Some of the archetypal elements listed in Appendix 2 resonate in the story of Elvis's life. The shadow, for instance, brings to mind these words from the song "And I Love You So":

Then, there is the protective and nurturing mother, and the maiden who is to be protected from monsters and shadows, but who, because of flaws, may cause the destruction of the hero. Certainly, Priscilla was involved in the burning of Elvis's religious books in 1967, which was a setback to his spiritual journey. The controlling elements around him did not want Elvis to become more religious, and Priscilla was probably used by them.

These, then are the archetypes which have been described in this paper: The Hero; The King; The Saviour; The Fairytale Prince; Superman; The Hero's Journey; and, Faces. Overall, how does Elvis match up against the myth of the hero?

Elvis matches some elements in most of them. On first sight, the fairytale prince is the closest, with a modern twist. Elvis himself becomes an archetype for the modern day family breakdown and the dangers of fame and drugs. But also, he was a type of superman in his own way - an ordinary person who became larger than life onstage and reached out to masses of people - and he even had the classic features of ancient statues! Heroes can have flaws and still find redemption. While Elvis does not particularly fit the saviour archetype, the shrines, pilgrimage and candlelight vigils suggest a strong religious aura around him. For his part, he did not see himself as the leader of a new religion or cult, but as a conduit to existing faiths.

The Lighted Candle site considers that Elvis best fits the wounded king archetype: Elvis was inadequately empowered and could not complete his mission. Rosen, in The Tao of Elvis, also suggests that Elvis failed to conquer his internal demons and achieve the necessary transformation or "wholeness", but that he can be redeemed through his suffering and his empathy for the suffering of others. According to Madeleine Wilson, of the British Elvis Gospel Fan Club: "His problem was that he was not fulfilling his destiny. Sometimes it breaks your heart to know how unhappy he was. Elvis should have been a preacher. He knew what he was meant to do, but the pressures on him were so great." (Rhodes, 2002).

But did Elvis really fail to fulfill his destiny? That depends, of course, on what you think his destiny was. Certainly his career was stunted and stifled by his manager, and Elvis himself thought he was going nowhere. He failed to find fulfilment and peace of mind on a personal level. However, if his mission was to preach and bring people back to spiritual values, then maybe he did succeed and is still succeeding. He incorporated preaching into his later concerts, reading the Bible and singing gospel songs on stage. Even now, so long since his death, there have been instances of people being drawn to religion as a result of listening to Elvis's music, especially his gospel songs.

"We still create myths and heroes today. We need heroes to look up to and help us make sense of our own lives. In the USA, John F. Kennedy was a typical example of the mythologizing of a human figure: his achievements have become enhanced despite his failings, and his tragic death sealed the legend. Similarly, Ataturk in Turkey or Gaddafi in Libya have been mythologized by their cultures. There are many others. We still need heroes, and are prepared to forgive their faults in return for their defeat of shadow, and their presence as beacons of hope." (Steele, 1998).