Upon reaching the threshold of adventure, the hero must undergo some sort of ordeal in order to pass from the everyday world into the world of adventure. This trial may be as painless as entering a dark cave or as violent as being swallowed up by a whale. The important feature is the contrast between the familiar world of light and the dark, unknown world of adventure.

• Sunjata, Sogolon, and Manding-Bory cross the Niger river and begin their long exile. They enter a world of long marches, hostile kingdoms, and numerous dangers.

• Yamato Takeru leaves behind his homeland and travels to Kumaso, located in Kyûshû, the main western island of Japan.  

 

This website is maintained by the Office of Resources for International and Area Studies (ORIAS), a unit of International and Area Studies (IAS) at the University of California, Berkeley.