Man and His Symbols

Section 2 relays the history of heroes in mythology and religion and the various reasons why the symbol of the hero is so central to humanity. Henderson explains that stories of heroes exist in every culture and across all points in time. Heroes also appear in dreams. He notices that hero myths all carry a similar structure despite coming from opposite areas of the world, in which a character rises out of humble beginnings into a place of prominence and superhuman power only to eventually succumb to his pride and either die or be born anew. Henderson insists that “this pattern has psychological meaning both for the individual, who is endeavoring to discover and assert his personality, and for a whole society, which has an equal need to establish its collective identity” (88). He then goes on to explain the role of God-like figures who aid and enable heroes to perform heroic acts, saying that these God-like figures are a representation of the strength a person’s own ego lacks. Thus, hero myths are an analogy for the strengths and weaknesses of humans, or their “ego-consciousness” (88). Henderson argues that the hero myth is only relevant to a person until they reach a state of maturity in which their own strengths are fully realized.

Henderson compares the lifelong evolution of a person’s personality with the stages of a hero myth. He explains the myth developed by the Winnebago tribe and published by Dr. Paul Radin in 1948 which lays out four patterns of hero myths which correspond to the development of the personality.

The first pattern is called the Trickster cycle, in which a person is infantile, selfish, and lacking empathy. By the end of this cycle, the person is developing adult features. The next pattern is the Hare cycle, whereby a person is in a state of transformation and is beginning to take on more mature and social behaviors. Next, the Red Horn hero figure someone who with established status and skill. They have a God-like companion which compensates for their weaknesses, and eventually leaves . Finally, the Twins cycle describes a myth in which two twins are separated at birth and through great sacrifice and hard work may be reunited. The twins, known as Flesh and Stump, represent the duality of human nature: one is submissive and mild, the other is dominant and rebellious.

Henderson uses these figures to clarify a case in which a man described a detailed hero dream in which he was a respected spectator in a theatre watching a white monkey perform on a pedestal surrounded by men. The monkey then became a sailor, beaten down by a life on the sea. The dreamer witnessed who he believed to be the “true hero” (92). The dream evolved into a scene of an impending human sacrifice and the dreamer found a way to escape with a few other people.

Henderson notes that the dreamer was a physically mature man, financially and socially successful, but struggled to mature psychologically. The dream was a display in which different characters were presented and it was the dreamers job to determine the hero. The characters appear to represent different aspects of Rabin’s hero theory: the monkey is the Trickster, the light qualities of childhood, and the sailor his adolescence. The dreamer’s notion towards a “true hero” has origins in what Jung describes as the conflict between the shadow and the ego or the “battle for deliverance” (95). This inner conflict manifests in the form of heroes battling evil forces. The dreamer is experiencing a slow liberation from infancy and dependency. Henderson notes another type of hero myth in which the hero does not overcome his demons but instead is conquered and often transformed by them. One example he uses is the Biblical story of Jonah and the whale. Henderson explains that this type of dream stems from a person’s need to integrate the shadow into the ego, rather than trying to evade or destroy it.

Henderson then analyzes the archetypal aspect of the dream in question: the human sacrifice. He explains that it is a reference back to a primitive time, one which depicts the cycle of birth and death. Henderson concludes that the dreamer’s vision of escaping the scene was an analogy which related to his return to reality. Henderson notes that the myth simply acts as a template from which the dreamer draws material and forms his own images and patterns.

Henderson briefly describes the role of the feminine force inside the man (the “anima” [98]) through a dream that a past patient told to him. Henderson likens the patient’s dream to the myth of Perseus and the Minotaur, comparing the myth’s manifestation in dreams to a man’s need to liberate the anima from the “devouring aspect of the mother image” (100). Henderson concludes by asserting that the hero myth serves as a template by which the unconscious mind and the ego can reunite and assert themselves through conscious action, noting finally that this transformation happens gradually.

This section begins with Henderson describing the emergence of the individualized self or ego that usually happens during childhood. He explains Jung’s theory regarding the way humans are born with a sense of wholeness of the self, which eventually fractures and must be rebuilt from the individual’s ego. This liberation from wholeness into a distinct self allows the person to be reborn as a useful member of the group, known as an initiation or rite of passage. Henderson notes that a person entering an initiation phase should expect to die and be reborn in some symbolic fashion.

He distinguishes initiation from the hero myth by stating that initiation is about submitting to greater powers or purposes, whereas the hero myth is about proving one’s own strength and capability. Initiation, according to Henderson, begins with the separation from the whole self, leading into a trial of strength (the hero myth) and culminating with a sacrifice and rebirth. He explains that initiation happens at many stages of life, including adolescence, adulthood, marriage, and the final years before death. The marriage initiation, Henderson explains, is a union of opposing sides. He states that (heterosexual) marriage is also a time when a man discovers the feminine side of himself.

The next archetype that Henderson discusses is that of the beauty and the beast. He claims that women tend to suppress their feminine side in pursuit of “masculine” goals and equality, and that ultimately, they must submit to their female role of motherhood. He states that “for a woman to feel right about herself, life is best realized by a process of awakening” (109). Referencing the classic story of Beauty and the Beast, Henderson explains that women must go through a process of learning to love and eventually accept their role in relationships. This is initiated by a disturbance in the union of her creative spirit and the nature of a man who is cruel but kind. He recounts the dreams of three patients which all bear some relation to the story of Beauty and the Beast, one of which dreams of a half-beast half-human that she is initially turned off by but eventually believes that she must care for and learn to love.

Today, some might see Henderson’s perspective as a retrograde means of upholding patriarchal structures (structures that have more to do with contemporary power than the primitive societies in touch with the unconscious of interest to Jung).

The section opens with Henderson describing a classification of myth which involves being exposed to secret knowledge or mysteries. He notes that this myth is often expressed through ritual. He explains that the cults of Dionysus and Orpheus centered around these types of myths. The Dionysiac religion involved a ritual wherein people would engage in orgies and drink wine, fully embracing their animal nature to be closer to nature. Many diverted to the cult of Orpheus in a search for ecstasy from within.

Henderson compares the similarities of the story of Orpheus (a figure associated with poetry and song who descended into the underworld to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice) with that of Christ. He notes that both were likely real people who promised eternal life and were martyred for their deeds. He contrasts the two religions by explaining that Orpheus was a demigod associated with agriculture and the “recurrent cycle of birth, growth, fullness, and decay” (115), whereas Christ was sent from heaven and returned there with no intention of coming back to earth until the Second Coming.

Henderson refers to Orpheus as an “intermediate figure” (116) between Dionysus and Christ. He describes the way Orpheus brings peace to nature and seems to be one with it, due to his devotion and piety. He is both a mediator and a shepherd for all living things. In this way, he combines the naturalistic ideals of Dionysus with the peaceful ideals of Christ.

Henderson then describes a woman who dreams she is in a tomb being healed by loving hands. He speculates this dream was an analogy for her defection from the Catholic Church to find God in her own way. Two other dreams preceded the first which leaned heavily towards being representations of Dionysus (the sun, flowers, and forests were common symbols), and the woman felt at peace with her return to a more natural type of religion. Henderson insists that it is common for people in the modern era to experience dreams which present conflicting messages regarding the path of resurrection (Christ) or rebirth (Dionysus), but which can, with accurate interpretation, provide clarity as one learns to amalgamate both ideologies into one whole. Henderson concludes the section by stating that a person must also grapple and come to terms with their own death and that this is done through humility and submission.