The journey of the hero; patterns, symbols and unconscious fantasy

The purpose of this study is to identify the parallels and patterns between three heroes from three different literary works: Beowulf, The Hobbit and Harry Potter. While discussing the similarities, with the help of interdisciplinary research, this thesis aims to examine the patterns of heroic myths and tales, as explained by expert scholars on the topic, and to analyze the reasons behind their recurring elements. Different aspects from different theories and disciplines including psychoanalysis, history, folk studies and literature, will be employed in order to discuss the three characters. The concept of "Unconscious Fantasy" will be discussed as instrumental in providing an insight into the reasons behind the necessity of recurring elements, in view of its connections to the readers' fantasies and their desire to fulfill them. Keywords: Hero, unconscious fantasy, hero patterns, psychoanalysis, hero myths