feminine archetype

8/12/2019 Feminine Archetype

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FEMININE ARCHETYPECentral Symbolism of the Feminine

Woman=Boy!"esssel!Worl!Nat#re

Three Ar$hety%al S%heres of Feminine Symbolism&

H'(SE&(womb) Woman's body=first house (container) and first clothing; woman's weaving

and spinning provide protection for body. Click herefor an illustration a detail from !ieronymus"osch's painting #$he $emptation of %t. &nthony (rado useum).

TAB)E&(milk) Woman's body=first provider of nourishment; woman's cooking provides food.

Click herefor an illustration a detail from a fifteenth*century painting by %ano di ietro (%iena

inocoteca).

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BE*&(se,uality) Woman's body=provoker and arouser of se,uality; bed is place of se, birth

sleep death. Click herefor an illustration aul Ce-anne's painting #$he ternal /eminine

(0etty useum).

T+o Chara$ters of The Feminine ,Elementary An Transformati-e.&the two ways inwhich the archetypal feminine manifests itself to consciousness two tendencies which shape feminine

archetypal symbolism. $his terminology the concept of the structure of the feminine archetype and thefollowing diagram are adapted from rich 1eumann The Great Mother: An Analysis of the Archetype

(rinceton 2niversity ress +345).

&ll parts of the diagram should be interpreted from the perspective of the individual ego usually

symboli-ed by a hero figure. $hus the same sort of imagery may appear as positive or negativedepending on the perspective of the hero (e.g. containment is positive when the ego needs

protection and negative when it is ready for growth). %ince elementary figures are always

depicted as superior in power to the ego these are labelled on the diagram as 6 or * (for

mother); as peer figures images of the transformative feminine are designated as &6 or &* (for anima).Click on the intersection of the circles and linear a,es for more information and images; if your browser

does not support image maps you may click on the following terms instead7 ositive lementary8redcircle

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When the ego:hero is weak and in need of protection containment by the elementary feminine is

e,perienced as a positive sheltering and enfolding. $his can clearly be seen in this painted paneldepicting ary as shelterer of the world.

fourteenth*century panel; %iena inacoteca

Barbara F. McManus

green circle

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When the ego:hero is ready the positive elementary figure releases him and provides the food supportand nurturing that he reuires to grow and develop. $he movement along this a,is is always from

darkness into light. ohn the "aptist incorporates various

symbols of nature on her throne and heavily emphasi-es her maternal role (hence elementary); note thesymbolic similarities in this image and in thedepiction of the goddess $ellus(earth) on the &ra acis in

ome.

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painting by oselli; /lorence /ine &rts useum

$he Celtic mother goddesses called matronaeby the omans are depicted holding bread and fruit; theyoften appear as a triad.

matronae relief shown with portraits of the family of @. Aettius %everus

who dedicated the monument; "onn heinisches Bandesmuseum

blue circle;
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$he positive elementary pole culminates in the figure of the 0ood other who presides over the

Aegetation ysteries of fertility and rebirth. !ere we find the cycles of nature as symboli-ed by theseed*plant*fruit*seed transformation metaphorically representing the human cycles of death and rebirth.

$he archetypal 0ood other is surrouded by agricultural and fertility symbols of all kinds especially

grain fruit (notably the pomegranate) the cornucopia the pig:sow and shellfish.

mosaic with ithras $ellus the %easons; unish

raehistoriches useum

Dn this mosaic the male figure the ersian god ithras is standing surrounded by the signs of the

-odiak representing the sky spirit and the immortality principle. $he goddess $ellus (arth) lies on the

ground surrounded by her children the four seasons representing nature and the rebirth principle.

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1egative lementary8red circle

When the ego:hero is ready to grow and develop containment by the elementary feminine is perceived

as imprisonment holding fast entrapment. $he goddess painted on the inner lid of this gyptianmummy case appears to be containing:imprisoning the dead person with her body. Weaving which in

the hands of the positive elementary feminine symboli-es the protection and adornment provided by

clothing here becomes an instrument of ensnaring associated with spiders nets nooses cages vipers.

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painted interior of an gyptian

mummy case; "russels oyal

useum of &rt and !istory

green circle

Dnstead of giving birth to the ego:hero the negative elementary feminine swallows him back devours

him. $he movement along this a,is is always from light into darkness and negative elementary figures

become increasingly bestial and monstrous. !ere we find sea monsters (e.g. the whale that swallows>onah) the octopus the spider that ensnares cocoons and devours its prey big cats boars that castrate

with their tusks birds of prey. 1egative mouth symbolism is very prominent in these figures in the form

of teeth and fangs. Dn this image of the sea monster %cylla who devoured sailors we can see the motifof the castrating #toothed vagina (vagina dentata) in the ravening dogs that emerge from her genitals.

