When the lover is mentioned the archetype normally conjures up an image of a love interest within the romance genre. But the lover archetype is more than a romantic archetype, it’s about life.

The Lover

“You’re the only one” ~ Lover Motto

The lover archetype is not only or just about sex and intimacy. The archetype is that of a sensualist, or a character who enjoys life or an aspect of life intensely by using all their senses.

Signs of the Lover

• The Lover involves all their senses.  They enjoy nice smells, sounds, textures and other aesthetics. If they can’t find stimulation, they will go about creating it by being artists or musicians as examples. If not finding beauty, they will create it.
• For the lover it’s about creating a lasting and meaningful relationship (of some kind), so stereotypes like the Don Jaun or Playboys don’t quite fit.  They live for intimacy and experience.
• The Lover’s objective is to open up to broadly experience life at a very deep level. They will exhibit great devotion and passion for somebody or something. The lover is not embarrassed to express themselves, and lives by showing their unbridled and exaggerated affection and their gratitude. We see this intensity lately in youth culture with those who title themselves “fangirls” or live within a fandom for some entity.
• The Lover will attempt to create and expect harmony among others so that life can be experienced happily. This makes them good team-builders.
• Many lovers are also explorers or nature-seekers as this gives them more freedom. Lovers are known for their fun-loving and free-wheeling natures and incurable optimism. Bohemians, free-spirits and spiritualists can often be lovers at heart.
• The ethereal, sensual and “life is wonderful” joie de vivre aspect to the Lover can annoy others.
• Lovers fear being rejected, unloved or left alone in life.
• The pure energy a lover uses to express themselves with, and to seek out love means they are also very prone to infatuation, seduction, and falling in love (and believing in it) over and over again. They can move quickly into obsession and other shadow forms.
• Lovers can’t live comfortably in settings of disharmony, especially if they caused it. They will also wilt in places of doom and gloom such as prisons where their love of life and senses are underwhelmed.
• A Lover will care how they are perceived by others. To get the love they require, they will strategise to make themselves attractive to others, and will work hard to make good first impressions.  Lovers with too much emphasis on being attractive may be materialistic, or too vain and looks or money focused.
• Their self-esteem may be based too easily on how successful they are at being loved, wanted or admired. This means the lover may easily become a people-pleaser or a yes-man, happy to please others at the risk of losing their own identity.
• Because they care so much, you will often find lovers as carers – either as parents, or within the medical professions or assistance professions for animals, or natural elements.
• A Lover’s passion may not be applied only to a romantic interest – lovers of nature can make passionate activists to save the things they love. Lovers of sheer astethics and beauty have all added to our world as artists, designers and architects. Or those with a traditionalist mentality and who are satisfied with their life may well be as impassioned to save their old ways and the status quo.

Examples

There are plenty of fictional lover examples – Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic, Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca, Glenn Close as a shadow lover Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction. From the same villainous side, Dracula was definitely a lover.

On the hero or at least anti-hero or anti-villain side you’ll find many lovers as “monsters-with-a-heart” such as The Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, and Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Samwise of LOTRs is often suggested as the true hero of the book, due to his loyalty, protection,  companionship and obvious love for his friend Frodo.

As lover of life and free-spirit, Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter is an ethereal example of the bohemian type. Fix it Felix from Wreck It Ralph shows his constant and annoying joie de vivre, while Phoebe of Friends shows many traits of the lover, even though she is seldom a romantic interest.

In movies, animal companions with central roles are more often than not, lovers. Old Yeller’ and Lassie are easy examples.

Groundhog Day’s protagonist Phil follows an interesting character arc from using manipulative attempts to bed women to eventually enjoying life across the board. X-Men’s Rogue provides an example of somebody forced into a contact-less existence because her powers mean she will kill her lovers with skin contact.

Any tale which is themed as a reminder to live passionately and expressively – in other words, to “Seize the Day” such as Dead Poet’s Society, shows us the goodness found in the Lover Archetype.

Romeo and Juliet is an example of several types of lovers in both major and minor characters, and also of lover obstacles. The Bronte Sisters wrote predominantly in the Lover genre.

In real life, look to several celebrities who offer the archetype within their own branding – Madonna and Liz Taylor both play to the lover theme, one romantically, the other sensually and as a proponent of self-love and images for females.

Other Names and Associates

Other names for the Lover –

• Romance – The Partner, Intimate, Spouse, Romantic, Soul Mate, Romeo, Love Interest. Connector and matchmaker.
• Life – Bon Vivante, Aesthete, Friend, Enthusiast, Team-Builder, Sensualist, Carer, Fangirls
• Loved Ones / Family – Carer, Helper, Supporter, Friend, Mother

Associated – artists, musicians, poets, explorers, naturalists, spiritualists, bohemians, hippies, peacemakers, free spirits, Don Jaun, Casanovas

Shadow Archetypes – for mature male (via Jung): Addict or Impotent; for mature female (via Jung): Seductress or Frigid. One side is overheated, the other frozen.

• Also – the obsessed and scorned lover – see Yandere in the Dere’s piece, bunny boiler, stalker. The Dandere or shrinking violet / wallflower is the opposite of a Lover.
• Another shadow is the people-pleaser or yes-man.
• The Addict can be a love or sex addict, but also another sensual addict such as a glutton, a collector, a celebrity or fame-seeker, a fop, materialist or hedonist.
• The above are examples of either an active-shadow or a passive-shadow: active-shadow  example –  addict (ie sex addict, love addict); passive-shadow example –  impotent or extremist (over-abundance of emotions to compensate for inability to show love)

Stereotypes / Cliches Associated – star-crossed lovers / moonstruck lovers and the love triangles found predominantly in YA.

Sources and Additional Reading

• Jung – CS Jung nominates the lover as one of the 12 main archetypes of humans. The Lover sits as one of the soul types.
  • Want to find out which of the 12 you fit personally? Here’s a quiz based on Jung and the PMAI (Pearson-Marr Indicator).
  • One of the best posts I’ve read describing this archetype is found at Character Therapist – The Character Therapist: Character Archetypes 101: The Lover
  • Here’s another on The Lover by Alex Hurst:  Archetypes: Lover | Memoirs of a Time Here-After
  • At Archetypes.com, the Lover as teenage archetype, sits under the Carer category.
• Jung & Mature Masculine/Feminine– Jung recognised the Lover as a core archetype for both the mature masculine, and mature feminine.
  • The book, “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover – Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine” by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, identifies the Lover as an archetype for both male and female, and also identifies the shadow archetypes for both genders, and rounds out Jung’s anima/animus concepts.
  • Queen, Mother, Wise Woman and Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Feminine – the feminine equivalent, a discussion.
• Brands – From Jung comes the Lover as Brand. This brand archetype is based on selling products to people with interests in passion, gratitude, appreciation and commitment. To emphasise much of this, think luxury, good times and thank-yous. Examples using this archetype are:- Victoria’s Secret, Luxury Chocolates, Interflora, Chanel, Haagan Dazs and Hallmark. This brand archetype can be muddied with the “sex sells” culture we still appear stuck within.
• Western Zodiac:
  • Taurus, the Bull is known as  the worker, maintainer, lover, guardian. This lover aspect comes through the carer/maintainer nature of this archetype. The Taurus is interesting as this lover is also stubborn and a traditionalist – the Tauran lover prefers to maintain order and care for what they love.
  • Gemini, the Twins are also associated as lovers sometimes. The Gemini signs become the Lovers Card in Tarot, and pulling this card represents relationships and choices.
• Greek Mythology – Aphrodite is the Goddess of Love and Romance, and also reknowned for her beauty. Not only did she endow the world with sensual beauty and culture, her tales also indicate that she was a people-pleaser normally (for Gods as well as mortals). As lover scorned, she also showed the vengeful and obsessive nature that the lover may be shadowed by.
• Further Mythology –
  • Lilith, in patriarchal mythology was told as a somewhat horrible woman sensualist and independent vengeful psychotic. In Jewish mythology Lilith was the first woman cast out before Eve, and a demoness in other tales. She was later associated as a dark goddess to witchcraft and other dark deeds. The Lilith archetype, however, is another matter, celebrating an independent woman preaching equality, and enjoying a sensual nature. As a feminist archetype, Lilith as self-lover has been embraced my many modern women.
  • Lilith’s independent attributes were shared with the three virgin Greek Goddesses – Athena, Artemis and Hestia. Virgin, in this reference, means independent – the three didn’t marry or have children, although had lovers. As such, they loved their own areas of expertise so much that they felt becoming a partner would take away something of their existence.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

We can use character archetypes as a go-to tool to populate our stories with all the secondary and tertiary characters necessary for a world.

Using Archetypes to Populate Your World

Although many of our main characters will fit one or two character archetypes, they will need more than this to satisfy the story – personality traits, conflicts, needs, backstory, a goal…

This is why writers spend a lot of time developing our main characters.

But when it comes to populating the story world with more minor characters, using some character archetypes will speed up the process. You don’t have to work out huge amounts of personality or even backstory for these characters – they have specific and recognisable roles, looks (in some cases) and behaviours or objectives in a story, and with a few broad brushstrokes you can quickly create a character. Archetypes are useful in  generating a group or ensemble of characters also.

Minions or Sidekicks

“I help” ~Minion/Sidekick motto

Minions can almost be said to have an archetype if not stereotype of their own nowadays – If you’re not picturing a little yellow guy when reading the word, you’ve been shut away from the world for a while.

Minions are typically the sidekicks or worker-bees to villains. While most as a group (see below) can remain nameless (and expendable) we often find some chief minions with a more developed personality, sometimes for comic relief, other times they may have their own character arc or provide a mentoring role for an anti-villain. Dave, Stuart and Kevin all had starring side-roles to Gru.

Taking away the evil mastermind scenario, the old school name for this villainous sidekick character was henchman. Famous henchmen who added some scare to the big bads in Bond include henchmen OddJob and Jaws. Crabbe and Doyle were henchmen to Harry Potter’s schoolboy nemesis Draco Malfoy.

On the good guy side, we have sidekicks. Other names for the protagonist’s sidekick are – companion, friend or best friend, cheerleader, consort, right-hand man, helper.

The sidekick is a crucial support role recognised through most archetypal lists such as Jungs, Dramatica and Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. But it is also a pretty generalistic character type where any sidekick varies with another in strengths, skills or capabilities.  And being such a general character type, the actual sidekick role can be filled by almost all of the character archetypes:-

You can have sidekicks who are nerds, best friends, warrior princesses, healers, wise-ones, mystics, lovers, counsellors, confidantes, the sceptic, the fool or even the mentor.

Importantly, if developing rounded sidekicks you will need to provide them for a reason and structure for their support role to the main protagonist. But when in a group, medley or ensemble, many sidekick characters do not need to be as three-dimensional.

Whether round or flat, the sidekick is there with some basic purposes – to support the main character (protagonist or antagonist) and to enhance their characteristics and journey.

Medleys

“We believe” ~ Ensemble or Group Supporting Characters

Medleys are groups of characters, often used in a Hero’s Journey. You may typically find the hero or protagonist perhaps with a couple of clearly defined sidekicks who are heroes in their own right, and a medley of secondary and tertiary characters who work as a support group of flat sidekicks. In comedy dramas on television, the medley or group becomes an ensemble.

It’s in this medley of more minor characters that character archetype usage comes into it’s own.

Harry Potter had Hermoine and Ron as sidekick heroes on his journey. Around them were some secondary characters who had their own character arcs – Neville and Luna come to mind. And of course there were many main and secondary characters to support, mentor and guide Harry such as Hagrid and Dumbledore.

But there was also a peripheral or medley of school peers who weren’t fully developed but were needed to tell the full story. Characters like cool-dude Lee Jordan, or the giggly Patil sisters or others who formed part of Dumbledore’s Army.

Other ensembles in Harry Potter were – The Order of the Phoenix and The Deatheaters – all contained known and fully developed characters, and minor characters who you may recognise the names but probably can’t easily picture them or remember what they did.

Robin Hood’s Band of Merrymen outlaws contains well-known sidekicks Little John and Friar Tuck but lesser known Will Scarlet, Alan of Dale and several who are seldom named. In some tales there are up to 140 merrymen.

The Star Wars franchise has an interesting assemblage of mostly-flat minor if not background characters. As a group, the Storm Troopers take on a singular entity of menace, and act as one minion-like character. It’s not until one or two of them are given personalities that we begin to see them as individuals – some henchmen, some evolve with storylines into heroes.

What brings these medleys or assembled groups of characters together is that they share a common belief and faith in the leadership and values of the hero.

Minor Characters

There are four kinds of characters (many suggest less or more) but broadly speaking I can classify four –

• Major characters – Primary Main Characters – the protagonists and antagonists; and Secondary (Main) Characters – the support mentors, sidekicks, guides, fighters, henchmen etc. These are the round characters, who are developed with personality, backstory of some level, and have goals.
• Minor characters – tertiary characters with recurring or bit-part roles, medley characters with names, and nameless background characters or extras. These are the flat or two dimensional characters with no character development. (In fact, extras aren’t even characters, but more a part of the storyworld setting).

Minor characters are very unlikely to be viewpoint characters and rarely receive much screen-time, but can hold recurring and quirky roles. Minor characters don’t need introductions, they just appear, and from their archetype and manner, the reader is allowed to create their own backstory to them, if they wish.

Although their appearance may be brief and one-off, they can shine during it. This is where archetypes (or stereotypes) come into their own, providing a solid base to build a memorable tertiary character from. That rude shopboy or cheerful paperboy you chose can have a brief shining role in setting your hero off in another direction. The harsh head librarian can be so harsh that she could accidentally stop the villain from killing the hero. Or be revealed as the mastermind behind the whole story.

Frank Constanza, George’s father in Seinfield, is a brilliant minor character, even quirkier than his son. The Simpsons is riddled with them – Troy McClure, The Yes Guy, Database, Frankie the Squealer, Plopper the Pig, Hans Moleman, Arnie Pye, Dr Nick, The Crazy Cat Lady and many many more (and yes, as a Simpsons Tapped Out player, I have them all).

Begin to populate your story with a few minor characters with archetypes and invest a tiny bit to really get them to shine.

Resources:

• 5 ways to use minor characters to add depth and complexity to your protagonist
• JS Moran lists fifty archetypes which could be used for minor characters – 50 types of minor characters (Part 1 of a 5 part series)
• At Better Novel Project, there are several articles on sidekick archetypes including starting with Writing the Sidekick Character (part 1 of 2) but I don’t necessarily agree with some of the formula predictions based on analysis of a couple of stories in this piece – Let’s Kill off the Sidekick.
• Casting Call: 7 Sidekick Archetypes » WriteOnSisters.com
• Assembly Required: Create an Ensemble Book Cast – WriteOnSisters.com
• 8 tips on How to Write a Believable Friendship or Best Friend Character
• 10 Secrets to Creating Unforgettable Supporting Characters – i09
• The Epic Guide to Character Creation, Part 6: Sidekick Archetypes
• Does Your Story’s Sidekick Serve a Purpose? – She’s Novel
• How Minor Characters Help You Discover Theme – K.M. Weiland

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

Last month my family underwent a traumatic incident in real life which still sits with us to this day. For several weeks I found myself unable to lift a keyboard to continue on my writing tasks. In fact, I could barely operate at any kind of level. I was aware of this, annoyed by this, but also aware that trauma and grief on any level needs to be worked through and given time. Sometimes the world does have to stop.

Now that I’m back into a little writing, and have returned to work on characterisation efforts, I have some resources to share. Understanding a little applied psychology for any character development is always helpful, and thankfully we have some good resources out there.

Sarah Fine – Traumatizing your Characters

Author Sarah E. Fine’s old blog stopped in 2014, but in 2013 she posted a ten-post series on how to traumatize our characters. As a child psychologist, Sarah imbrues the posts with different types of trauma, treatments, and pieces about PTSD.

Link:

• A 2013 guest post at YA Highway summarises the posts, and also links to each, or
• This is Part 10 on Sarah’s blog, which has an index to all the prior posts.

Thrill Writer Psychology Series

Author Fiona Quinn writes thrillers, and keeps her own website and blog up to date with information ranging from Law & Order, to Villains & Survivors. My favourites are a small series on Post Traumatic Stress through Disasters, and some posts on applying body language, especially for characters in love (or lust),

Link:

• Try the index found on the Applied Psychology subjects.

Writerology

Another current favourite of mine is Faye Kirwin’s Writerology website. Faye’s blog is worth bookmarking as it has lots of posts on character development, but also check out her specific psychology posts.

Also – Faye offers an insider membership (for free) – just sign up to her regular newsletter and you’ll gain access to some hidden PDF files – these are worksheets for her post series, and there is also an ongoing A-Z series of topics members get to vote on.

Some of my favourites from Writerology are –

• Fearful and Anxious – writing about Cluster C Personality Disorders (Avoidant Personality Disorder, Dependent Personality Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder)
• Emotional, Erratic and Dramatic – writing about Cluster B Personality Disorders (Histrionic Personality Disorder, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder)
• A to Z Psychology for Writers (membership access required)
• There are also posts and sometimes worksheets on amnesia, PTSD, love triangle theories, false memories, obsessive-compulsive disorders and forgiveness.
• Faye also has a series on the mind of the writer, applying psychology to many of our own writerly ways.

Links:

• Mind of the Character general index – leads to the psychology and storycraft posts.
• Don’t forget to sign up for free “Storycrafters” membership to access the on-going A-Z Psychology posts, and additional workbooks and PDFs supplementing some of the public posts.
• It may be easier to find what you want if you use Faye’s Psychology for Writers Pinterest board.

Vivian Lawry – Psychology for Writers

Here’s another post series, up to date at February this year. Vivian Lawry has posted about anything from toxic people to uncertainty, for writers and characters alike.

Link: Psychology for Writers Index post.

Others

Carolyn Kaufman, author of ‘The Writer’s Guide to Psychology’ sadly passed on a few years back, but her book remains available, as do some older guest posts at the QueryTracker blog and Psychology Today, plus her old blog site, Archetype Writing Blog remains here.

