Mythological Archetypes

							                                Mythological Archetypes

Myth is generally universal (although each culture may have its own spin on a story type)
*they will have similar motifs and themes in most mythology

1. Images
Water: creation, birth/death/resurrection, purification, fertility, growth
     Sea: mother of life, spiritual mystery and infinity, death/rebirth, timelessness, and
       eternity, the unconscious
     Rivers: death/rebirth, flow of time, transition in life cycle, deities incarnate

Sun: creative energy, law in nature, consciousness—thinking, enlightenment, wisdom,
spiritual vision—father figure, passage of time
     Rising Sun: Birth, creation, enlightenment
     Setting Sun: Death

Colors: the images colors represent here are based on western culture, as in eastern
cultures, some archetypes may differ.
     Red-blood, sacrifice, violence, passion, disorder
     Green-growth, sensation, hope, fertility. neg.-death/decay
     Blue-usually always positive, truth, religious thought, security, spiritual purity
        (Mary)
     Black (darkness)-chaos, mystery, the unknown, death, primal wisdom, the
        unconscious, evil, melancholy
     White-+ values—light, purity, innocence, timelessness…- values—death, terror,
        supernatural, blinding truth

Circle: wholeness, unity
     Egg (oval)- mystery of life, forces of generation
     Yin/Yang- representing union of opposite forces---Yang: masculine,
        light/active/conscious Yin: feminine, darkness/passive/ unconscious
     Ouroboros- ancient symbol of snake biting own tail—eternal cycle of life

Serpent: Energy, pure force, evil, corruption, sensuality, destruction, mystery, wisdom,
the unconscious

Numbers: the three more potent numbers
    3- light, spiritual awareness and unity (holy trinity) male
    4- associated with circle, life cycle, 4 seasons, female, earth, nature—earth, wind,
      fire, water
    7- most potent—union of 3 and 4, completion of cycle, perfect order

2. Archetype of Woman

    Good Mother—positive aspect of Earth Mother: life, birth, warmth, nourishment,
     protection, fertility, growth, abundance
    Terrible Mother—negative aspects of Earth Mother: witch, siren, whore, femme
     fatal, sensuality, sex, fear, danger, darkness, dismemberment, emasculation,
     death, the unconscious
    The Soul Mate—Sophia, Holy Mother, princess or “beautiful lady”, incarnation
     of inspiration and spiritual fulfillment

3. The Wise Old Man: savior, redeemer, guru
     Personification of spiritual power, representing knowledge, reflection, insight
       wisdom, cleverness, intuition, moral qualities—goodwill, readiness to help
        *test moral qualities of others
        *appears when hero is hopeless, desperate, or clueless

4. The Hero-transformation and redemption
     The Quest—hero (savior/deliverer) undertakes long journey—performs
       impossible tasks, battles monsters, solves unanswerable riddles and overcomes
       obstacle to save the day
     The Initiation—Hero undergoes horrible ordeals, passing from ignorance to
       maturity—becomes full member of society…separation, transformation and
       return.
     Sacrificial Scapegoat—hero must die to atone for mistakes, miscalculation, sins,
       etc. of others and restore normalcy or fruitfulness.

5. The Trickster- joker, jester, clown, fool, fraud, prankster, poltergeist, con man,
shaman, magician.
     Opposite of old man (affinity with the shadow)
     Mischievous, unexpected, disorder
     Amoral
     Represents primordial dawning consciousness
     Cathartic value-pent up social pressures
     Reminder of mankind’s fallibility, primitive origin
     Effort for human and cultural survival
     Survivor and transformer

6. Creation: almost every mythology has same type of story
     Cosmos, nature, humankind brought into being by supernatural Being of pantheon
       of Beings

Genres—
    Spring-comedy
    Summer-romance
    Fall-tragedy
    Winter-irony