Archetypes

Archetypes
Author(s): ELÉMIRE ZOLLA

Source: The American Scholar, Vol. 48, No. 2 (Spring 1979), pp. 191-207
Published by: Phi Beta Kappa Society
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Archetypes
ELÉMIRE ZOLLA
ARCHETYPE IS WHAT CAN PERMANENTLY ORDER objects into Sets,

gathertogetheremotions,and directthoughts.
Contact with an archetypecannot be revealed in the language of
everydayexperience;it requiresexclamatoryand idiomaticexpressions;
it is alwaysattendedby some measureof entrancement.But a sense of
archetypescan also dawn on ordinaryminds, caught in the web of
manifold,benumbingappearances. To these mindsthe encounterwill
be a startling,
fearsomereversaloftheirstiff,fragile,thoughtless,clumsy
habitsand persuasions,of theirpreviousunthinking, unstablearchetypal
balance. Such minds may blunderinto archetypesas theygrope their
way in the maze of materialcauses. Or a slightedarchetypemay grip
themall of a sudden: love may clench themwhen theyare playingthe
wanton;furyseize themon a trifling occasion; despairovercomethem
precisely when status is ensured, duty performed,affectionsecured.
They may thinktheyhave settledall a nation'sproblems,satisfiedits
- and somebodyturnsup reversingarch-
needs, furtheredits interests
etypes:"Ask notwhatyourcountrycan do foryou,but whatyoucan do
foryourcountry,"and the too down-to-earth, too sensible,too healthy,
too self-seekingvoterswillbecome sacrifice-eager, danger-courting,en-
tranced dreamers. Many times it is in sleep, or with strangeslips,
unintendedacts, thatneglectedarchetypesvisittheirfirst slightpunish-
ments on one who has dared ignore them. Many then exclaim with
Hamlet:
О God! I couldbe boundedin a nut-shell,
and countmyself
a kingofinfinite
space;wereit notthatI havebad dreams.
In societyat large, a neglect of archetypeswill bring about the
appearance of strangeand estrangedminoritieson far-out,unpleasant
fringes.The warningis sounded; if it go unheeded,the bruntwill be
paralyzing,the archetypewill carrythe victimsoffin a swoon.
О ELÉMIRE ZOLLA, editorof Conoscenzareligiosa,is chairmanof the Departmentof

AmericanLiteratureat the University
of Rome. He is the authorof The Eclipse of the
Intellectual,The Writerand theShaman,and The Uses of Imaginationand theDecline
of the West.
191
THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR
Man needsaxiomsforhisthinking, foodforhisbody,tranceforhis

psyche.Trancemeansgoingbeyond(transire) into the archetypal
world.Whenonegrazesit,at showsorindalliance,itgivesa mildthrill;
butthatis notenough,onlypanicwilldo. It is man'slottolosehimself
periodically in theforest ofarchetypes. Thishappensin dreams,which
revealtheactualarchetypal purport of everyday existence.In dreams
one sees the nonsensical farceof one's involvement in appearances,
identification withsemblances, with
entanglement reminiscences, be-
cause once sleep has sent the psycheadrift,formsand imagesare
arrangedaccording to theirarchetypal importalone. So one comesup
against what is inescapable. One is exposedtoitnaked,and fearing, or
But
wondering. dreaming is not enough. Men cannot survive without
periodically disappearing, fullyawake,intoan archetype. Theyneedto
feelcarriedawayin broaddaylight by theimpending archetype. They
feela call fromthePrimordial Dyad or Symmetry, and fallto mating;
theywanttobe dazzledbytheEmergence-of-the-Unit-of- Measure,and
rushto gamble;theyare attracted intothe varyingsignificance that
brawling, drinking, dancing,banqueting, haranguing can assume.Sen-
siblesocialarrangements in certaingroupsprovideforperiodicsessions
of spiritpossession, whichafford a totallysatisfyingsurrender to the
needed archetype.Originally, dances so increasedtheirtempo,and
singinggrewso hoarse,thatpossessionfollowed - as amongVedda
shamansin SriLanka.Also,at Yaquiand Taoshianfestivals thecapers
and the leaps resultin trances.Originally, among SouthAmerican
shamans, smoking brought themtothepointofswooning andhallucina-
tion.
An archetype is generallyactedout in theformof a recital.Most
peoplehavea peculiarmythicevent,a dreamsequencethattheyfeel
compelledtogo through overandoveragainina stateofslightintoxica-
tion,likechildren absorbedin theirgame.The mosttellingand graphic
rendition of thistruthcan be foundin Genet'splays.His Universal
Brothelis thearchetypal socialinstitution, whereeverybody's personal
arch-dream is cateredto.
Mostpeoplearestruck byan archetype - byitsmythical incarnation
in an event - at leastonceintheirlifetime, andafterthatall theycando
is circleroundand roundit. Theyare literally enchanted, bewitched,
doomedtoeternalcircumambulation, anditis incredibly tofind
difficult
the rightdisenchanting chantforthem.Whateverhappensis either
crammed intothegeneralpictureof theirobsessionor is allowedto flit
past unheeded.
It is notonlyin Victorian novelsthatan existence fullof apparent
change and adventure mayhinge on the or
childhood adolescentmem-
oryof a smartor of a slight,or of a meresnub,or of some puerile
192
ARCHETYPES
disappointment orattraction orcommitment. Thesquaring oftheimagi-