Another writer for Psychology Today, Joseph Burgo, is an author of books, ‘Why Do I Do That?: Psychological Defense Mechanisms and the Hidden Way they Shape Our Lives’  and ‘The Narcissist you Know’ which also are applicable to fictional characters as per this post at Writer Unboxed. Joseph rewrites fairy tales in a modern and psychological sense, and had many good posts on his own blog, After Psychotherapy.

Phil Lowe has a post series of psychology for scriptwriters on the Script Angel website. You will find these all under this link. 

Other Books: 

• ‘The Psychology Workbook for Writers: Tools for Creating Characters & Conflicts in Fiction‘ by Darian Smith

• ‘The Criminal Mind: A Writer’s Guide to Forensic Psychology‘ by Katherine Ramsland

• ‘Psychology for Screenwriters‘ by William Indick

Other Resources:

There are several Tumblr blogs run on the topic of character development which often combine psychological aspects. And from time to time other blog posts are sighted with psychology applied to characterisation. Without attempting to list all of the best, you can find these in my own curations, either on the tumblr blog, Everything 4 Writers, or my Pinterest boards. I recommend the Character Development Board, and the Writing Ref – Psychology and Medical, both are boards which link to posts on these topics.

The Nerd as modern archetype, is one often confused with Geeks, Dorks and many others. So, I’ll deal with all of these.

The Nerd, The Geek, and more

“Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.”

~ Bill Gates or Charles J. Sykes

What’s the difference between a nerd or geek? This debate has been as long-going as the two terms themselves. Some suggest one is a subset of the other, while others say they are very different.

The nerd made it’s first appearance in a Dr Seuss book, ‘If I ran the Zoo’. This was a bizarre animal with wacky hair, but aren’t they all? Listed with a ‘nerkle’ and ‘seeksucker’ we can only summise that both of these are also nerd types. The slang meaning dates back to 1951 when Newsweek magazine used it as a synonym for “drip” or “square”. It became slightly cooler, taking on a teenage trope through 1980’s movies like ‘The Breakfast Club’ , where one of the characters was differentiated as “the brain”.

The geek , etymology-wise, can be traced back to the 14th Century German word, geck, meaning court jester, freak or fool, and later, a dupe or person who can be duped.

At some point in modern times, both began to mean more than slightly wacky or off-centre, but also meant a person who has some intelligence.

Then we have the dork, commonly believed to mean a whale’s penis, but etymologists now suggest it came from the German dirk, meaning a thrusting dagger. Like the now off-trend dweeb, the dork has a slightly different meaning in archetypal form. The dork is somebody socially or physically awkward, perhaps even a little stupid rather than having a higher intelligence.

Differences Between Nerds and Geeks

It would be fair to say that if you designed a character with most of the traits listed below, most of our readers wouldn’t be able to tell the difference (or care) whether this character was called a nerd or a geek. Or both. But there are subtle differences.

A few years ago software engineer Burr Settles studied the words “geek” and “nerd” as used in 2.6 million tweets. He then extrapolated the words most associated with both, and produced a graph.

After analysing the words linked to each, Settles said –

“geeky words are more about stuff, while nerdy words are more about ideas.”

“Geeks are fans, and fans collect stuff; nerds are practitioners, and practitioners play with ideas.”

Computers fall in the middle, being common to both. Geeks are more interested in brands, culture and trends (they’ll most often be the queue formers for the latest apple product) while nerds are more interested in academics, music and playing or perhaps competing in games such as chess which involve thinking.

But before we get het up about stereotypes again, Settles added –

“Of course, geeks can collect ideas and nerds play with stuff, too.

“Plus, they aren’t two distinct personalities as much as different aspects of personality.”

With the success of Bill Gates and Stephen Jobs, the nerds and geeks of the world have moved from shirked and unpopular to being very much accepted, or expected. The best Ivy League schools in the world are now full of preppy students who aren’t just class leaders and successful sports competitors but also are expected to have the high intelligence levels and cultural likings of the geek or nerd. This is a great book to read on the cultural implications:

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School by Alexandra Robbins

But note that nowadays nerds and geeks are no longer outsiders. In fact, anyone who works in the more analytical professions such as scientists, mathematicians naturally inherit the nerd moniker, while the success of Gates and Jobs means business entrepreneurs now often take on the mantle of geek.

This whole movement of geek and nerd from a subculture which some were proud of to something much more mainstream may well see a change in the archetypes as yet. With everyone now claiming they are nerd and proud, time will tell.

Still not sure? That’s perfectly understandable, given there’s a great overlap. This Goodreads list holds over 300 books which people consider hold geek or nerd characters. Try this Venn diagram found at the Great White Snark (of course, even this diagram is hotly debated).

Creating the Nerd (or Geek) Archetype

Before creating this modern archetype, pinpoint your objectives and roles for the character. Are they a mentor, a sidekick to a hero, or the hero themselves? What flaws are they going to have? What area of expertise will they have? And what won’t your extra-smart character know about or be capable of doing?

Then consider the story patterns which circle the nerd or geek. In essence these archetypes are intelligent and knowledgeable. Play around with the tropes: Knowledge is Power, and The Power of Words. Add the ‘With Great Power comes Great Responsibility’ quote attributed to Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben (Peter being the ultimate example of classic puny nerd to superhero) and then the age old belief that Power can Corrupt.

Also consider the famous quote –

‘Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practise’ ~ Anton Chekhov.

Prompt: How do all these quotes affect how your nerd will act and perform through the story?

Tip:Stay away from stereotypes. Cast your nerd or geek with only a couple of the traits listed below. And if you do feel the need to give your nerd or geek glasses, make sure there is a medical reason for them (which is easy, if they use computers all day) and that this is also used as a flaw sometime (geek loses his glasses and can’t see something important).

Recognising the Nerd

• Nerds are more introverted than many Geeks. The introversion as a personality aspect, means they often need to withdraw to be alone with their thoughts, to re-energise. This is why they may find large crowds and professions which require being around a lot of people difficult to manage.
• They can be socially awkward or even shy with it. Social ineptness may be something which comes not from shyness and introversion, but choice – the pure nerd may be more focussed on thoughts and concepts and not be bothered by people or social requirements at all. They do not have time nor care for activities which might make them socially popular. The Nutty Professor / Einstein stereotype is an example of this, although the true Albert Einstein had a lot of time for social activities which made him a public figure in his later years.
• Nerds specialise on one body of thinking or knowledge. They will study and analyse this area until they become experts, and then produce associated concepts from this.
• Because nerds are interested in thoughts and ideas, for hobbies they may tend to concentrate on topics such as science fiction, virtual reality or pure maths and science areas such as computer programming. They also enjoy games, particular ones which require solving like chess, soduku or puzzles.
• Nerds are the inventors, scientists, computer software creators, astrophysicists, theorists, professors, engineers, biomechanics and philosophers of the world. Or they’ll work in a mundane job where they are not overlooked, and can spend time just thinking.

Recognising the Geek

• Geeks are early adopters and users of the latest greatest things. They will be the ones prepared to queue for days for the latest upgrade to their smartphone. They will also use obscure or less common technology and be a fanatic about this (Linux being an example).
• They will be fanatical or obsessive about this technology or lifestyle, committing to online boards, going to conferences (comic-con is popular) and wearing iconic tee-shirts announcing their fandom. The key to geek recognition is the pure obsession. A geek is capable of playing a game like D&D to the point of interfering with their personal or career lives.
• Geeks also are aware of and a fan of cultural trends. So you may find your geek enjoys techno music, goes to underground raves, and takes risks against the common laws.
• If they’re not wearing a fandom tee, they’ll be wearing an ironic, humorous or witty tee-shirt.
• Geeks are likely to be extroverted, or at least proud of their status as geek, and wear a wardrobe to draw attention to and celebrate their geekiness.
• Whereas the nerd will specialise around one area, the geek will tend to have a diverse area of knowledge which could be a knowledge-area or discipline, or something like a lifestyle.
• Ironically, a geek can have a huge range of knowledge on one subject, but also imply having knowledge in perfectly mundane or obscure areas to bore others with.
• Geeks and gadgets are almost synonymous nowadays. The latest gadgets are now targeted to everyone for their inner geek.
• Geeks are collectors and probably gamers. Games chosen will be those that allow a social sharing, so playing virtual action games and retro games like Dungeons and Dragons are common hobbies, especially if such games require the collection of specific equipment and gadgets to play with. Collections are of objects, gadgets, gizmos, niche toys or something themed, but always kept in pristine condition. Some geeks who border on nerds may also collect ideas or concepts, or information, and hold huge databases or libraries on one area of expertise.
• The geek will likely have a career in IT, marketing, graphic design, as an entrepreneur or be something like a bartender or barista which would allow them time off for other geek hobbies, but enough of a scientific application to become skilled and recognised for their work.

Nerd or Geek Culture

These days being a nerd or geek has become such a popular claim that there is a large and forceful culture your nerd may well sit within. Any large group like this, however, can provide several areas of conflict or concern.

Consider the very current real life outrage by some ribald fans when Captain America was outed as a double-agent for Hydra. The writer of that new comic has received some incredible death threats for destroying Steve Roger’s holy persona. Once he logged off from the internet because of these, a few fans started threatening people who haven’t written or done anything with the superhero for years.

What used to be the domain of solely nerds or geeks – things like superheroes, certain games, and computers, has now been corporatised, serialised and made into products to be consumed. Combined with the anonymity and accessibility offered by the internet, with the large groups which can form around a fandom, and sometimes the nerds can turn: some of them into a base of fandom which puts Stephen King’s Annie Wilke’s to shame as a displeased fan.

Prompt: Consider what your nerd may turn into if something they place emphasis on as a basis for their nerdhood is changed or destroyed. Do they have a sense of entitlement? Or do they move on and enjoy other nerdy things? What part of nerd or geek culture is important to them?

Further Reading:

• ‘The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture‘ by Glen Weldon (book)

• Fandom is Broken by Devin Faraci (controversial post) and a post which refutes this by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw – Geek Culture isn’t broken, but it does have a harrassment problem or this one: From Hydra to Ghostbusters: The False Equivalences of Fan Culture | Bibliodaze.
• Here’s Neil Gaimon responding to a question from a George RR Martin fan pondering when the next book should be out: Entitlement Issues.

Example Nerds or Geeks

The socially inept nerd taken to extremes can take on the wise-fool archetype, an ancient archetype. Steve Urkel from Family Matters was a good example of this – he was extremely smart in some ways, but completely incompetent and clumsy socially, causing much pain to many other characters. Urkel also gave us the stereotypical braces and really high pants which later became trademarks of the movie franchise Revenge of the Nerds.

Richie Cunningham of Happy Days was my own first memory of the archetype, as a counterpoint to cool dude, The Fonz.

The nerd taken to another extreme can become the cerebral Professor Charles Xavier of the X-Men, or even George Lucas’ archaeologist professor Indiana Jones, who became an action hero. Dan Brown’s Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci Code is another example of a nerd (and also geek collector of symbols) turned hero.

Hermoine Granger from the Harry Potter books, fills in most of the boxes as a nerd – she’s studious, always has her head in books, starts off very nerdy looking (although has some make-overs as she blooms into young adulthood), is obviously the smartest of the triad, and was even portrayed as being clumsy on occasion.

This type of character – nerd who will be made over as popular girl or boy, is common in many teenage movies. Examples – She’s Out of Control, She’s All That, The Nutty Professor, and Mean Girls.

The Big Bang Theory muddies many of its characters between geek and nerd, but also is responsible for another wave of geek or nerd pride. Sheldon is brilliant, quirky, obsessive and not shy at all, but he doesn’t care what people think of them. Howard is not shy either, but he does care what people think. Leonard and Raj are shy but want to be accepted by other people. The British The I.T. Crowd did something similar, playing to the trope of normal society distrusting I.T. Support.

Sherlock Holmes is a nerd of extremities – very knowledgeable in many areas, but socially inept, and unpopular with normal people.

In real life, many celebrities make claims to geekhood, but possibly don’t really match the general criteria. However, we recognise the following as true geeks and/or nerds: Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Joss Whedon, Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion, Violet Blue, Will Wheaton, Bill Gates, Chris Hardwick (of ‘The Nerdist’ podcast), George Takei, Stephen Colbert, Simon Pegg, Tina Fey, Michaelangelo, Albert Einstein.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: brainiac, “the brain”, dork, dweeb, intellectual, book nerd, neo-nerd, uber-nerd
• Associations: professor, scholar, academic, scientist, inventor, visionary, librarian, overachiever, hacker, virtuous hacker, the drone, the dilbert, the cubicle, tinkerer/McGyver
• Sub-cultures: There are many sub- and cross-cultures in the world of geeks and nerds. Geek Girl is one of them, Gamers another. Fanboys or Fangirls are a subset of the geek culture, coming from the more ancient fanatic archetype. Mops are watered down fans, helpful in accepting a new concept and making it into a thing. Hipsters took on the thick-rimmed glasses of the nerd.
  • In this baseline magazine article, eleven different sub-types to movie geeks are named with their story tropes or subtexts : the jerk technician (sub-text: everyone resents tech support because they need it so much); the dweeb (sub-text: life after high school is still high school); the virtuous hacker (sub-text: knowledge is power); the evil mastermind (sub-text: geeks don’t handle power); the rebel (sub-text: armed geeks might be useful if machines get out of hand); the reluctant hero (sub-text: they’re not laughing with you, but at you); the drone (sub-text: your personal hell is actually quite common); the hottie (making a geek attractive to sell a movie); the sidekick (a geek solves the problem, but can’t be the hero); the mad scientist (sub-text: creativity is intimidating); the tinkerer (or MacGyver).
• Sub-archetypes / stereotypes: nutty professor/Einstein, reclusive professor, wise-fool
• Shadows: evil masterminds, psychopaths/sociopaths, mad scientist, hermit, evil inventor, addict, hyperfocused, crazy cat lady, crazy 8 (teen trope), nerd as minion to a big bad villain.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

The Ordinary or Everyman (person) sometimes called the Orphan is one of Jung’s 12 basic archetypes, and although sounds, well, ordinary, the archetype holds many useful connotations and universal stories which appeal to many readers.

The Ordinary Man

“All men are supposed to be created equal, but it pays to be careful” ~ Ordinary Guy Motto

Jung’s interpretation of the Ordinary / Everyman or Orphan is one of connection. The Jung archetype is quoted as being “Okay as he or she is.”

“Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolised.”  – Albert Einstein

 

The concept of the everyman goes back to medieval times, and provides a morality story of what everyday living looks like. In politics, the common man is the measuring stick for values and laws to uphold our societies, and is an instrument for democracy – one man, one vote; and equality – all peers are equal.

However, that doesn’t really make a story.

What Pearson-Marrs did was conceptualise that the Ordinary Guy is actually a transitional archetype, sitting between the true innocent, and the full hero or warrior archetype. Of course, in real life, most people simply stay at the everyman stage, and live quite comfortably so. But in fiction, the everyman can develop into either a hero, or in a tragedy, a victim or even a villain.

Many of our most memorable fiction includes an everyman who is quite happy with his or her life (if the reader sees it as pretty mundane), has been through their normal share of hard life knocks, and is feeling reasonably secure, only to be thrown into some conflict and forced to shake off a victim mantle to become a hero.

There’s no surprise that our favourite superheroes have origins as ordinary guys. This universal story reminds us that the everyman has an equal footing within his peers, and that we might find our own superpowers just like they did, if the time ever comes. Taking away superpowers from the equation we have the many little guy versus big guy David and Goliath heroics.

Out of the mythic spheres, we have many of our comedy-dramas on television set in small villages, pubs, cafes, cubicle offices, normal family homes and other more domestic or mundane settings. These are peopled with the ordinary guys and gals of the world.

The Ordinary Man does not need to be a hero of the story. You can use the everyman and everywoman throughout your story as tertiary or flat characters to set your world within, or as a secondary character or sidekick who can give your hero the balance and realism they may need.

Innocent, Orphan or Everyman?

Sometimes the Ordinary Guy / Orphan archetype is confused with the Innocent. To make matters more confusing, the orphan as stereotype (young child without parents) is often called an Innocent.

The Innocent (sometimes called the child or waif) is another of the 12 Jung archetypes, and has a slightly different archetypture, in that the innocent is a spontaneous and trusting child-type, while the Everyman has grown up, and already has a sense of place and belonging within the normal world.

Whilst the innocent will fear abandonment (as any child might), the true ordinary everyman or orphan will fear exploitation or rejection. The innocent will bring virtues of optimism, trust and faith to a challenge, while the older every-person will have formed virtues of interdependence, realism, resilience and empathy.

The innocent will seek safety. The everyman already has safety, so they will seek to keep it. But the association between Everyman and Orphan now kicks in. Think of an orphan as somebody who grew up quickly and had to fend for themselves. The orphan as everyman will fear exploitation, and to fight against this, an ordinary guy / orphan may need to seek to develop in areas they may have missed in growing up (or finding their place in society). Most of us as everyman never had to use certain skills to survive, but we all hope that if ever called to use these, we could.

The Everyman (Orphan) Conflict and Character Arc

The Orphan archetype is a transitional figure from innocent acceptance of the world and authority (the Innocent) to active engagement with life’s journey (the Warrior or Hero).

Orphans are independent and self-reliant and can be mistrustful of authority. Because of their inherent distrust in the motives of others, Orphans who have survived through severe antagonism at earlier stages run the risk of becoming loners, eternal victims, or abusers. An orphan who goes down this route is an excellent anti-hero, or even villain for our stories.

Those more socialised and safe orphans/everyman will react to large conflict by deflecting responsibility onto authority to rescue them, perhaps cynically. Those with more gumption will transition to take full control of their lives, becoming our protagonist heroes.

Whether a victim, abuser or villain everyman or a fighter, warrior hero everyman, both types will have a huge task to accept help from others initially. This comes out of their belief that it is only through themselves that they got where they are today. Society teaches us this right from the start.

But, most of us as everyman, hold successful and comfortable lives without having to transition (often) into full heroes.

This is because, going back to Jung’s original understanding of the archetypes, the ordinary person is the most centred of the archetypes. They know life can be tough, they’ve ploughed through their share of hard knocks, and may be slightly cynical, but also are aware that every person stands on equal footing to their peers. This opens up the possibilities for all everyman – if one can do it, perhaps somebody else can.

