ARCHETYPES
What is an archetype? According to one source it is a primordial image, character, or pattern of
circumstances that recurs throughout literature and appears consistently enough to be considered
universal (Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield, Massachusetts: MerriamWebster, Inc., 1955).
Carl Jung first applied the term archetype to literature. He recognized that there were universal
patterns in all stories and mythologies regardless of culture or historical period and hypothesized that
part of the human mind contained what he termed the “collective unconscious” shared by all members
of the human species, a sort of universal, primal memory. Joseph Campbell took Jung’s ideas and
applied them to world mythologies. In A Hero with a Thousand Faces, among other works, he refined
the concept of hero and the hero’s journey—George Lucas used Campbell’s writings to formulate the
Star Wars saga. Recognizing archetypal patterns in literature brings patterns we all unconsciously
respond to in similar ways to a conscious level.
The term archetype can be applied to:
 An image
 A theme
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A symbol
An idea
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A character type
A plot pattern
Archetypes can be expressed in
 Myths
 Dreams
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Literature
Religions
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Fantasies
Folklore
Characteristics of Archetypes:
1. They are not individual but are rather shared with all of humanity.
2. They are the (unconsciously) inherited part of being which connects us to our past.
3. They are universal. From Roman gladiator to the astronaut, they remain the same.
4. Their appearance in diverse cultures cannot be explained as many cultures are so separated by geography
and time.
5. Archetypes are recurrent, appearing in slightly altered forms to take present day situations and relate them
to the past to find meaning in a contemporary world.
In this packet we will take a close look at some archetypes and their common meanings including:
1. the archetypal hero
 characteristics
 types of heroes
 types of journeys
2. other character archetypes
3. common female archetypes
4. archetypal symbols
 situations
 places
 seasons
 objects
 colors
 numbers
 shapes
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THE ARCHETYPAL HERO
Characteristics of the Archetypal Hero (not all apply to all heroes):
1. circumstances of his birth are unusual
2. often born and raised in a rural setting
3. spirited away in early childhood and raised by foster parents, animals, or a wise guardian
4. little known about his childhood
5. becomes ruler after some extraordinary event
6. father-son conflict is common
7. meets monsters or monstrous men
8. has a strange, wise being as a mentor/guide; mentor often has supernatural powers
9. has a group of loyal companions willing to face perils
10. often makes a stirring speech to his/her loyal band of companions
11. must deal with a devil figure
12. sometimes ensnared by the damsel in distress, whom he tries to rescue
13. yearns for the beautiful lady who is sometimes his guide or inspiration
14. wields a magical weapon
15. suffers from an “unhealable wound”—may be physical, mental, or spiritual; often never fully recovers from this
wound
16. has a vision of a more perfect world and seeks to pass this vision on; task is to transform society, right wrongs, and
remind people of lost or corrupted values
17. has unusual strengths and abilities (physical and/or mental); often engages in contests/tests of these strengths and
shows pride in his/her excellence
18. often crosses a body of water or travels on a bridge
19. returns to the land of his/her birth in disguise or as an unknown
20. might represent a whole nation or culture
21. struggles for something valuable and important
22. goes through a rite of passage or initiation, an event that marks a change from an immature to a more mature
understanding of the world
23. undergoes some type of ritual or ceremony after his/her initiation
24. is prepared to die at any moment
25. must go on a journey; learn a lesson in a dark, terribly frightening place (this place may be literally and/or
figuratively dark and frightening); change in some way; and return home
26. meets a mysterious death
Heroic Archetypes:
1. Hero as warrior (Odysseus): A near god-like hero faces physical challenges and external enemies.
2. Hero as lover (Prince Charming): A pure love motivates hero to complete his quest.
3. Hero as Scapegoat (Jesus): Hero suffers for the sake of others.
4. Transcendent Hero: the hero of tragedy whose fatal flaw (often hubris, or excessive pride) brings about his
downfall, but not without his achieving some kind of transforming realization or wisdom (Greek and
Shakespearean tragedies—Oedipus, Hamlet, Macbeth, etc.).