nary account, the paying off of the stale is
score, the verygistof such
and
lives, yet the Victorianwriter knew thathe had the readersafelyon
thestubborn hero'sside. It is considered naturalthatthestuntedsoul
shallroamtheglobe,engagein thewildestenterprises, and thencome
backtosomefunny nativevillagetocallquits."Changingplacechanges
'
stars'runsa Jewish saying,butit fallson deafearswithpeoplewhose
stunned psyches, wherever thebodymaybe, remaingluedtothespotof
theirencounter withthearchetype. Thesoulhasbeentransformed intoa
pillarofsalt.
Whentheprimalparalyzing sceneis buriedawayin earlyinfancy,
and notevenremembered, thevictimis likethemanin theexperiment
Bernheim was fondof showinghis pupils,theyouthful Freudamong
them.The manwasputunderhypnosis and toldto carryoutsomesilly
actionlateron. Whenthetimecame,he did whathe had beenordered,
witha puzzledair, but finding some rationalexcuseto coverup his
behavior. Anarchetypal encounter hasimplanted suchan orderin most
people,and theywasteawaytheirlives,obeyingas besttheymayand
withthemoststrained justifications. Sometimes theyinherit thepattern
fromtheirparents.Theyare neverawakened,notevento be crippled
and mesmerized.
The Ideal UniversalBrothelprovidesa straight man to feedeach
clienthislinesin hisparticular farce.The officialwhohas slippedback
into his schooluniform will get his spanking;the colonelwho has
donnedpriestly vestments willhearthedesiredconfession. Ifsomesuch
Brothelis notproviding an outlet,thearchetype willassertitselfany-
way;mouthings, grimaces, nervous ticswilldevastatethedeprived one's
face.Theycannotbe stopped:whatever thecircumstances, he mustgo
on frantically playinghispartoverand overin thearchetypal mythic
scene in whichthosemovements are required.Stutters,compulsions,
repetitions, the tritemistakesmade overand over again,expletives,
redundancies in generalare signsthattheperson,whatever thecost,is
trying to act out the archetypal dream, hisor hercurse.
As Hopkinsphrasedit:
Self-yeastof spirita dull dough sours. I see
The lostare like this,and theirscourgeto be
As I am mine,theirsweatingselves . . .
Redundancy is the keythatlocksthemin, and couldeventually also

unlockthem.
Whata manfeelscompelledpointlessly tovoicegiveshisgameaway.
All oathtaking,swearing,all themad mythology all the
ofinvectives,
moronic sexualmetaphors are avowalsofobsessions.
Withsuchvictims
193
ofmythiccompulsions,whethertheyare honest,law-abidingzombiesor
reasonablyneuroticpatients,it has been suggestedthatthe cure might
be forthemto repeatuntiringly the questions:"Who am I? Whatis I?"
This mightlead to the realizationthatpersonalidentityis a delusion,
that one is not one but many,until at last nonpersonalawareness,a
witnessinganonymouscenter,is firmly established: a nonpersonaliden-
titywhich is cosmic,sheer being.
If thisis not achieved,whatdifference does it make thatit is you or
somebodyelse, withanothername, thatgoes throughyourbody's me-
chanical set of motions?They are the resultof social myths,of condi-
tioningsyou have nevereven inquiredabout. You or somebodyelse- it
makesno difference whatever.
To gain thispointof view,one shouldpay a visitto Genêts Brothel,
whichBlake styled"Halls of Los":
Allthingsactedon Earthare seenin thebrightSculptures of

Los's Hallsand everyAge renewsitspowersfromtheseWorks,
Witheverypathetic storypossibleto happenfromHateor
Wayward Loveand everysorrow is carvedhere,
and distress
Everyaffinity ofParents,Marriages are here
and Friendships
In all theirvariouscombinationswrought withwondrous Art.
The same key can unlock; let a man shed his redundanciesand he
will be a buoy in the sea of archetypes.He will view the Halls of Los
detachedly; the UniversalBrothelwill appear to him a collectionof
curios.
The temporary satisfaction he got out of his littleact in thisor that
chamberof the UniversalBrothelwas a tame affairby comparison -
nothingbut a temporaryrelease frompressure,the daily dose of the
addict, while a realizationof the game of archetypesbehind it all will
confera sense of release,of peace and ecstasyonly inferiorto the full
peace and bliss of unity,to the realizationof cosmic Oneness.
A novel of Ouspenskytellsthe storyof a man who is expelled from
school,losesan inheritance, a job, a fiancé,and begs a magicianforhelp.
The magicianconsentsto give him a new lease on lifeand projectshim
backwardin time,to hisearlieryears.The man makesthesame mistakes,
one by one, all overagain- even thoughhe now knowseach timewhat
the outcomewill be. The old, unchangingcompulsionis irresistible, so
he findshimselfback in the magicians presence. He finallydiscovers
thatthe only answeris to shed his sillyself. He looks at the cats in a
Moscowlane and realizesthemeaningoftheimpersonalhere-and-now.
The averagehumanbeing clingsmadlyto the ragsofhis "personal-
ity"; in them he drapes himselfforthe monotonous,tiresome,dreary
performance of the one archetypalmythwhichis his personalequation.
194
ARCHETYPES
If everhe realizedthehere-and-now, he wouldalso see themythas if

fromoutsidehimself; thenhe wouldheavea deep sighof relief,like
Sindbadafterhavingshakenthe meanold man offhis shoulders.He
wouldthenbe grantedthe realizationof whatarchetypes are- what
Keatscalleda fellowship withessences,a "sortofoneness"thatbrings
freedomand renewal.But suchan enthrallment, Keatsadds,is "self-
destroying"; it is barred to the multitudes who refuse to let go oftheir
selves.
Yeteverybody knowsaboutarchetypes. Thereisn'ta villagewhere
you are not reminded of them, at least comically, bystatues, bydecora-
tions,bybuildings designed not to provide shelter but to symbolize. You
cannothandlea banknote without beingstaredatbythem:theyhangon
walls,dangleon chests,are wornon fingers. Everybody servesarche-
types, but ever so few understand what they are. A shaman oncerisked
hislifeto becomeall archetypes - to impersonate them, as tranced
not
and possessed,unconscious devoteesmight,butas an actorglowingly
committed thoughfullyawareoftheperformance. Thisenabledhimto
use archetypes insteadof remaining theirplaything. He becamethe
lawgiver, and was no a
longer law-abiding serf or a tormented law-
breaker.
Sincetherealization ofthenatureofarchetypes isa rarefeat,naming
thempresents one ofthebiggestproblems in language.How can their
necessarilyunconscious, submerged partbe identified? Itshouldbe done
throughpoetry. by Or a sacred dumbshow dancer - moving,say,his
handin circlesaroundhisheartand showingall thingsissuingthence.
Somethinkthatthenamingshouldbe spicedwithsuffering, enhanced
bypowerful hallucination. Certainly it cannot be done without emotion,
buttheemotionmustbe symbolically and
transposed clarified; itshould
becomean evocationthrough symbol, as Yeats in
explained Dramatis
Personae.Allemotions areevent-raising evocations. Do notfierce haters
seem to generateviolenceoutsidetheircontrol?Thanksto symbols,
emotions are channeled.A meditation on sunlight createswhatthesun
symbolizes; "an emotion a
produces symbol - sensual emotion dreamsof
for
water, instance, just as a symbolproducesemotion."The assumption
followsthatan archetype is impending whena symboland an emotion
coalesce.Meditation on symbols can teachone to sensetheplexuses.
Thewholeartofadvertisement, andheraldry as well,isbasedonthis
connection.
Graspingthe role of archetypal evocationsin politicsis a helpful
exercise- noticinghow each generationseemsto get stuckin some
primalpoliticalscene,afterwhichit is boxed-in, incapableof renewed
attention.The categories withinwhicheventsareapprehended seemto
havebeen fixedonce and forall by thegenerations whowentthrough
195
the successiveEuropean wars or revolutions.Those generationswere