Character Arc:

• The Inciting Incident and/or Call to Action: Abandonment, Betrayal, Self-betrayal, Disillusionment, Victimization, Loneliness, Isolation or Alienation.
• Level One: Learning to acknowledge the truth of one’s plight and feel pain, possible Loss of faith
• Level Two: Accepting the need for help
• Level Three: Replacing dependence with interdependence, Developing realistic expectations

Recognising the Ordinary Man

• Core desire: to belong, to be accepted as they are, and to be valued
• Goal: Regain safety and security
• Fear: Exploitation, and to stand out from the crowd, to put on airs or to be rejected or left out.
• When an ordinary guy first encounters conflict in their life, they will firstly hope that somebody else (authorities) will rescue them. The experienced everyman may, however, be more than a little cynical of this hope.
• Most ordinary guys/gals are empathetic to the human condition, hard-working, down-to-earth and hold a big cup of realism. They’ve had their share of hard knocks, and may approach their day-to-day a little cynically, but with hope.
• The ordinary guy is disdainful of any elitism, or classism. They may mistrust authority, or those with authority above them if they act in a leadership role. They want to believe that everyone has a fair shake of the stick, but life has taught them a little otherwise.
• Strengths: realism, empathy, interdependence (when developed), hard-working, solid everyday virtues, down-to-earth, has the common touch.
• Flaws: cyncism, negativity, disdainment for those who have more wealth or opportunities, distrust of higher authorities; too eager to fit in, or please.

Example Ordinary Guys

Professor Indiana Jones began his story as an everyman professor or archaeology, before finding his calling as action hero.

The Simpsons epitomises the everyman family. Homer Simpson is the ordinary guy we cringe while consider the closeness of some of Homer’s behaviours to ourselves. Cheers and Friends gave us everyman groups. More lately, Modern Family provides us with enough everydayness to see ourselves in something of every episode.

Bilbo Baggins was an everyman Hobbit. Ron Weasley was the everyman to Harry Potter. James Stewart as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life was an ordinary man who needed to remember how remarkable ordinariness can be.

The world-wide appeal to Breaking Bad was that Walter White was an everyman turned bad, but for supposedly humanatarian intentions. Michael Douglas’ character in movie Falling Down was a down-and-out everyman run amok. You didn’t know whether to cheer him on, or hope for his own come-uppance.

Actual orphans are overdone in fiction and have become cliched. But there remain some famous orphans: Pinocchio, Little Orphan Annie, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Tarzan, and more recently, Star Lord of Galaxy of the Guardians. On the superhero note, Spiderman, Batman and Superman are all orphans, although I would only classify Peter Parker as truly everyman before his spider senses arrived.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: Regular Guy, Regular Gal, Everyman, Everyperson, Orphan, common man (politics), the good neighbour, blue collar, worker, Working Stiff, Average Joe, Good Ol’ Boy, Solid Citizen.
• Groups: Silent Majority, The Township, The Peers
• Associations:  Innocent / Waif / Child, Girl/Guy Next Door (Love interest or Unrequited love within the Young Adult genres predominantly)
• Shadows:
  • manipulating victim, external victim, cynic, masochist or sadist, richman scrooge, negative Nancy;
  • or outlaw/rebel/mercenary (if upholding a true Robin-Hood belief that everyone should be on the same footing);
  • or lose themselves to peer mentality and become part of a lynch-mob;
  • or lose themselves in securing anonymity and safety by becoming too much of a yes-man.
• Origins:
  • Carl Jung first listed the Everyman or Orphan as one of his 12 main archetypes.
  • The Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator (PMAI) which is based on these, also profiles the Everyman.
  • Branding archetypes have been built on the everyman archetype. Wendy’s is one example of a company which embraces the concept that all men are created equal. Ikea and Levi Jeans are branded to the every man also. Ikea and Walmart brand this way with everyday (ie. affordable) pricing for the average Joe.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

The Prophet as character archetype has a substantial history as one of our expected religious or mythological personas, but also has close associations with our more modern archetypes of the visionary or catalyst (detailed in the C entry for this series).

The Prophet

“Remember the truth, before it’s too late” ~ Prophet Motto

“I Do not Teach, I simply Reveal” ~ Oracle Motto

The prophet or oracle is more normally a secondary or tertiary character, formed mostly by archetype (what they wear, how they act, and by their age, and their role in the story). This type of character normally sits outside of the main storylines, offering mystic or divine guidance when consulted by lead characters.

There are a few cases where a charismatic prophet gathers a following and can lead changes through the storyline.

Take care with the tropes or stereotypes now associated with the prophet. In fantasy particularly, the Prophesy, often proclaiming the coming of a chosen one (another stereotype), has been overdone.

The Prophet as Wise Old Man/Woman and other Jung Archetypes

Wise Old Man / Wise Old Woman

One of the basic archetypes of Carl Jung, the Wise Old Man is not often detailed, unlike the other Jung archetypes of mother, trickster or hero. Perhaps this is because it’s easily understood. In Jung’s full archetypal system, the Wise Old Man or Wise Old Woman, are values of Mana, or the supraordinate” personalities – these are archetypes which stand for wholeness of self. This is the self (or a character) reaching full maturity, where most of us hope to find some wisdom from the events of our lives.

The wise old man as prophet is an important archetype within the context of culture and religion, and is one found within certain fictional genres:

The Wise Old Woman appears regularly through fairy tales, the wise old man is perhaps more likely to be found through certain fantasy or science fiction stories as mentor and coach to a hero, and is also found in any stories which require an older expert.

Their “wisdom” can be detoured by a shadow of jadedness (as in the jaded old cop trope), or fully negated by false prophets and similar negative archetypes.

The Prophet as Sage and Magician

Jung did list a Sage and Magician as archetype, but did not specify the Prophet, although this archetype may well sit between the sage and magician:

In more ancient history people would have recognised Prophets (as found in the Bible’s Old Testament) as visionaries, charismatic leaders, and healers (shamen). These are all recognised within the “Magician” archetype. Jung’s “Sage” is a more modern rendition – historically they were philosophers or teachers, who nowadays have taken on the mantle of scientist, researcher, analyst and expert or motivational speaker. TED Talks is a sage brand. And some of those talks found within TED may turn out to be prophetising, or at least reminding us of certain bodies of universal knowledge.

Magicians as Visionaries are more readily accepted even in today’s society, Sages are the new Youtube and social media stars, while Prophets, with their proclamations of injustices or warnings of consequences, often are rejected by the group they are warning within.

The Wise Old Woman as Crone or Goddess

The Wise Old Woman also has a history beyond our more modern religious understandings or folklore. As Earth Goddess, and the triple goddess aspect of Crone: the Ancient Greek Pantheon had Hecate, the crone dark goddess, Ancient Celtic goddesses include many, such as the Morrigan who contains a crone aspect, signifying learned wisdom.

Of course, with the application of the Patriarchal systems though Ancient Greece, Rome and elsewhere, the once-great Earth Mother Goddesses were usurped, and later the crone archetype took on a much darker tone with crone as wicked witch.

Shaman, Prophet and Sage

Although often associated together, there is a difference between the classical archetypes of shaman, prophet and sage.

The Shaman is about healing – either physically or mentally (so, has other names of medicine man, herbologist, witch, healer, and latterly, psychologist etc).

The Sage is about a quest for goodness or holiness (with other names such as priest, monk) or knowledge (teacher, guide).

The classical Prophet figure stands for a search for truth and justice – basically applied knowledge. In our Religious terms, we can see the commonality between Sage and Prophet. But outside of religion, the Prophet or Oracle reminds us of social justice and eons-old laws of the land and universal morals and teaching. The Prophet is about humanity.

Generational Theory and the Prophet

Generational Theory is a theory developed by William Strauss and Neil Howe which proposes that Western society (America) has a cycle of generations and archetypes which cycle over one human lifespan (approximately 70 years).

The cycle, or saeculum, divides a human life into four phases or turnings which in turn are cycled through the stages of childhood, young adulthood, midlife and elderhood. Turnings also have an associated season and archetypal nature. Depending on which generational years a person is born in, they then cycle through four different archetypes through these turnings.

America’s Living Generations

Via

• Lost (Nomad, born 1883-1900) The generation that gave the 1920s its roar.
• G.I. (Hero, born 1901-1924) The “greatest generation,” which fought WWII and built up the nation during its post-War boom.
• Silent (Artist, born 1925-1942) They grew up as quiet, sensitive types and then had mid-life crises in the 1970s.
• Boomer (Prophet, born 1943-1960) The rebellious generation which gave America its famous 1960s generation gap.
• Gen-X (Nomad, born 1961-1981) The latchkey kids of the 1970s; they have fared the least well in post-revolutionary America.
• Millennial (Hero, born 1982-?) The “babies on board” of the 1980s who have been the focus of adult attention ever since.
• Homeland (Artist, born ?-) The Homeland Generation is probably being born now, or at least will be soon.

And from this listing you can see that the generations cycle through four different archetypes – the Nomad, the Hero, the Artist and the Prophet.

I was personally born on the cusp between baby boomer and Generation X, so in this theory took on the mantle of Prophet in my earliest years, and am now moving through Hero, heading to my final quarter of Artist (which suits this writer just fine). My daughter was born on the cusp between Millennial and the next generation, here termed Homeland. As a digital native she does appear to also be of a Hero nature with Artistic tendencies growing stronger by the year. This would suggest that when she hits retirement years, it will be with the wanderlust of the nomad.

Whether you accept anything of the generational cyclic theory or not, it is an interesting exercise to consider how the Prophet archetype is actually needed at two levels – in society and individually within a life at a certain stage. It is the internal and external prophets who remind us of the wisdom of common human preachings and rules.

Oracles and Doomsayers

Prophets as Oracles have almost taken on a stereotypical archetype. Nowadays if we think of Oracles, we tend to see them as an older woman wrapped in robes, forseeing future troubles after seeking the knowledge through some mystical practises. If a man, an Oracle can take on the mantle of billboard-wearing street-corner doomsayer, preaching the fall of civilisations through nature, God or an asteroid.

The mysticism/hocus pocus and future predictions aspects to how we now see Oracles has muddied our eyes of what was, in fact, the Prophet historically. The Prophet is about applying social knowledge where it has been forgotten, and forecasting the outcome of certain behaviours or trends.

Of course, nowadays many oracle’s messages are met with scepticism, and in some well-known cases, muddied by powerful politically or financially motivated dirt campaigns to disempower or rebut the warnings. But we still inherit many of our common sayings and words of wisdom from the archetype –

• Turning a blind eye (to something we should be seeing)
• Playing ostrich, with our head in the sand (if we can’t see it, it doesn’t exist)
• See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil
• The blind leading the blind (about false prophets)

Recognising the Prophet

• Prophets hold a message from the divine – this may be a divine entity, but also from a human understanding of moral right and wrongs. This message is on behalf of all of humankind.
• Prophets may appear (to others around them) to be out of touch with their times. They will be out of the mainstream, often secluded as hermits or singular academics etc.
• If they have found a following, they will often be very focused and charismatic leaders, upheld as visionaries and catalysts for change.
• A milder form of the prophet is the wise old people who are sought out for mentorship, guidance and wisdom.
• Prophets are in touch with reality. They will notice things which pass by most others.
• They tend to forecast dire consequences with how the society around them are behaving or in common belief systems.
• Most people will not recognise or remain in denial of the truth to a prophet’s warnings, perhaps not before it is too late.
• The prophet has a journalistic and analytical nature – they will seek out knowledge and learnings from the past, present, and future (sometimes the later by mystical means, but this could also be by scientific extrapolation or using technology)
• The Prophet as Oracle will provide some foreshadowing for future events.
• Oracles tend to remain gentle and passive and neutral while gifting people with their wisdom. In some cases they will be sought out for their wisdom. But they typically will not provide action towards forcing an outcome. They are watchers and listeners, sometimes mentors, but not typically full heroes.

Example Prophets and Oracles

Real life is full of prophets in our religions and myths, but also throughout every aspect of history. Confusious comes to mind easily, helped by the brevity of quotes and lately by the ease of putting his phrases into social memes.

The Dalai Lama could be considered a modern day religious prophet with a world-wide following. However note that Buddhism does not hold a word for prophet, and for many Buddhists the Lama is just a man who preaches certain universal reminders. And many righteous people of Christain faiths proclaim that the Dalai Lama is a false prophet based on differing interpretations of who the real God is, or how a prophet must make prophesies which come true. Be aware of this if you create a character you call “Prophet.”

On the darker side more modern “prophets” such as Jim Jones and David Koresh or others who claim to speak to the divine or are the divine have been involved in the deaths of many cult followers.

Mythically, Greek God Apollo had the power of prophesy, and gifted this on Cassandra. Seers and Oracles appear throughout many mythologies, and before the term “prophet” was used in the Bible.

Fictionally, Yoda from Star Wars, takes on the mantle of confusious-like wisdom spun out into Yoda-speak. Whoopi Goldberg played a recurring role of Guinan, on Star Trek Next Generation, a mysterious hypersensed oracle who provided wise but neutral words of advice to many characters while hosting the Enterprise’s bar, Ten Forward. Guinan even dressed in robes which highlighted her oracle role.

The television series Atlantis featured a mature woman as a literal Oracle, who forsaw the future. The Matrix  movie series had a similar female Oracle. Both are mature women. The DC Universe has an Oracle superheroine character, the alter-ego for Barbara Gordon. Other superhero comic characters have had the gift or prophesy or seeing into the future.

Harry Potter’s magical world features wizards who study to be Seers – Professor Sybill Trelawney features predominantly as a seer who is thought to be a charleton for much of the series. In fact, it was Trelawney herself who first made the prophesy concerning Harry and Voldemort which the entire series is based upon.

Disaster action movies such as Armageddon or San Andreas often begin with a scientist as prophet, who has information about a coming disaster which nobody, including other scientists will listen to, until it is too late.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: Prophet, Wise Old Man/Woman, Oracle, Seer
• Associations:  Sage, Priest, Catalyst, Visionary, Shaman, Magician, Crone/Goddess, Mystic, Fairy Godmother, Judge, Mentor, Guide, Fortune-Teller
• Sub-archetypes / stereotypes: Blind Seer; Enlightened Oracle, Monk or Spiritualist. The doomsayer is a shadow stereotype.
  • The Whistleblower and websites such as Wikileaks may be truth-acknowledging forms of the modern day prophet, although both leave movement on that outed knowledge for others to action.
  • The corrupt government works to deny or make invisible geniune prophets; or help out a shadow of the prophet archetype. Sub-archetypes of this are media smear campaigns, corrupt scientists (who lose or change research results), and political burying.
• Shadows:
  • Jaded, Weary or Reluctant old experts (ie the Jaded Old Cop trope), Hermits or Social Misfits, and Once-Was-Heroes who reluctantly mentor the new hero.
  • False Prophets (Cult Leaders)– those that provide Oracle like wisdom and claim to speak from the divine to secure attention, or build a God-like following or idolisation for themselves.
  • Biased Prophets – those who have sold out their vision to a high bidder, or altered their prophesies to fit with what society expects.
  • Destroyer/Manipulator – prophets with tainted visions may become destroyers of particular elements of society ie Hitler, Stalin
  • Doomsayer – this character only preaches doom and gloom, the end is nigh. Comes across as too wacky to listen to.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

The Questioner is a generic title for several different character archetypes who take on the mantle of questioning – either as an investigation or to provide a moral reminder to other characters.

The Questioner

“Tell me…?”

What do the defender, advocate, loyalist, loyal sceptic, devil’s advocate, debater, investigator, journalist, observer, detective, scientist, and even the Gemini zodiac archetype have in common?

Yes, that was a question, and yes, that was the answer.

They all work with a fundamental mentality to question.

The Questioner has a possible three roles within a story –

1. To question and investigate something for themselves – either of the world or internally. These are the scientists, investigators, detectives and possibly heroes within a story.
2. To question and remind another character of the rightness or wrongness or at least the repercussions of their actions, or to help them to make sense of their thoughts. These are the loyal sceptics or sidekick friends of a protagonist.
3. As an antagonist.
   • Consider the questioner historically – these were the inquisitionists who enforced – often by interrogation, death or torture – the morals and values of the times.
   • Most people naturally don’t enjoy being questioned, so many questioners will be met with conflict, mistrust or negatively.
   • The Questioner within some streams has become reviled, particularly if somebody is hogging somebody’s attention to show-off, to the detriment of a larger group. (See cartoon below).

Via

Recognising the Questioner

• The questioner tries to remain objective at all times, even if they are a friend of another character and questioning or reminding them of something.
• The questioner explores further. They will not stop just with the first answer. In real life, questioners make good software testers (finding deep bugs), scientists, medical lab technicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, analysts or legal document and contract readers and risk mitigators.
• Questions will be reformed into more questions. The use of the word, “But…” may be an indication.
• Questioners have whirling minds, and may be afraid to speak their questions out loud for fear of being wrong. They will often be very indecisive, and require time to explore all the answers before deciding.
• Other characters who are hell-bent on taking action, may find the questioner annoying because of their slowness to action, need to question over and over, and then to think.
• A talent for humour and liking to stand up for causes is typical of Questioners. They’re good at sensing what will go over to an audience, they’re usually witty, and they’re loyal to people and causes they respect. Many questioners in real life take roles in the entertainment industry as talk show hosts.

Some Types of Questioners

Enneagram Personality Types – 5, 6 & 1

In the Enneagram Personality Type system there are three types of the nine who match some of the questioner traits.

Type 1’s are the Advocates, or reformers, often called perfectionists. These types of people can be highly rational and analytical which can be worked towards empowering and taking action to right some wrongs. Average 1s are driven by their “inner critic”, an inner set of standards that tends to be quite rigorous, and independent of what other people tell them.

TV Tropes says 1s are The Perfectionist, plain and simple. Their Basic Fear is to be corrupt. They have a little voice in the back of their heads which is constantly criticizing their behaviour; they use this to try and stay moral and ascend beyond the criticism of others.

