In The Hero With a Thousand Faces, Campbell posits that the goddess exists for the hero to act as a driving force for his journey. When we first meet Leia in Episode IV: A New Hope, she is an image of beauty, dressed in white, desperate to escape the clutches of the Empire. She is anything but the stereotypical damsel in distress. Although a prisoner of Darth Vadar, she alone takes action to help in her own rescue. This is far from the typical fairytale images of women like Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty. A goddess is a ruler, a deity, a supreme being more powerful than a earthly human. Leia remains a strong character throughout each film, and is always at the forefront of the rebellion, as a main character to the plot. As a superhuman character, a goddess, is often in control, and escapes danger time and again. This can be said of Princess Leia. She is bold enough to attempt to rescue Han in Return of the Jedi, even though it results in her capture. Even in the process of being saved, she is always active. When Luke comes to rescue Leia and Han from Jabba, she ends up strangling Jabba with her own chains to escape. Perhaps this is a visual metaphor indicating that she cannot be chained.
In each Episode she becomes increasingly important. In the larger picture, her relationships with Han and Luke motivate both heroes. Leia constantly puts her life on the line for Han and Luke, and in return both men find themselves constantly protecting and fighting for her. For example, in Return of the Jedi, Darth Vadar entices Luke to lash out at him when he insinuates that she could turn to the dark side. She is definitely an intriguing character, and it is interesting to watch the development of Han and Luke around her.
Finally, here's a funny picture of Leia and R2....
