The Lion King: A Hero’s Journey

The Lion King is a true hero’s journey that takes place in the savannas of Africa. The title “the Lion King” emphasizes that a lion is king, most likely referring to the main character, Simba. Simba is the main hero in the story because he regains his kingdom and defeats evil. The main character’s archetype is “king”; he takes responsibility for his actions and his kingdom, he regains order and control. Simba takes part in a hero’s journey by being a part of the departure, initiation, and the return.

Simba was banished from his homeland by his evil uncle Scar’s hyenas (who acted as his personal army and assistants), who were really supposed to kill him. He is found by Timon and Pumba, a meerkat and warthog, and he grows up in a paradise-like jungle with them. Years later, Simba’s best friend from the pride lands comes in search of help and happens to find Simba by chance. She asks him to return because of Scar’s oppressing reign but he refuses. Simba wouldn’t tell her the reason for his refusal, but it was because he believed his father’s death was his fault.

Rafiki, the story’s baboon “sage”, leads Simba into an enchanted jungle of tangled trees and roots, where he says Simba’s father, named Mufasa, is living (even though he is really dead). He is led to a small pool of water, where Rafiki tells him to look in the water and try to see his father. He looks, but only sees a reflection of himself. When he is told to look harder, he sees his father in the ripples of the water. Rafiki tells Simba his father “lives within” him. Suddenly a wind blows and in the clouds, Mufasa’s spirit appears. The key things Mufasa tells him are that: Simba has forgotten his father by forgetting who he is and that he is more than what he has become. He also explains that Simba must take his place in the circle of life, and that as his son he is the one true king.

Simba has a change of heart immediately after he meets together with his father. One can tell this because Simba states, “it looks like the winds are changing,” as the winds calm, which is a symbol for his personal winds of change, or his change of heart. Rafiki teaches him that, “you can either run from the past, or learn from it.” This statement is important because Simba needed to put the death of his father behind him instead of running from it. Simba realizes he needs to return to his rightful place as king. The struggles he knows he must face are regaining his kingdom and defeating Scar.

“The King has returned.” These are the powerful words Rafiki uses when telling Nala, Timon, and Pumba that Simba has gone back to the pride lands to overthrow Scar. Before making his entrance to Pride Rock, Simba’s “palace,” he gains three helpers to assist him in gaining his kingdom back; Nala, Timon, and Pumba all offer their services to him. There are a few scenes in the story that can be easily compared to the Odyssey. First, Simba wants everyone to continue to think he’s