Moses Archetypal Hero

“But Moses, you are just one man.” This is what was said to Moses when he is told by God that he is the one who will guide the Hebrews to freedom. In ancient Egyptian times, the Hebrew people were used as slaves. In order to save her newborn son, a Hebrew slave named Yocheved placed him in a basket and sent it floating into the Nile River. The basket floats up to the pharaoh’s wife, Queen Tuya, and she names him Moses. Moses, the Prince of Egypt is a good example of an archetypal hero because he experiences a separation, testing, and a return, all of which are the attributes of a situational archetypal hero. The separation or departure is one of the biggest changes that Moses goes through in order to become an archetypal hero. Moses’s initial separation in his life began when his sister Miriam told him that he was a Hebrew and not related to the pharaoh. His brother, Aaron tried to silence Miriam, but she continued to tell Moses. Aaron

Moses is gradually reintegrated back into the life of the Hebrew people. Initially however, Moses faced opposition from the Hebrew people. They did not want Moses to be their leader because of how he had treated them in the past when he was Egyptian royalty. After the Jews are allowed to leave Egypt, Moses leads them to the promised land. Along the journey to freedom, the Jews are chased by Egyptian soldiers. With the help from God, Moses parts the Red Sea with the staff God gave him, and he leads the Jews to safety. They eventually reach Canaan and Moses is a hero. He is finally accepted by the Hebrews because of what he did for them and he becomes the leader of his people. The Hebrews recognize the sacrifices that Moses made for them, which overcame the negative views that they had about him before. Moses’s acceptance by the Hebrews shows his final reintegration and the last aspect of being an situational archetypal