crippledpsychically,neveroutgrowingtheirsingleframeof reference:
the patternof alliances,the stockcharacterizations. Whatevermayhap-
pen has to be referred back to the primal scene. The game mustnever
change. Practical statesmen well know that nothingstaysput, but they
mustcondescendto the old linguisticidentifications to get throughwith
business.
These stultifying games are side-acts in a vaster show, in which
nationsare engaged forcenturiesat a stretch,aftersome great myth-
maker has set a scenario,called down one or two archetypes,which
thenceforth will blind men to all the remainingcomponentsof life- to
the pointofpoliticalcolorblindness,fanaticism.To the redundanciesin
gestures,the expletivesin language,the tics thattestifyto the private
mythicalactsinterminably rehearsed,are corresponding analogouspolit-
ical quirks.In factit is easier fora man to disengagefromhis private
obsessionsthan to see throughthe paintedveil of politicalfables,espe-
cially when these are presentedas historyor as general interest.The
interestis not of the generality as such,but ofitsunifying myth.History
would not cohereif mythicaltrendswere not read intoit.
The extentof politicaldelusionscan be gauged by how easily,in
"
politicaldisputations, people surrender to phrasessuchas, Ifeverybody
thoughtor/anddid as you do ... ," whose validityshouldreston sober
evidencethatthe culprit'sthoughtsor deeds carrysubstantialweightin
general affairs.When reasoningis blurredto the extentthat such a
phraseis takenseriously, itis a signthatan archetypeis inflating theego.
The archetypesthatrule politicallife change slowlyalong the mil-
lennia. It is of paramountimportanceto realize thisif one is to under-
standthe workingsof archetypesin general.
Europeanhistoryis a fuguebuilton a handfulofmythicalthemes.It
all startedwith the terrificstoryof the foundingof Rome, a name
sometimesinterpreted as Love, Amorin reverse.On a vestalvirginMars
siresthetwinsRomulusand Remus.They are abandonedin a troughon
the Tiberand end up undera figtree,wherea she-wolfsucklesthemand
a woodpeckerfeedsthem,perhapswiththe sap of the tree.A shepherd
and his wife,Faustusand Acca Larentia,act as fosterparentsto thetwo,
who become warriorsand avenge theirdead mother.(In some versions,
all woes are due to a wickeduncle,oftenthemainpersonagein matriar-
chal societies.)The warriortwinsfounda cityon the hills surrounding
the figtree,but omens decree thatRomulusshall be the truefounder.
Remus,fromthe Aventine,spotssixvultures,but Romuluslaterdescries
twelvefromthe Palatineand thuswinsthecontest.He proceedsto plow
the circuitof Rome and when Remusoverstepsit, he killshim forthe
sacrilege.The citybecomesa sanctuaryforthe stragglers of the region,
196
ARCHETYPES
and Romulusturnstheminto a disciplinedfighting force.The most

experienced of them he appoints to a senate. Then he disappears,
ascending to heaven.
Bandsof nomadwarrior youthsof a Romuliankindwereknownin
ancientPersia.On theirbannera dragonstoodout againsta black
background. Theypracticed, accordingto Wikander, a formof ritual
intercourse withprostitute-priestesses and soughtto maintainthem-
selvesin a stateof rabidintoxication, drinking haomaand identifying
"
themselveswith the dragon-slayer. They were called two-footed
wolves."They differed fromthe Romuliansquads because of their
knightly interest in the protection of maidens.Otherwise, pointsof
contactwiththearchaicPersianinstitution canbe foundat all pointsof
theRomulian myth.The figtreewassacredto Venusand Dionysusthe
intoxicator; figjuicefermented couldreplacehaoma.Therewerefrater-
nitiesdevotedto figsecrets."Sycophants"weredivulgers("figs"in
Greekare sykòi)of figlore,whichwas linkedwithcrime,wolves,and
rituallewdness.In Greece,criminals expelledfrom townsworenecklaces
of figs.Romanmatrons, withtheirmaids,celebratedthefigfestival of
GoatyJuno, in which they touched with figtwigs- likeTantric devotees
withUngarns - men'ssexorgansand theirown.
AmongRomanyouthstherewas thefraternity ofwolves(luperci).
Cicerotalksaboutwolfish brotherswhoenactsomething belongingto
timesbeforetheonsetof humaneness and law.Attheirfestival, which
fellin February, they killeda goat, touched theirforeheads with its
blood, like consigning themselves to death, and thenwiped it offwith
wool(februm). After thistheyrannaked(thePersiancounterparts made
a pointoffighting in thenude),plyingwomenwithfreshly cutstripsof
thehairygoaťs hide.TheyroundedthePalatine,theircenterbeingthe
she-wolfs den (lupercal).The she-wolfofthelegendhad losthercubs
(lup in Etruscanmeansdeath).The she-wolfdemonin Babylonwas
death,especiallythatofsucklings. It is deaths milkthetwinsRomulus
and Remusdrank;theybelongto theworldofdevouring demons.But
lupa in Latin also means a prostitute.Acca Larentia,the twins'foster
mother, is described as a loose woman in certainversions, hername
and
connects herwiththedead (lares).Allthispointstoa roaming guildof
fig-treepriestesses devotedto cultsof deathand sex. The leadersof
woodpeckers' guildsin Humbriaimitatedtheknocksofthebirdsbeak
against the bark of treeswitha hammerof fecundity. The sap was
fermented.
Twinshaveappearedhorrifying tomanytribesall overtheworld,so
theywereoften,at leastone of them,putto death.Theywerediscord
anddoubt(dubium,dualbeing)incarnate. Everythingsinisteris present
in theRomulian tale:wolfishness, lewdness, themarshaling
lawlessness,
197
and at the same timejudicial murder,the strictest

