Wise Old Man Archetype

Modern Example of the Senex

Obi Wan Kenobi: Star Wars

Modern Examples of the Senex

Gandalf: Lord of the Rings

Obi-Wan Kenobi continues to follow the archetype: he is old, wise, and helps Luke.

• His wisdom helps Luke and Han rescue Leia
• Formulates plans
• Obi-Wan is killed while attempting to protect Luke from Darth Vader; Luke, Han, and Leia are able to escape.
• Serves as a more knowledgeable other
• Teaches Luke about the Force

Modern Example of the Senex

Gandalf is a medieval form of the "senex" = a Merlin or wizard figure

• Conforms to the visual and mythical wizard stereotype
• Disappears from the storyline so that other characters, mostly Frodo, can grow on their own.
• Takes a human form, but is not human
• Much like Merlin
• Positive force in Middle-Earth
• Moral guide

Albus Dumbledore: Harry Potter

Bibliography

Like Gandalf, Dumbledore takes the medieval form of the senex.

• He supports and aids Harry in his hero's quest
• Takes the form of an old fatherly figure, since Harry's parents died = protector
• Powerful wizard; possesses wisdom about the world, magic and the main villain.
• Dies in the 6th book, leaving Harry to fight Voldemort without him = helplessness.
• Returns to reveal key information

• https://englishi2009-2010.wikispaces.com/The+Wise+Old+Man
• http://mythichero.com/atonement.html
• http://valarguild.org/varda/Tolkien/encyc/articles/g/Gandalf/gandalf.html
• http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosKheiron.html
• http://www.maicar.com/GML/Mentor4.html
• http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=church&book=aeneid&story=anchises
• http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/socrates-plato-and-aristotle-the-big-three-in-gree.html
• http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/LX/SevenSagesOfGreece.html

Ancient Example: Chiron

Wise Old Man Archetype

Details:

• Known as the "Wise Centaur"
• Oldest and wisest of all centaurs (Homer).
• Mentored many heroes like Jason and Achilles
• Relinquished immortality after wounded with an arrow = placed in the sky as Sagittarius

Ancient Example: Mentor

From the Ancient World to Today

Details:

• Old friend of Odysseus and guide to Telemachus
• Athena assumed his shape
• Odysseus entrusted his estate to Mentor
• Absence of Mentor while Odysseus was away
• Views of crime

Ancient Example: Anchises

Thesis

The Archetype: Carl Jung

The senex, or wise old man archetype, permeates literature and mythology from the ancient world to modern day.

Details:

• Elderly father of Aeneas
• Shows wisdom
• The fire around Ascanius' head
• The fall of Troy
• Dies early on in the Aeneid = furthers Aeneas' character development

Real Life Examples

• Carl Jung: a psychologist from the early 20th century
• Colleague of Freud
• He established archetypes = "images and thoughts which have universal meanings across cultures"
• They manifest in art, religion, and literature

The Wise Old Man Archetype, also known as "senex", is the Jungian archetype of wisdom.

• Appears in both Ancient Greco-Roman myths and literature as well as modern day writings.

• Seven Sages of Greece
• Pliny the Elder
• Socrates/Plato/Aristotle Relationship

Characteristics of the Senex

• Typically represented as an old and wise father figure.
• Does not go on the hero's journey, but functions as an aid.
• May appear as an absent minded professor, a wizard (medieval literature), an old fool, or a hermit.
• Often killed off or removed from the storyline = hero must develop on his/her own.