The Mother Archetype

1
The Mother Archetype

• These are three essential aspects of the mother
  her cherishing and nourishing goodness, her
  orgiastic emotionality, and her Stygian depths
  (Jung 82).

2
Aspects of the Mother Archetype

• The qualities associated with it are maternal
  solitude and sympathy the magic authority of the
  female the wisdom and spiritual exaltation that
  transcend reason any helpful instinct or
  impulse all that is benign, all that cherishes
  and sustains, that fosters growth and fertility.
  The place of magic transformation and rebirthare
  presided over by the mother (Jung 82)

3
Aspects of the Mother Archetype

• The archetype is often associated with things
  and places standing for fertility and
  fruitfulness the cornucopia, a ploughed field, a
  gardena rock, a cave, a tree, a spring, a deep
  wellflowers like the rose or the lotusthe magic
  circle or mandala (Jung 81).

4
Mother Universe

• The world-generating spirit of the father passes
  into the manifold earthly experience through a
  transforming medium the mother of the world.
  She is a personification of the primal elementIn
  the Hindu myth, she is the female figure through
  whom the Self begot all creatures. More
  abstractly understood, she is the world-bounding
  framethe shell of the cosmic egg. More
  abstractly still, she is the lure that moved the
  Self-brooding Absolute to the act of creation
  (Campbell 255).

5
Womb of Redemption

• The people yearn for some personality who, in a
  world of twisted bodies and souls, will represent
  again the lines of the incarnate image. We are
  familiar with the myth from our own tradition.
  It occurs everywhere, under a variety of guises.
  When the Herod figurehas brought mankind to the
  nadir of spiritual abasement, the occult forces
  of the cycle begin of themselves to move. In an
  inconspicuous village the maid is born who will
  maintain herself undefiled of the fashionable
  errors of her generation a miniature in the
  midst of men of the cosmic woman who was the
  bride of the wind. Her womb, remaining fallow as
  the primordial abyss, summons to itself by its
  very readiness the original power that fertilized
  the void (Campbell 264).

6
Prehistoric and Neolithic Mother Goddess Figures

• According to James Frazer, Robert Graves, and
  other notable critics of myth have continuously
  noted the recurrence of the Mother Goddess in
  various early cultures. One example is the Venus
  of WillendorfThis small statuette is squat with
  exaggerated breasts and rump. It is this figure
  made in the Stone Age nearly 20,000 years ago
  that forms our impressions of the first
  primordial Mother Goddess. The sexual accent on
  the female breasts and the posterior are assumed
  by many to connote signs of fertility (From
  Venus Figures Through Time The Mother
  Goddess).

7
Greek/Roman Mythology Gaea/Rhea

• Analogous to our modern day conception of Mother
  Nature, Gaea and Rhea are the Greek and Roman
  mythological representations of the All-Mother or
  Mother Earth (Hamilton 44, 79). Most Native
  American myths also feature Mother Earth figures
  or goddesses who echo Gaea and Rheas
  mythological role.

8
Greek Mythology - Demeter Persephone

• Demeter and Persephone are two aspects of the
  one mythic abduction. Something in us leans
  toward depth, toying with narcissistic lures,
  while something else tries to keep us on track,
  in a world of familiar, wholesome valuesThe
  story shows us how deep is the love demanded of
  any mother who protects her child whom she knows
  must be exposed to darkness (Moore 42-43).

9
Greek Mythology The Phases of Motherhood

• The Maiden, or Virgin, reflects independent
  women who are often unmarried. The Mother is the
  second stage heralded by fertility and growth.
  The last stage, Crone, is the archetypal
  expression of the wise old woman who has come
  into her own. Perhaps the most popular Goddess
  Triad found in mythology is Persephone (Maiden),
  Demeter (Mother), and Hecate (Crone) (Boyer).

10
Greek Mythology The Phases of Motherhood

• Artemis is an interesting nurturing figure
  chaste and fierce, she is also a protectress of
  the innocent and is often associated with the
  moon, As Phoebus was the Sun, she was the Moon,
  called Phoebe and Selene (Luna in Latin)
  (Hamilton 32). Like the triad of
  Maiden/Matron/Crone, Artemis is the goddess of
  three forms, Selene in the sky, Artemis on the
  earth, Hecate in the lower world (Hamilton 32).