5. Romantic/Gothic Hero: hero with a decidedly dark side; often revealed through a romantic relationship (Mr.
Rochester in Jane Eyre)
6. Proto-Feminist Hero: female heroes (The Awakening by Kate Chopin)
7. Apocalyptic Hero: hero who faces the possible destruction of society
8. Anti-Hero: a non-hero, given the vocation of failure, frequently humorous (Homer Simpson)
9. Defiant Anti-hero: opposer of society’s definition of heroism/goodness (Heart of Darkness)
10. Unbalanced Hero: the protagonist who has (or must pretend to have) mental or emotional deficiencies (Hamlet,
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).
11. The Denied Hero: the protagonist whose status or essential otherness makes heroism possible (Invisible Man by
Ralph Ellison, The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan).
12. The Superhero: exaggerates the normal proportions of humanity; frequently has divine or supernatural origins; in
some sense the superhero is one apart, someone who does not quite belong, but who is nonetheless needed by
society (mythological heroes, Superman)
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Archetypal Journeys:
1. The quest for identity
2. The epic journey to find the promised land/to found the good city
3. The quest for vengeance
4. The warrior’s journey to save his people
5. The search for love (to rescue the princess/damsel in distress)
6. The journey in search of knowledge
7. The tragic quest: penance or self-denial
8. The fool’s errand
9. The quest to rid the land of danger
10. The grail quest (the quest for human perfection)
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*PLEASE NOTE: The hero’s journey is divided into several stages, which we will examine carefully later.*
ARCHETYPAL CHARACTERS OTHER THAN THE HERO
Other Character Archetypes:
1. The Initiates --The Initiates are young heroes or heroines who must go through some training and ceremony
before undertaking their quest.
2. Mentor --The Mentor is an older, wiser teacher to the initiates. He often serves as a father or mother figure. He
gives the hero gifts (weapons, food, magic, information), serves as a role model or as hero’s conscience.
3. The Threshold Guardian--tests the hero’s courage and worthiness to begin the journey
4. Hunting Group of Companions --These are loyal companions willing to face hardship and ordeal in order to stay
together.
5. Loyal Retainers—somewhat servant-like; duty is to protect the hero and to reflect his/her nobility and power
6. Friendly Beast--an animal companion showing that nature is on the side of the hero
7. The Outcast—a figure who is banished from a social group for some crime (real or imagined) against his fellow
man; is usually destined to become a wanderer who roams from location to location
8. The Herald—issues challenges and the “call to adventure”; announces the task and the need for change; maybe be
a person or a force; may be positive, negative, or neutral
9. The Scapegoat—a human or animal whose death in a public ceremony expiates some taint or sin that has been
visited upon a community; his/her death often makes him a more powerful force in society than he/she was when
alive
10. The Trickster—clown or mischief-maker; sometimes the ally or companion of the hero; represents the force of
cunning pitted against opponents who are stronger or more powerful; provides comic relief but also points out
folly and hypocrisy
11. The Country Bumpkin (The Schlemiel—Simpleton—Holy Fool)—a moral innocent in a world of shady operators
12. The Blind Seer—may be good or evil; may be a threshold guardian; can often “see” the truth that the hero cannot
13. The Demon Lover—a lover whose passion and/or malice is destructive
14. The Star-Crossed Lovers—engage in a love affair fated to end in tragedy due to the disapproval of society, family,
friends, etc.
15. The Noble Savage—a human who lives in a primitive state in harmony with nature
16. The Shadow--a worthy opponent with whom the hero must struggle in a fight to the end; must be destroyed or
neutralized; can represent the darker side of the hero’s own psyche
17. The Devil Figure—evil incarnate; offers worldly goods, fame, or knowledge to the protagonist in exchange for
possession of his soul
18. The Evil Figure with Ultimately Good Heart--a devil figure with the potential to be good; is usually saved by the
love of the hero
Female Archetypes:
1. The Earthmother – Symbolic of fruition, abundance and fertility, this character traditionally offers spiritual and
emotional nourishment to those with whom she comes in contact (e.g., Mother Nature, Mother Country, alma
mater).