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detail of vase painting depicting %cylla c. 5?G "C; 0etty useum

$he %phin, with the head of a woman the wings of an eagle and the body of a lion is shown heredevouring:castrating a hapless $heban youth.

cup with painting depicting sphin, and victim by Hleomelos c. GG "C; 0etty useum

$his statue of a sphin, is less monstrous but her effect on the young male victim is still deadly.

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reconstructed marble sphin, group (oman copy of 0reek original); Aienna phesususeum

& classic e,ample of the negative elementary figure can be found in the fairy tale #!ansel and 0retel.

$he witch who is old and ugly uses a house made of candy to entrap the children. %he imprisons !ansel

in a cage and feeds him in order to fatten him up for the kill; she starves 0retel and works her nearly todeath until 0retel shoves her in the oven intended for !ansel

blue circle;

$he negative elementary pole culminates in the figure of the $errible other who presides over the

Ieath ysteries. Dn the words of rich 1eumann (The Great Mother E+*E9)7

$he mysteries of death as mysteries of the $errible other are based on her devouring*ensnaring

function in which she draws the life of the individual back into herself. !ere the womb becomes adevouring maw and the conceptual symbols of diminution rending hacking to pieces and annihilation

of rot and decay have here their place which is associated with graves cemeteries and negative deathmagic.

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mummified oman woman 5*?th century C;

"udapest !istorical useum

$his painting of the biblical heroine >udith a >ewish widow who saved her city from a besieging armyby cutting off the head of the general !olofernes illustrates the raw physical symbolism that pervades

the negative elementary pole of the feminine archetype.

#>udith by &rtemisia 0entileschi; Capodimonte useum

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ositive $ransformative8red circle


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#Aenus of 2rbino by $itian; /lorence 2ffi-i useum

Ne/ati-e Transformati-e

#Aenus and Cupid by !endrick Aan der "roeck; Capodimonte useum

green circle

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$he more positive the transformative symbolism the less bodily and physical it appears. !ere the

feminine attracts and inspires the ego:hero to become more daring and heroic to perform great deeds to

rescue or honor her; her attraction and:or danger literally transforms him for the better. $hese deedsoften involve the conuest of $errible other figures representing the devouring aspect of the

unconscious as can be seen in the following vase painting showing erseus battling a sea monster to

rescue &ndromeda. Dn all these images and narratives the se,ual component in her attraction isdownplayed and the hero typically #marries her thus taking control of her se,uality and fertility.

detail of &pulian amphora 5G*5?G "C; 0etty useum

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$ransformative figures become positive through subordinating their se,ual allure to the masculine in

marriage or by renouncing it altogether as can be seen in this depiction of ary agdalen usually

identified as the repentant adulteress of the 1ew $estament (though this identification is now disputed)kissing the feet of Christ.

detail of +?th century panel; %iena inacoteca

blue circle;

$he positive transformative feminine culminates in the most #spiritual of the feminine figures virgins

who represent the complete sublimation of se,uality. !ere we find the most ethereal and least bodilyfeminine figures (and hence the most acceptable to the patriarchy). $he Airgin ary for e,ample is

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depicted as a transformative figure more freuently than an elementary one (in other words the

emphasis falls on her virginity rather than her motherhood). Dn the following two paintings she is shown

as very young pale and ethereal with pastel colors (especially the sky colors of blue and white). venwhen she is shown without clothes (as in the very unusual representation on the triptych panel) the

conte,t is totally spiritual and other worldly.

detail of #&doration of the Christ Child by

/ilippo Bippi; /lorence 2ffi-i useum

detail of triptych from &bbey of Iielegem by

aitre of ++F; "russels oyal useum of &rtand !istory

1uns who completely forgo their se,uality are also transformative figures; in the following painting we

see %t. Catherine uite literally giving her heart to Christ.

painting by Co--arelli late +th century; %iena inacoteca

&t this pole of the feminine archetype the inspiration of the positive transformative feminine is moreintellectual and spiritual than that of the damsel in distress. !ere we find the muses who inspire the

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ego:hero to create art and literature and virgin goddesses like &thena and %ophia who symboli-e

intuitive wisdom. $he following stained glass window depicts the poet Iante surrounded by %t. Bucy

(whose name means #light and who wears a blue dress adorned with stars) and "eatrice the youngwoman who inspired his poetry (and whose se,ual appeal was certainly sublimated since she had died

before he wrote about her).

stained glass window; ilan &mbrosiana useum

1egative $ransformative8red circle

When the se,ual allure of the transformative feminine threatens rather than enhances conscious control

the youthful female figure becomes a seductress who weakens rationality and negatively transforms theego:hero. ve for e,ample persuades &dam to eat the apple and therefore is portrayed as ultimately

responsible for their e,pulsion from aradise. $he se,ual component of her #persuasion is clearly

illustrated in the following painting since her body with a swelling belly suggesting pregnancy and a fig

leaf calling attention to her genitals is the center and focus of the image.

