Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. For today’s blog post, I will be discussing how we can learn about ourselves through stories and the archetypes found within them!
In the study of folklore, legends, myth, and fairytales, patterns begin to form. These archetypal themes and characters appear time and again. From the Hero’s Journey as described by Joseph Campbell, to indices that classify stories based on patterns found in the tales, like the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (or ATU) Tale Type Index and the Motif-Index of Folk Literature Classification, there has been much study put into how we tell stories! There has also been much thought and study put into why we tell stories, like with the work of Carl Jung, whose archetypes still form the basis for much of our modern archetypal study and archetype work, both magickally and psychologically. Jung’s archetypes also form the backbone of Jean Shinoda Bolen’s Goddesses in Everywoman and Gods in Everyman archetype system, as she is a Jungian Analyst.
With Bolen’s system, as with the earlier work of Jung, the understanding of the self through the lens of patterns of story, in this case specifically Greek mythology, is paramount. The archetypes that are naturally most active in our personalities have a deep impact on how we function in the world! We can also use the study of archetypes within the personality to hone less developed aspects of the self. These archetypal links within our own personality can provide understanding of just why we gravitate towards certain stories and towards certain characters in a story. After all, not everyone connects with the main character of a given story; maybe they feel more drawn to the Wizened Wizard or Priestess setting the Hero on the path, or maybe they are more drawn to the romantic interest in the narrative, or the always loyal friend of the protagonist. I find that the characters which I am often more naturally drawn to in a given story reflect personality (and archetypal) characteristics that mirror my own. It does not matter if that character is the central figure or a small side character; what matters is the recognition!
This is likewise true of characters I think I would like to be friends with, and so on. When I look at these things, I see that these characters bear a resemblance to loved ones in my life, hence why I am drawn to them on the page or screen, but not necessarily because I relate to them. Instead, this is an understanding of what the character represents to me in the broader sense, of who they remind me of and what those people mean to me.
So, yes, studying comparative mythology and archetypes can truly begin to bring an understanding of the depth of importance of storytelling! It can aid in understanding the world better when we look at why and how stories have been told and retold time and again across the millennia. It can also aid in the understanding of the self, if we choose to reflect on just why a certain type of story resonates so deeply with us on a personal level, and why a certain character is one we are drawn to.
I hope you have enjoyed this meditative look at just why the stories we tell and the stories we engage with have a profound impact on the way we understand ourselves. What stories draw you in the most? What characters do you relate to on a deep level? What characters draw you in because they remind you of loved ones? What characters agitate you because they remind you of those who have hurt you? I encourage you to ponder these questions, or maybe even journal about them, to help to understand your own relationship with stories. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is an artwork titled Stack of books 2 by Kendall Stump. I found the art on https://fineartamerica.com/featured/stack-of-books-2-kendall-stump.html.
LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries
Further Reading
- The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
- The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
- Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung
- Goddesses in Everywoman by Jean Shinoda Bolen
- Gods in Everyman by Jean Shinoda Bolen
- https://guides.library.harvard.edu/folk_and_myth/indices