2. The Temptress – Characterized by sensuous beauty, this woman is one to whom the protagonist is physically
attracted and who ultimately brings about his downfall (e.g., Delilah, the Sirens, Cleopatra); may appear as a witch
or vampire.
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The Platonic Ideal – This woman is a source of inspiration and a spiritual ideal, for whom the protagonist or author
has an intellectual rather than a physical attraction (e.g., Dante's Beatrice, Petrarch's Laura, most Shelleyan
heroines).
4. The Unfaithful Wife – A woman, married to a man she sees as dull and unimaginative, is physically attracted to a
more virile and desirable man (e.g., Guinevere, Madame Bovary, Anna Karenina, Lady Chatterly).
5. The Damsel in Distress—This woman must be rescued by the hero and is often used as a trap to ensnare the
protagonist.
6. The Avenging Mother; The Harpy; The Fury
7. The Harlot—She is associated with the seamier side of life and is the subject of society’s disapproval; she often
turns out to have a “heart of gold.”
8. The Terrible Mother/The Evil Stepmother
9. The Virgin Sacrifice
10. The Ruined Maiden
ARCHETYPAL SYMBOLS
A symbol may represent good or evil, depending on its context. For example, a tree is usually a symbol of life—
but not if the author uses it as a venue for a lynching. Here are some archetypal symbols and their most
common meanings:
Symbolic Archetypes—Situations:
1. Death and Rebirth--The most common of all situational archetypes, this motif grows out of a parallel between the
cycle of nature and the cycle of life. Thus morning and springtime represent birth, youth, or rebirth, while evening
and winter suggest old age or death.
2. The Quest – This motif describes the search for someone or some talisman which, when found and brought back,
will restore fertility to a wasted land, the desolation of which is mirrored by a leader's illness and disability.
3. The Task – To save the kingdom, to win the fair lady, to identify himself so that he may reassume his rightful
position, the Hero must perform some nearly superhuman deed (e.g., Odysseus must string the bow, Arthur must
pull the sword from the stone, Beowulf must slay Grendel).
4. The Initiation – This usually takes the form of an initiation into life, that is, the depiction of an adolescent coming
into maturity and adulthood with all the attendant problems and responsibilities that this process involves. An
awakening, awareness, or an increased perception of the world and the people in it usually forms the climax of this
archetypal situation (e.g., Holden Caulfield, Huckleberry Finn, Stephen Dedalus).
5. The Journey – Usually combined with any or all of the foregoing situational archetypes, the journey is used to send
the Hero in search of information or some intellectual truth. A common employment of the journey archetype is
the descent into hell (i.e. Odyssey, Aeneid, Inferno). A second use of this pattern is the depiction of a limited
number of travelers on an airplane flight, sea voyage, bus ride, or walking trip for the purpose of isolating them
and using them as a microcosm of society.
6. The Fall – This archetype describes a descent from a higher to a lower being. The experience involves spiritual
defilement and/or a loss of innocence and bliss. The Fall is also usually accompanied by expulsion from a kind of
paradise as penalty for disobedience and moral transgression.
7. Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity –Some characters exhibit wisdom and understanding intuitively as opposed
to those supposedly in charge.
8. Nature vs. Mechanistic World—Nature is good while technology and society are evil.
9. Battle Between Good and Evil
10. Haven vs. Wilderness—Places of safety contrast sharply with the dangerous wilderness; heroes are often
sheltered for a time to regain health and resources
11. Crossing a Body of Water—indicates a turning point
12. Light vs. Darkness – Light usually suggests hope, renewal, or intellectual illumination; darkness implies the
unknown, ignorance, or despair.
