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Comparisons of

archetypes in

the Sandman

and various

mythologies, in

relation toJungs theory of

the unconscious

collective.

Marjolein Stevens

IB Y1 Psychology

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What is Jungs theory of the collective

unconscious?

Jungs theory of unconsciouscollective states that there is abiologically-based portion of the

unconscious which reflectsuniversal themes and ideas, notindividual experience. (240)

So basically, nature over nurture:therere some ideas were just born

with, no matter where or whenwere from.

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What are archetypes?

Archetypes are images of universal meaning.

For example, the cycle of birth and death has been revisited in many

religions and philosophies for many years.

Carl Jung argued that archetypes were not independent inventions,

but rather operated independent of human consciousness, and werein fact an inheritance from the collective unconscious.

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Desire, despair, destiny, dream, death, delirium, and

destruction; also known as The Endless in Neil Gaimans

Sandmanseries.

In the Sandman, the Endless govern the ways of the universe.

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Desire has a certain cruel streak and creates attractions. Despair is responsible for depression, disease, and

particularly enjoys creating self-loathing.

Destiny is chained to his book from which he reads fate.

The Endless

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Dream, or the Sandman himself, controls the world of dreams;

both good ones and nightmares. He can give a person dreams, andhe can take them away.

Death is responsible for the trafficking of human souls; she picksthem up and takes them to where they belong.

Delirium is strange and eccentric; her job is to influence thatelement of craziness in life.

Destructions job is easy: destroy and decay.

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Greek Mythology

Ares, god of war. Enjoyed violent and bloody

battles. Comparable to Destruction.

Charon, boatman who rows the dead across

the river Styx if they were buried properly.Comparable to Death.

Eros, god of passionate love (cupid).

Comparable to Desire.

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Norse Mythology

Hel, daughter of Loki, responsible fordisease and famine. Comparable to Despair.

Loki, famous trickster, cunning and a shape-

shifter. Could be compared to Delirium.

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Other Mythologies

Hindu Mythology: Varuna, a Vedic god who

keeps the cosmos in order and is the

embodiment of destiny and truth.

Comparable to Destiny. Egyptian Mythology: Bes, god who sent

sweet dreams and banished nightmares.

Comparable toD

ream.

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So how are these

archetypes?There are quite a few basic archetypes that the Endless

fit into.

Death naturally fits into the archetype of thepresence of death

Delirium, Desire, Destruction, and Despair are alltricksters; masters of deception

The Shadow, the dark unwanted side of ourunconscious, is represented by many of the Endless,especiallyDespair and Destruction

Death also falls into a certain Mother image,because, despite her occupation, she acts verymotherly and cheerful, taking care of her subjects

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Why do comic book writers

transfer ancient mythology

into their comic books?

Comic book writers, such as Neil Gaiman, use

archetypes to make their readers feel morecomfortable with the world the writer has created.

The mythology behind the modern tales make themseem more powerful and therefore somewhat

invincible. It also relates to the readers collectiveunconscious, and therefore makes the comics

applicable to a wider audience.

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References

Banks, Amanda (1998, January). Folklore and the comic book. RetrievedNovember 17, 2008, from Newfolk Web site:http://www.temple.edu/isllc/newfolk/comics1.html

The Endless. (2008). In Wikipedia[Web]. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc..Retrieved November 17, 2008, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Endless Glassman

Gaiman, N. (1993). Sandman: Fablesand Reflections. New York, NY: DCComics.

Gaiman, N. (1999). Sandman: TheDream Hunters. New York, NY: DCComics.

Glassman, W. E., & Hadad, M. (2004).Approachesto Psychology.New York:Open University Press.

Keenan, S. (2000). Gods,Goddesses, and Monsters:A BookofWorld Mythology.New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc..