The general formula described in the video from our lecture notes appropriately fits the movie Eragon. Eragon is a male of lowly birthright and his parents are absent; He falls under the Characteristics of the Hero. The movie begins with a farm boy working on his uncle’s farm. His parents left him at a young age. When he went hunting he came across a “force’ that was bestowed upon him after encountering a dragon egg. Eragon held on to the dragon egg, within the next day it hatched in the barn on the farm. It is said that a dragon egg will only hatch when in the presence of their dragon rider.

This is where the stage “Departure’ takes place. Eragon was called to the adventure. He and his dragon were to overtake the king and his army. Thus dragons and their dragon riders can ride freely once again. Eragon wished to refuse the call after his uncle was murdered back at the farm by ‘man like creatures’ that were sent by the king to kill him. Eragon crosses his First Threshold when he meets Brom; who is familiar with the past when dragons and there riders rode freely throughout the land of Alagaesia. Brom counseled Eragon on what needed to be done to defeat the king.

Eragon entered the initiation phase when he was lead to his Road of trials through a dream; Princess Arya calls to him asking for help. (A trick played out by a shade, one of the kings men.) Eragon is mesmerized by Arya’s beauty. He proceeds to go against Brom and rushes to save the princess. He was lead to the evil Kings castle where he found Princess Arya, who says “You shouldn’t have come.’ His first meeting with the Goddess takes place in this scene. After a battle takes place and Brom dies, Eragon is able to rescue Princess Arya.

The Stage of Return takes place when Eragon and his dragon, along with the people of Alagaesia come together to defeat the Evil king and his army. After the battle was  won Eragon reached the stage of The Freedom to Live. Eragon is the hero of the movie who saved Alagaesia. From that point on dragons and their dragon riders are able to live happily ever after and roam freely throughout the land. I heard the sequel to Eragon will be out soon. It will be exciting to see what the next one brings!

The Four Functions of Mythology to Today’s Cinema

I do believe certain movies meet the needs expressed in the four functions of mythology. Disney movies are an all-time favorite for children and even adults. They give children with a sense of imagination and thoughts to ponder. I am very fond of the most recent Disney movies such as Brave, Tangled, and Frozen. Disney has changed the dynamics of the princesses in their most recent films.  For instance, the princesses are venturing out on their own instead of waiting for a prince charming. Every now and then it is nice to sit back and watch a Disney movie or any other cheerful movie that can give people with a sense of comfort and even drain away any anxieties one may face in their day-to-day activities.

Science Fiction movies such as Elysium and The Hunger Games also meet the needs of the four functions of mythology. They leave the viewers with something to think about and ponder what the world will be like in the future.

As far as scary movies go, I do not think they fit the four functions of mythology. Yes some people enjoy the adrenaline rush that they give, yet they also fill people with unnecessary thoughts and ideas. I’m not sure that any movie that gives people nightmares is really beneficial to society.