A common motif in world mythology, including Asian mythology, is that of the hero quest, in which a hero—the representative of a culture—seeks some significant goal or boon for his people. Often the voyage involves archetypal stages such as the miraculous conception or birth, the search for truth or riches or a lost loved one, a struggle with monsters, and the descent to the underworld (see Virgin Birth, Saoshyant, Karna, Gautama Buddha, Rāmāyana, Kṛṣṇa, Guanyin, Descent to the Underworld). The hero quest can be said to reflect our own search for identity in the face of internal and external denials of the call.
