The patterns which are ascribed to heroes by Raglan[1] may in many ways be applied to groups of heroes or heroic teams such as the Ninja Turtles, the Fantastic Four, or the Three Musketeers.  The traits of a hero outlined in Raglan’s Quest of the Hero are applicable to these groups because they are all centralized around a commonality among the heroes who comprise the membership of the group.  The ways in which they acquire their heroic status, as well as the challenges which they face are almost exclusively shared among all of them, and in this way they function as a singular unit.  To analyze the dynamics presented by a group of heroes I will focus upon the characters of Dumas’ Three Musketeers[2]. 

Because of the nature of the group each of the members may individually meet Raglans specifications, but the group as a whole misses the mark entirely.  The dynamic of the social element presented in a group of heroes alters the basic concept of a hero from the idea of the individual finding his place in the world, to not only that, but how once he has found his place, how this position fits into the broader existence of the global society and in many cases into a universal order. Through analyzing the dynamics of heroic groups we can see how they reflect the struggle of the individual to find their place in their own immediate social network, as well as their attempt at understanding how their family, community, or society fits into context of the world at large.  The definition of a hero in the context of a social group makes it apparent that whenever there is a need for heroic action, someone will step up to the challenge, especially if they have the social network to provide support.  In this way the individual members of a group of heroes are not necessarily heroic by their own right, but they are made heroic by their membership to the group.

            I will attempt to show how the patterns of a hero outlined by Raglan apply to the group as well as one of the individuals who comprise it and through this it will be apparent how the dynamics of a group acting as heroes in some ways adhere to this pattern and others are in conflict with it.  A new pattern arises from the group of heroes because it seems that alone each of the members are not heroic in their own right, it is only through the group that each of them may be considered to have heroic status.

            The Musketeers are the personal body guards of the king of France, and in the film they are in danger of being disbanded so that the Cardinal Richelieu may over-throw the monarchy.  d’Artagnon the main hero of the story is from a noble family in Glascon (1), he leaves his home in Glascon to become a Musketeer (7/10), upon his arrival in Paris, he is assaulted and loses nearly all his possessions (6), after meeting with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis and fighting for their cause (11) he is enlisted as a Musketeer (13).  D’Artagnon by himself scores merely 6.  These aspects of the character d’Artagnon are only vaguely in accordance with the pattern outlined by Raglan. 

            The story of the Musketeers as a whole is somewhat interesting when the heroic patterns are applied because it seems to fall in reverse order in places.  The Musketeers are created as the personal body guards to the king of France (2), they remain honored in their post for years (14), but soon the Cardinal Richelieu conspires against the king and in doing so disbands them (16/17).  The pattern then reverts to the beginning of the pattern, because although there is an attempt to destroy them (6), Porthos, Aramis, and Athos rebel and keep safe in hiding (7).  Upon meeting d’Artagnon they are presented with an opportunity for redemption and return to Paris to protect the king (11), whereupon they are reinstated as the official body guards (13).  Again however the pattern only scores 8.

            The most interesting component of the heroic group is that each of the members maintains their humanity while still being part of something superhuman.  They each may follow their personal pursuits so long as those goals conform to the overall goal of the group.  In the Three Musketeers, d’Artagnon’s primary goal was to become a member of the Musketeers, in following this goal of his he achieved the goals of the group as a whole, which at the time was survival and protection of the state.  The ability for each member of the group to remain an individual while at the same time achieve a heroic status as a whole is significant because normal heroes must give up their individual lives and make sacrifices because of their heroic status.  Whether this sacrifice of self is voluntary or not, it seems that it is necessary for the hero to have a flaw in either their being or in their personal life. This flaw is created in the process by which they become a hero.  This aspect of the hero is not present in the heroic group because as a group, each individual member is in and of themselves wholly replaceable.  The individual is of no great significance to the definition of the whole.  Each individual is important to the success of the group, but so far as the direction or goal of the group, each individual member is secondary. 

            The heroic pattern created by Raglan assumes that each hero is immutable and that all those who rise to heroic status encounter their challenges alone.  This assumption is clearly false because there is rarely ever a time when any person takes on a challenge, personal or public, alone.  The inclusion of others into the struggle of the individual for a greater cause has been a theme in mythologies which often times revolve around social conflict.  This theme is present whenever there is a threat of political change or social disorder.  The story of The Three Musketeers was formed by an author who lived immediately following the French Revolution and personally witnessed the upheavals and consequences of this action.  His heroes exhibit the qualities and characteristics of normal people whose livelihood is threatened by a force greater than them and they must unite to fight it or die individually.