of the riffraff, of law
enforcements. The numberof Romulus,since he is added to Larentia's
familyof twelve,is thirteen.He appears to be the equivalent of the
Englishcountryside Tommywithhis Bess,a man in disguise- a spring-
timelightninggod. He foundshis cityon the twenty-first of April,754
b.c. He resemblesCain, the founderof cities,who became untouchable
thanksto murderand borea bloodysignon hisforeheadlikea lupercus.
The tale servesmanygood mythicturns.All livelyboysdreamthat
theyare bastardsof a high-ranking kind. Everythingthatlives on the
fringeof societyis alluring;the storyholds the unchangingappeal of
cowboy,pirate,#ndcriminalstories,withdarkhintsat moreand worse.
It representssocietyin the raw,at its criminalinception,untouchedby
familyromance,simplified by main force,waryabout omens,and shorn
ofpity.It is a barracksmyth,the consecrationof the ruthlessbullywho,
howeverroughly,providesforhis comrades.The deitiesare Mars,and in
the backgroundwild Venus, and Vulcan- connectedwiththe vestals.
Mars will furthershowerhis blessingsby droppinghis shields on the
Capitol. They signifyprotection;whenstruck,theymake a warlikedin;
theycatch the suns reflection and blind whoeverdares raisehis head in
frontofthem.Theirconcavityservesas a stretcher; on theirconvexside,
leadersare carriedin triumph.
Under such a thirteenishand dual archetypeof dire manly com-
radeshipnobodywilldare showanythingbut sternness, punctiliousness,
curtness,levelheadedness,endurance,relianceon ritualand signs,rough
solidarity.
A strongarchetypalgirdleforthe city- whichhad, however,some-
thingless sinisterto fall back on: the mythof the Pythagoreanking
Numa, the sage who soughtinspirationfroma nymph.But this story
alwaystooka back seat. Rome was essentiallyRomulian.
Barracksmay look strong,but theyfallpreyto rivalriesand internal
coups. Comradeshipworksboth ways: it can make commandeasy or it
can favormutiny.Either a good impersonatorof Romuluskeeps the
ruggedmassspellboundwitha displayofall theingredients ofthemyth,
or the elementof equalityin comradeshipcomes to the foreand the
mythicalenergyis channeled into comitial rule. At the end of the
Republic, the mythwas frayingout. Whoever among the Romulian
impersonatorsgot deepest into debt with the bankerswas bound to
become the chief,but to stay on he needed a new myth,besides and
above the old soldierlyone.
If Antony,who identifiedwithDionysus,had prevailed,the Augus-

tan mythwould have been thatof the double crownof the land of the
Nile, a most time-hallowedstoryknownin Latium well beforeRome:
198
ARCHETYPES
the Sun becomesa humanrulerwitha claim to whateverland is blessed

by the raysof his heavenlydouble. But it was Augustuswho carriedthe
day. He startedhis archetypalmaneuveringby becomingsupremepon-
tiff.Augustustookoverand had themythall squaredout,and Vergil,the
mostmelodiousof poets,turnedit intoverseforhim. He, like Romulus,
was descended fromAeneas, the Trojan prince. He went back even
beforeRomulus.He identifiedhis destinywiththatof Troy,the great
defeatedcityof the Mediterraneanworld. Since Greecewas under the
Romanyoke,accountswere neatlysettled.Troy had been avenged by
hersons.Theyhad enduredthroughthecenturiesbecause theywereone
with Venus, Mars's Shakti,who could be wolfishand simple but was
essentiallygentle and courtly.The Imperial Father mythtook prece-
dence overthesoldierlymyth;it offered a moresettledyin-yang balance.
It also enjoyedthe advantageof incorporating the themeof "the return
of the repressed"- a defeated race warily preparing its comeback
throughthe ages, with its arcana, its esotericpoliticalsecretspassed
patientlyon fromfatherto son, along withthe faithin the gods, who
would never forsaketheir trustingdevotees. The world was Ronje's
because of the primalrightof revenge and because of the manifest
assistanceof Venus (and Mars). Justin case the Egyptianmythmight
have somethingto it, Romewas studdedwithobelisksimportedfromthe
shores of the Nile, to bring down into her soil whateverarchetypal
imperialenergymightbe had throughthem.
The West has nevershakenoffthe Augustanmythof empirewhich
took over the powerful"Roman name," nomen romanum.Whatever
else the various emperorstriedout in the way of archetypesfailed to
stick.Nero toyedwith Persianimports;since Persiahad developed an
imperialmythas powerfulas Egypt's,he soughta consecrationby Magi.
Otheremperorscalled down variousSyriancombinations, but the Rom-
mulian-Augustan, Mars-Venus combinationheld good.
When Christ'sdisciples changed the psychicatmosphere,the old

formulawas not discarded;Constantinedecided to improveon it,mak-
ing it dual, as the Egyptiansettlementhad been. He staged the most
dazzlingof pageantsin a.d. 330, near Troy- at the oppositeend and on
the other side of the Straits,and there founded the second Rome,
Constantinople,whichwas actuallyRome coming back to the ancient
shores,to wherethe whole storyhad started.All the magic relicsof the
Capitol were broughthere amid theseotherSeven Hills,but withthem
manna fromIsraels medicinepouch, since it was feltthat Christwas
entitledto takeoverall thatmagic too. On the top of a columnrisingin
the centerof the citystooda statueof the emperoras the Sun, and the
raysaroundhis head weremade ofthenailsofthe Holy Cross.The new,
199
the second,Rome was Troy,Golgotha,and Capitol all in one.

