The 'death' of the Hero in the life of a boy (or a man) really means that he has finally encountered his limitations. He has met the enemy, and the enemy is himself. He has met his own dark side, his very 𝙪𝙣heroic side. He has fought the dragon and been burned by it; he has fought the revolution and drunk the dregs of his own inhumanity. He has overcome the Mother and then realized his incapacity to love the Princess. The 'death' of the Hero signals a boy's or man's encounter with true humility.

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Robert Moore, Douglas Gillette