Type 5’s are the Investigators, often referred to as the scientists or thinkers. These types of people can be socially withdrawn and prefer to work alone, on work which requires investigation, analysis and deep thinking. 5s are intensely interested in explaining the world and predicting what it will do next.

Type 6’s are the Loyalist, also called the sceptic, loyal sceptic , the security-seeker or the questioner. These types of people are engaging, staunchly loyal, but if burned by somebody else, will become very wary, anxious and suspicious. They can be very contradictory even in their own thoughts, both wanting to place their trust in others to keep them safe, but then questioning that trust to ensure it is well placed.

The ambivalent, reactive nature of the 6 often means they can oscillate between a wide range of behaviours, from compliance to aggression to withdrawal. TV Tropes say 6s are one of the more confusing types, being an uneasy compromise between a creature-comforts person and a devil’s advocate with an overactive Spider-Sense.

This can make them a worthy and undyingly loyal sidekick to a true hero, or a good questioning sceptic or devil’s advocate at least. On the antagonistic side, the loyal sceptic can become either very annoying, very flighty, or turned into a two-faced adversary.

Gretchen Rubin’s Questioner

Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, has 4 Categories of Personality, based on how each responds to internal or external rules –

Upholders respond to both inner and outer rules; Questioners question all rules, but can follow rules they endorse (effectively making all rules into inner rules); Rebels resist all rules; Obligers respond to outer rules but not to inner rules. To read more, go here.

These four also have different motivations, as explained by Rubin –

Upholders wake up and think, “What’s on the schedule and the to-do list for today?” They’re very motivated by execution, getting things accomplished. They really don’t like making mistakes, getting blamed,  or failing to follow through (including doing so to themselves).

Questioners wake up and think, “What needs to get done today?” They’re very motivated by seeing good reasons for a particular course of action. They really don’t like spending time and effort on activities they don’t agree with.

Rebels wake up and think, “What do I want to do today?” They’re very motivated by a sense of freedom, of self-determination. (I used to think that Rebels were energizing by flouting rules, but I now I suspect that that’s a by-product of their desire to determine their own course of action. Though they do seem to enjoy flouting rules.) They really don’t like being told what to do.

Obligers wake up and think, “What must I do today?” They’re very motivated by accountability. They really don’t like being reprimanded or letting others down.

Note that in my opinion Rubin’s Rebel type is an outright rebel who breaks rules all the time, to remain free. I am currently characterising a rebel character who fits between Rubin’s rebel and questioner. For many, this would be an advocate.

Example Questioners

Famous Questioners include Sigmund Freud, Woody Allen, Robert Kennedy, Erin Brockovich, Spike Lee, Don Rickles, Ellen de Generis, Richard Lewis, Lewis Black, and David Letterman.

Fictionally, Seinfeld’s George Costanza, and Lord of the Rings’ Frodo Baggins are both sidekick loyalists who question often. In Harry Potter Neville, Moody, Pettigrew, Dobby were all staunch loyalists, while Percy Weasley, Bellatrix, Sirius Black and sometimes Ron Weasley are examples of the loyalist with enthusiastic or the action-orientated traits of an adventure-seeker.

Obviously crime and detective fiction holds many examples of the questioner as investigator. But Sherlock Holmes is an interesting character who takes investigation and questioning to a whole higher level – Sherlock questions and investigates everything, as a knowledge-acquirement exercise, in case it is ever helpful in a crime investigation. And sidekick Watson is a good example of a loyalist friend who questions Sherlock’s moral and ethical codes to keep him honest.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: devil’s advocate, debater, investigator, journalist, observer, detective, scientist, interrogator
• Associations:  Enneagram Type 6: loyalist, loyal sceptic; Enneagram Type 1: advocate, defender, reformer; Enneagram Type 5: investigator, scientist; Zodiac Archetype – the Gemini or thinker
• Shadows: two-faced friend, corrupt investigator; the loyalist who becomes too much of an approval-seeker, obliger or Yes-Man; the enforcer as judge and jury.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

The Royals – Kings, Queens, Princesses, Monarchs etc, are often also the Rulers of our fictional worlds. But both archetypes also come in good or bad forms.

The Royal or Ruler

“I am in control” or “Power isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” ~ Royal/Ruler Motto or

Royals come in many forms – Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses, Duchesses, Dukes, Monarchs, Emperors, etc; and as many stereotypes – Evil Queens, Spoilt Princesses, Queen Bees, Down-trodden Kings, Evil Emperors, Evil Warlords, Foppy Nobles.

Unless writing a historical novel with a royal figurehead, or a fairy tale, the Royal as character is more likely to be a secondary power or authority figure in your fiction, rather than your protagonist. Be aware of the tropes and stereotypes associated often with any character of wealth and power. One of the tropes which most annoys me is how often a Queen is portrayed as evil or manipulative, while the King in the partnership is a duped man.

The Royal character may not actually be a monarch or somebody in power. But such characters, if considered royal, will display a maturity and manner about them which may be described as “noble” or “gracious”.

In shadow terms, this nobleness will become a shallowness or materialistic passion, perhaps by “putting on airs” or using wealth and privilege to manipulate and expect a higher level of power over others.

We also nowadays have socially engineered royals – those of celebrities, and entertainers who have achieved such a status that they are accepted as royals (without anything much to rule over). Michael Jackson was the King of Pop, Elvis Presley: The King of Rock; The Kadashians are public royals based on celebrity alone.

Our politicians – particularly Presidents or Prime Ministers – who have taken over the roles of pure Royalties through many societies, can also be considered our Royalty.

The Ruler as character can be controversial also. Good rulers are recognised easily – not by what they do, but by how others around them accept their authority and advice on what needs to be done. On how rulers inspire trust and faith in others.

However, bad rulers can also take power, using force, manipulation or sheer force or inheritance to gain authority over a group or nation. In business there are lessons over what makes a good leader over what is simply being a manager or boss.

Matriarchs and Patriarchs are heads of families or family rulers, often gained by age (and applied wisdom). However, even then, there are several stereotypes within these archetypes to avoid – matriarchs in particular are often portrayed as manipulative or scheming women with their own screwed-up agendas or overbearing morals for the family.

From all of this comes the contradictions in our understanding of power and giving it to certain people. Most of us believe that power and control, in the hands of a good ruler, is necessary for our own safety and security of our lives, but we are also very mindful that “power corrupts”.

Jung and the King

The King is one of Carl Jung’s twelve main archetypes. As such, the King is profiled across the web, and is also found as a brand archetype.

Jung embroils the King with several good and bad traits – they are naturally authorative and powerful, confident and competent, with strong personal values. Kings are well-respected for their level-headedness, organisation, and wanting to use their influence to better their and other’s worlds. On the negative side, Kings tend to need their status to be known usually by image – outside appearances can be over-the-top regarding material and luxurious things. And because of their natural authority and power, Kings can become corrupt.

In “King, Warrior, Magician, Lover – Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine” by Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette, the authors suggest the King is a mythical and much needed archetype in our history, and also an archetype which many of us turn into with maturity. The two negative forms of this King (and an equal Queen archetype) are Tyrant or Weakling. From these two we have many of the forms of shadow king or queen.

Recognising the Royal or Ruler

Okay, if we had a party of characters all standing around and we walked into the room, how would we recognise the royal or ruler in the crowd?

• The Royal is denoted by their attire (a wardrobe which denotes their important status, and can be created for formal occasions), where they are housed (a royal palace, castle or at least a luxurious mansion), and how they are addressed by other characters (as in, “Your majesty…). But most importantly, by their mannerisms – the true Royal is confident of their authority, of being listened to, and of their status.
• The Royal naturally gathers an entourage or group of supporters and advisers around him or her. They are likely to have a successor who will take reign on the royal’s death.
• The Ruler is less evidenced but will have some form of authority to recognise – normally by what they wear (a wardrobe which denotes their role and status), and how they are addressed.
• The Ruler too will have an entourage which is assembled to support their values, give advice, and lead on their behalf or delegate the tasks and activities. A Ruler is likely to have a second-in-command or right-hand man who will take on the role should the ruler disappear or retire; but the position may also be an appointed one.
• Both the Royal and Supreme Rulers have the challenge of balancing responsibilities and appearances between a public and private life. Many Royals have difficulties in finding and holding relationships, particularly when under constant public scrutiny.
• The ruler is goal-orientated, decisive and takes on responsibility. He is not put off by challenges. The good ruler/leader will delegate and make use of other’s skills and talents, but ultimately will accept full responsibility.
• The rulers’ traits and acceptance are derived from a societal need to have order made from chaos, to have a stable and fair life, and to have traditions and customs, rules and guidelines in order to preserve that life.
• The natural ruler will be appointed by others if he has not inherited the role. You will typically find he has held leadership roles all through his life, such as sports captains, class leaders, managers and bosses of others at early ages, and he’s been recognised as a leader by others and worked up the ladder to achieve his public success.
• Conversely, those that inherit rather than are appointed, into a ruler role must face challenges nowadays of questions around entitlement, greed or irrelevancy.
• The bad ruler will take on leadership roles even when it’s not necessary. He will not use the skills or talents of others, and is normally self-appointed or has manipulated systems or other people to achieve his appointment.
• Typical goals of any royal/ruler is to protect those under them, and to use their authority and power to improve the world; to create or maintain a prosperous family or community
• Good rulers feel a huge sense of responsibility, but will also hope or expect to be respected (possibly revered) for their work. They are aware that they are role models for others.
• Rulers may have a fear of being overthrown, or forced to abdicate their responsibility. (This goes for the corporate executive or CEO also)
• Many rulers have a weakness of being too authoritarian, or being unable or unwilling to delegate or give away their power.  Ruler types need to be careful about dominating others, getting bogged down in policies and procedures, and becoming overly hierarchical or political.
• Combined with the possible corruption of power, and fear of being overthrown, this creates the shadow aspects of the royal ruler – the corrupt rulers, the dictators.

Example Royals or Rulers

In Fiction we have Marlon Brando and Al Pacino as Vito Corleone and Michael Corleone in The Godfather; Candice Bergen as matriarch Murphy Brown; Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. Lucy in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts is matriarch and queen bee. Colin Firth as Darcy (a Royal-like attitude) in Pride and Prejudice. Aragorn in The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.

Obviously in real life, even right now, we have plenty of examples of real Royals, Dictators, Corrupt or Good Leaders, and Created Royals in our celebrity pop culture.

The Ruler as a brand archetype can be seen in companies like Microsoft, Mercedes and American Express

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names:
  • Royals – King, Queen, Noble, Emperor, Monarch, Prince, Princess, Heiress, Duke, Duchess, Baroness, Baron, Majesty, Aristocrat, Role Model, Celebrities
  • Rulers – Dictator, Boss, Manager, CEO, Leader, Commander, Chief, Executive, Authority, Administrator, Protectors, Matriarch/Patriarch, The Godfather, Politician/Statesman/Stateswoman, Presidents/Prime Ministers/National Leaders, Village Elder/Village Leader
• Sub-archetypes / stereotypes:
  • Evil Queen, Spoilt Princess, Queen Bee (teen trope), Warlord or Tyrant, Puppet Leader/Puppet President, Class Leader (teen trope), Diva (teen and modern trope), Celebrity (modern trope); Workaholics and Corporate Climbers.
  • Straight leaders are sub-types of pure rulers, as they take charge of people and situations. Other sub-types are – Powerbrokers (use power or influence to get things done); Conductor or Orchestrator – directs complex systems or creates order, Role-Models who set standards for others to follow; and Peacemakers – who find areas of common ground among disparate individuals or groups (see Judge)
  • Village Elders are an interesting sub-type. In some genres such as fantasy the Village Elder is often the Village Leader.
  • Nobles are actually an archetype also, often found in the fantasy genre based on historical times. But the Noble means more in personality – someone who is indeed, noble of nature, can be the hero or warrior leader for your story.
  • The Midas is somebody who is extremely fortunate – anything they touch turns to gold (relevant in business terms also). The Shadow to this type is the Miser.
• Shadows: Royals or Rulers as villains or antagonists – corrupt Royal, Dictator, Queen Bee, Spoiled Princess, Poor Little Rich Boy, Brat, Foppy Noble, Evil Queen, Duped, Stupid or Weak King, Evil Warlord, Bumbling or Incompetent Boss; Puppet Leaders such as the Puppet or Figurehead President, Destroyers, Tyrants, Punishers; The Bitter Overthrown Ex-Leader; The Jealous or Bitter Second-in-Command; The Jealous or Corrupt Rival; The Win-at-all-Costs Boss; The Overbearing Boss; Autocrats; Dominating Mothers, The Bully or The Bossy; The Vampire (a dignity who is a drain on others) or The Entitled.
• Associations:
  • Leo – The King of the Animal Kingdom, and also a Zodiac Sign which has royal traits and expectations
  • Capricorn – this is another Zodiac sign which contains leadership traits.
  • Zeus – Ancient Greek God and King of the Greek Pantheon. Other Pantheons contain similar King Gods such as Odin.
  • Jung and Brand – as above. And the derivatives such as Pearson-Marrs which discuss the ruler archetype.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

While I work on getting back into the Character Archetype Series (S to Z to go), I wanted to share a good blog series recently published as a writing resource.

Lucy Flint spent June publishing an Idea Camp series of posts. She shares many tools and techniques for generating writing ideas from within ourselves, and externally. The  9 post series is found in this order –

1.  We’re Going to Be Invincible Writers! (Welcome to Idea Camp.)
2. You’ve Already Done Your Hardest Research (So Let’s Turn It Into Idea Gold!)
3. The Fun Way to Build an Army of Brilliant Little Ideas (Ready to Conquer Your Future Story Snags!)
4. Don’t Skip This Essential Step Before Finding A Swoon-Worthy Idea
5. You Are Completely Surrounded By Potential Ideas: Here’s One More Way To Capture Them!
6. Your All-Purpose, Idea-Discovering, Secret Weapon! (My hands-down, favorite, most-used technique.)
7. Four Quick Fixes for the Next Time You’re Looking for a Fresh Idea
8. The One Cure for Your Biggest Idea Droughts
9. Continue Your Idea-Making Awesomeness with These Six Amazing Guides!

I would add a tenth resource to writing ideas, and that’s one of forming a writing life habit of studying – and applying – writing and creativity craft. For instance, I took all of these posts above as web clips and hold copious crafting and creativity articles like these in my Evernote databases. As I research and learn things like structure, characterisation etc, and even in reading Lucy’s posts, new ideas generate for me also. I also applied what Lucy wrote to form several new idea files and resources for myself.

The Sidekick is a character who accompanies the hero or protagonist on their journey.

The Sidekick

“I’m with him.”

Like the mentor, but even more so, the sidekick archetype is an interesting one, as the sidekick can be created out of many other archetypes, all with their own traits and roles. However, the sidekick as archetype, also has a set of reasons for being: to support the main hero on their journey.  A sidekick must have a purpose, and that purpose is to be with the main hero.

Sidekicks can be secondary or even tertiary characters. Some of Robin Hood’s Merry Men are tertiary or flat characters without much development of their persona. Others are considered secondary because they too don’t have a full character growth arc or their own fully developed individual goals. Still others are full main characters in their own right, with inner goals as individuals but also sharing the external goals and conflict lines of the main hero.

Sidekicks as Opposing Characters

As foils to the main character, authors are often advised to create sidekicks with completely opposing traits to the main protagonist (her yin to his yang). Taken technically – or too literally – this advice means that you would create sidekicks from completely different cultures, ethnicity, ages, genders, professions, personalities, interests or skills than the MC. Sometimes this does work, but I would advise to avoid throwing together such drastically different MC’s and sidekicks, because sometimes this is exactly what it appears as – this sidekick character is solely there to conflict with the protagonist for the sake of meeting quota, being diverse or providing conflict between characters to highlight the hero as being superior.

In real life, we tend to mix with similar people, and form support groups within those people. Even within those groups – say, a school yard, there is enough contrast to find a suitable sidekick who has a commonality with the protagonist to put them together in the first place, but enough differences to provide the foil. Those types of characters, with some kind of commonality, also understand each other more easily than putting two largely diverse characters suddenly together.

Tip: – Unless you are creating a story that throws complete strangers together, (say, in a disaster movie, where they have only survival in common), give your sidekick and hero something big in common which would allow them to form the hero-sidekick bond.

Mentors vs Sidekicks

There was a time when writers were advised that mentors and sidekicks were different. The main difference being that mentors teach the hero, but the hero teaches the sidekick, and never the other way around.

I think this has changed over the last few years. Hermoine Granger is a case-in-point. With her superior studious knowledge in magic, Hermoine often taught Harry Potter things he didn’t know, whereas Harry taught Hermoine very little on the educational front. However, Harry had some obvious other mentors such as Dumbledore with far superior knowledge to embark on Harry. In this respect Hermoine and Harry keep their sidekick to hero status because their understanding and knowledge is on a more equal footing.

Tip: – There is a difference between mentors and sidekicks in that mentors can have less story time – they do not necessarily need to take the full journey with the hero, whereas the sidekick is there (mostly) for the entire journey – that’s the point of a sidekick.

Sidekicks of the Other Gender, and Love Interests

Hermoine and Harry’s example also breaks another often-advised rule that heroes and sidekicks should always be of the same gender. This was to save the pairing from fallout issues found if a love interest. But as we know nowadays, female characters, even as strong characters, don’t always have to be there solely as a love intrigue. Heaven help us if this was the case in our real life workplaces.

Although still rare, nowadays we have more fictional examples of heroes and sidekicks capable of sustaining a working (for the story) relationship without a romantic or sexual love. Lucy Liu’s female Joan Watson in the Elementary modern rendition of Sherlock Holmes proves that.

I’m not sure who is hero, who is sidekick or whether they are a buddy hero pairing where each alternates in the roles, but the Marvel Avenger‘s movie franchise pair of the Black Widow and Hawkeye as best mates also speaks to the ability to create platonic relationships. However, in later movies, the Black Widow, who is a sidekick hero to more powerful avenger heroes, develops a lover relationship with one of those heroes, Bruce Banner, which the writers then shortly after pulled apart by distance, so that Black Widow would work as a sidekick again.