            Often times the revolutionary group or society manifests itself in the form of a single hero.  The hero who exemplifies the qualities which are valued by the group and move the group to action are displayed in this central figure to the story, but these qualities do not necessarily make that figure a hero.  The heroic element still remains with the group as a whole, because it is within the group that the ideal of the movement lies, and it is through the action of the group that the goal is ultimately achieved.   In the case of The Three Musketeers, the three remaining Musketeers would not have had their opportunity to avenge themselves had d’Artagnon not displayed the brazen, even foolhardy, determination that he did.  D’Artagnon displays several of the qualities of a man upheld by the Musketeers, and these qualities are those things which at first get him in trouble, but in the end they are what enable and evoke Porthos, Aramis, and Athos into action against the treasonous Cardinal.  Alone d’Artagnon’s headstrong nature and borderline foolhardy courage would get him into trouble, as it did in the beginning of the film when he accepts challenges from three different men in one day.  Had the fight not been interrupted he surely would have been killed or wounded and therefore unable to join the Musketeers to become the hero who he was meant to be.  The characteristics which make a hero, often times may bring him close to causing his own destruction.

            Because of the nature of groups and social orders, the gender of the individuals which comprise the groups often times does not matter.  The members of the Musketeers are all men, however this is just one group among many others.  The Argonauts had Medea, the X-Men, the Justice League and even the knights of Arthur’s court accepted female members or leadership (as in the case of Guenevere).  The group of heroes, as I have stated earlier, often times reflects the society as it transitions from one political system to another or as it evolves across time.  By its very nature then it seems essential to have some feminine and masculine components represented in the heroes which come out of these times.  Sometimes the way in which the issue of gender of the social order is addressed by the way the group of individuals interacts with the opposite sex.   In the case of the group of prisoners in Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman, the idealization of women and the interaction between Luke and his mother portrays the characteristics which are valued by the group and therefore representative of the society as a whole.  

            The idea of a heroic group taken from Wendy Doniger’s view of “Pre and Postmodern Narrative Recycling”[3] reveals greater insight into what might motivate the individuals to join with the group and what makes them heroic in the first place.  The idea that a person must wear a mask or pretend to be someone else impersonating themselves to truly become who they are shows what makes it appealing for an individual to join with a group of like-minded people for a greater good.  The ability to imitate someone else who we believe to be imitating us[4] makes it easier to reveal the inner self.  It removes the self from the equation entirely and makes it easier to express the views which are closest to the heart, the views or beliefs which are most fragile and damaging to the self may be revealed and even exalted when backed by the group.

            This self fulfillment through group involvement is common throughout all of the groups which have been mentioned.  Each of the members of the group seeks to find out who they are or seeks to achieve some personal goal through involvement of the group. d’Artagnon wishes to become a Musketeer by joining with the remaining three, Batman seeks protection for Gotham through joining the Justice League, each member of the Fantastic Four seeks a normal life through the support of each other.  The individuals who join these heroic groups or movements are all in it for personal reasons, yet at the same time the fulfillment of their personal goals often result from the fulfillment of the group as a whole.  D’Artagnon becomes a Musketeer by helping them to be reinstated, Batman saves Gotham by helping the Justice League save Earth, and the soldiers of Sparta save their home by defending all of Greece.  Through achieving the goals of the group as a whole, the personal goals of the individual hero are also met. 

            Through joining with something that the individual sees as a representation of themselves they are empowered to act according to their internal desires and are released from having to place up a front to hide behind.  The group allows them to use the characteristics which they have been endowed with to provoke the group to action and to fulfillment of its overall goals so that the individual may achieve their personal goals with the support of others.  This acceptance into a social group is the primary driving force behind much of what a person does. 

            Often times individuals in the stories would not have risen to the heroic status had they not been driven there from external forces.  They might contain the characteristics of a hero within themselves, but without the motivating force of others they might not have realized their potential.  “Individuals are often driven to self-impersonation through the pressure of public expectations.”[5]  The self-impression which Doniger is referring to is the impression which the individual is expected to adhere to.  D’Artagnon, having gotten himself involved in three duels in one day is expected to just as brashly go headlong into the fight against the Cardinal without a moments thought.  He is pushed not by his companions, but by himself because of the way he thinks others must perceive him as a prospective Musketeer. 

            The social dynamics presented by the introduction of a group in the notion of a hero completely rewrite what it means to be a hero.  It makes it possible for any individual to become a hero so long as they find a group which will promote them to act as well as a group within which they may achieve their personal goals.  The characteristics of a hero become blurred because there is no concrete definition of what a hero is.  The heroic group acts as a representation of a transitory time within each of the members of the group as well as the society as a whole.