13. Water vs. Desert – Because water is necessary to life and growth, it commonly appears as a birth or rebirth
symbol. Water is used in baptismal services, which solemnizes spiritual births. Similarly, the appearance of rain in
a work of literature can suggest a character’s spiritual birth. Examples include “The Wasteland” and the sea and
river images in The Odyssey.
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14. Heaven vs. Hell(s) – Man has traditionally associated the parts of the universe that are not accessible to him with
the dwelling places of the primordial forces that govern his world. The skies and mountaintops house his gods; the
bowels of the earth contain the diabolic forces that inhabit the universe. Examples here include Paradise Lost and
The Divine Comedy.
15. Supernatural Intervention – The gods intervene on the side of the hero or sometimes against him.
Examples of this occur in The Odyssey, The Lord of the Rings, and the Bible.
16. Fire vs. Ice – Fire represents knowledge, light, life, and rebirth, while ice, like the desert, represents
ignorance, darkness, sterility, and/or death. The phoenix and Dante’s Inferno are examples of this.
Symbolic Archetypes—Places:
1. The River--new territory; may represent human life or time passing as we follow the river from its source to its mouth
2. The Road—appears in modern stories to symbolize a journey or the passing of time (similar to the river)
3. The Sea--vast, alien, dangerous, chaos; waves may symbolize measures of time and represent eternity or infinity
4. The Garden—representative of productive/idyllic state of innocence, reconciliation, peace, harmony with nature,
imagination; is typically cultivated and carefully planned and often a paradise which is lost or unachievable
5. The Wilderness—passion, lawlessness, the subconscious, the instinctual, chaos
6. The Forest-- the primitive levels of the feminine psyche, protective and sometimes dangerous; those who enter often
lose their direction or rational outlook and thus tap into their collective unconscious
7. Caves and tunnels—feminine force; the subconscious; place where evil hides
8. Mountains/peaks—height, mass, loftiness, center of the world, ambition, goals; highest peak is place to “see” or
stretch understanding; often the challenge of climbing them leads to a place to gain great insight
9. Valleys—depression, low points, evil, the unknown
10. The Desert—place of purification, self-awareness, deprivation, solitude, loneliness; place for a lonely quest of meaning
11. The City—order, law, harmony, rigidity; in the fallen world, corruption and hypocrisy
12. The Wasteland—sterility, infertility, dearth of inspiration, hopelessness, lack of creativity, spiritual deprivation
13. The Rock—stony place of suffering
14. The Crossroads—the place of decision, penance, self-denial
15. The Maze/Labyrinth—puzzling dilemma, great uncertainty; search for the “monster” within oneself
16. The Winding Stairs—arduous and dangerous path to the unknown
17. The Bridge—transitions, transformations, change
18. The Castle—usually a place of safety; holds a treasure or the princess; may be enchanted or bewitched
19. The Tower—strong place of evil or the isolation of the self
20. Paradise—place of peace, light, and beauty
Symbolic Archetypes—Seasons:
1. spring—birth; life
2. summer—growth; ripening
3. fall—maturity
4. winter—death
Symbolic Archetypes--Objects:
1. feathers – lightness, speed
2. trees—a place of learning; gives life and knowledge
3. fog—uncertainty
4. wind—soul, spirit, inspiration, messenger
5. clouds and mist—mystery; the sacred
6. rain—a life giver; change, transformation
7. air—activity; male primary element; creativity; breath; light; freedom; liberty; movement
8. dust—a: symbolic of the power of creation (Adam’s creation from dust); b: sometimes a sign of death; c: shaking the
dust from one’s feet=an absolute break and renunciation of all the dust stood for (country, family, friends)
9. whirlpool—destructive power of fate/nature
10. horses—instincts; a riderless horse symbolizes out-of-control instincts
11. birds—transcendence; release or liberation
12. bull—irresistible strength and vitality; male impulsiveness
13. turtle—perseverance (persisting in the face of danger and adversity); carries its world; wise
14. daisy—innocence
15. shadow – our dark side, evil, devil
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masks – concealment
boats/rafts – safe passage; microcosm representing the totality of existence
bridge – change, transformation
feet – stability; freedom
skeleton – mortality
heart – love, emotions
hourglass – the passage of time
stones—the eternal; the unchanging
sun—hero, son of Heaven; knowledge; the Divine eye; fire; life force, creative guiding force; brightness; splendor;
active awakening; healing; resurrection; ultimate wholeness
25. moon—master of women and vegetation; lunacy
26. stars—guidance
27. lightning—intuition; inspiration
Symbolic Archetypes—Colors:
1. black (darkness) – Positive associations are knowledge and intelligence. The hero figure may wear a combination of
black and white while undergoing various trials. Negative associations are evil, melancholy, chaos, mystery, the
unknown, and death.
