A character who announces change and kicks the protagonist into action, often delivering the call to adventure.
In Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey and Jungian archetypal theory, the herald is the character or force that signals that change is coming. The herald delivers news, issues a challenge, or creates a disruption that makes it impossible for the protagonist to keep living their normal life. The herald does not have to be a person - it can be an event, a letter, a dream, or even an internal realization - but when it shows up in the form of a character, that character's primary narrative function is to set the story in motion.
Every story needs a spark, and the herald is usually the one holding the match. Understanding this archetype helps you craft the pivotal moment where your protagonist's world shifts. A well-written herald does not just dump information - they create urgency, raise questions, and make the reader lean forward in their seat.
Gandalf is the textbook herald. He shows up uninvited, scratches a mark on Bilbo's door, and by the next evening, Bilbo's comfortable life has been blown wide open by thirteen dwarves and a quest.
Effie Trinket serves as the herald when she draws Prim's name at the Reaping. The herald does not have to be sympathetic - Effie cheerfully announces the event that will destroy Katniss's world.
The literal cracking of a continent serves as the herald event. Sometimes the call to adventure is so catastrophic it does not need a face.
The herald's job is to announce change. The mentor's job is to prepare the hero for it. If one character does both, make sure each role gets its own narrative moment.
Even if the herald is a minor character, their arrival should ripple through the story. The news they bring should change the protagonist's trajectory permanently.
Instead of having the protagonist overhear some news, give the call a face or a force. A herald creates a confrontation - something the protagonist has to respond to emotionally.
Write a short scene (300-400 words) where a herald character delivers a call to adventure, but make the herald someone unexpected - not a wizard or a warrior, but a child, a mail carrier, or a stranger in a grocery store. Focus on how the protagonist's reaction to the messenger shapes the reader's understanding of both characters.