The Archetype of Spirit in the Magician’s Image and its Multiple Facets in the World Literary Traditions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35516/Hum.2026.10358Keywords:
Magician, priest, archetype, king, hermeneutics.Abstract
Objectives: The article aims to elucidate the diversity of characters found in the archetype of spirit in fictional narratives, revealing their similarities and differences and introducing the diverse character-shaping means employed by various authors. The objective of the research is to investigate the origin of the magician’s character, the semiotic structure and the mythological characterization in modern Armenian and world fiction. The research also endeavors to substantiate the functional significance of the magician and his counterparts in narratives with surreal plots.
Methods:. The topicality of the research is conditioned by its interdisciplinary perspectives, which enable us to study the subject in the light of psychoanalytical, semiotic and mythological interconnections. C. Jung’s hermeneutic method, along with the myth-critical approach and method of contrast of literary studies, have been employed to investigate the topic.
Results: The magician or priest are people, shaping reality or making predictions, whose mental vitality is a precondition for the unfolding of the plot and unraveling of events, being a key for their denouement.
Conclusions: Taking into account Jung’s theory of archetypes, it is concluded that the archetype of spirit in fictional narratives is characterized by diverse means, characters, and denominations, sharing similar functions.
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