Archetypes

1
Archetypes Heros Journey

• 9h grade ELA
• Unit 1

2
Where did it come from?

• Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell developed the idea
  of the archetype
• Archetype A recurring pattern of images,
  situations, or symbols found in the mythology,
  religion, art, and dreams of cultures around the
  world

3
Characteristics of the Hero/ Heroine

• Inexperienced and gullible
• Meets monsters or monstrous men
• Has a strange wise being as a teacher
• Is born and raised in a rural setting away from
  cities
• Has an origin that is mysterious or loses his or
  her parents at a young age, being raised by
  animals or a wise guardian.

• Returns to the land of his or her birth in
  disguise or as an unknown
• Is tested to determine strength, persistence, and
  fortitude
• Faces danger and suffers pain or sorrow
• Wins what he or she fights for/wants

4
Archetypal Setting Elements

• Threshold a gateway to a new world the hero must
  enter to change and to grow.
• Underworld the place where the hero encounters
  fear or death.
• Wilderness (forest) the place where rules dont
  apply, and people and things run wild.
• River the place representing the flow of time.
• Garden the place of harmony with nature,
  innocence, union, imagination sometimes can be
  ruined or poisoned, or the hero has to leave it.

5
Archetypal Setting Elements (cont.)

• Wasteland the opposite of the garden the place
  of loneliness, desolation, despair the place
  where there is no growth.
• Desert place of purity, reflection, solitude
  the lonely quest for meaning.
• Crossroads place of suffering and reflection.
• Maze or labyrinth represents a puzzling dilemma
  or great uncertainty sometimes represents the
  search for a monster within self.

6
Archetypal Setting Elements (cont.)

• Castle strong place of safety holds the
  treasure or the princess may be bewitched or
  enchanted may represents home or some other safe
  place.
• Tower strong place where evil resides or where
  the self is locked away from society and
  fellowship.
• Winding stair long and difficult way into the
  unknown.

7
Archetypal Characters

• Mentor/teacher teaches the hero gives valuable
  gifts (weapons, food, magic, information) older,
  wiser, can serve as the heros conscience.
• Shadow worthy opponent with whom the hero must
  struggle in a fight to the end/must be destroyed,
  neutralized, or assimilated.
• Monster/Dragon the heros dark self the forces
  of evil the scary aspect of life
• Old Crone/wise woman/potion-maker may represent
  the frightening knowledge and wisdom of
  experience and age

8
Archetypal Characters

• Animal Companion represents that side of nature
  that helps man and is friendly to him
• Blind seer mysterious figure who can see into
  the nature of life though he or she cannot see
  physically.
• Witch the scary or angry aspect of women.
• Damsel in distress women who need to be rescued.
• Princess in the tower women who are unattainable

9
Common Archetypal Journey Patterns

• Quest to

• Warriors quest to save the people
• Fools quest (a clown, simple-minded person, or
  silly person saves the land or princess because
  of his/her own innocence)
• Search for love (to rescue the princess)
• Grail quest (search for perfection or spiritual
  nourishment)

• know who you are
• find knowledge
• find the promised land or to build a beautiful
  city
• get revenge
• Rid the land of some danger
• Fame and fortune