The Americans

Archetypes.
By: Damaris,Jourdyn, and
Kyra,Joseph.
Americans
culture/background
Archetype of Hero/Person Distress
Hero/person in distress; --Our heroes need to be loners with serious, if not melancholy,
personalities. They are, after all, fighting evil and taking on the suffering and burdens of
the innocent. t is unimaginable that they would be lighthearted when their !ob is to save
us.
--"e love our heroes to be disguised or to have secret identities. The #one $anger was
known as the %masked man,& but perhaps the most dashing of all masked heroes was
'orro, whose impressive e(uestrian skills made him a wondrous spectacle. )uperheroes
such as *atman, )uperman, )piderman, and ron +an have kept up the tradition of secrecy
and disguises, suggesting that the source of their power is intimately tied to an inner or
true identity. ,ood, in other words, has an interior identity, a soul identity, that needs to be
kept hidden from public view. The hero-s true identity can only be revealed to his most-
trusted allies, who are few and far between.
--)ome of our heroes give the impression of having loved but lost their true love. The
broken heart makes them more romantic. "illiam "allace .*raveheart/ is one such hero.
"hether the story of the brutal death of his bride at the hands of a *ritish officer is truth or
myth is irrelevant; it became the fodder of his myth. $obin Hood was tied to +aid +arian,
but his story does not go on to tell of his life with her. *atman-s love life is a disaster, as is
)piderman-s. "e cannot bear to share our heroes with any romantic figure.
Archetypes of Great Mother
The ,reat +other0 )o the archetype holds in it all that e1perience, all those patterns of behavior, whether of
the mother wolf with her cubs, or the eagle rearing its young. To touch such enormous wealth of e1perience
is to be penetrated by the holy. )omething so beyond the limitations of our own small personality enters us
and leaves its imprint. The ,reat +other archetype, a universal image or symbol, along with influences from
the child-s own psyche. The child-s idea of %mother& may or may not correspond accurately to the actual
mother, then, depending on the child-s own temperament and personality combined with universally-held
archetypes and the influence of the actual mother. The ,reat +other is an archetype of opposites, including
at one end the sympathetic, caring, solicitous mother and at the other the devouring, seductive, poisonous
mother.
The first may be represented by the 2irgin +ary, for e1ample, while the latter might be represented by 3ali,
the mother who devours her young. 4ven though the child may understand that his personal mother is neither
a +adonna nor a 3ali, he may relate to her as if she were such a figure. #ikewise, the undeveloped mother
with a mother comple1 may constellate or manifest her own ,ood +other .or *ad +other/, fail to integrate
the two within herself, and give her child a mother-child e1perience that, for all practical purposes, is
e1perienced very much as if the child had actually grown up with an archetype rather than a real mother. The
symbols are of this archetype are the 2irgin +ary; sometimes one-s own mother; a divine female; an old or
ageless woman; the 4arth; a blue grotto; the sea; a whale; a cave, a tree. "hatever the image it often contains
great religious feeling or spiritual uplift. 5fter all, our mother was the most powerful being in our early
world. 67id she admire hunters; then we would kill dragons and cleanse the world. 7id she feel the weight of
the world; then we would be the peace maker and bring her !oy. The symbols of mother represent not simply
our relationship with her, but also how the mother influence enters into our own growth, our move toward
independence and mature love. 5s a baby we do not feel separate from mother. The gradual separation is
difficult. n some people it is never managed.
Archetypes of The lood
5 flood myth or deluge myth is a narrative in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys
civili8ation, often in an act of divine retribution. 9arallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these
myths and the primeval waters found in certain creation myths, as the flood waters are described as a measure
for the cleansing of humanity, in preparation for rebirth. +ost flood myths also contain a culture hero, who
strives to ensure this rebirth. The flood myth motifs is widespread among many cultures as seen in the
+esopotamian flood stories, the puranuas the #ac :ourte Oreilles O!ibwa tribe of ;ative 5mericans in ;orth
5merica, the +usic 9eople and :anari :onfederation, in )outh 5merica. The +esopotamian flood stories
concern the epics of 'iusudra ,ilgamesh, and 5trahasis. n the )umerian king, it relies on the flood motif to
divide its history into preflood and post flood periods. The preflood kings had enormous lifespans, whereas
post flood lifespans were much reduced. The )umerian flood myth found in the 7eluge tablet was the epic of
'iusudra, who heard the 7ivine :ounsel to destroy humanity, in which he constructed a vessel that delivered
him from great waters. n the 5trahasis version, the flood is a river flood. n Hindu +ythology, te1ts such as
the )atapatha *rahmana mention the puranic story of a great flood, wherein the +istaya 5vatar of 2ishnu
warns the first man, +anu, of the impending flood, and also advises him to build a giant boat.
n the ,enesis flood narrative, <ahweh decides to flood the earth because of the depth of the sinful state of
mankind. $ighteous ;oah is given instructions to build an ark. "hen the ark is completed, ;oah, his family,
and representatives of all the animals of the earth are called upon to enter the ark. "hen the destructive flood
begins, all life outside of the ark perishes. 5fter the waters recede, all those aboard the ark disembark and
have ,od=s promise that He will never !udge the earth with a flood again. He gives the rainbow as the sign of
this promise.
Archetypes of Henchmen
Henchman! Henchman referred originally to one "ho attended
a horse for his employer# that is# a horse groom$ Hence# like
constable and marshal# also originally stable sta%# henchman
became the title of a subordinate o&cial in a royal court or
noble household$ 't is no" used to generally describe any
person "ith subordinate status derisi(ely# "hile most often
used speci)cally to a hired guard or minion of a (illain or
master criminal$ Henchmen are often abused and insulted by
the (illain for their incompetence# or for his pleasure* indeed#
some abused henchmen take re(enge after the (illain+s )nal
defeat at the hero+s hands# so that the henchman rather than
the hero actually kills the (illain$ Henchmen in this sense are
also sometimes called lackeys# toadies# or mooks ,"ith the
latter term more often used for lesser minions of the (illain-$
Henchmen

