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 archetypes

Character Archetypes

Character 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

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

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.

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

HUNTING GROUP OF

COMPANIONS—

loyal companions

willing to face any

number of dangers to be

together

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

FRIENDLY BEASTS –

These creatures aid or

serve the hero/heroine

and symbolize how

nature is on the side of

the hero/heroine

Character Archetypes

DEVIL FIGURE—

evil incarnate; offers

worldly goods,

fame, or knowledge

to the hero in

exchange for

possession of the

soul

Character Archetypes

CREATURE OF

NIGHTMARE—

animal or creature

disfigured or

mutated; monsters

who are the

antagonists in the

story

Character Archetypes

EVIL FIGURE WITH

GOOD HEART—

redeemable evil figure

saved by the nobility or

love of the hero.

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

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

Character Archetypes

TEMPTRESS—

sensuous beauty;

tries to bring about

the hero’s downfall

because he is

physically attracted

to her

Character Archetypes

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.

Character Archetypes

STAR-CROSSED

LOVERS— two

lovers forbidden to

be together because

of the rules of

society or family;

often ends tragically

Situational Archetypes

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.

Situational Archetypes

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

Situational Archetypes

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

Situational Archetypes

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

Situational Archetypes

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.

Situational Archetypes

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