Common Archetypes

Carl Jung

Common Archetypes

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • The Mentor The Hero The Warrior The Child The Mother The Trickster The Herald The Shapeshifter The Anima/Animus The Self The Shadow The Maiden The Creator The Twins (Gemini) The Original Man

The Hero

• In it’s Greek origin, the hero/heroine represented any character that was half god and half human.

• Later hero and

heroine

came to refer to characters that, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self-sacrifice.

• Began as exemplifying courage/prowess later shifted to demonstrate good morality.

The Hero

• Mythological examples of the hero include: Hercules, Achilles, Vainomonen, Gilgamesh, Noah • Present fictional examples include Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker

The Mentor

• Also called the Old Man or Wise Old man or Woman.

• This type of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance.

• He may occasionally appear as an absent-minded professor, losing track of his surroundings because of his thoughts.

• The wise old man is often seen to be in some way "foreign", that is, from a different culture, nation, or occasionally, even a different time, than those he advises.

The Mentor

• In mythology, this characteristic is generally given when one of the gods comes to speak to a mortal.

• Zeus, Odin, Hera, Dagda, are all examples of mentor gods/goddesses in different contexts.

• In modern fiction, we see the mentor in characters like Yoda, Obi-Wan, Dumbledore, and Gandalf, and of course, Mr. Miagi.

The Warrior

• The Warrior is that part of ourselves that protects emotional boundaries and asserts our needs in the world. • Stands where the King tells it to stand. • The King initiates it, gives it a cause, a mission -- as a general gives the soldier his mission. • The Warrior serves the King and follows the King's instructions to the letter. • Key words to describe the Warrior are

duty, honor, loyalty, discipline, boundaries

. • The Warrior's tool is the sword (or any equivalent weapon of protection and assertion, including, in martial arts, the human body).

The Warrior

• Mythological examples include Mars, Athena, Thor, Launcelot.

• Modern fictional examples include too many to mention. Anyone who functions as a protector to the Hero. Han Solo?

The Child/The Innocent

• The Child or the Innocent is a common archetype seen across all cultures and countries.

• This archetype is usually represented by a human or a god who is considered an innocent without corruption. These characters generally represent hope, and provide wisdom which stems from their innocence.

The Child/The Innocent

• Examples in mythology include Eros, Pandora, Baby New Year, etc.

• Examples in fiction include Forest Gump, Frodo, Harry Potter, Rain Man, among others.

The Mother

• The Goddess/ Great Mother archetype is one seen in many different mythologies.

• The mother archetype is typically seen as both nurturing and caring, as well as volatile and tempermental.

• The mother archetype is a celebration of the uniquely female act of creation, and is one of the oldest celebrated symbols in human existence.

The Mother

• Hera or Terra, the Goddess, Isis, Tiamat, and many other images are seen in as mother or Great Mother figures.

• In modern fiction any distinctly maternal figure is seen this way. • Galadriel from the Lord of the Rings.

• Queen Elizabeth is regarded historically as a maternal figure, despite never having given birth herself.

The Trickster

• The

Trickster

embodies the energy of mischief and the desire for

change

. • Tricksters cut big egos down to size and, most importantly, provide comic relief that eases tension and brings the Hero (and the audience) down to earth. • They also work to make fun of/highlight hypocrisy. • Still, the Trickster's loyalty and motives can be in doubt. Is the Trickster an ally? An agent of the Shadow? Or an independent agent working to some private agenda? • This character is so dedicated to laughing at the "status quo" and mocking everything around him that his true motives can remain in doubt.

The Trickster

• Loki, Hermes, Raven, Anansi, and Coyote are all excellent examples of the trickster archetype.

• In modern fiction we see the trickster as the force of chaos in the universe, not necessarily evil or good, just representative of change/chaos. • Can anyone say… the Joker?

The Herald

• The role of the herald is to announce the challenge which begins the hero on his story journey.

• The herald is the person or piece of information which upsets the sleepy equilibrium in which the hero has lived and starts the adventure.

• The herald need not be a person. It can be an event or force: the start of a war, a drought or famine, or even an ad in a newspaper.

The Herald

• Gandalf functioned this way • Hermes, Mercury, Archangel Gabriel are all good examples of this type of category.

The Shapeshifter

• The shapeshifter changes role or personality, often in significant ways, and is hard to understand. That very changeability is the essence of this archetype. • The shapeshifter's alliances and loyalty are uncertain, and the sincerity of his claims is often questionable. • The shapeshifter is often a person of the opposite sex, often the hero's romantic interest.

The Shapeshifter

• In other stories the shapeshifter may be a friend or ally of the same sex, often a buddy figure, or in fantasies, a magical figure such as a shaman or wizard.

• Any character can take on attributes of the shapeshifter at different times in the story. • Han Solo would fit well into this category.

Anima/Animus

• Characters who we associate with our inner, subconscious images of male and female gender roles.

The Shadow

• The Shadow archetype is a negative figure, representing things we don't like and would like to eliminate.

• The shadow often takes the form of the antagonist in a story. But not all antagonists are villains; sometimes the antagonist is a good guy whose goals disagree with the protagonist's. If the antagonist is a villain, though, he's a shadow.

The Shadow

• The shadow is the worthy opponent with whom the hero must struggle. In a conflict between hero and villain, the fight is to the end; one or the other must be destroyed or rendered impotent.

• While the shadow is a negative force in the story, it's important to remember that no man is a villain in his own eyes. In fact, the shadow frequently sees himself as a hero, and the story's hero as his villain. • Many modern novels, comics, movies, etc have taken to using this idea to entertain a new slant on an old story.

The Maiden

• The maiden archetype represents purity, innocence, and, in all likelihood, naivete. • Think Disney princess… (the early ones, not the more recent empowered ones.)

The Creator

• The Creator archetype is often the all powerful omniscient figure responsible for the condition of the world. • In many works his/her/its motivations are unclear, and the answers given (when given) are cryptic riddles at best.

The Twins

• The twins imagery occurs in multiple branches of mythology.

• They are typically physical representations of the duality of nature.

• Quite often they are in either direct opposition or total accord with each other, little middle ground.

• They can be literal twins or figurative.

The Original man

• The first ‘man’ to walk the earth.

• His is a journey of discovery and often ‘naming.’ • His journeys typically explain the most basic foundations and functions in day to day living for a culture.

• The base standard for morality is determined here.