When the old Romefellto Odoacer, the barbariankingdeposed the
last Westernemperor,convenientlynamed RomulusAugustulus,and
sentoffto theonlyremainingemperortheinsigniaofauthority. So Rome
was one once more.Christianity had reinforced themythicscenario,and
theemperor'sold pontificalrolewas now enlarged;he presidedoverthe
ecumenicalcouncils,was called Goďs "icon" or "archetype,"likea real
pharaoh.His fortunemanifestedGod's Word,accordingto inscriptions.
But Rome was stillthere,the originalscenario.And itsbishopswere
busy avocatingslowlyand slyly - or so it seemed in Byzantium - the
pontificalimperialrole. They avoided claimingother,secular powers,
preferring to stayemperor-makers, insteadofsimpleemperors.This was
one esotericpoint theyprovedtheyhad mastered.The otherwas the
knowledgethatwrittennamescontrolthethingsnamed,and theirCuria
specialized in drawingup documents,somethingas importantas the
privilegeof the mintthatnobodydared denythe Romanemperorofthe
East. (The bezant outlastedeven Byzantium;it tooka long timebefore
the triumphantArabs coined moneyof theirown.) When the Roman
bishops,by now pontiffs, decided thattheyfeltsaferwitha territory of
theirown, all theyhad to do was draw up a donationforthe required
domainbearingthesignatureofConstantinehimself.When the Muslim
fleetattackedthe second Rome,the bishopof the firstRome thoughthe
saw his chance to rejectimperialsupremacy,but he paid forthe mis-
timingwithhis life.It was onlytwoand a halfcenturieslaterthatone of
his successorscould safelycrownCharlemagnethe Holy Roman Em-
perorof the West. The Frankishchiefseems to have protestedto the
veryend of his days his ignoranceof what the craftypontiff was lip to
during the ceremony of Christmas night in the year800, bestowing on
him the secularpowerbut keepingforhimselfthe pontificalauthority,
the veryfirstthatAugustushad secured.Dante was stillindignantafter
fourhundredyears: how could anotheremperorbe crownedwhen the
lawfulone was reigningin Byzantium?The Augustanmythwas riow
alive in a Westernversion,but with the pontificalauthoritydistinct,
claimingthe functionof Cakravartin,he-who-turns-the-wheel-of-des-
tiny,and empire.The Westernempirewas less stablein regardto myths
than was the Roman empireof the East, where the relationbetween
churchand emperorwas neatlymarkedout and not, as in the West,
waveringbetweenthetemptationofa fullseizureofpoweron thepartof
the pontiff- a temptationthatnearlycarriedaway GregoryVII - and a
practiceofcautiouslytippingthebalance ofpowerbetweentheemperor
and the intermediary bodies, using the spiritualweapons to favorthe
lowerordersif necessary.
Ottowas theonlyemperorwhowouldnotwhollyremitthepontifical
200
ARCHETYPES
rightshe feltwere due him,and who had bells danglingfromhis

garments likea biblicalpontiff.Emperors did notimpingeon pontifical
but
power, helped those forcesthat mightcounterit,suchas thedoc-
trinesof utterecclesiastical poverty favoredby the mendicant orders,
and even downright heresy.The whole history of the MiddleAges
hingeson the variousinterpretations allowedby the mythical setting
thatAugustan poetry and statecrafthad framed.
Dantethought thattheRomanEmpirehadbeenpatently justified
by
GodwhenHe choseto sendHis Sonon earthat theverybeginning of
imperial rule,whenRomehadjustclearedthewayforevangelization by
unifying the world,so to speak. Christwas therebya Roman.The
Churchshouldbe restricted bya strong imperialhand.Thiswastheway
of Byzantium. Danteplacedhishopesin theEmperorHenryVII. The
emperoralso enjoyedthe spiritualassistanceof the Germanknightly
poetWolfram vonEschenbach, whoreformulated themythoftheHoly
Grail,neatlysplicing the old Celticstorieswith Persianimperial mythic
lore;in thecontext a ritualoftheHolyGrailwasenvisagedwhosemain
elementswerethosesectionsof the Mass thatthe Romanpontiffs had
discardedand Byzantium had preserved.
The imperialside was thatof all thegreatpoetsof Italy.Petrarch
placedhishopesin theemperor ofhistime,CharlesVII, and alsointhe
Romanrabble-rouser Rienzi,who seemedaboutto bringthe Roman
people back to life as a politicalentity.Ariostorestedhis hopes in
CharlesV,whomTitianpaintedas MarcusAurelius. The lastshowdown
betweentheemperor and thepontiff tookplace withthesackof Rome,
Lutheransoldierydoing the job. Campanellasoughtto replacethe
emperorwitha kingof Spainor of France,and endedby finally pre-
paring the scenario for Louis XIV. Giordano Bruno at one time placed
hishopesin theEnglishcrown.
Englandmayseem ratherinsular,but its archetypes are notalto-
getherdifferent fromthoseof Rome.Whenthe Normansoverranthe
country, the CeltsfromBrittany whofollowedthemwereactuallyim-
the
personating archetypal storyof the long-delayed revengeof the
defeated.The Celticminstrels provided the Norman monarchy with
themyth ofKingArthur, whohadtakenoverafterRomehadabandoned
theisland.It becametheTudorknightly myth, andtoadd strength toit
the Augustanmythwas duplicated,the foundingof Londonbeing
attributed to a relativeof Aeneas,Brut.The Constantinian trickwas
added: JosephofArimathea had brought overfortheArthurian magic
bountyat Glastonbury themostpreciousofChristian relics.The mythi-
cal apparelstoodthelastTudorsand thefirst Stuartin goodsteadwhen
theyhad to relyon theirown mythical prestigeagainstthe powerful
onslaughtof the slightedRomanCuria. Spenser,Sidney,and Jonson
201
wove a mantleof melodiousverse forthe monarchywithall thatrich

