HELASW—Archetypes Test Knowt

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