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Luke Skywalker - Welcome Banner (Cropped)

Luke Skywalker from Star Wars is an example of an archetypal Chosen One[1][2]

The Chosen One, also known as The One or The Chosen, is a narrative trope where one character, usually the protagonist, is framed as the inevitable hero or antihero of the story, as a result of destiny, unique gifts, and/or special lineage.[3][4][5][6][7] The trope is similar to the hero's journey template, where the main difference is that The Chosen One usually doesn't have a choice because of destiny.[3] Chosen One narratives often incorporate Bildungsroman, following the growth of a character from childhood to adulthood.[8][9][10] The character's gifts, lineage or destiny are often unknown at the start of the plot or presented to the audience as dramatic irony. The Chosen One trope is rooted in religion and mythology, and often appears in speculative fiction that uses elements of mythology.[5][7] The Chosen One trope has been compared to the religious concept of messiah.[8][11]

See also[]

  • The Hero with a Thousand Faces
  • King asleep in mountain
  • Christ figure

References[]

  1. Gawaran, Alyssa (2022-11-05). "Top 7 Chosen One Characters in Movie History". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2023-09-30. {{cite web}}:
  2. Ma, Dafni (2023-01-26). "7 Great Movies That Feature The Chosen One". Game Rant. Retrieved 2023-09-30. {{cite web}}:
  3. 3.0 3.1 Stoebakk, Anita Olsen (2017-11-05). ""The Chosen One" In Genre Literature". The Nerd Daily. Retrieved 2022-08-29. {{cite web}}:
  4. "Definition of CHOSEN". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-08-29. {{cite web}}:
  5. 5.0 5.1 "What does the Chosen One mean? - eNotes.com". eNotes. Retrieved 2022-08-29. {{cite web}}:
  6. Bradford, K. Tempest (2008-07-23). ""The Chosen One" vs. The One Who Chooses". Fantasy Magazine. Retrieved 2022-08-29. {{cite web}}:
  7. 7.0 7.1 Pool, Katy Rose (2019-09-09). "Are You The One? Exploring The Chosen One Trope in SFF". Tor.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13. {{cite web}}:
  8. 8.0 8.1 Chowdhury, Radhiah (2006-12-01). "A chosen sacrifice: the doomed destiny of the Child Messiah in late twentieth-century children's fantasy" (in English). Papers: Explorations into Children's Literature 16 (2): 107–112. https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=LitRC&sw=w&issn=10349243&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA161909175&sid=googleScholar&linkaccess=abs. 
  9. Hoyle, K. B. (2021-11-09). ""Paul Atreides Must Die": Dune as Bildungsroman". Christ and Pop Culture. Retrieved 2022-08-29. {{cite web}}:
  10. Staff Writer. "Book review | 'Cursed Child': Like series, Harry Potter script is a page-turner". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2022-08-29. {{cite web}}:
  11. Forhan, Connor (2022-04-01). "The One: "Dune's" Paul Atreides as the Quintessential Messiah". POVwinona. Retrieved 2023-08-07. {{cite web}}:
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