mythicalspool. JohnDee added the motifof predestinedseapowerand
of colonial rightsinheritedfromWelsh kings.This was one of the rare
new touches in history,thoughit was actuallyan appendage to the
Celtic fable and to the imperialmotifnow also comingto the forein
England. It was blended withthe precedingsettingsso well thatBlake
saw Brutthe Trojan in one of his visions:
Hearye thevoiceofBrutus:"The flowing waves
Of timecomerollingo'er mybreast,he said;
Andmyheartlabourswithfuturity:
Our sonsshallruletheempireofthesea."
GiordanoBrunohad come overto see whatcould be made oftheidea

ofempirein London,and the Rosicruciansdecided to transfer the Holy
Roman Empireto an Englishprince,but the idea of somebodymoreor
less boastingof a homeopathicdropof Trojanblood,back on the throne
of the Romans,was ill fated.
England startednow on a very insular course, with the Stuarts
leaningon the newfangled,shakymythof a restoredDavidic monarchy
of neo-Israelites.It was swept away by a formidablenew mythof
revenge,a "returnof the repressed."The Saxonshad been offstage long
enough,so the Parliamentarians ralliedto the mythofa returnofhardy
Saxondemocracyand accordinglyreshapedthe storyof England- with
the Witenagemotat the beginning,the Magna Chartabringingit back
to life, habeas corpus crowningits returnand crushingNorman in-
solence forgood. WalterScottwell knewhow to exploitthe story.But
when Cromwellwanted to asserthis eminence,he was forcedto cull
somethingout of the Bible and was no betterat it than the uninspired
Stuartdivines,withhis mythof thejudges. Ever since,an even balance
has been kept,withthe Cavaliers harpingon Arthurianmythsspiced
withAugustan-RomanEmpirereminiscences, and the Parliamentarians
thriving on Saxondemocracy.The wholeimperialventurewas underthe
starof Rome.(Look up theinscription underBoadicea's statuewhenyou
crossWestminster Bridge.) Kiplingdrew all the parallelshe could, and
the questionof whyRome fellwas alwaysin the mindsof Englishmen
withan imperialinclination,as thoughthe real historicalproblemwere
not the opposite: how Rome could have stood so long.
In Heart of DarknessConrad has Marlowdelivera ramblingevoca-
tion of all that the estuaryof the Thames suggests in the way of
archetypes,and Rome comes to the fore:
came herenineteenhundredyearsago- theotherday.. . .

The Romansfirst
Lightcameout of thisriversince- yousay Knights?
Yes. . . . We live in the
202
ARCHETYPES
- mayit lastas longas theold earthkeepsrolling![AsforEmpire,it]is

flicker
nota pretty thingwhenyoulookintoit toomuch.Whatredeemsitis theidea
only. . . nota sentimental butan idea: andan unselfish
pretence, beliefin the
idea- something youcansetup,andbowdownbefore, andoffer to.
a sacrifice
The Augustandreamand the ecclesiasticchallengeto itsfulfillment

wereall thatGermanywas evertreatedto,whileFrance,themeltingpot
of Celts, Greeks,Latins,Germans,Scandinavians,saw the new mythof
nationhoodemerge. By the thirteenthcenturyjurists had coined a
paradox:the kingis emperorin his kingdom,and Parisis anotherRome.
The ingredientsin the fabricationof the mysticalbody's idiosyncratic
identitywere remote:the Normancult of Saint Michel and the Celtic
worshipof womanhood(France was douce). Both were to coalesce in
Joanof Arc,who also satisfiedpeople's need to feelarch-Catholicand at
the same timeat odds withRome. Shakespearefelttherewas an affinity
betweenthe "voices" thatguided Joanand the visionsof Muhammad.
Previouslythe crusades had helped forgenationalunitythe same way
thattheirwarlikeexpeditionshad conflatedIslam. The Capets stoodby
duringthe processwitha medicinepouch ready,theirsecretcoronation
ointmentin its special vial.
The surgeof nationhoodbroughtback to life the mostarchaicand

Platonic of politicalmyths,the triad: the threeestatesof the realm-
clergy,aristocracy,and burghers,over which the king and his crafty
lawyerspresided.By 1302 the realm was recognizedas a corporateor
"mystical"body,a person,whomthekingrepresented.Itsenemieswere
the empire (the Battle of Bouvines disposed of that) and the pontiffs,
whose resistancewas curbed,so it seems, with the slap of one of the
king's lawyers; the papal residence was transferred to Avignon,the
Templars burned at the stake in Place Dauphine. The pull of the older
myths,however,provedtoo strongin thelong run,even forthe"sweet"
nationofchecksand balancescombinedwithstrongregalcentralization.
Ronsardfeltthe need to bringin Troy,and Francion,Trojan founderof
the Franks;and withLouis XIV, the kingactuallybecame emperor-like
in his imperial palace; his police corps outflankedthe intermediary
bodies as the Augustanfiscushad done withthe old Republicaninstitu-
tions of Rome. So much so that when Louis XVI called on the three
estates again, a change of archetypehad also taken place among the
constituents, who were no longer"the good people of France"- what-
ever that might mean. The most forcefulof them were haunted by
the Romulian myth.The workthe Jacobinsdid with archetypeswas
enormous: they trimmedall the insignia offthe old national myth,
dismissedthe angelic presences; and for all this they substituted,as
Disraeli was to say,Romulus.They hackedaway not onlyat statuesand
203
paintingsbut also at the calendar. They alteredthe musical scales to

