The hero may search for an object or he may search for knowledge for himself or his people. Sometimes his quest is to right a wrong. The hero's quest may be prophecied. Jason's task is to secure the Golden Fleece and thus reclaim his crown. Percival, one of King Arthur's knights, searches for the Holy Grail. The Babylonian hero Gilgamesh, afraid of death, searches for immortality. Bran, the Irish equivalent of the Greek voyager Odysseus, sails for centuries on a quest for the lands beyond the sea.

The hero receives the call to adventure in different ways. Joan of Arc hears voices telling her she is to save France. Moses is summoned by the burning bush to lead his people on a quest for the Promised Land. Some heroes have the counsel of wise women like Jason, who had Aphrodite, and Gilgamesh, who was guided by the goddess Saduri. Sometimes they are tempted by femme fatales who do not always mean them well. The sorceress Medea aided Jason in his challeges in exchange for marrying her, but later she destroyed his family. Gilgamesh rejected the advances of goddess Ianna-Ishtar, which resulted in the death of his best friend.

			Jason is regurgitated after being swallowed by a serpent. Vatican Museums and Galleries