Love interests can (possibly) be sidekicks but only before they become lovers. The primary bond between hero and sidekick is built on trust and loyalty – in other words, the sidekick will never disappear or break up (permanently) with the hero. (Although they may have a falling out on principle, and the sidekick may leave temporarily).

However, if they do become lovers, there is a bigger possibility of losing trust, and the partnership breaking up, reducing the pairing. This is why television shows like Moonlighting or laterly, Castle often went for many seasons with the questions behind “will they, or won’t they?” before requiting the love affair. Even so, to keep the sidekick / hero aspect, the Castle writers often broke up Castle and Kate’s love taking them back to the working together relationship, even to the detriment of some belief in the actual long-term potential of such a rocky relationship.

Sidekicks who Grow Out of the Archetype

This is possible too. Tolkein suggested that Samwise was the hero of Lord of the Rings, even though the story is through Frodo’s eyes. Both Frodo and Samwise are heroic and heroes.

It could be argued from the above Castle example that both Castle (who holds the story as main character because he’s in the title) and Beckett are both heroes and the series is a buddy story (until they get together). Beckett began the series as reluctant mentor to Castle, but Castle acts as sidekick to Beckett for much of the detective action. Later on as equal partners, both display the traits of the hero.

Batman’s sidekick Robin grew out of the role in the comics, as Dick Grayson took on the mantle of Nightwing, and later even had a stint as Batman.

In the television detective series Bones, Temperance Brennan is the main character of title, she’s the protagonist of the books the television show was based on. In the early T.V. series, FBI Agent Seeley Booth was Bones’ sidekick, providing more human translations of the words and ideas of the brilliant but socially awkward Brennan. Booth soon became a hero in his own right, and the sidekick characters roles provided as a group by the rest of the forensics crew at the Smithonian.

Recognising the Sidekick

• A sidekick is a foil to the main hero. The sidekick will have traits which oppose or contrast but also complement specifically with those of the protagonist, particularly in times of conflict. This means the sidekick will teach – through behaviours – the protagonist to grow and develop those traits for themselves, to fully become the hero they are destined to be.
• The sidekick accompanies the protagonist or hero on their external journey, while also supporting the hero’s inner journey.
• When dynamically developed, a sidekick will be a co-protagonist.
• Good sidekicks help showcase the protagonist’s positive and negative traits by contrasting them against the sidekick’s own traits. A sidekick’s traits will complement those of the protagonist.
• Bad sidekicks are there for an author’s purpose – to showcase the hero’s bravery by being forever in need of rescue; to be a comedy foil (or fool) constantly; to provide a quota of diversity for the sake of it; or to have a fully-developed character arc because the author fell in love with them and there are now too many plotlines going on around the main hero’s story.
• Sidekicks point out faults in the hero, provide needed skills or traits not possessed by the hero, remind the hero, boost the hero, or kick the hero’s butt when needed. But they do not take over the storyline.
• Importantly, a sidekick keeps the hero likeable for the audience. The sidekick provides a human interpretation and emotional connection to a hero who may be too distant or dark (ie. Batman),  or through being stupid, make the hero appear more intelligent.
• Sidekicks can provide secondary points of view.
• In character groups, with multiple sidekicks to the main character, you will often find each sidekick meeting a particular archetype needed as a part of that group ie. the cheerleader, the brain, the techie. These sidekicks hold expertise or traits missing (complementary) in the hero, but required for the journey. But, these group sidekicks can run into stereotypes unless you take care to develop them as individuals.
• Sidekick and hero relationships can be remarkably intense. This means that a sidekick may have girlfriends or even wives or family, but they are so closely bonded with the hero that such wives or family are purely background characters (and can often go lacking in attention).
• Sidekicks can save the hero (save the day) and be heroic, but ultimately the hero will be the person who ends the story by defeating the villain.
• A sidekick can be expendable ie take the bullet, or die heroically, leaving the hero behind to avenge the sidekick. We see this often with sidekicks who are also mentors like Obi-Wan Konobe in Star Wars.  Or Rue as sidekick to Katniss in The Hunger Games.
• Particular sub-types of the sidekick hold specific traits and behaviours to influence or contrast with the protagonist. Some examples:
  • The cheerleader influences the protagonist with optimism and has the ability to lighten the mood, especially in times of conflict
  • The Heart influences the protagonist’s decisions towards morals, ethics and justice– how actions will affect others, but also how hard decisions are ultimately worth it for the end.
  • The muscle fights for the hero, but may not be loyal or understanding of the hero’s mission – they fight because they believe in their friend.
  • The fish-out-of-water – this sidekick archetype is the opposite of a fish-out-of-water main character (like an apprentice hero who must learn the ropes). The F-O-O-W sidekick is there to contrast their inexperience with the expertise of the hero. Through the F-O-O-W’s eyes the reader learns more about the world the hero fights in or against.
  • Non-human sidekicks are normally personified to some extent, even if normal animal like a dog. This puts them into either the silent companion type territory or that of a naive or quick-witted companion where they often provide a humourous but moralistic contrast to the hero’s efforts.

Example Archetypes

Two well-drawn sidekicks who are constantly argued to be as much the hero as the main protagonist, Harry Potter – are Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley. Not only do they substantially share and believe in Harry’s journey, and each provides several other archetypes as foils to Harry (Hermoine is the brains and heart, Ron is often the muscle and comedy) but each has their own character arc and journey in contrast with Harry. However, their arcs aren’t as dramatic as Harry’s and are supported within the main storyline, rather than taking over from it.

Disney does non-human sidekicks often, and extremely well. Mulan’s dragon pal Mashu, Beauty and the Beast’s Mrs. Pots, and Peter Pan‘s Tinker Bell are examples. Cartoons often use non-humans as a moral contrast: Futerama’s Bender as a narcissist robot, or several superhero’s have non-human companions. Consider Groot, who has an unintelligible language, but provides a loyal and ethical contrast to many (okay, all) of the other major Guardians of the Galaxy characters. Before Groot, Chewbacca had a loyal sidekick role in Star Wars.

John Watson provides a foil to Sherlock Holme’s deduction and scientific expertise, but also lack of human emotions. Robin has a reasonably similar foil role to the darker side of Batman. Both Watson and Robin provide roles where the heroes can use them to talk and teach about what they are doing or to show off their skills.

The fish-out-of-water sidekick is well-known from the Dr Who television phenomena. Each Doctor has one or two sidekicks who meet this sub-archetype, allowing viewers to experience the wonder (and fear) of new worlds and aliens with time travel. They are even called “companions”.  The Dr Who sidekick human limitations emphasise the immortal and cosmic nature of the Time Lord, and also allow them to die (or disappear, or grow weary of time travel) thus allowing a new sidekick to recreate the same fish-out-of-water contrast and complement to the hero.

The Dr Who sidekick grounding as human also gave the homeless Doctor a sense of continuality of place, and something (somewhere) to fight for. Certain Dr Who sidekicks provided needed complementary roles. For instance with the elderly Willaim Hartnell, the companions were often young athletic men who could do all the action scenes while Hartnell’s Doctor did all the cerebral stuff. Many older detective heroes have younger more nubile sidekicks for similar reasons.

Tolkein stated that he considered Samwise Gamgee the true hero of Lord of the Rings, even though the story is about Frodo Baggins, who is sent on the main task and story goal. Sam is a truly loyal and heroic friend. Tonto, created initially as a narrative foil for The Lone Ranger, took on much more heroic and noble characteristics in the viewer’s world, becoming as much a hero as the Ranger. Another initial narrative foil is found in Man Friday for Robinson Crusoe.

Action heroes like James Bond are given sidekicks who are often apprentices or initiates into the action world. Alone, and as a static character, Bond would just be too moody, cut-off or predictable to be forever revered by readers/viewers. Sidekicks, even if only for one story, provide the foils to allow Bond to show off his heroic skills, his heart, and to sometimes explain what exactly he is doing. Without those sidekicks he’d be mumbling to himself.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names:
  • for protagonist: companion, friend (and alternates, bestie, bff), consort, right-hand man, wing-man, supporter, helper, co-protagonist, buddy, ally, partner or mate (both platonic); in business or love – partner
  • for antagonist/villain: minion, henchman (minions are discussed in the M post for this series)
• Associations:  mentors/apprentice/initiate relationships (see I for Initiate); loyalist, loyal sceptic (see Q for Questioner); the fool; the love interest (before they became the lover)
• Sub-archetypes / stereotypes: the cheerleader, the brains, the skeptic, the muscle, the class clown; the fish-out-of-water; non-human companions (ie. animals, aliens, spirits)
• Shadows:

1. shadow sidekicks tend to come out of the sub-archetypes: a cheerleader type can be overly Polyanna-ish or annoying or become an obsessed fan or groupie (or Yandere)  or as a parent, too clingy or restricting; the brains can be too automotive or slow in action; the sceptic may be overly negative; the love interest may become one of the negative forms of the deres such as the yandere; the muscle may take force over the top and become a bully
2. or the sidekick aspect itself can create a shadow in jealousy of being second-rung, or not the main hero. This can lead to betrayal, double-agency.
3. or in contrast, the sidekick may be so firm in their loyalty and love for their hero, that it will be detrimental to other relationships. We see this often in the cop buddy stories where partner or buddy cops can’t maintain healthy marriages or family relationships.
4. the Villain or Antagonist forms the contrast in traits and behaviours ultimately to the Hero Protagonist. In this argument, the villain is the shadow sidekick to the entire story. Less of a full villain, the nemesis or frenemie (particularly in school yard forms) can have some redeeming features, but still remain in direct conflict with the hero.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

The Traitor is a villain-type to the main character, but often not realised as such until much later into the storyline. It’s this element of surprise which makes the traitor a very successful archetype.

The Traitor

“Trust me, until… “

Normally a close confidante, workmate or friend to the story’s hero, the traitor is privy to important information, which he gives to others to betray the hero. This betrayal is often found out about at the transition between Act 2 and 3, when the hero is least expecting it, ramping up the stakes and weakening the hero’s resolve, causing the “darkest hour” in classical hero’s journey structure.

A betrayal or treachery like this is most significant because it breaks down the walls of trust the traitor has formed with the hero. Trust is a key point for both the hero and traitor’s stories – if you are writing a close relationship and a character arc for the traitor also, you will need to identify with the reader why the traitor has chosen to break this trust.

Sometimes a traitor can also have a redemptive arc – they break the bonds of trust, but then realise they’ve been duped, or made the wrong choice, and attempt to put things right. Others are coerced or blackmailed into betraying the hero.

These motivations allow the reader to sympathise with a betrayer, but most traitors are more likely to be seen simply as cowardly villain-types. Such treachery, from true cowards or characters who betray simply for their own profit, may normally be completed by having the traitor meet some sort of comeuppance (like death) by the end of the story.

Whatever the reason, even if you never write it out, pinpoint the motivation behind the betrayal.

The Judas

The Traitor is sometimes called “The Judas”. Judas Iscariot, the 12th disciple of Jesus Christ, is the most well known historical betrayer, after betraying Jesus for 30 silver pieces. The story of Judas also sometimes get told erroneously as Judas being the 13th disciple (he wasn’t); one of the reasons behind the number thirteen being maligned or attached to the devil.  Thirty pieces of silver has also become an icon for treachery.

Judas believed he was betraying Jesus in order to ultimately get his Messiah on the throne, what in essence for Judas was a business transaction. Often many traitors choose to betray for similar reasons, they think that ultimately it’s for the best, and can profit from it.

The Shapeshifter

The traitor archetype also has close associations, because of the state of secrecy of this betrayal of the hero, with that of another classical archetype, the shapeshifter. The shapeshifter was identified as a classic archetype through The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell.

A shapeshifter as archetype is difficult to really pinpoint – it’s a character who adds a level of uncertainty and tension by changing faces or behaviours and even allegiances multiple times through the story; blurring the line between ally and enemy.

Severus Snape, in Harry Potter, is a good shapeshifter example. The superhero The Hulk and Alice in Wonderland’s  Cheshire Cat are literally shape shifters with forms which contain good and bad. Stories with a heavy romance storyline often feature shapeshifters as the opposing gender to the story’s hero or heroine. Edward is a literal and figurative shape-shifter in the Twilight Series.

Television shows such as Lost use the shapeshifter for several characters such as Juliet or Ben Linus, who changed from bad to good or back again through the full story. If as a viewer you feel yourself going from liking to hating a character, then with further information, liking that character again, consider them a shapeshifter.

Shapeshifters are the backbone to unreliable narrators also. These are characters, even the protagonist, who narrate a story but turn out to not be telling the truth about events. [Spoiler alert] Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk have shapeshifting unreliable narrators.

The Traitor’s Reason

The Traitor provides a moralistic reminder to all of us, that we should be leading a life based on trust, open-ness and loyalty. It’s such a moral tale that there are laws to protect us and officiate over acts of treason.

[Ironically there is one area where concealing our true natures and working as a shapeshifter is considered okay, that of the spy or secret agent working for law enforcement authorities or the goodness of an entire country. However it remains risky and punishable if found out by those being spied on]

A traitor’s tale also teaches us to be wary that the worser enemy is the treacherous devil unseen within our ranks, rather than an external demon or monster we at least know we’re at war with.  The traitor is a archetypal metaphor for the inner bad versus good battle.

Therefore, to give us hope of winning this internal battle, and despite the motivation and reasons behind their betrayal; when we have a traitor in our stories, we as readers want to see their treachery ultimately having repercussions or a comeuppance to them. Even those traitors with redemptive arcs often die or sacrifice themselves for the hero at the end.

The Whistleblower, Spies and Star Wars

Recently we’ve had some interesting permutations to the more normal traitor, and it has brought up a lot of moral confusion.

Firstly, let’s look at Wikileaks and whistle-blowing. Wikileaks was setup to allow informants to go public with information anonymously. This was actually considered mostly heroic, until classified military documents were released on the site, and we suddenly realised that some information shouldn’t be made public.

Before Wikileaks, whistleblowers had been somewhat romanticised via Hollywood. Think about our knowledge of “Deep Throat”, the whistleblower in the Watergate Scandal and countless others, given an almost heroic characterisation even though they still did so anoymously and left it to journalists to expose the information.

So, you can have whistleblowers as either good or bad guys here.

Let’s move onto spies then. Spies are bad people, right? But only if they are caught spying, in another country, or competing corporation. For the country they are spying for, they are heroes. We have several television programs like Spooks pointing out their dangers and the perils of being incognito or underground.

Now, after the release of James Bond, the Spy who Loved Me, we really had spies to appreciate as heroes. Yet, if they are caught, they are trialed for treason, making them bad guys for a lot of people “not the same as us”.

So, let’s move back to the moral high ground here: Traitors. Traitors are definitely bad guys. Everyone hates a traitor. That’s pretty much right, even when dealing with the protagonist hero, it seems. If you do a google on the word “traitor” nowadays, and search images you will find an onslaught of memes of storm troopers with  Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Finn’s head superimposed onto helmets.

Finn, as we know (spoiler alert) is the Star Wars movie franchises’ latest new hero, but not before he changed sides from being a storm trooper to joining the Rebels. Finn’s traitorhood was called out by a storm-trooper buddy in this scene. That storm trooper has now been given a name as FN-2i99, but he’s also earned a dubbed nickname, TR-8R. He’s the storm trooper who called out Finn as “Traitor!” and according to the memes now, was a friend and colleague to Finn. Now with an entire backstory written for him, FN-2199 or Nines, is being treated as the hero, Finn as the traitor-coward.

I’m not sure that was the intention of The Force Awaken’s writers or producers, but there it is. Even somebody being a traitor to the dark side is still a heinous crime.

Recognising the Traitor

• Shapeshifters and Traitors are aware of themselves and their true nature. They are recognisable from other archetypes like tricksters or fools, because there is a large element of concealment of their treacherous or darker side (or in Finn’s case, his better side for some time). However, this is more often than not, also concealed from the reader audience also. Both archetypes conceal their true motives from the audience.
• Some traitors are shown as being crooks or shysters with less than creditable morals from the start, but still their true nature and treachery or motives remain hidden for some time.
• Betrayals, when found out, are most often within a climatic denouement, which is meant to surprise and shock not only the hero but the readers also. This means that a writer will often insert false hints and leads for the hero and reader pointing towards other characters as being the betrayer, similar to good detective fiction.
• Readers should always be wary of stories which feature disposed sons, or characters who have been rightly or wrongly rejected from family inheritances or high end career paths. These characters often remain around the peripheral of the hero, may even appear supportive of the hero taking over, but will fester underneath and plot to take back the position or wealth they believe they are entitled to. Uncle Scar, in The Lion King, is a disposed son villain who wants to maintain his ill-gotten crown from Simba.
• Traitors are often portrayed as the squirrelly cowardly types (aka Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter), easily misunderstood, walked-over and forced into betrayal simply to stay alive. A Dirty Rat is another name for a traitor, giving rodents a bad name.
• Other archetypes to take care in overusing are the moral-less business leaders, who make decisions based solely on gain or loss. Even though they may currently be using their business and leadership skills in a happily helpful way, they can change at a whim. Such corporate villains are often (stereotypically) shown as holding little loyalty for those who believe in or work for them.
• The audience has something to be wary of regarding their feelings about the traitor. They feel slightly unsettled about the character’s motivations, but also like the character, and see themselves in the traitor to a certain extent. The traitor is often somebody like us, somebody we can be intrigued about morals, grey reasons for decisions, what desires motivate the character, and consequently interested in their destruction.
• The Traitor and their treachery or treason will ultimately have repercussions or a comeuppance to them. Even those traitors with redemptive arcs often die or sacrifice themselves for the hero at the end.

Example Traitors

In The Matrix, Cypher is the operator approached by Agent Smith to betray leader Morpheus.

Fargo is based on a traitor right from the start, where a man,  Jerry Lundegaard betrays his wife to kidnappers to get ransom money from his wife’s rich family.

Lando Calrissian, the overseer of the cloud city of Bespin, betrayed Han Solo and Princess Leia to the Empire, in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back. Lando is a traitor with a redemptive arc, eventually joining the Rebel forces.

Without giving it away, the films Aliens and LA Confidential have traitors/betrayers who remain hidden and unsuspected for most of the storyline, and their betrayals remain surprising to new audiences to this day.

