Donovan Dicks

English 10 GT Pd. 6
9/3/2013
Archetypal Symbols
Archetypal images represent the very basic essences of life, such as birth, death, space,
time, enlightenment, and many other core elements of being. They often refer to the cycle of life
and its completeness in nature. These images also symbolize the nature of things, as in chaos
versus order, or evil versus good, temptation versus purity, and so on. Archetypal motifs are
common and fundamental principles discussed in mythology. These motifs are often underlying
purposes or questions posed by the myth, and the hero encounters archetypal images on their
journey which aid in the discovery and explanation of the motifs. Motifs therefore build on the
images, and increase the complexity of the archetype. The four archetypes as genres are four
main categories in which a myth will reside in. This is the most complex form of an archetype.
Each is a different expression of a motif using various images throughout the entire myth to
establish the archetype itself.
In my understanding, archetypes can express themselves in three different ways, each
more complex than the previous. The simplest expression is as an image, such as water, the sun,
colors, numbers, and other visual representations. Each image is different and unique, but they
all symbolize a very basic part of the nature of being or the circle of life. The next expression is
as a motif, such as creation: a description of how the universe, nature, and man came to
existence. These are patterns that occur throughout the myth and are questioned and explored.
The final expression and the most complex is the archetype as a genre, which is centers on a
motif as the purpose of the myth, and archetypal images are present to further express the motif
and genre.