Carl Jung theorized archetypes in mythical narratives as being somehow universal across all human cultures. Perhaps it is something inherent in our physiological make-up as human beings or perhaps something more spiritual – a shared common understanding of a higher form. Whatever it is, the evidence shows that in myths from very diverse cultures from around the world, the characters of such legends and stories tend to have great similarities and narratives. Heroes, villains, father figures, lost sons, rivalrous brothers, messiahs, resurrection etc. Is it possible that these stories were invented long ago in human history and passed down through generation after generation, spreading around the globe, much as the human species itself did, all of our shared ancestors allegedly being traceable to the African continent? Is it more likely to be a part of the human brain that causes us all to think in similar ways and come up with similar archetypes, as suggested in ‘The God Part of the Brain?’ Or is it the case that archetypes are actually universal to all human cultures and how could that be so?
CriticalRemix.com
Dr. Owen Gallagher, SFHEA
