Archetypes

Archetypes

Why do we need stories?

Why do we need stories? To explain natural phenomenon such as great floods

and the creation of the world To answer such questions such as why we are born and

why we die To help us escape reality by entering a world where

the good guy wins, the forces of evil are defeated, and love conquers all

To help define the roles of good and evil such as the hero and the villain so that we might recognize them in reality

What is an “archetype”?

Original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations.

A perfect example Recurring patterns of situations,

characters, or symbols existing universally and instinctively in the collective unconscious.

Carl G. Jung

What characteristics do archetypes share?

Not individual but the part we share with all humanity. Connect us to our past and connect our past to a common

source Not directly knowable but instead express themselves in forms. Universal Cannot be explained by interaction among cultures—

geography and history often made this impossible. Recurrent, appearing in slightly altered forms to relate present

day situations to the past for meaning

Character Archetypes

Situational Archetypes

Symbolic Archetypes

Three types of archetypesThree types of archetypes



THE HERO— mother is sometimes a virgin; circumstances of birth are unusual; some attempt is made at birth to kill him; raised by foster parents, returns to his kingdom to right wrongs; marries a princess; becomes king; meets a mysterious death; body is sometimes burned or missing rather than buried


YOUNG ONE FROM THE PROVINCES— hero is taken away as a young man and raised by strangers; when he returns home, he can view problems objectively and can solve them easier


THE INITIATE— young heroes or heroines who go through training; usually innocent and may wear white


MENTOR—teacher or counselor to the initiate; often are father or mother figures to the hero or heroine


PARENT/CHILD CONFLICT— father and son are separated and do not meet until the son is an adult; often the mentor is more loved and respected than the parent


The Herald— Heralds act to signal change and invite the character to answer the call to adventure. Their job is to motivate the hero into action, despite the hero’s frequent desire to maintain the status quo. Heralds can be people, objects or acts of nature.


Threshold Guardians— The Threshold Guardian's job is to ensure the protagonist is worthy of passing the threshold, and thus they act as part of the tests the protagonist must face in the journey. They can also be inanimate objects or forces of nature


HUNTING GROUP OF COMPANIONS— loyal companions willing to face any number of dangers to be together


LOYAL RETAINERS- somewhat like servants to the hero who are heroic themselves; their duty is to protect the hero and reflect the honor and nobility of the hero


FRIENDLY BEASTS – These creatures aid or

serve the hero/heroine and symbolize how nature is on the side of the hero/heroine


DEVIL FIGURE— evil incarnate; offers worldly goods, fame, or knowledge to the hero in exchange for possession of the soul


CREATURE OF NIGHTMARE— animal or creature disfigured or mutated; monsters who are the antagonists in the story


EVIL FIGURE WITH GOOD HEART— redeemable evil figure saved by the nobility or love of the hero.


SCAPEGOAT—animal or human who is unjustly held responsible for others’ sins; sacrificed but they often become more powerful force dead than alive

Character Archetypes OUTCAST—figure

banished from a social group for some crime against his fellow man (could be falsely accused of a crime or could choose to banish himself from guilt), or for a questionable past


EARTHMOTHER— offers spiritual and emotional nourishment to those she meets; shown in earth colors and has large breasts and hips symbolic of her childbearing capabilities


TEMPTRESS— sensuous beauty; tries to bring about the hero’s downfall because he is physically attracted to her


PLATONIC IDEAL— female figure who provides intellectual stimulation for the hero; he is not physically attracted to her

Character Archetypes THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE

— a married woman who finds her husband dull or unattractive seeks a more virile or interesting man. Archetypically, the woman is the center of the family and is responsible for keeping it together.

Character Archetypes DAMSAL IN

DISTRESS— The vulnerable woman must be rescued by the hero. She is often a trap by the devil figure or the temptress to ensure the unsuspecting hero cannot finish the journey.


STAR-CROSSED LOVERS— two lovers forbidden to be together because of the rules of society or family; often ends tragically


Situational Archetypes THE QUEST—search for

someone or some object, which when it is found and brought back will restore life to a wasted land, and the desolation of which is mirrored by a leader’s illness and disability.

THE TASK—to save the kingdom, to win the fair lady, the hero performs some superhuman deed to identify himself so that he may assume his rightful position

Situational Archetypes THE JOURNEY—the hero goes in

search of some truth or information to restore life to the kingdom; he must descend into a real or psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest truths about himself (usually his faults); he must then decide to return to the world of the living; this could also appear as a group of isolated people (trapped on a boat, bus, island) to represent society

Situational Archetypes THE INITIATION— the

awakening of a teenager or an initiation into adult life; the adolescent comes into his/her maturity with new awareness and problems along with a new hope for the community

THE RITUAL— actual ceremony that marks a new stage (rite of passage) in life (weddings, funerals, coronations)

Situational Archetypes THE MAGIC WEAPON

— The weapon the hero needs in order to complete the quest; represents the extraordinary quality of the hero because no one else can wield the weapon or use it to its full potential. It is usually given by a mentor figure and can only be used by the hero.


THE FALL—descent from a higher to a lower state of being; characters experience a loss of innocence and often experience an expulsion from a kind of paradise as a penalty for their disobedience and moral transgression


THE UNHEALABLE WOUND— a wound that is either physical or psychological; it cannot be healed fully; indicates a loss of innocence; always aches and may drive the sufferer to desperate measures


DEATH AND REBIRTH— deals with the similarities between the cycle of nature and life; morning and springtime represent birth, youth, or rebirth; evening and winter suggest old age or death


NATURE vs. MECHANISTIC WORLD — that which is natural, or part of the natural order is good. Technology which separates people from nature, or the natural world, is bad.


BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL— good triumphs over the opposing force of evil despite great odds, keeping mankind hopeful (optimism)

Symbolic Archetypes

Symbolic Archetypes

LIGHT VS. DARKNESS— light suggests hope, renewal, or intellectual illumination; darkness suggests the unknown, ignorance, or despair.

Symbolic Archetypes

INNATE WISDOM VS EDUCATED STUPIDITY— Uneducated characters can often be wise using their common sense while some very educated characters have no common sense

Symbolic Archetypes

SUPERNATURAL INTERVENTION— the gods or special forces most often intervene on the side of the hero to assist him in his quest

Symbolic Archetypes

FIRE VS. ICE— fire, a positive archetype, can represent knowledge, light, life, and rebirth while ice can represent ignorance, darkness, sterility, and death

Symbolic Archetypes

HAVEN VS. WILDERNESS— for the hero, places of safety are required for time to regain health and resources; these hideouts are often in unusual places

Symbolic Archetypes WATER vs. DESERT—

Because water is necessary to life and growth, it commonly appears as a birth symbol, as baptism symbolizes a spiritual birth. Rain, rivers, oceans, etc. also function the same way. The desert suggests the opposite.

Symbolic Archetypes

HEAVEN VS. HELL— gods live in the skies or mountaintops; evil forces live in the bowels of the earth

Documents

Archetypes