Adapted from a presentation by Cici ly Coney

ARCHETYPES

What is a Myth?

• Traditional story or legend • Of unknown origin • Tells of historical events that often explain

• a natural phenomenon OR• a cultural practice, belief, or institution

How do Myths work?

• Myths rely on things called archetypes to tell a story.• Archetypal patterns and images exist in every culture and in every time period of human history.

Archetypes

• The original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies. It is the prototype or perfect example.

• In the case of literature, an archetype is a recurring symbol, character type, plot, setting, or theme universally repeated throughout time period and culture.

History of Archetypes

• Developed by Karl Jung (Swedish) and Joseph Campbell (American).

• Psychologists who began examining the mythology of different time periods and cultures.

• Discovered repetitive elements throughout time and culture.

• Contended that archetypes are not premeditated, but an inherent part of the human psyche.• They can be seen as a metaphor for the

human journey to self-knowledge.

Western l iterature rel ies on color imagery to project certain ideas.

COLOR

WHITE• Positive: purity, innocence, light,

bright• Often brides wear it to signify purity• Light of knowledge; enlightenment

• Negative: sterility, emptiness, mourning• Storm troopers wear white; blind

followers of evil

• Positive: elegance, maturity, wisdom• Formal occasions men/women

often wear black• Negative: evil, death, night, chaos

• Darth Vader• Ringwraiths in Lord of the Rings• Dementors in Harry Potter• Many fear mystery of the darkness

BLACK

• Positive: loyalty, peace, coolness, calm, truth• A “true blue” friend is one who stands by

you• Psychological tests show blue to be very

calming• Negative: discouragement, doubt,

depression• Feeling “blue”

BLUE

• Positive: sunshine, wealth, illumination• Precious metal• Sunshine is the giver of life• Golden harvest

• Negative: deceit, cowardice, treason• “yellow-belly” = coward• Cowardly lion

YELLOW/GOLD

• Positive: youth, renewal, hope• Jolly Green Giant• Beauty of Spring

• Negative: jealousy, envy, inexperience• “Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It

is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.”

—Othello Act III Sc.3

• Greenhorn=naive and inexperienced

GREEN

• Positive: royalty, wisdom, valor• Most difficult color of dye to process;

only the wealthiest could afford it• Negative: bruising, injury

PURPLE

• Positive: love, life, passion, sacrifice• Valentine’s Day• Life’s blood

• Negative: anger, lust, violence, ambition• “seeing red”• The Siren often wears red

RED

SHAPE

Thanks for the heaven ly

message brought by

thee,

Ch i ld o f the wander ing sea ,

Cast f rom her lap , for lorn!

Ol iver Wendel l Ho lmes“The Chambered Naut i lus”

Angular Shapes

Triangle – Communication between heaven and earth, fire, trinity, aspiration, movement upward, return to origin, sight, light

Square – Pluralism, earth, firmness, stability, construction, material solidity

Cross – The Tree of Life, axis of the world, struggle, martyrdom

Curved Shapes

Circle – Heaven, intellect, thought, the sun, unity perfection, eternity, oneness, completeness, hearing, sound

Oval – Woman, passivity, life (think egg), forces of time

Spiral – Evolution of the universe, orbit, growth, deepening, cosmic motion, breath, spirit, water

Number symbolism pervades al l cultures.

NUMBERS

0 - 3

• 0=potential and possibility • 1=creation, life, wholeness, unity,

the sun• 2=duality, opposites (i.e.

black/white, male, female, good/bad)

• 3= light, spiritual awareness (Holy Trinity)

4 - 6

• 4= power, associated w/cube, four seasons, cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) elements (earth, air, water, fire) the cross

• 5=natural man (2 arms, 2 legs, head) and five natural senses; five Chinese elements (earth, metal, fire, wood, water)

• 6=love, beauty, romance and harmony between the male and female principles (six days of creation in Genesis)

7

• 7= most potent because it combines 3 (light) +4 (power), perfect order; luck, days of the week, Seven Deadly Sins, Seven Holy Virtues

8 - 10

• 8= infinity symbol; representation of the loop between the conscious and the unconscious

• 9=gestation and birth/rebirth, Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell/Nine Circles of Heaven; nine Greek muses

• 10=solidarity of creatures or resistance to spirit; beginning of new cycle at higher level of awareness; Ten Commandments