make sure that the tune would change. (Hobbes had warned against
overcultivatingRoman history.)Nationhoodwas scooped emptyand
filledwitha Romuliancontent.The concoctionproved devastating;it
spread to all of Europe, where people startednoticingtheirnational
identity,and in GermanyGermanicmythology was added to the brew.
This last,however,was an old Roman trick.Tacitus had seen how the
elementofprimevalGermanichardihoodcould be graftedon the Romu-
lian mythicstock.
RomulianParis hardlyimaginedthatit was givingthe fatalcue, as
always,to its Augustansuccessor,who promptlyfollowed.Napoleon's
stagingwas so breathtakingthat the old dynastywas thrownout of
Augustanbusinessforgood. He even made surethatthistimethepontiff
played no tricks,as he had withCharlemagnea thousandyearsbefore.
The mistakehad been to let the pontiffplace the crownon the neo-
imperiallocks, therebyassertinghis Cakravartinfunction.Napoleon
tookthe crownin his own hands and placed it on his head himself.Now
he was the Romanemperorof the West,withParisfullof holiesstolen
fromRome. He knew fromthe ancient scriptthathe had to turnhis
attentionto a rivalEasternRome. In 1453 thesecond Romehad fallento
the Turksafterthepontifical firstRomehad crippledit,but itsmythhad
continued - a thirdRome was announced in Moscow in 1530. Against
thisthirdRome,thefirst pontificalRomehad alreadymountedan assault
byherTeutonknights, and laterbytheJesuit-inspired conspiracy,which
was smashedby BorisGodunovas the first onslaught had been repulsed
by (Saint) AlexanderNevsky.
The Romanovs - ironicname- forcenturieslookedforan openingto
get (back,in the mythicalsense) to the Bosporus.Napoleon checkedthe
czar's (the Caesar's) movesin thatdirectionat the Tilsitconference,and
whispered to his secretarythat Constantinople meant world empire.
Aftera long time, Moscow's obsessionabout the Bosporuscame to the
fore in exactlythe same termsas during the twentieth-century talks
betweenMolotovand Ribbentrop.
Napoleon was so keenon arrangingthingsfaultlessly thathe wrested
out of the emperorof Austriathe by-thenmock title Holy Roman
Emperor.He did it in a neatlyjuridicalway that foreclosedall such
Hapsburgclaims forgood.
That the democratictraditionin France shouldbe rootedin Romu-

lian myth,while the English traditionwas Saxon, has made all the
differencein therecenthistoryofthetwonations.It also explainswhyas
the new mythof Germanicfortitude,
a whole,despite Carlyle'sefforts,
concomitantwith,or opposed to, the Romulianbrand,won some hear-
204
ARCHETYPES
ing in myth-starved nineteenth-century Germanybut never gained a

footingin England.
The nineteenthcenturysaw thespreadofthe FrenchRomulian-and-
nationalmythall over Europe. It also reachedItaly,whichforcenturies
had been immersedin themythofthefatherly caringforhis flock
pontiff
(also politically)and in that of empire,with a slender trickleof the
Romulianadded. The Italian risorgimento hymnsare a mixtureof the
returnof the repressed"motif(in Garibaldi's hymnstombsare agape
and the dead are on their feet again) and of the Romulian mood
strangely twistedaroundto suitthe situation(the nationalanthemruns:
"
Italyhas clasped on herhead Scipio's helmet,because God createdher
slave to Rome"; the pace is iambic).
Disraeli,an arch-connoisseurof archetypalshiftsand balances,fore-
saw in 1870 exactlywhatwas fatedto happen in myth-craving Germany
(nowhereelse could a grand mythshaper like Wagnerappear) and in
mythically unstableItaly(whichis constantly temptedto give up myth-
mongering and fling herselfinto the arms of some mythicallywell-
assured foreignpower). Disraeli warned fiftyyearstoo earlythat the
AryanGermanicmyth,witha eugenictwist,would cause an upheavalin
Germanmindsand that Italy would tryto bringCaesar, the Augustan
mythproper,back to life.
If this kind of archetypalcalculationhad been triedon Russia, it
would have clearlyemergedthat the two mythswhichdominatedthe
countryfromitsbeginningwerebound to clash: thedreamofthevillage
community,heathen or at least hereticallyChristian,and the third-
Rome Byzantine- Orthodoxdream,which at one time even included a
fable about the blood of Augustus'sbrotherrunningin the veins of
Rjurik,the Vikingfounderof czarism.
Aftera briefresurgenceofthe first myth,thesecondsafelytookover,
to the pointthat- havingto face again the problemofthe first:thewild
force of the peasantrythat had been kept at bay with serfdom - it
resortedto the equivalentlaw on passportsforinteriortravel.
Out of the whole archetypalhistoryof Europe, the "returnof the
repressed"archetypeemergesas the most importantof all. When the
pagan deities,Jupiterand all the Olympians,tookoverin poetry,paint-
ing,and archetypalimaginationin general,no soonerweretheyin state
than their magnetismstarteddeclining, and those whom they had
dethronedloomed large in the imaginationof poets, painters,and in-
spiredreformers. Saturn,Prometheus,Astraeaemergein the late Rosi-
crucian writingsand dominatethe Romanticmind. As the Augustan
mythwas being revived by Napoleon- and by English imperialism
beyondthe Channel- the Romulianmythwas gatheringunprecedented
strength all overEurope,returning finallyto itsveryorigins:an appeal to
205
the stragglers, to thedisinherited,to all thoselivingon thefarfringesof

