Mythological Archetypes

In Homers epic poem “The Odyssey” there are many archetypes, many of which were the origin of the archetype. An archetype is a character type, place, or symbol, every culture shares. In “The Odyssey” Homer uses archetypes to evoke meaning to the story. Some examples of archetypes in “The Odyssey” are the temptress, and the father-son conflict.

Archetypal heroes are found in many literary works, and in varied forms. In literary terms, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is defined as a character that goes against adversity, has great strength, courage, bravery, and who makes unselfish sacrifices, usually for the greater good. The Collins English Dictionary defines “archetypal” as a perfect example of something. Archetypes in literature was first applied by Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist. Jung recognized patterns in mythologies and stories regardless of the time period that was covered by the literary work. Archetypal heroes present in various forms including warriors,

An archetype is defined as an image, story-pattern, character, setting, symbol, or situation that recurs frequently in literature and in life. It demonstrates universal human experiences and associates strongly with readers through a subconscious understanding. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the main character, Gilgamesh, is an example of a superheroic archetypal hero. He took on an epic quest for everlasting life by following the archetypal steps of a hero’s journey. Through suffering due to tragedy, realizing the nature of his quest, seeking help from a mentor, experiencing failure, and returning home with a companion, Gilgamesh’s story followed the situational archetype of a hero’s journey.

The archetype (in Jungian psychology) is a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors, and is supposed to be present in the collective unconscious; basically this means that human beings have subconsciously passed down human stereotypes from generation to generation. This can be used to explain the striking resemblance between many stories all through time; it can be based on plot, characters, or even passing symbols. The resemblance between characters can be seen in the three Greek plays The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, and Antigone, which share the archetypal characteristics of a hero, sage, and villain.

The archetypes reflect dreams and relate to cultures. In different cultures, the “archetypes” (2005) would be different. However, Joseph Campbell comes up with the Monomyth, which believes myth is metaphor. Joseph Campbell demonstrates that all stories are expression of the same story-pattern. The hero’s journey all follows the departure, initiation and return.

1. What are myths? What evidence points us to the universality of myths? Myths are usually stories that have to do with how some things came to be, such as religions or even to why the tiger has stripes on it body, instead of saying it's there because it can be. Myths give a more detailed and more visionary and stronger purpose to some small things in our world.

    Archetypes can be found in all kinds of stories. From adventurous heroes who save the world to scary monsters who bash out brains, common patterns are found in many stories. Archetypes are a broad range of subjects that are used to compare patterns of behavior. Readers can compare their everyday lives to archetypes they encounter in literature. The use of archetypes in The Odyssey help modern readers understand Ancient Greek culture. Some archetypes used in The Odyssey are the hero, the monster/villain, and the idea of temptation. The Odyssey was written as an epic poem in Ancient Greece by a man named Homer. Homer uses archetypes to help readers compare their culture to the culture of Ancient Greeks.

An archetype is a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology. Two archetypes used in The Hobbit are a communion and a hero’s quest. These two archetypes are used throughout the story.

Character archetypes are present in almost all fairytales, fables, novels, poems, and folktales. An archetype is a character or situation that repeats universally throughout stories. In Perseus, King Acrisius learns that his daughter, Danae, is going to have a son that will kill him. He fears what the gods will do to him if he kills his daughter, so he imprisons Danae.

What is an archetype? An archetype is a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology. A Hero’s Journey is a series of events, which are also archetypes that give the story structure and help progress the plot. The 2009 movie directed by James Cameron, Avatar, is a great example to show how archetypes help to propel a plot. Avatar is about Jake Sully, a crippled marine, having to go on a mission to become an avatar to fulfill his brother’s legacy after he died. To complete his mission, he travels to an exotic planet named Pandora. The planet was inhabited by the Na’vi, a tribe of human-like creatures who revolve their lives and beliefs around nature. Jake was to befriend the Na’vi and earn their trust in order to collect a mineral

In many stories, there are several archetypes of behavior. It is quite interesting to note that certain themes are repetitive they appear again and again over time in literature, art, music, religion and culture irrespective of the time period of the geographical There are numerous examples of these archetypes in recent mythologically based stories. We have the Jedi Knights in Star Wars; the treasure varies from movie to movie; Harry Potter, Frodo Baggins, and many more. Two other examples of this are the hunt for the treasure in the movie Oh Brother For Art Thou, a modern retelling of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and the Paulo Coelho 1988 novel The Alchemist. Similar in many ways, dissimilar in age, species and even planet, these

An archetype is a recurring motif or symbol in a piece of literature. Although archetypes are very subtle, their addition to a story can completely change a plot or add more depth to a meaning. In the 2009 movie, Avatar (written/directed by James Cameron), one can find several different symbolisms. Avatar is set in the futuristic world of 2154. The story takes place on the planet of Pandora, which was inhabited by an evolved human-like species, called the Na’vi people. These people are very peaceful and believe in Eywa (Mother Nature), as their God and faithful leader of life. In Avatar, the many archetypes you will find represent meanings of the story, and how it unfolds. The most evident archetypes portrayed in this movie are Jake Sully’s Call to Adventure, his mentors, Colonel Miles Quaritch (the Evil Figure), the Toruk (“flying king lion” or sacred dragon), Tsaheylu (bond between animals and Na’vi), Eywa (Mother Nature), and the color blue (peace and spirituality).

“[Archetypes] tend to personify natural processes and to present them in concrete terms—god and devil, life and death, male and female, for example—a characteristic of mythological imagery. Less pivotal belief-characters (such as spirits, fairies, ogres, and dragons), as well as abstractions (such as good and evil) and individuals in the social group (or mother and father), also serve as prominent archetypes.

Myths are distinctive because of their continuity. Every aspect of a myth co-exists. They are intertwined, and there is no distinction between humanity, nature, and the deity. One of the interesting aspects of myths is that they lack barriers, and as a consequence, humans can actually participate in the nature and in the divine. Furthermore, symbols are reality. Everything is connected, and the lines are

Archetypes have persisted in literary works through the sands of time and continue to be applied in today’s literature. Throughout traditional and modern literature, the formulaic structure of myths and the use of archetypes has been utilized in a consistent manner. Although many would argue that the universal application of archetypes has been erratic and intermittent through time, the implementation of the major hero and mentor archetypes within the tale of King Arthur and The Odyssey, and the refined utilization of archetypes in modern literature, exhibit the universality of archetypes in different cultures and time periods.