"What each must seek in his own life never was on land or sea. It is something that never has been and never could have been experienced by anyone else." This inspirational quote is one of many by the great American mythologist, Joseph Campbell. He did not believe that people go through life searching for its meaning, but they go through life looking to experience it. This is true for many hero myths from various cultural backgrounds. Even though these myths have this similarity, they also have very different journeys for their search or experience of life. A few of these ancient myths include the stories of Kwasi Benefo an African Myth, Job from the Old Testament, and Gilgamesh from the Mesopotamian myths. Since each of the stories come from different cultures, they have their own sense of presentation, which makes it easier to define their background. The different cultural journeys that each of the characters pursue are varying in their goals, but still ultimately attempt to teach a valuable lesson in each. By adhering to these journeys, each of the characters are, in essence, considered heroes in both the modern and ancient definitions, but to me only a hero that fulfills the storybook outline of being selfless, brave, and respectable, can be an ideal hero.
The story of Job from the Old Testament was a purely a test of faith of Job. Like the heroes in the other two stories, Job was a very fortunate man who lived a decent life. But as with any hero, there must be a compliance with the second stage of Joseph Campbell's "Three Stage Process," the trial in the belly of the beast. In Job's case, the trial is a test of faith in "the belly" of Satan. Just as the many other stories of the Bible, the purpose is to teach people principles, honesty and what it takes to be true to God. Job is put through this definitive test to prove himself to God.
Little did Job know that everything he had would be shattered at the hands of Satan.