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This is a Knowt to help you study for your Archetypes Test!
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, and the desolation of which is mirrored by a leader’s illness and disability. Jessie L. Seston’s From Ritual to Romance traces one facet of this archetype through the quests of Gawain, Perceival, and Galahad for the Holy Grail. (e.g. The Lion King, Excalibur, Idylls of the King.)
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. NOT THE SAME AS THE QUEST—A FUNCTION OF THE ULTIMATE GOAL, THE RESTORATION OF FERTILITY. (Arthur pulls Excalibur from the stone, Beowulf slays Grendel, Frodo must arrive at Rivendale.)
The Initiation
This archetype usually takes the form of an initiation into adult life. The adolescent comes into his/her maturity with new awareness and problems along with new hope for the community. This awakening is often the climax of the story. (Growing Up: Huckleberry Finn, Stephen Dedalus, King Arthur, the hobbits.)
The Hero Journey/Hero Cycle
The journey sends the hero in search for some truth or information necessary to restore fertility to the kingdom. Usually the hero descends into a real of psychological hell and is forced to discover the blackest truths, quite often concerning his faults. Once the hero is as this lowest point, he must accept personal responsibility to return to the world of the living. A second use of this pattern is the depiction of a limited number of travelers on a sea voyage, bus ride or any other trip for the purpose of isolating them and using them as microcosm of society. (e. g. The Odyssey, The Canterbury Tales, The Aeneid, The Fellowship of the Rings.)
The Fall
This archetype describes a descent from a higher to a lower state of being. The experience involves a defilement and/or loss of innocence and bliss. The fall is often accompanied by expulsion from a kind of paradise as penalty for disobedience and moral transgression. (Adam and Eve, Lancelot and Guinevere, Paradise Lost, etc.)
The Death and Rebirth Cycle
The most common of all situation archetypes, this motif grows out of the parallel between the cycle of nature and the cycle of life. Thus, morning and springtime represent birth, youth, or rebirth; evening and winter suggest old age or death.
Nature vs Mechanistic World
—Nature is good while technology and society are often evil. (e. g. Walden, The Terminator, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court)
Battle Between Good and Evil
Obviously, the battle between two primal forces. Mankind shows eternal optimism in the continual portrayal of good triumphing over evil despite great odds. (e.g. The forces of Sauron and those of Middle Earth in The Lord of the Rings, Satan and God in Paradise Lost, any western, most cartoons.)
The Unhealable Wound
This wound is either physical or psychological and cannot be healed fully. This wound also indicates a loss of innocence. These wounds always ache and often drive the sufferer to desperate measures. (e. g. Frodo’s shoulder, Lancelot’s madness, Ahab’s wooden leg)
The Ritual
The actual ceremonies the initiate experiences that will mark his rite of passage into another state. The importance of ritual rites cannot be over stressed as they provide clear sign posts for the character’s role in society as well as our own position in this world. (e.g. weddings, baptisms, coronations)
The Magic Weapon
The magic weapon symbolizes the extraordinary quality of the hero because no one else can wield the weapon or use it to its full potential. It is usually given by a mentor figure (Excalibur, Odysseus’s bow, Thor’s hammer, Samson’s hair)
1
monotheistic god; the individual; unity
2
duality; separation; conflict; -- male and female, life and death, good vs. evil
3
trinity
4
four cardinal points (directions); four elements; four quarters of the moon; birth, development, maturity, and death
5
da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man
6
love, beauty, romance
7
entirety—7 deadly sins; days of Biblical creation
8
an infinity symbol, eight spokes of the ancient wheel; Christian baptismal font
9
divine perfection (three 3s); Dante’s nine circles of hell; 9 muses of Greek mythology
Apple
fertility, temptation
Cherry
immortality, chastity
Fig
fertility
Grapes
abundance
Peach
marriage, beauty
Pineapple
fertility, hospitality
Plum
independence
Daisy
innocence
Lilys
sincerity
Poppy
sleep, remembrance
Rosemary
remembrance
Tulip
faith, hope, charity, and trust
Rose
love
Ivy
friendship, faithfulness
Laurel
victory
Acorn
potential
Aspen
lamentation
Cedar
incorruptible
Cypress
daeth
Oak
strength
Olive
peace
Palm
protection
Pine cone
immortality
Willow
forsaken love
Yew
resurrection
White
purity, innocence, clean, holiness
Yellow
happiness, decay, disease, cowardice, sun
Gray
ambiguity
Pink
innocence, childhood, femininity
Orange
abundance, harvest, fall
Green
nature; new life, growth, fertility, renewal, spring
Red
danger, energy, passion, creativity, emotion, life, courage
Purple
royalty, sacredness
Blue
serenity, loyalty, protection, peace, calmness, and spirituality, sadness
Brown
mother earth, friendship, strength
Black
evil, death, mystery, power
Ant
industriousness
Bulls
fertility
Butterfly
change, rebirth
Cat
malevolence
Cow
motherhood
Crocodile/Alligator
death
Cuckoo
adultery, spring
Dog
loyalty
Donkey
stupidity
Dove
peace, forgiveness
Eagle
strength, courage, clarity of vision
Fish
Jesus
Ostrich
stupidity
Owl
wisdom
Peacock
royalty
Pig
unclean, greed
Ram
virility, strong
Rooster
morning, fire, virility, denial
Seahorse
good luck
Sheep
blindness, stupidity, neediness
Shell
good luck (conch: power of sound)
Snail
renewal, slowness
Snake
satanic, deceptive
Spider
life, fate
Stork
Good luck
Swan
Grace
Turtle/Tortoise
wise, perseverance
Whale
power
Water/Rain
life; just and fair: falls on good & evil alike – as a plot device: cleanses characters; forces them together; restorative precipitation; removes stains; “Fall” into mud = more stained than before
Clouds
mist; concealment
Fog
confusion, murky
Rainbow
peace, harmony, promise
Snow
clean/stark, severe/ warm, playful/suffocating, inhospitable/inviting
Fire
Light, life, hell, lust
Spring
birth, life, renewal, hope, new awakenings
Summer
growth, ripening
Fall
maturity
Winter
death
Bridge
link between two worlds; between life and death
Domesticated Animals
ordered human society
Crescent moons
four seasons, change, time passing
Flower
youth; sexuality; red flowers symbolize death of young men
Garden
nature ordered to serve human needs; a paradise
Hearts
true love, lasting love, and love for others
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