ArchetypesTools for developing personal narratives and myth making

What is an ARCHETYPE?An archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.

An archetype, also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting. Many works of art are shaped by the archetypes.

Researchers have been able to collect & compare the myths, legends, and religions of cultures from around the world. They have been fascinated to discover that for centuries, people who had no contact with each other at all had passed down stories whose characters and events were strikingly similar. Many great thinkers have tried to explain this phenomenon. Noted psychoanalyst Carl Jung introduced a theory that humans have a collective unconscious, which means that there is a store of information that we, as humans, somehow hold. This collection of information includes archetypes, or symbolic figures. Archetypes influence the way we think and behave, as people follow the same patterns throughout time and around the world.

Let’s look at some

examples of archetypes…

THE HERO:

He or she is a character

who predominantly

exhibits goodness

struggles against evil in

order to restore harmony

and justice to the

society.Name some other

heros….

The protector

and leader that

keeps order and

often sets laws

or rules. Many

times the hero

has to break the

rules to

complete their

call to

adventure/quest.

The Father Figure:

The Mother Figure:

The mother archetype shows

itself in lots of ways. The

Great Mother is an archetype

of feminine mystery & power

who appears in forms as

diverse as Mother Earth and

The Wiked Witch. Such

character may be

represented as Fairy

Mother who guides and

directs a child, Mother

Earth who contacts people

and offers spiritual and

emotional nourishment,

and Step Mother who treats

their step children roughly.

Name some

Mother

archetypes…

The

Monster/Villian:

The antagonist,

especially in

opposition to the

hero. (The anti-

hero)

The Innocent

Youth:He or she is

inexperienced with

many weaknesses and

seeks safety of others

but is liked by others

because of the trust he

or she shows on other

people. Sometimes

they are known as The

Divine Child, the child

represents the

potential. The Divine

Child is the archetype

of the regenerative

force that leads us

toward wholeness.

Doppelganger/ The

Shadow:

It is everything in us that is

unconscious, repressed,

undeveloped and denied. It is

everything in us that is

unconscious, repressed,

undeveloped and denied. A

common theme involves the Self

accepting their Shadow,

metaphorically coming to terms with

their flaw. That is, The Hero refuses

to kill the Shadow, given the

opportunity, or outright refuses to

fight it. In the Vampire Diaries, Elena

and Katherine are doppelgangers.

Stephen and Silas are also

doppelgangers. They appear

The Wise Old

Man/Mentor:His or her task is

to protect the main

character. It is

through the wise

advice and

training of a

mentor that the

main character

achieves success

in the world They

can lead us to

higher levels of

awareness, or

away from them.

Trickster

:Trickster plays tricks or

otherwise disobeys

normal rules &

conventional behavior.

Trickster openly

questions & mocks

authority, seeks out new

ideas & experiences,

destroys convention &

complacency, &

promotes chaos &

unrest. At the same time,

ttrickster brings new

knowledge &wisdom.

Even when punished

horribly for his actions,

his indomitable spirit (or

plain sheer foolishness)

keeps him coming back

for more.

The

Underdog:

Characters who are always in the

wrong place at the wrong time, but

who usually win something of value

in the end.

The Outcast:

A 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).

The Sidekick:

Sometimes like

servants to the

hero who are

heroic

themselves; their

duty is to protect

the hero and

reflect the nobility

of the hero. In

recent times they

have become

friends of the

hero

What role do you see yourself

in?What about your friends and

family? Which characters do they

play in your life?

As you develop your personal

narrative work, how can the

archetypes help you?

You will need to be able to tell me

about the archetypes you use in

your artwork.