Two journeys, two types of agency: In 1990, Maureen Murdock defined the heroine’s journey as a contrast to the hero’s journey of her mentor, Joseph Campbell. Here, the “elixir” is not conquest and dominance, but healing, identity, and integration. Two journeys, two promises: While the classic hero’s journey is one of solitary struggle and personal triumph, the heroine’s journey centers on relationships, empathy, and shared power. But which narrative is the dominant one?