11 - 13

• 11= ambiguity; can represent invention and the pioneering spirit

• 12=signs of the zodiac, months of the year, tribes of Israel, gods on Olympus

• 13=traditionally an unlucky number because of association with Judas Iscariot; 13th card in Tarot deck is Death

Based on the work of Joseph Campbell

Steps delineated by Christopher Vogler

THE HERO’S JOURNEY

THE EPIC Physically impressive hero of

national/historical importance

Vast setting Quest/journey for something

of value Supernatural forces Glorification of hero in the

end Rooted in specific

culture/society

• Common characteristics• Unusual birth• Leaving of family or land to reside elsewhere• An event or “call to adventure” that leads him on

a quest• Has a special weapon (talisman) or power only he

can wield• Often has supernatural help• Must prove himself many times, often narrowly

escaping death• Experiences atonement or revenge for father• Upon death, the hero receives spiritual reward

Archetypal Hero

• Innocent: is thrust into the question; doesn’t want to do it, but does because there is nobody else who will

• Orphan: typically on a quest for a family• Warrior: fights vehemently for the success of the quest• Fool: bumbling, silly, succeeds by accident• Caregiver: quest is to give comfort to others• Wanderer: moves from town to town in attempt to find

internal goal• Martyr: makes a conscious decision to die for the success

of the quest• Tragic: experiences an inner struggle because of a

character flaw; that struggle ends in the defeat of the hero• Anti-hero: protagonist who is lacking all heroic qualities

Types of Heroes

Archetypal Villain

• Purpose is to foil the quest of our hero

• Often dressed in black or dark colors• Typically operates in darkness, at

night, or under shroud of mystery

Sidekick

• Aids our hero in his quest• Often adds humor

Fair Maiden• Sought after by both hero and villain•Usually the focus of any romance

Shaman• Wise person• Offers help to our hero• Often teaches hero the skills he needs to succeed on the quest

Siren• Tries to lure our hero away from his

quest• Often female who uses “womanly

wiles” to distract hero• Often wears red• Sometimes disguised as a witch,

animal, or serpent

The archetypal hero will always embark on an inner or outer quest that will test his character and provide him and his

world with a special “elixir” of enlightenment and truth.

Hero’s Journey

• Ordinary World• Something in the hero’s life is

pulling in different directions and causing stress

• Call to Adventure• External or internal pressures

force the hero to face the beginnings of change

• Refusal of the Call• Hero feels the fear of the

unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure

OrdinaryWorld

• Meeting with the Mentor• The hero meets with a traveler of

the worlds who equips him with training, equipment, or advice

• Crossing the Threshold• The hero commits to leave the

ordinary world and enter the unknown

• Tests, Allies, and Enemies• The hero is tested and sorts out

allegiances in the special world

SpecialWorld

• Approach• The hero and allies prepare for

the major challenge in the special world

• Ordeal• The hero confronts death or his

greatest fear. Out of this moment of death comes new life.

• Reward• The hero takes possession of the

treasure won by facing death, but there is the danger of loss.

• The Road Back• The hero completes the challenge

and leaves the Special World to return home.

• Resurrection• The hero is severely tested on the

threshold of home and is purified by a last moment of sacrifice or death and rebirth.

• Return with the Elixir• The hero returns home bearing

some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.

OrdinaryWorld

Recognizing the Journey

With a small group, explain how the steps of the hero’s journey are revealed in a well-known film of your choice.

• The Wizard of Oz• Star Wars• Harry Potter• The Lord of the Rings• Finding Nemo• Toy Story• The Lion King• Shrek

Archetypal Settings

Garden• The Perfect Society

• Abundance of water• Most important ingredient• Life-giving; baptism• Cleanses and renews

• Eternal Springtime• Green and gold• Simplicity and innocence of life• Marked by love and harmony• Think Garden of Eden

•Gray, brown, black• Either way too much water or way too

little• Marked by antagonism, hatred, war• Nature is destructive• Loss of innocence; scarcity of food,

shelter, love despite constant toil

Wasteland

• Our hero’s quest ultimately focuses on reaching his garden setting, whatever that may be

• Can be a physical or symbolic setting• We’re all trying to move toward our own

personal garden setting• Ironically, sometimes in our efforts to create

our garden we’re actually creating a wasteland• Environmentally• Emotionally• Spiritually• Physically

Archetypal Themes

• Hero (good overcoming evil)• Obstacle (struggle with self, struggle with

nature)• Quest• Death and Rebirth• Initiation (coming of age, loss of innocence)• Outcast (alienation, isolation, acceptance of

atypical)