The Heroic Archetypes

Howdy y'all!

I know that it's been a while since I last posted. But who really cares? I don't, do you? Didn't think so. But I digress.

I've noticed that everyone has been writing stories based on their characters. I think I'll try my hand at that in a while, just as soon as I get some inspiration. But for now I think that I'll give everyone a hand in writing character traits.

This was actually introduced to me about a year ago by a friend of mine. (Her name is Kalinka, perhaps you've heard of her.) Anyway, this is a list of the twelve archetypes of the hero. Every hero ever conceived falls under one of these archetypes in some way. So anyway, here they are:

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Innocent
Quest: To remain in safety.
Fear: Being abandoned.
Dragon: Will deny it or seek outside rescue from it.
Task: To gain fidelity and discernment.
Virtue: Trust and optimism.

Orphan
Quest: To regain safety.
Fear: Being exploited.
Dragon: Will be victimized by it.
Task: To process and feel pain fully.
Virtue: Interdependence and realism.

Warrior
Quest: To win.
Fear: Weakness.
Dragon: Will slay or confront it.
Task: To fight only for what really matters.
Virtue: Courage and discipline.

Caregiver
Quest: To help others.
Fear: Selfishness.
Dragon: Will take care of it and those it harms.
Task: To give without maiming self or others.
Virtue: Compassion and generosity.

Seeker
Quest: To search for a better life.
Fear: Conformity.
Dragon: Will flee from it.
Task: To be true to the deeper self.
Virtue: Autonomy and ambition.

Lover
Quest: To gain bliss.
Fear: Loss of love.
Dragon: Will love it.
Task: To follow bliss.
Virtue: Passion and commitment.

Destroyer
Quest: To metamorphosis.
Fear: Annihilation.
Dragon: Will allow dragon to destroy oneself.
Task: To let go.
Virtue: Humility.

Creator
Quest: To gain identity.
Fear: Of being illusionary.
Dragon: will claim it as part of oneself.
Task: To self-create and self-accept.
Virtue: Individuality and vocation.

Ruler
Quest: To create order.
Fear: Of creating chaos.
Dragon: Will find constructive uses for it.
Task: To take full responsibility.
Virtue: Responsibility and control.

Magician
Quest: To transform.
Fear: Of assuming evil sorcery.
Dragon: Will transform it.
Task: To align self with the cosmos.
Virtue: Personal power.

Sage
Quest: To find truth.
Fear: Deception.
Dragon: To transcend it.
Task: To attain enlightenment.
Virtue: Wisdom and non-attachment.

Fool (The name is a bit misleading, I prefer "Trickster.")
Quest: To enjoy life for its own sake.
Fear: Of being not-alive.
Dragon: Will play tricks on it.
Task: To trust in the process of becoming.
Virtue: Joy and freedom

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Confused? Well I can't really blame you. But that's what I'm here for.

First of all lets get the terms down:

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Quest: A little obvious. This is what the hero set's out to accomplish, when this is completed the story ends. Pretty simple.

Fear: Obvious again. This is what the hero fears, it is the reason that he/she took up the quest.

Dragon: Now it's getting complicated. First of all, the Dragon doesn't have to be a giant, fire-breathing, winged lizard, it is actually the greatest challenge the hero has to face. It can exist physically, or just be some aspect of the hero his/herself that has to be overcome. Additionally, the description isn't of the Dragon itself, but rather the way the hero must challenge the Dragon.

Task: This is the climax of the quest, and is usually sufficient to overcome the Dragon. Succeeding brings the end of the quest, failure can destroy the hero, or turn the hero from his original archetype to its shadow archetype. (More on that later.)

Virtue: These are the rewards of self that the hero gains upon completion of the quest. As well as the physical rewards. (Gold, castle, etc.)

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Now for the fun part: What if the hero fails?

Like I mentioned previously, if the hero fails to complete his/her task he/she can be killed, no surprises there. But additionally, he/she can become his/her greatest fear, his/her shadow archetype.

This doesn't mean that there are twelve villain archetypes, or that a failed hero that doesn't die automatically becomes evil, just that his/her ideals become "inverted" for lack of a better word.

In fact the twelve archetypes can be shortened into six groups of two. Each group being made up of each others shadow archetype. Here is a list of the shadow groups:

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Innocent <-> Orphan
Warrior <-> Caregiver
Seeker <-> Lover
Destroyer <-> Creator
Ruler <-> Magician
Sage <-> Fool

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Now, this doesn't mean that any of the archetypes are evil, it just means that within the groups both archetypes are opposites, in a way.

The transition from one archetype to another happens when the hero fails the quest, either by being defeated by the dragon or failing the final task. At which point the hero will take on the traits of its shadow archetype. (For example: When the Seeker confronts his/her Dragon he/she must try to escape it. If escape proves impossible, he/she will become a Lover and learn to love his/her Dragon.)

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And that's pretty much it. I hope I've helped in some way. But if any of this still confuses you, you are welcome to post a question in the comments section and I'll try to answer as best I can.

Marr Vell