Archetypal Symbols

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Archetypal Symbols

• By Erin McRae and Renae Pepe

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Archetypal Symbols

• Archetypal Symbols are characters, themes,
  motifs, and plot elements stored in the
  collective unconscious. Archetypal symbols
  compose the worlds stories, myths, religions,
  literature, dreams, and art. They articulate the
  human experience the dreams and fears shared by
  all mankind
• Also known as universal symbols
• Collective Unconscious A genetically inherited
  level of the mind that contains and responds to
  all archetypes. It is present from the moment of
  birth.

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Subcategories

• Characters
• Symbols
• Colors
• Numbers

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Characters

• Destroyer the bad guy often has a troubled
  past.
• Star-crossed lovers the couple joined by love
  but separated by fate.
• Outcast has left or been cast out of society.

• Wise Old Man represents Knowledge and Wisdom
• Wise Old Woman a guide and authority figure. A
  form of the Mother Goddess.

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Characters

• Best Friend the one who can be counted on.
• Lost Soul a tormented being who lives in
  solitude.
• Charmer a smooth talker who creates fantasies

• Creator The Big Good Guy. Usually not the
  Hero.
• Innocent needs rescuing represents purity.
• Shrew the nagging, bothersome woman/wife.

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Symbolic Situations

• The long journey
• Pursuit of revenge
• Damsel in distress
• End of the world
• The Orphaned prince
• Descent into the underworld

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Themes

• Inevitable nature of death/ fate/punishment
• Forbidden love
• Faustian bargain
• Patricide
• Incest

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Images

• Blood
• Water
• Pregnancy
• Phallic Yonic symbols
• Rose
• Animals (lion, snake, eagle)

• Hanged man
• Dying God that rises again
• The feast
• Ashes

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Archetypal Numbers

• Seven A universally sacred number.
• Seven days in a week
• Eight Infinity.
• Nine Power
• Ten The Law of Heaven and Earth
• Ten Commandments
• Twelve Cosmic order The Zodiac
• Twelve months in a year

• One The beginning and ending.
• Two Duality
• Three Creative power
• The Trinity
• Four The life cycle
• Five death/rebirth.
• The Five Senses
• Six Harmony

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Archetypal Colors

• Black death, chaos, evil.
• Blue Tranquility.
• Gold Divine Light, illumination, self-worth.
• Green Growth(nature) or decay (rot, jealousy)
• Orange Pride and ambition.
• Pink Romantic love and sensuality.

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Archetypal Colors

• Red Sacrifice, passion
• Silver Emotions and intuition.
• White Positive (purity, innocence) or negative
  (death, terror, the supernatural).
• Yellow The Sun, enlightenment.
• Purple Royalty and justice.

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Water

• Represents life, cleansing, and rebirth.
• Sea/ocean the mother of all life timelessness
  and eternity.
• Rivers the flowing of time into eternity
• The Great Fish divine creation.

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The Cave

• Represents the womb. Its the entrance to Mother
  Earth, from which the hero emerges reborn after
  receiving advice or wisdom from the underworld.

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The Forest

• Symbolizes the unconscious, the mysterious, and
  the secret.

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The Tree

• Symbolizes growth, proliferation, and
  immortality.

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The Mountain

• Represents the striving for achievement and
  enlightenment.

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The Sun

• Two connotations
• The Rising Sun Birth, creation, and
  enlightenment.
• The Setting Sun Death.

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The Serpent

• Symbolizes energy and force. Represents
  corruption, sensuality, evil, and destruction.

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The Garden

• Represents the union of the divine and the
  material. It is an archetype of paradise,
  innocence, and unspoiled beauty.

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The Seasons

• Spring Rebirth
• Summer Life
• Autumn Dying
• Winter Lifelessness
• Genres associated with the Seasons
• Spring Comedy
• Summer Romance
• Autumn Tragedy
• Winter Irony

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The Desert

• Represents spiritual aridity, death, and
  hopelessness.
• Ex) The desert Taylor drives through in The Bean
  Trees.

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Creation

• A universal archetype (not that all archetypes
  arent universal, but this ones really
  universal). The bringing into existence of the
  universe by a divine Being. (or Beings)

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Archetypal Journeys

• The Task The character or characters must
  complete some huge duty.
• The Quest The character or characters are
  looking for something.
• The Task and the Quest are not mutually
  exclusivethe Task is often the end goal of the
  Quest.
• Ex) Harry Potter Questfind horcruxes TaskKill
  Voldemort

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Other Archetypal Symbols

• The Loss of Innocence When a character loses
  their innocence through violence, sexual
  experience, or emotional trauma.
• The Initiation The journey of a character from
  one sphere to the next, often from childhood to
  adulthood.

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Archetypal Criticism

• The study of archetypes in literature
• Also known as mythic criticism
• Archetypes are also known as universal symbols