beats that define it from other genres:
1. The Hero goes on a circular journey: He starts from home, travels and slays many dragons, and then returns home to find what was already there for him. After the journey, his perception is changed; he’s been through a self-revelation which is public and oftentimes cosmic.
2. The Hero has a late Desire line, but when he finds it, his Desire is his Destiny.
3. The Myth genre contains the following: Birth, Death, Rebirth. Other genres do not deal with this. Also, there may be more than one rebirth: Each dragon that is slain represents a rebirth. Myth genre therefore, gives us a broad track of personal growth .
4. The Hero in Avatar has 4 rebirths. Watch the film and see if you can find them.
5. There are more myth forms than male warrior myth. Avatar is a combination of 3 myth forms: The Male Myth, the Female Myth, and the Ecological Myth.
6. The male warrior is an archetypical character from the Male Myth; the earth mother is an archetypical character from the Female Myth. In the Ecological myth, the individual and the entire society are a positive blend and balance.
Films, novels, and stage plays today have a blend of Myth genre with other genres, such as Drama, or Action, or Adventure. When you formulate your Hero, you can use some of the Myth genre characteristics for a story that will have much greater depth.
Suggested viewing: American Sniper, Frozen, Gravity.