.ot all henchmen are dim"itted# e/pendable

employees of a (illain$ 0ometimes# they may be of an
e1ual social standing or at least ha(e a high
intelligence or social standing of their o"n# thus being
(alued more like a right2hand man$ 'n such cases# they
may command groups of more e/pendable thugs$ This
is common in ensemble casts "here often the leading
(illain remains behind the scenes$ 3eing granted a
large amount of autonomy# intelligent henchmen often
ha(e their o"n agendas and may also co(et the
leading (illain+s position# and they often attempt to
betray the (illain in order to obtain it$ 0ome henchmen
e(en ser(e the hero# such as in 0tar Trek$
Henchmen

4hile the term is masculine# female henchmen

are not unheard of$ Ho"e(er# many of them
typically ser(e only as the male (illain+s lo(er#
rather than acti(ely take part in the schemes$
5sually# there is# instead# an additional male
accomplice for the purpose of criminal business$
A female accomplice is more often called a 6moll$
A henchman might also be the non2player
character follo"er of a player character in role2
play games$ This henchman "ill follo" the player
around and assist in (arious manners$
Archetypes of the trickster

The Trickster! The Trickster is a clo"n# a

mischief maker$ He pro(ides the comedy relief
that a story often needs to o%set hea(y
dramatic tension$ The trickster keeps things in
proportion$ The trickster can be an ally or
companion of the hero# or may "ork for the
(illain$ 'n some instances the trickster may
e(en be the hero or (illain$ 'n any role# the
trickster usually represents the force of
cunning# and is pitted against opponents "ho
are stronger or more po"erful
Trickster

$ A mythic )gure common among .ati(e .orth

Americans# 0outh Americans# and Africans "ho
attempts to distract or tempt the hero from the true
purpose of his/her 7ourney$ The Trickster archetype
embodies the energies of mischief and desire for
change$ All the characters in stories "ho are primarily
clo"ns or comical sidekicks e/press this archetype$
5sually male but occasionally female or disguised in
female form# he is notorious for e/aggerated biological
dri(es and "ell2endo"ed physi1ue* partly di(ine#
partly human# and partly animal# he is an often amoral
and comic troublemaker$
Trickster

The 4innebago trickster 4akd7unkaga scattered all

creation across the earth through his 8atulence$
.ati(es of the Paci)c .4 belie(e that the 9a(en# after
miniaturi:ing himself and entering the daughter of a
chief# "as able to emerge disguised as an infant and
steal the bo/ in "hich the chief hid the sun# thus
bringing light into the "orld$ Peoples of the plateaus of
the .4 5nited 0tates belie(e that good )shing is found
near# settlements that gained the fa(or of the coyote
by allo"ing him to copulate "ith their "omen$ Tales of
tricksters are ironic arenas in "hich corporeality and
transcendence# the indi(idual and society# meaning
and the absurd# are mediated and celebrated$
Archetypes of origins of )re
;rigin of )re* <ong# long ago# animals and trees talked "ith each other#
but there "as no )re at that time$ o/ "as most cle(er and he tried to
think of a "ay to create )re for the "orld$
D.A testing# D.A ancestry testing# ancestry# genealogy# 'ndian genealogy
records# paternity testing# tur1uoise 7e"elry# .ati(e American 7e"elry
;ne day# he decided to (isit the Geese# te2tl# "hose cry he "ished to learn
ho" to imitate$ They promised to teach him if he "ould 8y "ith them$ 0o
they contri(ed a "ay to attach "ings to o/# but cautioned him ne(er to
open his eyes "hile 8ying$
4hene(er the Geese arose in 8ight# o/ also 8e" along "ith them to
practice their cry$ ;n one such ad(enture# darkness descended suddenly as
they 8e" o(er the (illage of the )re8ies# =ona2 tic2a$ 'n mid28ight# the glare
from the 8ickering )re8ies caused o/ to forget and he opened his eyes>
instantly his "ings collapsed? His fall "as uncontrollable$ He landed "ithin
the "alled area of the )re8y (illage# "here a )re constantly burned in the
center$
0idekick
3y$ =yra