11
Ancient Astrology The Phases of Motherhood

• The Sumero-Babylonian astral mythology
  identified the aspects of the cosmic female with
  the phases of the planet Venus. As morning star
  she was the virgin, as evening star the harlot,
  as lady of the night sky the consort of the moon
  and when extinguished under the blaze of the sun
  she was the hag of hell (Campbell 259).

12
Virgin Motherhood

• The Buddha descended from heaven to his mothers
  womb in the shape of a milk-white elephant. The
  Aztec Coatlicue, She of the Serpent-woven
  Skirt, was approached by a god in the form of a
  ball of feathers. The chapters of Ovids
  Metamorphoses swarm with nymphs beset by gods in
  sundry masquerades Jove as a bull, a swan, a
  shower of gold. Any leaf accidentally swallowed,
  any nut, or even the breath of a breeze, may be
  enough to fertilize the ready womb. The
  procreating power is everywhere (Campbell 267).

13
Egyptian Mythology - Isis

• From the beginning of Egypt's history to the
  end, Isis was the greatest goddess of Egypt. She
  was the beneficial goddess and mother whose love
  encompassed every living creature. Isis was also
  the purest example of the loving wife and mother
  and it was in this capacity that the Egyptian
  people loved her the mostIn fact, the early
  Christians deferred some of her attributes to the
  Virgin MaryThe images of Isis suckling the Horus
  child undoubtedly inspired the multitude of icons
  showing the Madonna and Child (McDevitt).

14
Religious Examples - Christianity

• Christianity gives us the great image of the
  Virgin Mary who is both the comforting madonna
  and the mater dolorosa, the sorrowful mother. In
  both emotions, the mother is close to the child,
  allowing the child, even as she feels her pain
  and anger, to become an individual through
  exposure to experience and fate (Moore 43).

15
Religious Examples - Hinduism

• In Hinduism, Durga is virginal and sublime,
  contains within her the power of all the gods
  combinedshe is the invincible power of Nature
  who triumphs over those who seek to subjugate
  her ("The Hindu Goddess Durga the Unconquerable
  Form of Devi).
• Another manifestation of Durga is Kali, In
  India, the loving and terrible mother is the
  paradoxical Kali (Jung 82). Even in this
  horrifying aspect, Kali is still a nurturing
  mother figure in certain Hindu tales.

16
The Darker Side of the Mother

• The Mother archetype can have a positive,
  favourable meaning or a negative, evil meaning.
  An ambivalent aspect is seen in the Greek
  goddesses of fateEvil symbols are the witch, the
  dragonthe grave, the sarcophagus, deep water,
  death, nightmares, and bogiesOn the negative
  side the mother archetype may connote anything
  secret, hidden, dark the abyss, the world of the
  dead, anything that devours, seduces, and
  poisons, that is terrifying and inescapable like
  fateThis is especially true where definitely
  mythological products are concernedwhere the
  mother may appear as a wild beast, a witch, a
  spectre, an ogre (Jung 81 83).

17
Literary Application The Mother

• In John Steinbecks classic text The Grapes of
  Wrath, the Mother archetype is fully invoked.
  Though the Joad family has barely survived their
  rough journey West during the Depression on route
  66 (the mother road), straining to stay intact,
  this togetherness does not endure. During the
  falling action of the plot, the family breaks
  apart and several of the lead characters have to
  embrace their new role in the broader human
  family. Before departing, Tom Joad explains his
  secondhand vision of something larger than
  himself, He talked a lotSays one time he went
  out in the wilderness to find his own soul, an
  he found he jus got a little piece of a great
  big soul (Steinbeck 570). During the texts
  dénouement both Ma Joad and her daughter
  experience a silent understanding concerning how
  to aid a dying man, Mas eyes passed Rose of
  Sharons eyes, and then came back to them. And
  the two women looked deep into each other
  (Steinbeck 618). Facing starvation, the stranger
  is in need of immediate sustenance and Rose is
  able to provide nurturance having recently lost
  her baby during harsh childbirth. As Ma departs,
  Rose of Sharon rises to the full status of the
  Mother by nurturing the ailing man back to
  health, Her hand moved gently in his hair. She
  looked up and across the barn, and her lips came
  together and smiled mysteriously (Steinbeck 619).