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detail of #/all and edemption by !. Aan der 0oes+th century; Aienna Hunsthistorisches useum

marble relief of archangel e,pelling &dam and ve fromaradise; %iena Iuomo

%ee this comparisonof two portraits of Aenus for an illustration of the differing emphases in the

depiction of se,uality within positive and negative transformative feminine symbolism.

green circle

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%eduction by negative transformative figures weakens or destroys the conscious control of the ego:hero.

2nlike negative elementary figures the negative transformative takes control from within enslaving hiswill and rational faculties rather than attacking him. !ere we find thefemme fatale the #vamp underwhose spell the hero loses his honor character independence and resolve. /or e,ample in the 0reek

myth depicted below the handsome youth !ylas is drawn into a pool by lustful water nymphs and

drowned (drowning is a common symbol for the loss of consciousness and rationality).

painting of !ylas and the 1ymphs by /. /urini; /lorence itti alace

!ere we also find enchantresses who use magical powers to negatively transform the ego:hero. $he0reek mythical figure Circe for e,ample lured men to her house by her lovely singing; the drink she

gave them however changed them into swine effectively taking away their higher human faculties.

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black*figure vase depicting Circe and

swine*men th century "C; &thens1ational useum

blue circle.

$his pole of the feminine archetype culminates in the ysteries of Irunkenness as described by rich1eumann (The Great MotherE?)7

$he negative pole of &,is & . . . pertains more to the character of spiritual*psychic deaththan to that of

physical death which played so significant a role in the death mysteries of the $errible other. . . . Dn

the negative mysteries of drunkenness and stupor the personality and consciousness are #regressively

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dissolved; poisoned by negative orgiastic se,uality narcotics or magic potions they succumb to

e,tinction and madness.

!ere we find negative ecstasy and into,ication that weaken and destroy the consciousness of theego:hero; drugs and alcohol for e,ample are often symboli-ed as feminine as in the name ariJuana or

the folksong K1ancy WhiskeyK (K. . . the more she kissed me the more D smiled. D forgot my father's

wishes; 1ancy Whiskey had me beguiled.K). $his oman wall painting depicts the %irens mythic

females with the faces of women and the bodies of birds whose seductive song was so irresistible thatthey lured sailors to death by drowning when their ships crashed on the rocks. Comparison of the %irens

to another sea*monster %cylla provides a good illustration of the difference between the direct

destruction:devouring of the negative elementary and the indirect destruction by allurement of thenegative transformative.

wall painting of udith who is

portrayed with a negative elementary emphasis; %alome's seductive dancing indirectly leads to >ohn's

beheading while >udith wields the knife herself.

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Elementary Chara$ter of the Feminine&

Hey concepts associated with all lementary feminine figures7

o figures are older

o figures are powerful superior to ego (protagonist)

o figures are maternal (positive or negative) static cyclical

o figures tend to act directly out of their own power

o symbolism tends to have a physical bodily corporeal accent

ositive lementary /igure (6)80''* M'THER

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o aids protagonist by her overwhelming power8protects shelters nourishes

o tends to be associated with earth colors and vegetation imagery

o has a matronly beauty

1egative lementary /igure (*)8TERRIB)E M'THER1 ')* WITCH

o attacks or destroys protagonist by her overwhelming power8traps imprisons devours

dismembers castrates

o tends to be associated with black L red colors and blood L death imagery

o is ugly and:or has monstrous ualities (often accompanied by phallic symbolism)

Transformati-e Chara$ter of the Feminine&

Hey concepts associated with all $ransformative feminine figures7

o figures are younger

o figures are peers co*eual with ego (protagonist)

o figures are dynamic instigators of positive or negative change

o figures tend to act indirectly influencing and using the power of other people or things

o symbolism tends to have a psychological accent

ositive $ransformative /igure (&6)8INSPIRIN0 "IR0IN

o aids protagonist by attracting and inspiring him (especially through sublimation ofse,uality)

o tends to be associated with pale or pastel colors (especially sky colors8blue L white)

o has a natural innocent ethereal beauty

1egative $ransformative /igure (&*)8SE*(CTRESS1 Y'(N0 WITCH

o weakens or destroys protagonist by seduction se,ual allurement enticement negative

enchantment

o tends to be associated with vivid colors especially red L black

o has a full*bodied voluptuous e,otic beauty

March, 1

Barbara F. McManus

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