ARCHETYPES

DEFINITION

An archetype is a
universal symbol. These
symbols stretch across
time and culture.
 CARL JUNG

- Swiss psychiatrist
- Studied dreams, personalities,
and religious connections
- 1925 "Bugishu Psychological Expedition"
to East Africa

What he figured out:

- People all over the world have the same dreams and stories
- We have a “collective unconscious” from birth
- The collective unconscious comes out in the form of archetypes
in our stories
Character
Archetypes
 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
 Spirited away and raised by foster
parents
 Almost nothing is known about his
childhood
 Upon reaching manhood he returns to his
future kingdom
 Has a victory over a king or beast
 Marries a princess (gets the girl)
 Has a mysterious death
 THE HERO
• Mythological examples
of the hero include:
Hercules, Achilles,
Gilgamesh, Noah
• Present fictional
examples include Harry
Potter, Luke Skywalker
 THE INITIATES

• Young heroes who must

endure training

• Must complete some

type of quest

• They are Innocent and

often wear white

In order to become a Jedi Knight, Luke

Skywalker must complete his training
(quest).
 ORPHANED HERO

• A hero is spirited away

as a young man and
raised by strangers

• Later returns home

where he is a stranger
who looks to find a
solution to problems
 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 are all
examples of mentor
gods/goddesses in
different contexts.
• In modern fiction, we
see the mentor in
characters like Yoda,
Dumbledore, and
Gandalf, and of course,
Mr. Miagi.
 MENTOR-PUPIL RELATIONSHIP

The mentor teaches by example the skills

necessary to survive the quest.
 FATHER-SON CONFLICT

Tension often results from separation

during childhood or from an external
source. When the individuals meet as
men, the mentor often has a higher
place in the affections of the hero
than the natural parent.
 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.
LOYAL RETAINERS
These individuals are
somewhat like servants
who are heroic
themselves. Their duty
is to protect the hero
and reflect the nobility
of the hero.
 GROUP OF HUNTING
COMPANIONS

Loyal companions willing

to face any number of
perils for the
experience of being
together to share life’s
adventures.
 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.
 FRIENDLY BEAST
This creature shows that even nature
is on the side of the hero.
 THE DEVIL FIGURE

Evil incarnate, this

character offers
worldly goods, fame,
or knowledge to the
protagonist in
exchange for
possession of the
soul.
 THE EVIL FIGURE WITH THE
ULTIMATELY GOOD HEART

A redeemable
devil figure
saved by the
nobility or love
of the hero.
 THE SCAPEGOAT
A human or animal whose death in a public
ceremony expiates some taint or sin that has
been visited upon a community. Death often
makes scapegoats a more powerful force in
the society than when they lived.

Who is our most famous scapegoat?

THE OUTCAST
A figure who is banished from
a social group for some crime
(real or imagined) against a
fellow man. The outcast is
usually destined to become a
wanderer from place to place.
 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 EARTH MOTHER

Symbol of fruition, abundance and fertility. She

provides emotional and spiritual nourishment for
those with whom she comes in contact. Usually is
shown wearing earth colors. She usually has large
breasts and hips to symbolize her childbearing
capabilities.
 THE TEMPTRESS

The temptress is a sensuous beauty that physically

attracts the hero. She usually contributes to his
downfall.
THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE

This woman is married to

a man she finds dull or
boring and is interested
in a more virile or
exciting man.
CHARACTER ARCHETYPES:
DAMSEL IN DISTRESS

• Vulnerable woman who

must be rescued by the
hero

• She is often used as bait

to trap the hero
 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 PLATONIC IDEAL

A woman who the hero is intellectually or spiritually

attracted to. They do not have a romantic
relationship.
 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.
 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.
 STAR-CROSSED LOVERS
A couple that is in love
but their relationship is
not approved of by their
families or society. It is
fated to end tragically
for one or both of them.
 CHARACTER ARCHETYPES:
CREATURE OF A NIGHTMARE
• Monster usually summoned
from the deepest, darkest
parts of the mind

• Threatens the life of the

hero

• Often a perverse or
desecrate form of human