18
Modern Examples

• The lyrics to John Lennons song Mother attest
  to the power of the Mother figure (even in her
  absence). In the songs opening, Lennon sings
  Mother, you had me but I never had you /I wanted
  you but you didn't want me / So I got to tell you
  /Goodbye ("MOTHER Lyrics - JOHN LENNON" ). But
  at the end of the song, the singer calls out
  Momma dont go suggesting the idea of the
  Mother is not easily left behind ("MOTHER Lyrics
  - JOHN LENNON" ).

19
Modern Examples

• In Don Bluths animated classic The Secret of
  Nimh, Mrs. Brisby sets out on a mission to
  provide a mothers protection to her sick son
  Timmy. Unable to leave the family home due to
  illness, her son will soon be devoured by the
  farmers plow without a quick solution. But
  along her journey, Mrs. Brisby comes into contact
  with the mysterious Rats of Nimh and unlocks her
  own hidden power (the unyielding force of a
  mothers sacrifice).

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v5aZA4qB85r4
20
Modern Examples

• The grim film Sophies Choice outlines in
  flashback format a mothers impossible decision
  during the Jewish Holocaust. Upon her arrival as
  an inmate in Auschwitz, Sophie must decide which
  of her children will spared from the flames of
  the crematorium. Though she herself survives the
  ordeal, she can never escape from her own guilt.
  Her failure as a protective mother destroys her
  life.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vKczxsvVvqGEfeature
fvst
21
Modern Examples

• Lars von Triers gripping dramatic musical Dancer
  in the Dark, tells the tragic tale of Selma
  (played by musical artist Bjork) a Czech
  immigrant who is slowly going blind due to a
  degenerative hereditary disease. Working
  feverishly to earn enough money before she
  completely loses her sight, Selma plans to
  provide her son Gene with an early operation to
  spare him the same blinding fate. But when her
  money is stolen by a neighbor, Selma proves that
  she is willing to commit murder and face death
  herself to extend a better existence to her
  offspring.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vI6Oc3Oe_LpQ
22
Modern Examples

• Based upon true events, The Blind Side is the
  story of an unusual surrogate mother/son pairing.
  Orphaned Michael is a struggling African
  American high school student who becomes an
  integral part of the white and well-to-do Tuohy
  family. The mother figure, Leigh Anne, quickly
  becomes an advocate for her new son as he finds
  his strength on the football field. Despite
  several obstacles, both Michael and Leigh Anne
  learn to depend on, trust, and love one another.
  Though not directly connected through bloodlines,
  Sandra Bullocks character stands up for her
  charge providing a mothers protection and
  guidance.

http//www.youtube.com/watch?vD-1JEVpdSCo
23
Major Resources

• Ambrose, Adrienne, Richard Effland, and Michael
  Mayer. "The Primordial Goddess. From Venus
  Figures Through Time - The Mother Goddess. Mesa
  Community College, n.d. Web. 3 May 2010.
  lthttp//www.mesacc.edu/gt.
• Boyer, Janet. "The Mother Archetype."
  janetboyer.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr 2010.
  lthttp//janetboyer.comgt.
• Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With a Thousand Faces.
  3rd ed. Novato, California New World Library,
  1949. Print.

24
Major Resources

• Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York Little,
  Brown, and Company, 1942. Print.
• "The Hindu Goddess Durga the Unconquerable Form
  of Devi." Lotus Sculpture. Lotus Sculpture, n.d.
  Web. 28 Apr 2010. lthttp//www.lotussculpture.comgt
  .
• Jung, C. G.. The Archetypes and the Collective
  Unconscious. 2nd ed. New York Princeton
  University Press, 1959. Print.

25
Major Resources

• McDevitt, April. "Isis." Ancient Egypt The
  Mythology. N.p., 08 Apr 2010. Web. 28 Apr 2010.
  lthttp//www.egyptianmyths.netgt.
• Moore, Thomas. Care of the Soul A Guide for
  Cultivating Depth and Sacredness in Everyday
  Life. Harper Collins, 1992. Print.
• "MOTHER Lyrics - JOHN LENNON." Song Lyrics. N.p.,
  n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2012. lthttp//www.elyrics.net/r
  ead/j/john-lennon- lyrics/mother-lyrics.htmlgt.
• Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath . New York
  A Penguin Book, 1939. Print.