The Godfather has family traitors (one being a disposed son type of villain).

Harry Potter has a rat/human Peter Pettigrew as initial betrayer who eventually makes good with a redemptive sacrifice (at least in the books).  Severus Snape is ultimately a shapeshifter and believed to be traitor right from the start.

One of the biggest corrupted ones I can think of is Saruman, in Lord of the Rings, who manages to betray not only Gandalf, but the entire Middle Earth.  Golem is another – he gains the trust of Frodo in order to lead him into a trap, because he’s been corrupted and desires to get The Ring back for himself.

And at the beginning I mentioned Finn from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. A storm-trooper who deserted his work to join the Rebels, another storm-trooper recognises him and calls him a traitor.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: two-faced, betrayer, back-stabber, turn-coat, two-faced liar, the Judas, the Rat, tell-tale, dirty rat
• Associations:  shape-shifter, spy / double-agents, secret agent, disposed son, corporate high-flyer or moral-less business leader, trickster, coward, treason, saboteur, whistle-blowers
• Shadows: The Traitor is actually a shadow of the hero archetype and of the reader, showing that for many reasons, all of us can have the propensity to betray others.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

The Ubermensch in this sense is another name for the superhero or superhuman. However the post also discusses the non-super-powered ubermensch.

The Ubermensch

“With great power comes great responsibility” ~ Uncle Ben, Spiderman

The Übermensch (German for “Overman, Superman, Superhuman, Hyperman, Hyperhuman”; German pronunciation: [ˈˀyːbɐmɛnʃ]) is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche introduced the concept of the Übermensch to contrast with the other-worldliness of Christianity, where man’s future is at the hands of an external force, or God. Instead, the ubermensch concept suggests that man himself has the internal capability of growth to advance to a state of superior humanness: evolving as individuals and overall into greater strength, intellectualism, longevity, health and form. As such, the ubermensch is proposed as the next step in human evolution.

The concept has also been adopted within spiritual circles with individuals attempting to obtain greater levels of spiritual independence or human enlightenment. An “overman” is a man or woman who overcomes the normal (sometimes called the herd mentality) way and is capable of forming new perspectives without enforcing those onto other people. As such some of our greatest historical and modern philosophers are ubermensch also.

Nowadays, with the development of our many comics, and movie franchises, the term is used overall to denote fictional characters of superior powers to those of normal humans:  our DC or Marvel superheros, supervillains and mutants like the X-Men; or the fantasy heroes and villains such as found in Twilight or other Zombie, Werewolf or Vampire modern tales.

These superhero characters particularly, because they are noble of spirit and possess enhanced powers, have the ability to be master of their own fates, the domain of the ubermensch.

However, long before the term ubermensch became popular and long before superheros took over our comics, we had super-human types as heroes and villains fighting wars of good versus evil. Superheros have a basis in our ancient mythological and religious stories of gods, goddesses, monsters and demi-gods with physical and magical powers beyond those of normal humans. Some of these mythological figures, such as the Norse God Thor, or Amazonian Wonder Woman even find themselves transported from myth as popular superheros now.

Superhuman versus Superhero

So, we have to now attempt to differentiate between the superhuman (as genre) and a superhero. Ubermensch means superhuman, not necessarily superhero. Our fantasy and science fiction genres can often contain superhuman beings, either supernatural, aliens or mythical Gods, or monsters with some human traits. But they may not be heroic.

The superhero as genre contains many expected tropes such as a code name or superhero identity, and alter ego. But of importance is the word “hero”. These are characters who are first and foremost on a hero’s journey, despite possessing super powers.

Although strictly speaking the ubermensch means something slightly different, nowadays it also is used as an archetypal name to include that of superheroes, and super or meta (special human heroes). So, from this point on, we will be dealing with superheroes as character archetypes. However, just in case you want a ubermensch type character who is not a superhero, here are some quick characteristics –

The Ubermensch Who is Not a Superhero

The non-superhero ubermensch remains a superhuman. In other words, they have reached a level of spiritual, cerebral and physical enlightenment superior to normal humans. Above it all, they believe they are masters of their own fate, and are not ruled by a moral code cast down on them by the concept of a God or a society. They understand humanity, yes…

…But they won’t help it. Or hinder it. Unless they really have to. They will remain impartial, and consider humankind overall, not as a point in time.

TV Tropes, who suggest there are several possibilities for this kind of non-superhero’ed ubermensch. TV Tropes talks about a ubermensch character being either unfettered or fettered.

The Fettered Ubermensch allows himself to be fettered by specific moral codes such as having a sense of responsibility, honour and justice. When these and loved ones are threatened such fettered Ubermensch can become heroes. With their superior powers of some kind, you can see how they could become superheroes in less comic book forms.

The UnFettered Ubermensch has no binding contracts, morals or principles. They don’t go off the rails, however, turning into an amoral warlord or something. Instead this lack of being bound means they can commit themselves to a single goal completely, absolutely, and unflinchingly.

The UnFettered and Fettered Ubermensch have some relationships with other character tropes nominated at TV Tropes such as Above Good and Evil, or Moral Sociopathy, Pure is Not Good and Straw Nihilist. Take a read if you really want to develop your character with nuances and conflicts.

Generally the unfettered ubermensch are people who live outside of human society. They don’t judge or berate us, but they also don’t “be” with us. There may be certain humans who seek these ubermensch out for advice and study with them, but sometimes such people prefer to remain mostly alone and working on exactly what they want.

Sound familiar? Certain religious scholars as monks or hermits come to mind. And historically some of the world’s greatest inventors may also meet some of the ubermensch characteristics.

Remember, unfettered ubermensch generally remain impartial to the human problems or politics. These are the type of character who will not balk at sacrificing others or the now for the sake of knowledge which might benefit more people in a future.

I am reminded of my daughter coming home from school recently. She was disheartened because although the teachers were teaching about Leonardo Da Vinci’s great inventions and additions to mankind, they also have been teaching about Da Vinci’s tortuous medical experiments on live human guinea pigs. The teachers have taught that Da Vinci was not a nice man at all, in fact they have him as pure evil.

Can a ubermensch be evil yet still add value to human society? Can somebody noble in spirit and enhanced in mind still do evil things for the sake of ultimate goodness?

As you can see, even a non-superpowered ubemensch can bring up many moral questions and conflict within your story.

The Superhero Human Story

Moving back to a character type we are possibly more knowledgeable about –

How do we, as normal humans, see any form of universal story pertinent to ourselves in our mythical or superhero stories today? We can’t have those superpowers, or independence of philosophy, we can’t break our society’s rules and regulations without hurting others or judicial repercussions.

The answer comes from the story patterns which our fictional superhero’s live through: Superhero’s still fight the normal evil versus good battles found in any hero’s journey, and they still face extremely human challenges in juggling a “normal” life versus their superhero responsibilities. We don’t have superhero stories very often where the superhero sits away from human society up in a cave exclusively. Even when Marvel took Asgard up into another planet we couldn’t have the Asgardians simply sitting there as superior beings, Thor and others had to visit earth and fall in love with humanity.

A typical superhero journey also fits roughly in the hero’s journey, from origins to initiation into a new world, and eventual mastery of that world, mentoring younger superheroes, and the concluding retirement or returning to a more normal world, with a legacy.

Our superheroes also have human-orientated morals – such as Uncle Ben’s often-quoted reminder to young Peter Parker that “with great power comes great responsibility.”

Our superheroes, through living as humans, must construct a duality of personas – their ‘normal’ human life, and a superhero persona complete with alter-egos, disguises and secrets to protect their normal lives and loved ones. These constructs aren’t atypical outside of fiction nowadays either. Consider Bono, Lady Gaga, and older time actors such as Cary Grant. All are created constructs for a public life as a celebrity on our stages.

Yes, while our superheroes must tackle concepts of dependent and endangered loved ones, concealing their true identities from the normal world, and are “brought down to earth” by more human sidekicks and mentors; any true ubermensch character with superpowers who has also fully embraced his own I am my own God ethics of independence is written as a super-villain rather than superhero.

Fictional superheros like Superman – who are created with too powerful powers which could take them into the realms of Gods – are quickly given their kryptonite so that we as readers can still think of them as vulnerable and more human. X-Men’s mutants and the television dramas The Tomorrow People and Heroes – all featuring enhanced humans with extra powers as the next evolution, but have those heroes (and counterpart villains) running scared of persecution, fearful reactions and abuse.

There is always a yin-yang balance also. A world can’t exist with solely super-villains or super-heroes. In either situation, normal humans (good and bad) would lose out. So, where a superhero exists, there are opposing and equal super-villains to fight. The hero’s journey continues with an equal villain to mirror that of the hero’s challenges.

Our superhero or ubermensch characters sit within archetypal story patterns which ensure that we, as human readers, can relate to them and their struggles, and therefore see ourselves in them.

The Superhero Genre

The Superhero genre is derived as a socio-political commentary of the times. The superhero metaphor has always reflected prevailing interests and anxieties.

In the late 1930s, Superman – celebrated for his Kryptonian heritage while seamlessly blending in with his fellow Americans – became an idealised immigrant narrative for the many people arriving in America to escape poverty and political unrest in Europe. Captain America and Wonder Woman arrived out of the 1940’s and World War inspired American patriotism.

In the 1960s, gamma-irradiated heroes like the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, and Spider-Man were created in response to rapid scientific and technological development.

Marvel’s mutants 1963 The Uncanny X-Men gave us X-Men’s feared and hated race of Homo-Superior superheroes which initially served as a Civil Rights allegory, while later creators used the series’ premise to comment on gay rights, the AIDS crisis, and gender inequality.

In this respect, the superhero as ubermensch example, is a character who very much is part of the normal and human world.

Recognising the Superhero

• Superheroes tend to follow a Superhero Journey pattern –
  • origin story (transformation from ordinary man to superhuman),
  • initiation into the rules of our world as a superhuman,
  • mastery of their powers and mentoring others into the world,
  • then fighting on the side of normal humans against forces of evil,
  • then possibly retirement (alone) and perhaps leaving a legacy.
• We very rarely see the arrival of a superpowered individual with complete mastery of his powers and self, as these types of ubermensch are difficult to understand or like from a reader’s viewpoint.
• Our superheroes are relatable because of their humanity – Superman shows that what makes a true hero isn’t the “super”, but in fact the “man”.
• Super powers and abilities that make super-heroes so unique are exaggerations of what men or nature can do naturally (because we recognise and understand these abilities) i.e. being strong, or being able to run fast, or centred around light, fire, weather or gravity. For this reason, many superhero characters created by different companies have similar appearances, powers and even names.
• As such there are some sub-archetypes of the fantasy modern superhero. There are many superhero archetypal lists, but here are some general categories to get you thinking. See below for these.
• Our archetypal superheroes generally must live and maintain a normal life amongst the normal humans they hero for. This means that they require an alter-ego or disguise to appear normal, and an entire story arc to support this normal life.
• Unless you are going down an alternative world route, superheroes don’t tend to be paid. It’s all volunteer heroism work, so you will recognise a series of challenges in earning an income versus being called to perform a feat of heroism.
• To make them relatable, you will often have a human sidekick close by. This is somebody who may be undergoing mentorship of their own newly found powers by the superhero, or a non-powered sidekick who is in the know of the superhero’s fantastic world.
• Finally, beware of the stereotypical tropes out there –
• • the poor orphaned boy who turns into a superhero
  • origins from being bitten by a radioactive anything or falling into a vat of radioactive waste (how many vats of radioactive waste have you seen lying around lately?)
  • super-villains who constantly tell their captured superheroes exactly what their evil plans are
  • putting superior intellects into wheelchairs
  • and many more…

Sub-archetypes / stereotypes:

Some very general superhero types:

• The Android or Robot (eg. Vision, Red Tornado) – note these robot creations are written with a heart.
• The Animal or Nature Wrangler (eg. Squirrel Girl, Ant Man, Cat Woman, Poison Ivy)
• The Animorph (eg. Black Panther, Tigress, Rhino)
• The Brick (e.g., Superman, Captain Marvel, Hulk, Thor, Wonder Woman, The Thing)
• The Cosmic Guardian (Aliens and Outsiders) (e.g. Silver Surfer, Thor, Green Lantern, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Martian Manhunter)
• The Detective (eg. Batman, Sandman) – superheroes who have a lot of tools and superior technology to analyse and locate criminals. As a superhero they will also go out to hunt and fight these criminals.
• The Energy or Elements Projector (e.g., Cyclops, Black Lightning, Photon, Magneto, Green Lantern, Storm, Aquaman).
• The Flier (e.g. Silver Surfer, Superman, Hawk-Girl, Astro Boy) – wings or some other mode of flight
• The Gadgeteer (e.g., Doc Savage, Spiderman, Batman, Tom Strong, Star Man).
• The Ghost or Invisible (eg. Invisible Woman, Ghost)
• The Immortals (eg. Wolverine, Black Widow) – characters who never age and have superior healing powers, thanks often to modern medicine or science.
• The Martial Artist, Ninja or Acrobat (e.g., Batman, Karate Kid, Bronze Tiger, Daredevil, Nightwing, Green Arrow). These heroes have no real superpowers, but enhanced athletic and weaponry use skills. Because of their advanced tools, they are often Millionaires or Super-Rich.
• The Mentalist (e.g., Phoenix, Professor X, Barbara “Batgirl” Gordan as Oracle). – mental superpowers such as ESP, prognostication, second sight and/or superior intelligence.
• The Metamorph (e.g., Mr. Fantastic, Metamorpho, Goliath, The Atom, The Hulk, Mystique).
• The Mystic (e.g., Dr. Strange, Dr. Fate, Scarlet Witch, Zatanna, Jean Grey).
• The Mythic (e.g. Wonder Woman, Thor, Captain Marvel, Hercules)
• The Paragon (eg. Superman, Captain America) – heart-extraverted, these are heroes who are best at everything but also they inspire other heroes with great leadership qualities
• The Past Knights (eg. Wonder Woman, Captain America, Flash Gordon) – these are superheroes who have come from a past time or life, but still remain with morals and standard codes of behaviour from those times.
• The Patriot (e.g., Captain America, Super-Patriot, US Agent).
• The Knight In Shining Armor (e.g., Iron Man, Cyborg).
• The Speedster (e.g., Flash, Quicksilver, Johnny Quick).
• The Super Soldier or Enhanced (eg. Wolverine, Captain America, The Winter Soldier, Red Skull, Hell Boy) – they were once normal (even nerdy) humans, but through science and experiments, have superior bodies and powers.
• The Team or Hive Heroes (eg. Sailor Moon with the other Sailors, The Power-Rangers) – these are heroes with singular powers who must team up and combine powers for more strength.
• The Vigilante (Zorro, The Phantom, Dare Devil, Dead Pool) – fighters with masks.
• The Weaponmaster (e.g., Green Arrow, Taskmaster, Batman).
• The Woman Warrior (e.g. Wonder Woman, Valkyrie)

Superheroes as above also generally fit into a few meta-archetypes such as:

• The Avenger – He doesn’t want justice, he wants blood. Criminals are subhuman and need to pay. (Eg. Punisher, Wolverine.)
• The Protector – Some people fall through the cracks and need looking after. This guy watches out for them. Sometimes because the system has failed. (eg. Zorro.)
• The Boy Scout – Truth, Justice and the American way. Even criminals have lives worth saving. (Eg. Superfriends version of any superhero.)
• The Champion – This hero upholds ideas, but not to the extreme of the Boy Scout. The ideals change, but are generally considered noble and upstanding ideals. (Eg. Superman.)

Example Superheroes ?

Above are many examples of standard comic book and movie superhero types. But there are many more well-known fictional characters who fit one or more superhero archetypes without normally being considered as superheroes.

Consider Sherlock Holmes, who fits the mentalist and super-detective categories, and often breaks society’s rules. Or Dr Who, who is an alien protector of earth, with enhanced intelligence, tools and technology. Both wouldn’t be so successful without human sidekicks to make them relatable.

Robocop is an interesting example. Created from a normal human, with superior technology allowing superior fighting skills, but Robocop is not normally considered in the superhero genre, although once he re-finds his human memories, may well be considered ubermensch. Similarly, before Robocop came ‘The Six Million Dollar Man’ and ‘The Bionic Woman’ – were those prosthetic-enhanced agents not superheroes? And Inspector Gadget?

And if we are talking about technology as an originator, could Knight Rider be considered superheroic? Although a pun on the lead character’s name, the knight aspect is certainly there also, with (then-named) David Hasselhoff’s character holding many heroic and noble characteristics of the old-time Knights of The Round Table.

What about Star Wars? Are the Jedi, or other users of a mysterious universal “force” ubermensches? Or at least superheroes, while Yoda gives a more applicable ubermensch display.

And is the Lord of the Jungle, Tarzan, who can command animals, and has enhanced wild-man swinging skills, a superhero?

Highlander was one of my older favourite movies about an accidental or magical created immortal. The immortality and fighting powers meant the Highlander and his cohorts couldn’t really be hurt. But the same concept of invulnerability to being hurt seems to be found in many of our kid’s cartoons such as Road Runner or Bugs Bunny. Not to mention the non-ageing and incredible healing abilities found in The Simpsons.

Are Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley superheroes? If you believe that superheroes can have magical wizard powers, then yes, all wizards would fit the bill. Is Maximus from the movie Gladiator a superhero? If you considered his slightly superior fighting skills, and his noble and inspiring personality, then perhaps yes, he fits the superhero bill also.

And how about the super spies or agents like James Bond or Jason Bourne? Or others in governmental-type fighting organisations (like the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)? They possess superior detective, analyst, weaponry, athletic and fighting skills compared to most humans I know, but aren’t super-powered.

Super spies, magical wizards and gladiators aside, what makes the final examples above superheroes may be the fact they are amazing, and fight and have won battles against amazing odds and villains. Whether this makes them ubermensch is another matter.

Carrying on, we have The Dark Knight where both Batman and The Joker follow ideals which are separate from that of Gotham City. The question of playing God is the moral theme in the latest Superman vs Batman movie also.  Tyler Durden from Fight Club speaks pure ubermensch. Disc World has a character, Commander Samuel Vimes of Ankh-Morpork, who follows his own ethics. Many criminals in Disc World, as last man standing, have an understanding of the ubermensch mentality.