2. red – blood, sacrifice, violent passion, disorder, sunrise, birth, fire, emotion, wounds, death, sentiment, mother, Mars,
the note C, anger, excitement, heat, physical stimulation
3. green – hope, growth, envy, Earth, fertility, sensation, vegetation, death, water, nature, sympathy, adaptability,
growth, Jupiter and Venus, the note G, envy
4. white (light) – Positive associations are light, innocence, purity, peace, morality, virginity, and timelessness. A heroic
character will usually wear this color prior to experiencing a rite of passage. Negative associations are death, terror,
the supernatural, and the blinding truth of an inscrutable cosmic mystery.
5. orange – fire, pride, ambition, egoism, Venus, the note D
6. yellow—hope, happiness
7. blue – clear sky, the day, the sea, height, depth, heaven, religious feeling, devotion, innocence, truth, spirituality,
Jupiter, the note F, physical soothing and cooling
8. violet – water, nostalgia, memory, advanced spirituality, Neptune, the note B
9. purple—power, royalty
10. gold – majesty, sun, wealth, truth
11. silver – moon, wealth
Symbolic Archetypes—Numbers:
1. three – the Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Ghost); Mind, Body, Spirit; Birth, Life, Death
2. four – Mankind (four limbs), four elements, four seasons
3. six – devil, evil
4. seven – Divinity (3) + Mankind (4) = relationship between man and God; can represent perfect order or completion of a
cycle or process; ex. seven deadly sins (pride, envy, wrath [anger], sloth [laziness], avarice [greed], gluttony, lust), seven
days of week, seven days to create the world, seven stages of civilization, seven colors of the rainbow, seven gifts of
the Holy Spirit
Symbolic Archetypes—Shapes:
1. oval – woman, passivity
2. triangle – communication, between heaven and earth, fire, the number 3, trinity, aspiration, movement upward,
return to origins, sight, light
3. square – pluralism, earth, firmness, stability, construction, material solidity, the number four
4. rectangle – the most rational, most secure
5. cross – the Tree of life, axis of the world, struggle, martyrdom, orientation in space
6. circle – Heaven, intellect, thought, sun, the number two, unity, perfection, eternity, oneness, celestial realm, hearing,
sound
7. spiral – the evolution of the universe, orbit, growth, deepening, cosmic motion, relationship between unity and
multiplicity, macrocosm, breath, spirit, water
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Stages of a Hero’s Journey
Stage 1:
Stage 2:
Stage 3:
Stage 4:
Stage 5:
Departure: The hero is called to adventure, although he is reluctant to accept.
Initiation: The hero crosses a threshold into a new, more dangerous world, gaining a more mature perspective.
The Road of Trials: The hero is given supernatural aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness, and
endurance.
The Innermost Cave: The hero descends into the innermost cave, an underworld, or some other place of great
trial. Sometimes this place can be within the hero’s own mind. Because of this trial, the hero is reborn in some
way—physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Through this experience, the hero changes internally.
Return and Reintegration with Society: The hero uses his new wisdom to restore fertility and order to the land
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