Archetypes

Great Mother Archetype

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, archetypes are defined as “the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies” (Merriam-Webster, 2016). Mythology has long been an expression of archetypes such as the Trickster and the Great Mother. The concept of archetypes was developed by the psychologist Carl Jung in the early 1900’s (Jung, 2001). Jung called archetypes the “contents of the collective unconscious,” and refers to them as the “(God-image) in man” (Jung, 2001). The reason archetypes continue to show up in myths century after century is that they represent the image of one or many Gods reflected in the humans they created. For example, the archetype of the Great Mother represents the Mother Goddess, or Mother Earth. This archetype is possible one of the most common throughout history, appearing in the art of Paleolithic and Neolithic cultures and consistently throughout history, from Ancient Egypt to contemporary religion. The character is often portrayed to look like a human woman, but possesses supernatural powers.

Neumann (2015) notes that “a vast number of forms, symbols, and images, of views, aspects, and concepts...are connected with one archetype, e.g., that of the Great Mother” and therefore “the observer...takes it on himself to describe, or even to understand, what an archetype...is” (p. 9). This point supports Jung’s original concept of archetypes as “contents of the collective unconscious” by acknowledging the common understanding of the roles of archetypes, and takes it one step further by stating that humans have collectively decided on their own the purpose and duties of the archetypes in their culture’s stories.

Trickster Archetype

A notable example of this is the archetype of the Trickster. In Native American myth, the Trickster is usually a coyote, whereas in Greek myth it is Hermes, Zeus’ messenger. All Trickster characters have in common the fact that they are “a boundary-crosser” (Hyde, 2010). The Trickster reflects what many people secretly want to be: intelligent, cunning, and able to live life outside of societal boundaries. By existing on the outskirts, the Trickster can help and prank people at will. Using Jung’s logic, the Trickster archetype represents the piece of the collective human unconscious that wants to play by one’s own rules. The Trickster is “the mythic embodiment of ambiguity and ambivalence, doubleness and duplicity, contradiction and paradox” (Hyde, 2010). While not all of these are necessarily positive features, the human psyche might yearn to emulate them in order to live a more entertaining life. However, especially in ancient cultures where oral storytelling and the passing down of myths between generations was an important practice, fitting in with societal norms was crucial. Instead of act on these impulses themselves, humans made up the Trickster character. Over time other cultures adopted the same type of character who acted as a bridge, “[crossing] the line and [confusing] the distinction” between right and wrong (Hyde, 2010). A piece of the collective unconscious is the desire to act like the Trickster, so he has become an indispensable archetype in the mythology of many cultures.

Greek God Hercules

Nothing comes closer to archetypes repeating themselves over and over in stories than Joseph Campbell’s concept of the monomyth. Campbell coined the concept that every hero’s journey is ultimately the same story, just presented differently. Because of this concept, the Hero became its own archetype in mythology. “The hero,” Campbell (2008) states, “is a magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation—initiation—return: which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth” (p. 23). He goes on to cite examples such as Prometheus climbing Mount Olympus to steal fire from the heavens, Jason’s journey to the Golden Fleece, and Aeneas braving the dangerous underworld in order to speak with his dead father. These are just three examples of thousands, and are only examples from Greek mythology. Native Americans, Buddhists, Japanese, and hundreds of other cultures each have solid representations of the hero’s journey in their traditionally told stories. The Hawaiian myth of Moana and Maui has most recently been incarnated into a cartoon Disney movie, but the story of the hero Maui’s adventures harnessing the sun and discovering fire have been told in Hawaiian culture for hundreds of years. Even in modern times, when oral storytelling of myth has taken a back seat to reading them from books or watching them in movies, Campbell’s concept of the monomyth is still relevant. There are also countless ways to tell the same hero’s journey, for many different audiences.