And of course, several eons-old vampires lead ubermensch lives.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: superhero, superhuman, meta-human, overman, post-human, transhuman
• Associations:  sidekicks, super soldiers, super spies, wizards
• Ubermensch tropes: unfettered vs fettered, associations: Above Good and Evil, Pure is not good, and Last Man (the last character on earth who is aware there is no God or rules).
• Shadows: the shadow of the superhero is the super-villain – somebody with the same origins, powers and skills who takes a criminal or darker path for themselves.

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

Villains aren’t an archetype, but a necessary character type for any story. But there are many villainous archetypes a villain can fit into, some of which will be listed in this post.

The Villain

“Anyone who gets in my way will be taken out of the way, permanently”~ Villain’s Motto

Some writers label any antagonistic force as a villain, but there is a difference. For the purposes of this post within the Character Archetypes A to Z series, the terms will be defined, and the post will deal with human(ish) villain types.

Villain vs Antagonist vs Anti-Villain

Antagonists vs Villains

Antagonists are antagonistic forces with opposing goals to the protagonist. But antagonists don’t have to be real life human characters. Conflict can exist between –

1. Man vs Nature
2. Man vs Machine (technology)
3. Man vs Society
4. Man vs Supernatural (monster)
5. Man vs Fate (or the hand of God)
6. Man vs Self
7. Man vs Man

In 1-5 above the antagonistic force (a super-storm, a rampaging robot, a dystopian authority, a giant slug, or pure bad luck) may not even have an awareness of the main character and their predicaments, or humanistic goals. They just exist and go about their ‘thing’.

Many stories have multiple antagonists – an adventure story for instance may have the main hero firstly tackling an icy storm stuck up the middle of a high cliff-top, then tackling the evil corporation which sent him to that cliff, then later fighting with his wife over the fact he is fighting a corporation in the first place, then in the climax fighting fist to fist with an assassin sent out by the corporation to track down the hero, and eradicate him and all his knowledge. Phew.

If that assassin was involved in the first act, with goals to kill the hero, then I would consider him a story-wide villain.

A villain is defined as somebody human (or closely human) who has goals which forcefully oppose that of the hero’s. For the true villain antagonist, the hero is somebody who is getting in their way and must be stopped. They will plot and plan to do this. In this case, I’m going to say that the assassin was hired by the corporation to stop the hero, and if the assassin fails at his goal, there are repercussions (death?) to him for not achieving his own goal.

All stories only need two types of character – a hero and a villain (or antagonistic force). That’s it. Short stories have been written containing only that, and only one character at that – the protagonist is also fighting his own mind, so it’s a man versus self conflict, with the protagonist also the antagonist, or his mind creates his own villain.

Anti-Hero vs Anti-Villain

Most people understand anti-heroes a little. Some well-known examples of reluctant or slightly non-heroic heroes exist, such as serial murderer Dexter. The anti-hero possesses non-heroic qualities. They may be incompetent, a coward, clumsy, unskilled, naive, selfish, brattish, barbaric or reluctant to really go out there and fight monsters. Or they possess ambiguous morals – something Dexter does well. Han Solo and other heroes for rent (Solo initially helped in Star Wars because he was being paid) are anti-heroes.

An anti-hero is the story’s protagonist or another main character – we must root for him as the audience, even though he may possess characteristics or morals we don’t understand or like.

An anti-hero is a monster on our (good) side. He could be a hero who is prepared to kill or break laws for altruistic purposes.

Conversely, an anti-villain is a nice guy who is on their (bad) side. He may possess some good characteristics like a moral code of ethics, or loves his family, or he may refuse to kill women or children or break some laws for selfish goals, but ultimately he is bad.

At this point, this isn’t any different from any other type of villain – all successfully written villains think they are on the right side, and ultimately doing the right thing for that side. The difference is in audience alignment – readers are rooting for anti-heroes, whereas we’re intelligent enough to know that an anti-villain, despite some good traits, is a baddy.

The anti-villain serial killer may draw the line at killing children, women and animals for instance, so to assist himself, he may hire himself out as a political assassin only killing men. The spiritual leader who truly wants the world to attain world peace may kill to get the world there.

Dexter could be considered an anti-villain in this respect, as he still has a drive to kill people, but with a code that he will only kill those who deserve it, ie. other serial killers.

These kind of “good” intentioned antis (heroes or villains) make for extremely passionate reading and ethical questions. Using both, we have the noble jewel thief as hero versus the corrupt lawman as villain.

Write Practise summarizes 5 types of anti-hero from TV Tropes.

Villains as Shadows or Mirrors

It’s interesting to look at villains as the shadow or mirror form of one of the main characters. Shadows in this sense can be a non-human and symbolic antagonist, as with shadows we are talking solely about one internal shadow for a character.

Whereas external villains and antagonists can be many in a story, the internal villain, representing a main character’s deepest fear, can only be represented by one force.

In Lord of the Rings, Gandalf the Grey is a hero wizard to Saruman’s shadow – Gandalf avoids recognition and fame, while Saruman craves it. Sam’s shadow is Gollum – the two have huge conflicts later on in the books. And Frodo’s villainous shadow is the Ring itself. Whilst Frodo is relaxed and cheerful (before being overtaken by the Ring) and the Ring is power-hungry and malicious with whomever touches it. And Sauron, who as supreme evil wizard, you might initially think is Gandalf’s shadow, actually finds his own shadow later on with Aragorn, the King who does not seek his own kingdom but is eventually given it.

Shadow or mirrors reflect back to the main character the one characteristic they most fear, or their inner weakness.

So, create a shadow or mirror villain for each of your main characters, representing strongly the one trait or characteristic your hero’s are denying or fearful within themselves.

Top Motivations for Villains

There are many motivational forces which can work on your villain types, but here are some basics, single or combined:

• Failed career move
• Failed romance
• To gain acceptance
• Revenge
• Justice
• Fear
• Paranoia
• Mental health issues such as depression, or even psychological conditions such as psychosis.
• Flee or achieve destiny (as chosen one?)
• Desperation
• Curiosity (like Pandora’s Box)

28 Villain Types

Although the “villain” as an overall concept is a character type, this character can fit several villainous archetypes, including but not exclusive, that of an anti-villain. Here’s a list of several villain varieties, but by far it’s not a definitive list. Below this is an even bigger but simple list of all the villain types I could think of – most of these will fit into one or two of the general archetypes listed here.

1. The Abusive Authority Figure

Other names: Career Bitch, The Abusive Autocrat, Dictator

Female characters in this villainous archetype are called “The Career Bitch” or similar, but the type is found across genders. This is the corporate climber who takes no prisoners, has no loyalty or morals stopping them from manipulating their way to the top, gaining wealth, power and privilege, and once they have authority, they hold on at all costs, and are abusive and dismissive of those working for them.

Note: statistically a lot of the world’s sociopaths can be found doing this climb, and sometimes not possessing any empathy or remorse is a bonus for some types of what we consider normal work.

This type of character excels in a wide variety of genres, but often are more prevalent in comedies and dramas. Audiences always identify with opposition to authority from the little man.

The abusive authority figure can be difficult to spot, however – such villains are manipulative and cunning enough to disguise themselves and collect an entourage of people around them who believe in them – until those people lose their usefulness, that is.

Abusive Authority Figure Goal: to climb and stay at the top (power, money, privilege, or simply winning).

2. The Beast

Other Names: the monster

The beast is literally a monster. This is different from an antagonistic force such as a super-storm, which has no mind of it’s own. The beast has a mind – it’s a very small mind, but he has a focussed goal with it. Those goals are to feed, rampage, destroy or prey on victims. There is no stopping the beast, or reasoning with it. In fact, they probably don’t understand humans anyway. Nothing but death will stop the beast.

Some beasts have been turned around on audiences when we find out the real reason for their rampage – consider some of the huge beasts like Godzilla, or the shark out of Jaws.

Beast Goal: to feed or protect, and that is all

3. The Big Bad

The Big Bad is the main and superior villain of a group of villains. He may well be a mastermind, or at least a lethal plotter.

Very often the Big Bad remains shrouded in secrecy, keeping his identity away from minion or lesser villains who act upon his plans and commands. Where he does keep his own identity secret the Big Bad will often use another commander type villain (called The Dragon) to run the day to day. A Dragon is more likely to share the same objectives, but also to be capable of running other villains under him, enforced out of fear or repercussions.

Because the Big Bad’s true identity is often kept secret, this character is typically used in a big reveal in the climax to a story, meant to surprise the reader and also the hero with who he was actually battling all this time.

It is the Big Bad who will have the opposing goals to that of a story’s hero. These goals may or may not be shared with The Dragon, but the Dragon will have reasons to go to battle with the hero.

Big Bad Goal: to maintain his secrecy while having other villains act upon his plans.

4. The Bully

The bully is painted straightforwardly as an opposition to the main character, often appearing in young adult genre, but as equal inside corporate work settings. There are various reasons behind the bully’s psychological profile, often associated with a childhood of oppression or abuse. Or they could just not have a lack of morals and social standards (aka the psychopath) and be outright mean, and enjoy torturing others.

Some bullies can have a redemptive path, others just need to be conquered.

Bully Goal: to torment and obstruct the hero

5. The Corrupted

Other Names: Once were Good, Bad Politicians.

The Corrupted are people who were once good, or got to their place of authority with good intentions, but became corrupted by the bad side, wealth or privilege. Corrupt cops, corrupt businessmen, corrupt politicians – there are a lot of tropes out there.

Note that once a corruptable villain is discovered by a mastermind or big bad, they often become fodder for their own plans, and act for them. Once corrupted, there is seldom a way back without penalties the corrupted is not willing to pay. They are open to blackmail and bribes to live in other villain’s pockets.

Corrupted Goal: to keep their corruption secret, and continue to live comfortably

6. The Career Criminal

Other names: the thief, gentlemanly thief, the thug, the bankrobber

A general villainous type found in many detective or crime dramas. This villain works simply for the money, and the power offered by wealth.

Many anti-villains or even anti-heroes come from this archetype, particularly around crimes such as jewel thieving which can be relatively victim-less. Some of this nature can have a redemptive arc.

Some types of career criminals can work in temporary groups, under a mastermind or dragon who leads them, but most career criminals as villains are only out for themselves, thus reasoning why so many real life and fictional criminal thugs tend to turn on each other for a bigger share of the profits.

Career Criminal Goal: money

7. The Dark Knight

The dark knight upholds a strict and seemingly noble code of honour, but it’s his own, and nobody else can understand it. He’s passionate about virtue, standards and honour, but it’s his mission to uphold it, and get rid of anybody not meeting his own standards. Ethically, he is capable of murder and violence because the end always justifies the means.

Dark Knight Goal: to be right, noble and rid society of anyone not meeting his standards.

8. The Disposed Son

Other names: Snubbed Sibling

This is the villain born to wealth and privilege (or has worked their way up the top of the corporate ladder) but is not deemed worthy of inheriting it. He or she has been disposed of, or rejected, although often stays around the peripheral of the family, and may appear supportive of the crown-taker.

Having been brought up in that environment the disposed son has all the mannerisms and behaviours to manipulate those around him. The disposed son can therefore appear incredibly charming, intelligent and even supportive of the new crown-holder.

But behind, because they remain justified in their sense of entitlement, the disposed son will form a chronic resentment against his family ruler and the person sitting on their throne. This resentment will come from a feeling of entitlement, inadequacy or envy, probably all of them. They plot and plan towards getting rid of the usurper and taking their rightful place.

The principle is often explored in fairy tales with disposed queens (disposed by the entry of a younger and more beautiful woman) or in The Lion King, where Scar is a disposed uncle of young Simba.

The spoiled brat is an off-shoot or predicator of the disposed son.

Disposed Son Goal: to get back the symbolic crown they believe should be theirs.

9. The Desperado

The Desperado is a villain trapped in their own pitiful world, and on the run to get away. He could be a drug addict, a prisoner caught or trapped, or anybody else trapped by their own poor choices. They are now either running from or working for better and badder villains, and forced into performing unscrupulous acts to survive.

Desperado Goal: to survive, at any cost, and eventually get away

10. The Despot

Power, power, power. That’s all she wants, and she’ll take it by any (often violent) means. Like many bullies, she may start off life as a powerless victim of bullying and abuse themselves, but to stave off their own pain and humiliation, they enforce this on others. This makes them feel bigger and mightier than others.

The Despot gathers forces around her, to both act as minions, do her dirty work, and justify her belief systems. But she’s bigger than the school-yard bully, there are no limits to the size of her power needs. She’s found in history conquering entire countries to rule over.

Side-Archetypes:

• The Femme Fatale often seeks power over men because of a background of abuse.
• The World Dominator seeks ultimate power over the entire world held at ransom, or he’ll completely destroy it.

Despot Goal: power to rule over other people.

11. The Devil Incarnate

Other names: Evil Clown, Dark God, Fallen Angel, Lucifer, Demon, Merry Prankster, The Trickster

Literally the devil, appearing on earth in human form, or at least a character with the powers and persona of a devil: the ability to read and know the actions (perhaps thoughts) of the hero, good looks and a charming charismatic appearance, and the ability to zoom in and know the one spot of our hero’s moral weakness, allowing the devil to offer temptation over to the dark side.

The Devil Incarnate normally (not always) has some system of morals and principles, unlike the truly Unhinged, the later creates a totally unpredictable world while the Devil’s world will follow certain rules.

This is for fun, of course. It’s all comedy, all the time, playing with these piddling beings. The devil enjoys annoying and manipulating people. If you enter a world of the funfair with a hidden dark side, or charming bedlam you’ve entered the devil’s lair.

Devil Goal: to tempt and manipulate the hero (and everyone around them) onto their (dark) side.

12. The Dragon

Other names: The Boss

The Dragon is a modern name for the Main Leader or Second in Command of a group of villainous sidekicks. He may be an Administrator or he may be the Big Bad’s chief enforcer or fighter, so he can fit several other archetypes.

Either way, this is a villain who is trustworthy to the Big Bad, an able leader (either by respect of his wit, or enforcing through fear) and extremely experienced. He also wholly believes in the Big Bad’s group motives, although may be wary if something goes wrong, of being blamed for it.

Dragons have earned their way to the command with competence, and hard work. They may secretly be aiming to wipe the Big Bad away and take over the full command, or they may not. In the eyes of the lesser sidekick villains, however, The Dragon is the full commander. They will seldom know or see the Big Bad himself.

Being a force to be reckoned with, if done well, the Dragon is often perceived as the actual Big Bad, meaning that if a Big Bad is forced out into the open, it will be a surprise to many including the hero but also many of the sidekick villains working for The Dragon.

Darth Vader is an excellent example of The Dragon, combining both force and intelligence. Although the viewers considered him the ultimate enemy and the devil personified, all through the movies he was actually taking orders from someone else.

Dragon Goals: to command and enforce work though a group of villains to meet a Big Bad’s orders, yet secretly has the goal to take over the full business.

13. The Equal

Other Names: Nemesis or Arch-Enemy, Mirror

This isn’t a hugely used villain type, making appearances more in the superhero, action and thriller genres. The Equal is a character who is almost a doppelganger of the main hero – she shares the same skills, knowledge, and/or savvy of the protagonist, but it’s in morals and ethics that they differ.

General Zod as supervillain was Superman’s Equal in every way (powers, intelligence) but had different morals.

If an Equal is on board, they are more than likely to be the main villain, and the nemesis and arch-enemy to the hero.

The Equal Goal: to match wits and win against their own equal and arch-enemy (the hero)

14. The Fanatic

Other names: Mission-Orientated, Twisted Ethics, Cult Leaders

The fanatic is single-mindedly driven by an agenda, religion, idealogy or cause which is seldom traditional. The fanatic may believe that a certain type of person needs to be wiped from the earth, or that all humans have destroyed the earth and should therefore be eradicated.

In serial killer terms, this is the mission-orientated killer, somebody so mission-controlled that they are difficult to defeat because they put the mission above their own personal safety or well-being. They will fight like a Madman and to death. In real life, this is unfortunately true of many terrorists and spree-killers who expect to sacrifice their lives to uphold their mission.

Fanatic Goal: to succeed at their mission no matter the cost

15. The Femme Fatale

Other names and associations: seductress, Goddess, enchantress, black widow, homme fatale (male equivalent), swindlers, con-artists, Don Juan, honey traps

The Seductress is a classic archetype even nominated as the only feminine archetype within Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.

The femme fatale uses her charms and sexual prowess to prey on the opposite sex, seduce them, then possibly drain them. Taken to extremes, such women are called Black Widows – serial murderers who lure men into marriage and then kill them for the inheritance.

There is a male equivalent of course – the Homme Fatale, who uses good looks, charms and creativity to lure women into spending money on him. He has associations with swindlers or con-artists also.

The Femme Fatale can occasionally work from both sides, and have a redemptive arc. They can work alone or for other villains in types of espionage.

Femme Fatale Goals: power over the opposite sex, and money

16. The Killer Frenemy

Other Names or Associations: Pseudo-Buddy, Nemesis, Arch-Enemy, Psycho-Nanny

The villain who appears as a trusted ally to the hero but secretly is plotting against him. This is because the killer frenemy understands the power of being close to her enemies who are also sitting ducks as her victims. She works though a motive of jealousy or envy of the strengths and popularity of the hero, and sees the hero as being in her way to take over all of that.

A permutation (before the term “frenemy” was ever coined) is simply the close friend or buddy who appears normal, and works closely with the hero, who later turns out to be the killer-all-along.

During times of high emotions, the frenemy may let some of their inner psychosis slip, making the hero think something is a little off with them, but they recover very quickly. When things go wrong, the frenemy is either safely not around, or easily distracts blame to a nearby victim, causing relationship breakups and unhappiness which allows her to get in even closer to her prey.

Permutations on this villain type sit around a trusted colleague, or somebody you naturally let into your home or close to you, who hides a psychopathic killer mentality behind a normal facade. Examples are the Psycho Housemate, or the Psycho Nanny.

