Archetypes--Part I: The Journey: An Overview

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Archetypes--Part IThe Journey An Overview

• by Don L. F. Nilsen and
• Alleen Pace Nilsen

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THE ROMANCE

• Northrup Frye says that the Romance presents an
  idealized world, the black-and-white world of our
  desires, where good things are really good, and
  bad things are really bad.
• The Romance involves the Journey, and the Journey
  involves the Hero, the Villain, the Quest, the
  Sage, the Prohibition, the Sacrifice, the Dragon,
  the Treasure, and sometimes the rescue of the
  Maiden.
• The epiphany (mountain top, tower, island,
  lighthouse, ladder, staircase, Jacks beanstalk,
  Rapunzels hair, Indian rope trick etc.) connects
  Heaven and Earth.

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Short Journeys and The Romance
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Dante Alighieris Divine Comedy
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THE HERO

• In archetypal hero tales, the hero, usually a
  young person identified as having special
  qualities, sets out on a journeyeither real or
  metaphorical.
• The young person does not know what is in store
  and has probably not made a conscious decision to
  embark on the quest.
• Nevertheless, when challenges come, the young
  hero meets and overcomes them, often making some
  kind of a sacrifice in exchange for wisdom. A
  common motif is that help will come from an
  unexpected source, perhaps from an older and
  wiser person or from a supernatural source.

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STAGES OF THE JOURNEY

• The stages of the journey (listed below) can be
  seen in many of the quest stories and can also be
  compared to ones own life.
• The Shadow Archetypes result from hyperbole, from
  developing protagonists characteristics to such
  an extreme that they become a negative force as
  when the caregiver turns into the overprotective
  mother or the lover into the jealous controller
  preventing or marring the process of development.

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ARCHETYPES FROM CHILDRENS LITERATURE
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PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY

• INNOCENT
• ARCHETYPE Security, Acceptance,
  Disillusionment, Optimism
• SHADOW ARCHETYPE Denial, Repression, Blame
• ORPHAN
• ARCHETYPE Abandonment, Accepting Help, Against
  Authority
• SHADOW Cynicism, Victimization
• WARRIOR
• ARCHETYPE Fighting for Self, for Others, and
  for Ideals
• SHADOW Ruthlessness, Fighting to Win
• CAREGIVER
• ARCHETYPE Self-Sacrificing, Tough Love,
  Responsibility
• SHADOW Martyrdom, Guilt-Inducer

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Five Archetypes (Factions) Abnegation
(Selfless), Amity (Peaceful), Candor (Truthful),
Erudite (Intelligent) and Dauntless (Brave)
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THE JOURNEY ITSELF

• SEEKER
• ARCHETYPE Exploration, Experimentation
• SHADOW Perfectionism, Inability to Commit
• DESTROYER
• ARCHETYPE Confusion, Acceptance of Chaos,
  Letting Go
• SHADOW Destructiveness of Self and Others
• LOVER
• ARCHETYPE Following Love, Bonding, Committing
• SHADOW Envy, Fixation, Don Juanism
• CREATOR
• ARCHETYPE Visionary, Creator of Own Environment
• SHADOW Creators of Negative Situations

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The Journey
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(No Transcript)
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The Wizard of Oz, The Life of Pi, The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn, and James and the Giant Peach
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THE RETURN FROM THE JOURNEY

• RULER
• ARCHETYPE Responsibility for Self Others,
  Good of Planet
• SHADOW Ogre, Tyrant
• MAGICIAN
• ARCHETYPE Making Dreams Come True
• SHADOW Turning Positives into Negatives
• SAGE
• ARCHETYPE Searching for Truth
• SHADOW Insensitivity, Critical Judgment
• WISE FOOL
• ARCHETYPE Living for Fun, Living in the Moment
• SHADOW Self-Indulgence, Gluttony, Sloth

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Its the Journeynot the Destination
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Journeys can be Toward, or Away FromInto the
Woods, The Prodigal Son, Exodus
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Here are nine more archetypes to consider.
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Recycled Names
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More Recycled Names
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King James (Bible) King James (Lebron)
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Hindu Gods Vishnu (Creator)Shiva (Destroyer)
Ganesh (Success)
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Here are two good books for further reading about
Archetypes.