The Onyx: Africa and

the Middle East

By: Sara Purvis, Max Ebert, Luke Martin
The Heroes
The Hero is also a classic figure in ancient literature, often portraye as
one !ho "ust confront an increasingly ifficult path of obstacles in
orer to birth his "anhoo# Many of the gos of the !orl$s ancient
religions began their lives as heroes capable of great feats of strength
or skill#
Heiti%eibib: legenary hero of the &hoikhoi# He is the son of a co! an
so"e "iraculous grass, eaten by the co!# Heitsi%eibib is a great
"agician, a patron of hunters, an a superb fighter# 'ne of his feats
!as efeating the "onstrous (a%gorib# )ccoring to legen, he !as
kille on nu"erous occasions, after !hich he al!ays resurrecte
hi"self *his cairns are foun all over the &hoikhoi lans+#
)nansi, trickster an culture hero#
The Creation
The -reation archetype is so"eone !ho creates so"ething very
i"portant# Such as the Earth, !orl, etc#
Efile%Mokulu: The supre"e being of the Basonge, an others of the
Baluba fa"ily *.aire+, is also creator of the !orl an all in it# He is
invoke in oaths#
)la: consiere to be the "other of all things#
The Rebel
The /ebel archetype is usually so"eone0so"ething that is not for the
greater goo#
(aunub: )"ong the &hoi%&hoi, a go of evil, the estroyer, !ho !as
associate !ith solar an lunar eclipses#
)iga"uxa: !oul eat hu"an beings#
The Creator
The -reator archetype is very si"ilar to the -reation archetype# The
-reator is so"eone !ho creates so"ething, such as heaven, hell,
Earth, ani"als, etc#
)ora: The (o of the Lugbara, !ho !ell in the area bet!een .aire
an 1gana# )roa ha t!o aspects: goo an evil# He !as looke on
as the creator of heaven an Earth, an !as sai to appear to a
person !ho !as about to ie# )roa !as represente as tall an
!hite, !ith only half a boy %%% one eye, one ear, one ar", one leg# His
chilren are the )roan2i#
-agn: create ani"als to serve "an#
)bassi: the creator of heaven an Earth#
The Storyteller
The Storyteller archetype is so"eone !ho tells stories about there
ti"e# 3t can be about al"ost anything#
)nansase": Literally, spier stories# 3t is a generic title of a class of
folktales tol by the )kan%speaking people of the ol (ol -oast, so
calle !hether the spier takes part in the story or not# These stories
are tol for group entertain"ent an are efinitevely istinguishe
fro" the "yths# They are also kno!n as 4!ors of a sky go4,
5yanko"se"#
The Samaritan
The Sa"aritan archetype is so"eone !ho is al!ays trying to help the
greater goo# Mostly a helper in !hatever the situation "ay be#
(a!a2a: The &agoro *&atab+ go of the universe# The beneficent
supre"e go is helpful against evil spirits an is invoke for rain
uring rought, for health an luck at the ti"e of the ne! "oon, an
for chilren an !ealth#
5inlil: Su"erian goess of heaven, Earth, air, etc#