societythattheygatherundera harshleadership;veryoftenthiswas a
duet of chiefspoised one against the other,and witha plenum Senate
appointedto fillthe measureof resemblance.Saturn'ssicklewillunder-
cut Vulcan's, or Thor's, or the woodpeckerfraternity's hammerof fe-
-
cundity.Meanwhilethe othermyths of a Cakravartinchurchreadyto
step into secular concerns,of nationhood,and of Saxon democracy -
bide theirtime.So feware the rulingarchetypeswhenit comesto global
political justification.The hieraticEgyptiansystemand the mythof
Alexanderend by fallingintotheAugustanpattern;the Spartanmodelis
absorbedinto the Romulian;the Athenianintothe Saxon. When Euro-
peans are confrontedwith loose, easy politicalsystemsof shamanistic
peoples, sometimesentirelybased on seership,theycompulsivelycon-
struethemas variantsof the savage Romulianmodel.
It is extraordinaryhow the magiccirclewovenroundpoliticalimagi-
nationcoercesmindsand can appear unchangeable.Nothingseems to
be conceivablebeyondthefewappeals thatcan be classed(ifone prefers
to use theclassicalsevenfoldplanetaryscale) as the Romulianjunctionof
Saturnand Mars,the Augustancombinationof Apollo and Jupiterwith
Venus,the checksand balances of Mercury,the moon of nationhood.
One additionalclustersticksout of the frame: the Saturnianvisionofan
impendingsocial or cosmic earthquakeand of an ensuingredemptive
renewal.Certainreligioussystemsincorporateits appeal, and apply to
the"redeemed" worldtheadjectivesand theimagerythatare associated
withmetaphysicalexperience.This is trueespeciallyof Zoroastrianism,
hence of Shťa Islam and of Judaism.It seems to have been part and
parcelofearlyChristianity - the Bookof Revelationespeciallywas inter-
pretedas an announcementof destruction-cum-renovation forthe near
future - and in the Middle Ages even the Trinitywas more or less
hereticallykeyed to the tune,withthe two dispensationsof the Father
and of theSon condemnedto be supersededby the kingdomofthe Holy
Ghost.WithcertainAnabaptiststhearchetypemade a bid forpower,but
owingto itsverynatureitspoliticalusefulnesscould notoutlasttherule
ofa provisionalcommittee.Even whenshornofitsreligiousconnotation
as Utopiansocialism,the archetypecannotwarrantanythingmorethan
veryshort-lived governments, readilyreplacedby Romulianor Augustan
tinctures.
This latter,last, ephemeral,intermittent politicalarchetypeof Eu-
rope- revolt-that-pretends-to-be- Apocalypse- was caughtin the net of
a painter's brush strokesand now hangs in the Kunstmuseumof
Düsseldorf.It was first exhibitedin 1851 in Berlin,whilethe echo ofthe
German1848 revoltwas lingeringin the atmosphere.The artist,Johan
Peter Hasenclever,was at the peak of his activity.He died two years
206
ARCHETYPES
"
later.He had painted meaningful," oftenhumorousscenes,in the
detailed,realisticstyleof the Düsseldorf school,but herehe accom-
plishesthe most loftytask of immobilizing thatProteus:a living,rela-
tivelyinfinite
archetype. The scene takes placein themeeting roomofa
Germanmunicipality around1848.Atthecentera largewindowopens
onto the townsquare,throngedwithdemonstrators. On the lefta
deputation stands facing thetown councilors,seated at theirtableonthe
right.The chief delegate from the lower estates waves a petition;he
-
seemsstunnedat hisowndaring a hugefellow,shakyon hislegs.One
ofhiscompanions bareshisteethin a saucy,sinister grin,pointing with
his thumbat thecrowdin thesquare.Another is strikingan inspired
pose:a handsome youngmanin whoseeara sallow,ill-shaven ideologue
is whispering something.
The towncouncilforms a kindofcircleat whosecenterthesecretary
is seated;a lanky,pale-facedmanfrozenby fear,he has juststopped
penningtheminutes. Anenormous burgher, sittingwithlegsspreadout
underhisbulgingbelly,staresvacantly, passing a handkerchief overhis
brow.Anelderlymanis signifying withhishandssomething like"Gen-
tlemen,please lookat the balancesheet;there'sno roomforfurther
expenditure." One counciloris leaningagainstthe wall and seems
captivatedby rebels.Another
the one,bentoverthetable,eyesaglareat
them,musthavejustclinchedin hismindtheplanfora counterthrust.
Onlyafterhavingtakenin each singlecharacter doesone startnoticing
thebackground. Thewallsarehungwitharchducal orprincely portraits,
someofthemaslant;and ina darkcorner standsa suitofmedievalplate-
armor,withthe councilors'top hatsthrustoverthe helmetand the
shoulder pieces,an umbrella danglingfromthebrassard. A wholelesson
a parteon feudalsurvivals versustheearlymanufacturing classes- in a
fewneat,penumbral dabs.
The scenehas been playedoverand overagain,fromMasaniello's
seventeenth-century Neapolitanrevolttostudent riotsinourcentury, to
all possiblepoliticaltunes,withall kindsof pretexts. But whenthe
archetype doespounceon a community andholdsitinitsclutches, then
thereisno escape,whatever themotivations andbackgrounds. Hereone
is, havingno choice,obligedto stepintoone oftherolesin thepicture,
havingto go through thegestures thatHasenclever depictedonceand
forall. Such is the forceof an archetype at work;a Rorschach testis
being served us.
207

Archetypes - Elemire Zolla

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Archetypes - Elemire Zolla

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Author(s): ELÉMIRE ZOLLA

ARCHETYPE IS WHAT CAN PERMANENTLY ORDER objects into Sets,

О ELÉMIRE ZOLLA, editorof Conoscenzareligiosa,is chairmanof the Departmentof

Man needsaxiomsforhisthinking, foodforhisbody,tranceforhis

disappointment orattraction orcommitment. Thesquaring oftheimagi-

Redundancy is the keythatlocksthemin, and couldeventually also

Allthingsactedon Earthare seenin thebrightSculptures of

If everhe realizedthehere-and-now, he wouldalso see themythas if

the successiveEuropean wars or revolutions.Those generationswere

and Romulusturnstheminto a disciplinedfighting force.The most

and at the same timejudicial murder,the strictest

If Antony,who identifiedwithDionysus,had prevailed,the Augus-

the Sun becomesa humanrulerwitha claim to whateverland is blessed

When Christ'sdisciples changed the psychicatmosphere,the old

the second,Rome was Troy,Golgotha,and Capitol all in one.

rightshe feltwere due him,and who had bells danglingfromhis

wove a mantleof melodiousverse forthe monarchywithall thatrich

GiordanoBrunohad come overto see whatcould be made oftheidea

came herenineteenhundredyearsago- theotherday.. . .

- mayit lastas longas theold earthkeepsrolling![AsforEmpire,it]is

The Augustandreamand the ecclesiasticchallengeto itsfulfillment

The surgeof nationhoodbroughtback to life the mostarchaicand

paintingsbut also at the calendar. They alteredthe musical scales to

That the democratictraditionin France shouldbe rootedin Romu-

ing in myth-starved nineteenth-century Germanybut never gained a

the stragglers, to thedisinherited,to all thoselivingon thefarfringesof

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