What a rich, illuminating article! Perfectly timed for the descent that winter always is — I'm grateful for the reminder that this oppressive darkness (politically, too) can be extremely fertile and incubating. As an author and screenwriter, archetypes constantly inform my work and Persephone is a key goddess archetype for me (along with…
What a rich, illuminating article! Perfectly timed for the descent that winter always is — I'm grateful for the reminder that this oppressive darkness (politically, too) can be extremely fertile and incubating. As an author and screenwriter, archetypes constantly inform my work and Persephone is a key goddess archetype for me (along with Artemis). She runs through my crime novels in both the female victims of male oppression and the outsiderness of the female police, detectives and agents who make a deliberate descent into darkness to catch abusers and killers.
For the first time, I'm writing a novel with a Demeter main character, but there are, as the archetype demands, lots of Persephones she's determined to rescue.
Thanks again for so much to think about and the gorgeous Pre-Raphaelite illustrations!
Hi Alexandra, appreciate your thoughtful comment and sharing.
I'm curious about your writing process - Do you purposefully choose these goddess archetypes to incorporate? Or have you found overtime that they naturally manifested in the characters you wrote? I find this really fascinating! The structures of these figures are so rich and can be used creatively in so many applications.
Hey Alyssa. It’s both! Using archetypes became a deliberate part of my writing process when I read Jean Shinoda Bolen’s fabulous Goddesses in Everywoman, and her lesser but still useful Gods in Everyman. I was very aware of the Greek/Roman pantheon from theater and history at Berkeley, but those books were a real “Well, that explains a LOT!” revelation for me. So helpful in life, too— I know I tend to have friction with Athena-dominant women (always dangerously defending the patriarchy), and I gravitate toward Dionysian men (but married a Poseidon). The pantheon isn’t enough, of course—very heterosexist, for one thing— but I also work a lot with Native American archetypes (Coyote, Trickster, Spider Woman…) and voodoo Loa (Erzulie, Baron Samedi, Maman Brigitte, Papa Legba…), and archetypes from witchcraft. And you mentioned Baba Yaga in your article – she’s a big one for me, too!
I always encourage the writers who take my workshop to become aware of how blockbuster movies and books use archetypes and how they might do that in their own work for deeper writing and commercial success. (Like here: https://youtu.be/UzVcm1rtVsI). It’s an incredible shortcut to creating characters that are psychologically true and universally resonant.
What a rich, illuminating article! Perfectly timed for the descent that winter always is — I'm grateful for the reminder that this oppressive darkness (politically, too) can be extremely fertile and incubating. As an author and screenwriter, archetypes constantly inform my work and Persephone is a key goddess archetype for me (along with Artemis). She runs through my crime novels in both the female victims of male oppression and the outsiderness of the female police, detectives and agents who make a deliberate descent into darkness to catch abusers and killers.
For the first time, I'm writing a novel with a Demeter main character, but there are, as the archetype demands, lots of Persephones she's determined to rescue.
Thanks again for so much to think about and the gorgeous Pre-Raphaelite illustrations!
Hi Alexandra, appreciate your thoughtful comment and sharing.
I'm curious about your writing process - Do you purposefully choose these goddess archetypes to incorporate? Or have you found overtime that they naturally manifested in the characters you wrote? I find this really fascinating! The structures of these figures are so rich and can be used creatively in so many applications.
Glad you found the article enriching :)
Hey Alyssa. It’s both! Using archetypes became a deliberate part of my writing process when I read Jean Shinoda Bolen’s fabulous Goddesses in Everywoman, and her lesser but still useful Gods in Everyman. I was very aware of the Greek/Roman pantheon from theater and history at Berkeley, but those books were a real “Well, that explains a LOT!” revelation for me. So helpful in life, too— I know I tend to have friction with Athena-dominant women (always dangerously defending the patriarchy), and I gravitate toward Dionysian men (but married a Poseidon). The pantheon isn’t enough, of course—very heterosexist, for one thing— but I also work a lot with Native American archetypes (Coyote, Trickster, Spider Woman…) and voodoo Loa (Erzulie, Baron Samedi, Maman Brigitte, Papa Legba…), and archetypes from witchcraft. And you mentioned Baba Yaga in your article – she’s a big one for me, too!
I always encourage the writers who take my workshop to become aware of how blockbuster movies and books use archetypes and how they might do that in their own work for deeper writing and commercial success. (Like here: https://youtu.be/UzVcm1rtVsI). It’s an incredible shortcut to creating characters that are psychologically true and universally resonant.
We should talk about a joint post or something!
- Alex