The Rescuer
The /escuer archetype is so"eone !ho saves so"ething0so"eone#
The /escuer coul save so"eone in "any !ays#
)6ok: The go of the Lotuko, a Suanese people# 3t !as believe that
he !as benevolent, but only if "en chose to keep hi" so# 7a"ily strife
!as seen to be the cue for eath to enter the fa"ily, an inee a
story is tol of a Lotuko "other !ho i"plore )6ok to restore her ea
chil to life# The go oblige, but the !o"an$s husban !as angry,
an berate his !ife, killing the chil# )6ok, annoye, eclare that
never again !oul he raise a Lotuko, an that fro" this on, eath
!oul be per"anent for his people#
The Protector
The Protector archetype is so"eone !ho protects a special
so"eone0so"ething# 7or exa"ple, a father protects his aughter fro"
boys# He !oul be her protector#
)chi"i: The son of the 3therther an Tha"uat2, the first living
creatures on the earth# He !as a !il an aventurous ani"al an left
his parents# He ca"e upon a village that !as built by the first hu"an
beings, an they al"ost caught hi"# The !ise bee tol hi" that it !as
better for an ani"al to serve hu"ans because they !oul provie
the" !ith steay "eals an protect the" fro" lions# )chi"i, ho!ever,
!as eter"ine to re"ain inepenent an control his o!n fate# He
returne to the lan !here his parents gra2e !ith their ne!%born
aughter# 3n a fit of rage )chi"i expelle his father an "ate !ith his
"other an his sister#
The Father
This archetype co"bines a talent for creating or initiating !ith the
ability to oversee others, !hether a biological fa"ily or a group of
creative people# )lthough the 7ather has taken on negative
connotations associate historically !ith paternalis" an "ale
o"inance, !e shouln$t lose sight of its pri"ary characteristics of
courage%%think of )braha" leaving the ho"e of his ancestors to father
a ne! race in a strange lan%%an protectiveness#
)rebati, !ho is aresse as afa, 47ather4, create the first hu"an
fro" clay# He covere the clay !ith a skin, an poure bloo into it,
thus bringing it to life
3llalei: 87ather of Men9
The Orhan Child
The 'rphan -hil is the "a6or character in "ost !ell kno!n chilren$s
stories, incluing Little 'rphan )nnie, the Matchstick (irl, Ba"bi, the
Little Mer"ai, Hansel an (retel, Sno! :hite, -inerella, an "any
"ore# The pattern in these stories is reflecte in the lives of people
!ho feel fro" birth as if they are not a part of their fa"ily, incluing the
fa"ily psyche or tribal spirit#
-hiru!i: The -hiru!i *4"ysterious creature4+ is a -entral )frican half%
"an, !ith one leg, one ar" an one sie# Seen fro" the "issing sie
he is invisible# He !ill challenge all those he encounters to a fight# 3f
he is efeate he !ill beg not to be kille an in return he !ill offer the
kno!lege of "any "eicine# The victor !ill then beca"e a very
successful "eicine%"an# Shoul the -hiru!i !in, ho!ever, he !ill kill
his victi"#
The Sy
Positive characteristics of the ;etective inclue the ability to seek out
kno!lege an infor"ation that supports solving cri"es an
protecting the public# ;etectives co"bine great po!ers of observation
!ith highly evolve intuition to euce the solutions to cri"es#
The Femme Fatale
The 7e""e 7atale represents highly refine skills at "anipulating
"en !ithout investing personal e"otion# The 7e""e 7atale is a
sexual an a financial archetype, an either co"es fro" or is ra!n to
"oney an po!er# Seucing "en !ith "oney an po!er an for the
sake of personal control an survival is a classic part of this
archetype, although the 7e""e 7atale is not looking for a ho"e in the
suburbs an the pleasures of fa"ily life#
Potiphar<s !ife: in the Hebre! Bible, !hen her atte"pt to seuce
=oseph faile, she ha hi" thro!n into captivity# Her na"e is .eleikha
in 3sla"ic traition#
Exa"ple: -leopatra
The !e""ar
The Beggar is associate !ith epenence on the kinness of others,
living on the streets, starvation, an isease, !hether in 5e! >ork -ity
or -alcutta# 3t is easy to believe that the archetype of the Beggar is
solely a negative one, but that is an illusion# ) person nee harly be
starving for foo to be consiere a Beggar#
'ysseus: !ho is isguise hi"self as a ragge beggar !hen he
returne ho"e fro" Troy
The #iberator
:e ten to think of Liberators as great "ilitary an political leaers
!ho free an entire country or people fro" servitue# But in everyay
life, any nu"ber of people can play a si"ilar role on a s"aller scale,
helping to liberate us fro" the tyranny of self%inflicte negative thought
patterns an beliefs, spiritual sluggishness, poor nutrition, estructive
relationships, or aictive behavior#
;ionysus an Eros
Exa"ples: Mahat"a (anhi, )braha" Lincoln, Si"-n Bol?var of
@ene2uela, 5elson Manela, Lenin, -astro, an -he (uevara#
The $amsel
The ;a"sel in ;istress "ay be the olest fe"ale archetype in all of
popular literature an the "ovies# She is al!ays beautiful, vulnerable,
an in nee of rescue, specifically by a &night an, once rescue, she
is taken care of in lavish style#
Princess )igiar": a strong, valiant aughter of Mongolian &ing &aiu
!ho offere herself in "arriage to any suitor !ho coul !restle her
o!n but !ho, if he lost, ha to give her a horse# She never "arrie,
an !on AB,BBB horses#