5sually the companion of the protagonist/antagonist#

the sidekick plays the supporti(e and subordinate role

Tonto 4orked @A years as faithful sidekick for kemo

sabe$ He Hunt# )sh# make food# se" clothes# s"eep
up# stay a"ake all night to listen for enemies for kemo
sabe$ 9isk life for kemo sabe$ or Thirty lousy years$
Bitations!
http!//pre:i$com/cul:oCppua7D/sidekick2archetype/
http!//en$"ikipedia$org/"iki/0idekick
http!//comics2/2aminer$com/EAF@/AG/AD/hot2toys2mmsEFH2the2lone2ranger2FDth2scale2tonto2collec
tible2)gure/

0un God
3y =yra
A deity that represents the sun or the reasoning behind it
<ittle is kno"n about many of those "orshipped by .ati(e
Americans# ho"e(er# many "ho ha(e some"hat con(erted to
the modern American culture ha(e shared kno"ledge#
including insight about IJhonaaKLM# the .a(a7o sun god$ He "as
re(ered by the tribe that ga(e him the name that literally
means Nsun bearerO
Bitations!
http!//en$"ikipedia$org/"iki/<istPofP.ati(ePAmericanPdeities
http!//fashionalmanac$)les$"ordpress$com/EAFE/AQ/na(a7oPin
diansPshiprockPne"Pme/ico2FAEC/HDR$7pg

Breation Myths
3y$ =yra

A story that e/plains the origin of mankind

There are thousands and thousands of .ati(e American

myths# most undocumented# throughout .orth American
history$ 5sing poems# song# creati(e paintings# and the
art of story telling# .ati(e Americans ha(e de(eloped
their o"n e/planation for the creation of mankind$

5nlike many of the supernatural myths fabricated# the

tribes of .ortheastern America ,Algon1uin# Abenaki#
etc$- belie(e human "ere created by Tabaldak# "hich
literally means NThe ;"nerO
Bitations! http!//en$"ikipedia$org/"iki/Tabaldak
Monster/Sillain
3y! Iourdyn
A monster/(illain is an e(il character "ho e/ists to cause disorder#
confusion and mayhem on society and to battle against a hero$
T/! The Ioker "ould be classi)ed as a (illain* he li(es to battle
3atman$U
The deep2rooted culture of the Americas has demonstrated a
constant theme# the (illain$ This theme is especially displayed in
classic mo(ies that maintain popularity# especially in modern times#
such as NThe IokerO
T/! The sea monster from =ingOs Vuest S "ould be classi)ed as a
monster$
Also rising in popularity# is the e(er2impro(ing (ideo game industry#
"hich displays similar thematic topics ,i$e$ the (illain-$ Pre(alent
games such as =ingOs Vuest S use notorious beasts such as the 0ea
Monster as ma7or characters# "hich e/hibit perpetual e/istence of
archetypes$
Belestial Vueen
3y! Iourdyn

Batholics re(ere Mary as Vueen of

Hea(en and Tarth$ Many non2
sectarians ho"e(er think that this is
the height of blasphemy$ They
accuse Batholics of "orshiping Mary
and of ha(ing ele(ated her to e1ual
status "ith her 0on# Iesus Bhrist$
They )nd cro"ned images of Mary in
1ueenly regalia and her place beside
Iesus in the de(otion to the T"o
Hearts most disconcerting$
The after2life
3y! Iourdyn

'n our dreams# the symbols and images that

appear represent archetypes of our higher
consciousness$ As in dreams# near2death
e/periences are e/periences of our higher
consciousness# and therefore# it shouldn+t be
surprising that similar symbols and images
appear in near2death e/periences as "ell$ ;n
=aren =eeley+s "ebsite# 'nsights into
Bonsciousness and Personality# she pro(ides a
good e/planation of ho" these symbols and
archetypes are uni(ersal and "hat they mean$
Bonclusion
TH'0 '0 THT
B;.B<50';. ; MW
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