Christopher Vogler The Writers Journey
T h i s legend
tells of a king who was wounded in the thigh and was therefore unable to rule his
land or find any pleasure in life. Under his weakened kingship, the land was dying,
and only the powerful spiritual magic of the H o l y Grail could revive it. T h e quest
by the Knights of the Round Table to find the Grail is the great adventure to restore
health and wholeness to a system that has been almost fatally wounded. T h e Jungian
psychologist Robert A. Johnson brings insight to the meaning of the Fisher King
wound in his book on masculine psychology, He.
Another wounded, almost tragic hero is Tom Dunson, played by John Wayne
in the classic Western Red River. Dunson makes a terrible moral error early in his
career as a cattleman, by choosing to value his mission more than his love, and fol
lowing his head rather than his heart. T h i s choice leads to the death of his lover, and
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