The Nemesis is normally found in young adult comedic genres – this is the frenemy who has been recognised as such. The hero may even call out his nemesis or arch-enemy as a rival.

Frenemy Goal: to destroy the hero from within

17. The Lethal Plotter

Other names: the nemesis, arch enemy

In Group of Villains, the lethal plotter is often the Dragon (administrator) to a Mastermind.

This villain type has a cunning plan, in fact they constantly have a plan, and it’s a plan to get what they want which involves ruining the life of their nemesis, the hero. This villain won’t take the easy way out (like just waiting to find the hero alone, and shooting him). There will be a series of challenges to test wits with the hero or cunning plans to progress a crime. Backup and false plans exist, and it helps if there are either sidekicks or colleagues to explain the plans to.

The lethal plotter is very patient and can wait for the exact time to put his plans into action. However those under him must meet his deadlines or pay.

As the hero’s arch enemy or nemesis, the lethal plotter is not easy to take down. In fact, a nemesis has the same traits and characteristics as the hero he’s plotting against. Moriarty matched wits and cunning with Sherlock.

Often the plotter’s areas of weakness are incredibly hard to ascertain, and he is shielded by disguises, by having other villains acting in his stead, or by false identities.

Plotter Goal: to perform a specific crime, then get rid of the evidence (including minions).

18. The Machine

Other names: the murderous robot, the android, the husk, the supernatural or extraterrestial beast

The machine is similar to the beast – he has one focussed goal, to destroy the hero normally. But the machine can be even more unstoppable and terrifying because they have very few human characteristics such as remorse, combined with superior armour (as with a robot) or body technology which means they can’t easily be harmed, stopped or killed.

Used normally in the science fiction genre, but you can also find machine type villains in fantasy and supernatural, where the machine once may have had a normal human background.

Machine Goal: to destroy the hero

19. The Magnificent Bastard

This is a combination between the Mastermind, Puppetmaster and Devil Incarnate, the competency of The Dragon, and the ruthlessness of the Sadistic Predator.

This is a world dominator, but treats it as a game. The Magnificent Bastard can swap sides, too, even working for the good side for a bit of a change. You can’t help but admire the traps set out for the heroes, and the villain who set them so easily. All done with dapper moustache-swishing and a wicked grin.

Magnificent Bastard Goal: World Domination but via a very slow and enjoyable route.

20. The Mastermind

Other names: the ring master, the brain, the chess-master, the puppet-master, the mad scientist, evil genius

In Group of Villains, the mastermind is often the Big Bad or master leader. The real leadership is however, undertaken by The Dragon.

The mastermind considers himself the intellectual superior to everybody. This is above and beyond that of the Lethal Plotter.

This villain loves to play games to test and challenge the hero. He enjoys matching and beating the wits of others, and it’s as much about the preparation as the end game. Or as an evil genius mad scientist, he will design and use technological tools to destroy the world with. Typically, the mastermind is happy to not do the dirty work, so he will hide himself behind a series of other villains who appear initially to be the main criminals.

In serial-killer terms, this is the killer who leaves cryptic clues for detectives or the media. In television series like ‘Bones’ this type of puppet-master intelligent villain is only used once every few seasons, paced slowly across several episodes to increase tension and stakes with the main characters. This mastermind enjoys the game and infamy, and will leave a signature or hints behind.

But this is still a villain, so to confirm his superiority he won’t allow the risk of losing: when he sets puzzles, he’ll also set outrageously short timeframes for the puzzles to be solved, or for giggles he’ll rig the games, or he can’t be trusted when giving his word or agreement.

Sub-archetypes:

• The Pusher or Corrupter – this mastermind villain enjoys corrupting and pushing other villains into doing his bidding. If successful, he may open up his corrupting games to innocents and even the hero.

Mastermind Goal: to prove his superiority and wipe out anybody who challenges it.

21. The Matriarchal or Patriarchal Oppressor

Other names: Tiger Mom, Mummy Dearest, Helicopter Parents, Bad Mother, Wicked Stepmother, Evil Queen

Mother or Daddy knows best. Stereotypically there are too many Mummy Dearests out there in the fictional world, but there are also male family tyrants – both are people who will do anything for their family, as long as it’s what they personally want.

The oppressive mother is also far too often used in teen and young adult books, with the hero struggling to obtain independence from a helicopter mother. This villainous type also has a good history of producing serial murderer children.

The Family Tyrant rules at the head of the family, and won’t accept anybody else doing so. They love you, but not unconditionally. If you fail their tests of your allegiance, you’ll quickly be disposed and replaced. In the meantime this loving villain has all the best intentions (her intentions) for how her offspring should be living.

The Family Oppressor Goal: to rule over the family who unconditionally love her.

22. The Minion

Other names: Villain’s sidekicks, thugs, henchmen, sports villains, jocks, heels

Henchmen are generally villains who have similar cravings and amorphous morals to a head or mastermind villain they work for. This is because although the henchman craves the same profits from their crimes, they don’t believe they have the intelligence or desire to mastermind the plans. The mastermind or dragon who leads them uses the henchmen for the dirty work they possibly don’t want to take part in.

More intelligent sidekicks may have ambitions to take over the business as soon as they can dispose of the main or head villain, but these intentions will never be displayed.

Permutations include the sports villain – those jocks who have been trained in karate or whatever, and are tasked to challenge and beat up the hero. It’s not really their fault – but they never question their training. Sports Villains in professional wrestling are called “Heels”.

The Minion as Thug is a group dynamic. Many are expendable, while a few will end up in hospital or running away.

Minion Goal: to profit from partaking of a bigger bad’s goals

23. The Outsider

He’s an outcast, a hermit or outsider, lonely but seemingly a decent person. Everybody who meets him feels sorry and sympathetic to him, even offering him a place in the heroic group, because he offers a lot of intelligence, knowledge and experience.

But he refuses because all he wants is to be accepted back into his own world he was (falsely, he says) rejected from. He’s secretly bitter about his past and being rejected, and out for revenge as well as to prove himself worthy of inclusion again. Any new people he meets a simply fodder to string along and help him get to his main objective.

But then, something happens, and the group and hero suddenly understand why he was outcast from his previous life. Behind hidden doors, some ugly truths are revealed, and they have simply and happily wandered into his lair. Or in order to obtain redemption with his older group, he is prepared to sacrifice or betray his new friends.

Outsider Goal: either something evilly wicked like human sacrifices or cannibalism; or he wants redemption at any cost, and is prepared to sacrifice those who have helped him the most.

24. The Savage Predator

Other names: the sadist, the menace, barbarian

This villain has a bloodlust and takes no prisoners. Fighting and killing is simply a sport, and he has no regrets in tearing your heart out, literally. Violence and brutality, especially when he can play games and use skills in the hunt and slaughter,  are entertaining, and his pornography.

If he doesn’t have the wherewithall to create his own sport, he’ll hire himself out as a soldier or thug-for-hire in places which allow him carte-blanch with his violence.

Sub-archetypes:

• The Schadenfreude is a manipulative sadist who craves to hurt people, either physically or mentally/psychologically.
• The Menace is psychopathic in their violence, not into the hunt. Whereas a savage predator will kill and then move on to his next victim, the menace will stay around to destroy as much as possible, less mindful of being found and captured. He just loves to rampage and destroy.
• The Complete Monster is the bottom level to this sadistic rung. These villains hold absolutely no redeeming characteristics, are forever rampaging, and brutal in their destruction. They target entire villages – women, children and babies alike, and don’t just kill, they torture and postpone death for long periods. You can’t reason with the complete monster, he doesn’t care what you are feeling. These types of villains are very difficult to write both emotionally, and for how other characters react to them – most must be met with intense emotions of acute terror and revulsion. Done poorly, the complete monster comes across as stupid and thuggish.

Savage Goal: to kill, maim and violently act, for sport.

25. The Traitor

Other names or associations: the betrayer, two-face, tattle-tale, treasoner, whistle-blower, spy, secret agent (on the baddie’s side). saboteur, back-stabber

He will betray the hero or others to save himself. As a coward, the traitor is capable of manipulation and deceit to get usable information, and can perform acts of treachery or even treason provided he can be kept safe. The traitor is also manipulative and cunning, having an outward appearance of being the friend and supporter to the hero.

Traitors, spies and saboteurs work from the inside to oppose the protagonist, appearing part of the trusted group.

More on the traitor is found in the previous entry, T for Traitor.

Traitor Goal: to provide information about the hero to the opposing side in order to ruin the hero’s objectives.

26. The Unhinged

Other names: mad woman, mad man, deranged, lunatic, psycho, maniac, rogue, the disturbed

Permutations: the bunny boiler, scorned woman, stalker-exe,

Heath Ledger’s Joker comes quickly to mind when exampling the Unhinged Villain. Dark Knight fans will know that the movies were less about Batman and more about the unknown and surrealistic world of the Joker, giving any hero a huge task to conquer a world where nothing is predictable or makes sense.

In the world of costumed superheroes, the Joker is accepted and even has the ability to assemble a group of thugs around himself, despite his appearance or behaviours. In more normal fictional worlds, you may need to disguise your unhinged villains with a shell persona which allows them to at least at first, appear normal.

The Unhinged will have a reason behind their madness or insanity, often coming from a traumatic or abusive background, and they may well understand this about themselves, but that won’t change anything. They want to share their pain and suffering, and madness with everyone else. They may not even have a real reason for opposing the hero, but they will, just because…

Norman Bates from Psycho and Annie Wilkes out of Misery are other examples of the disturbed.

Unhinged Goal: not predictable, although as a villain it will involve hurting or destroying the hero specifically.

27. The Vengeful Villain

Vengeance is mine. There were times in history when taking out vengeance for a wrong was acceptable. Nowadays revenge is not so acceptable, especially as done by a villain because the judgement of what is indeed a wrong deed is skewed by a villainous mindset.

Somewhere in the past somebody wronged this villain type, and he’s never gotten over it. Now it seems there are a lot of people doing the same thing, and unlike back then, he’s grown up and has more power to seek retribution and justice against his past.

Vigilantes and Revengers have taken it upon themselves to be both judge and jury and believe themselves exempt or beyond the normal human justice systems. In the perspective of having such a villainous type for your story, something about this vengeance will affect the hero specifically.

Vengeful Goal: to obtain vengeance against a perceived injustice

28. The Victim

Other names: the innocent, the child

This villainous type constantly tells people it wasn’t her fault, she was forced to agree to a hideous plan. She truly believes this, denying any responsibility for the atrocities she’s done, and actually feeling she’s been wrongly judged by many people.

As long as at the end she remains safe and secure, this villain is capable of performing any kind of atrocity, and resolving herself of any guilt because somebody else made her do it. She’s an unreliable witness, capable of tilting the blame onto anyone and everyone other than herself.

Victim Goal: to appoint blame elsewhere

An Unsorted List of Villainous Archetypes

Villain Types: black knight, mercenary, psychopath, fanatic/extremist: terrorist, destroyer, spoiler, mad scientist, serial murderer, savage predator, mindless monster (insane/lunatic), mustache-twirler (vaudeville villain), ancient evil, mastermind, puppet master, dark lord, mirror, tyrant, dictator, bastard, bitch, devil, traitor, saboteur, sadist, parasite, lethal schemer/plotter; warrior villains – savage, barbarian, big bad, the dragon, complete monster, bully/bravo/thug

Antagonists with possible redemptive traits – bully, mean girl, anti-villain, someone else’s hero, nemesis, outcast, backstabber, frenemy, trickster.

Avoid cliche villain types: evil clown, evil twin, evil genius, evil (total) villain; evil queen, bad mother, matriarch, mad woman.

Villainess types – black widow, femme fatale, enchantress, seductress, mean girl, gorgon, scorned woman

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

The Writer, ah the writer. Is there actually a writer archetype?

The Writer

“If you can imagine it, it can be done” ~ creator archetype motto (Jung)

The Creative

The Writer as we know it now, is a sub-archetype of one originally described by Carl Jung: the creative. Along with fellow artists, crafters, inventors, synthesizers and other creative types, the writer shares with these types the desire to express their own creativity, to grow and mature their speciality art and to understand, synthesize and create new ideas from our external world.

Because it’s a Jung archetype, the Creator has made its way into brand marketing as a way to visually storytell to those who relate to the creator archetype. The Creator brand profile meets a lot of what most types of writer are about. Brands which meet the Creator brand archetype include Disney, Adobe, Lego, Pinterest and Etsy. People who example the creator are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, many actors, and people like  Edward de Bono (lateral thinking) and Tony Buzan (mindmapping).

Writing Titles

Writers create in words, while other artist types use various mediums. But of course, there are various forms of writing just as there are various artistic mediums.

A list of writer types (missing several) –

Non-Fiction writing, fiction writing – various lengths from short form (short stories, flash fiction), to medium (novellas) or longer (novels, a novel series). Then there’s the various media which sit within each: Non-fiction writers can write books, articles, news reports, blog posts, online website pieces or advertising copy, or biographies of celebrity lives, amongst many others. Fiction can take the form of a novel or a screenplay, genre fiction or literary fiction. Other writers write music, lyrics or poetry. And many writers work around editing other’s work or publishing.

Those are just some examples. But from those listed above come various specialty writing titles. Pick up a passport and look at the job title and you might find:

journalist, web copy editor, novelist, article writer, technical writer, newspaper or periodical writer, instructional writer, ghost writer, biographic writer, poet, musician, lyricist, documentary writer, magazine fiction writer, trans-media writer, copy writer, author, editor, screen writer, fanfic author or freelance writer.

Writing Personalities

Okay, so there are various creative types, and various writer types, so how do we get an archetype out of that?

The answer is: with difficulty. Search the web and we will find a thousand-billion web posts asking you “What type of writer are you?” or suggesting there are 10/3/12/more types of writer. We also have as many articles (okay, maybe only a thousand-million) telling us the typical personality type of the “writer”. Or maybe two? Plotter or pantser?

Personality type systems used in those articles normally select the most popular (it’s good for character development, I must suggest); the Myers-Briggs typology index.

Statistically, there is some evidence to suggest that many writers do fit into a certain sub-section of the MBTI – that of the Introverted Intuition users, with either a thinking or feeling preference. The fact that types like the INTJ and INFJs are the least common across the general population (falling into under 2% of humanity), but are very common in writers, might give us one reason why writers as an overall group are often misunderstood by most around us, and a general reason why the portrayal of writers sometimes uses old stereotypes.

To many writers having an INT or INF preference would make complete sense – writing as a task requires a lot of alone time, thinking and musing over things. Of course it’s an easy mesh with the introverts amongst us, who require to spend a lot of time alone, and actually derive our energy from this thinking time and work.

But there are certain writing jobs which require extroversion. Journalism and other writing practises require a lot of social skills, editing and publishing, and advertising – all may offer scope for the extroverted personalities.

Our modern writing and publishing industries, certainly nowadays, require a lot of other skills and applicable personalitites for success – in the MBTI scheme of things, most writers now need to be relatively at ease in the judgement (or organisation) quarter, as most of us can’t afford to spend a year or more producing just one novel anymore. We also need to get over any hermit-like persuasions of the fully introvert-natured and get out there to promote our own work through book launches and social media.

Stereotypes of the Creative or Writer

The writers who were previously portrayed in our movies and some books do not show much of the reality of the business anymore. Created out of an older and very different world, those writers are based on authors who could develop a co-dependency with alcohol or drugs, or had personality or medical disorders which meant they didn’t write for years, yet still produced work which was admired, and somehow still retained enough wealth to pay the bills.

The depressive drug-addicted artist or writer is still, sadly, very much a meme of today, although writers are less likely to admit to alcohol problems, but as coffee addicts we can be quite boastful (including me). Coffee cups with witty writer quotes are a mainstay as Christmas gifts for writers.

There may be some truth to coffee (or chocolate) as a tool of the trade, but the stereotype of the depressive or quirky writer who must work naked in the bath are slowly dwindling with time and even in many of our movies featuring writer characters.

Because of the incredible success of a very few authors (like JK Rowling) there is also some public expectation of the successful author having a glamourous lifestyle complete with red-carpet treatment, entourages, public appearances and beautiful houses all over the world. This is far from the truth of 99.9999% of writer’s real lives, even those able to make a living from writing.

Writing is hard work, both mentally and physically, and often has to be slotted around other work and domestic commitments.

So, what of the Writer as an Archetype? Let’s turn to Motivation.

Writers are too large a sub-section of the workforce or craft/creative types to really identify any sort of archetype, other than the few personality types we more generally may fit. Even then, a lot of writers work out of areas which fit more extroverted personalities than full on introverts, and the publishing industry demands a lot from any writer.

Instead, I am going to propose that there can be several writing archetypes regardless of their personality types, or writing or job titles, and these can fit both within the fictional, non-fictional, genre or literary, web or online or digital publishing or print publishing industries, or even as solely a diarist or journalist with no thought towards making our writing public.

These archetypes are defined by the motivation of what makes a person become a writer, and how they may present that motivation. Writing as a career is not singular, however. A Journalist may also be a novelist, an advocate for one cause, may also be an educator or even a seller as their earning job. Many writers will flow amongst these archetypes, and work with several different types of writing.

9 Writer Archetypes (Motivations)

1. The Advocate

Other names or associations: rebel, reformers, political writers

The advocate fits with several personality type systems. The INFJ in Myers-Briggs is an advocate type. The Enneagram suggests that Type 1’s are advocate-reformers.

These are writer types who pick up a pen with an advanced motivation above that of the chronicler or informer. They want to affect change in areas where they see a social or human injustice or issue.

When they have chosen a cause they believe in, the advocate writer will join – or even lead – the cause or group fighting to win advocacy. The advocate writer will be skilled in persuasive writing techniques, research for statistics and facts which support his arguments, and socially capable.

Advocate Goal: to affect change for the good or a group (of people, the environment or other areas which ultimately affect our living conditions or future).

2. The Analyst and Collator

Other names or associations: Collator, curator, librarian, researcher

This is the person who takes the news and analyses it, or takes a theme or universal question of humanity, and derives all the nuances from it, to report on the options. However, he remains quite neutral in his responses, meaning that if an analyst takes up fiction as a median, you will find that his stories leave you as a reader to make up your own mind as towards right or wrong, helped by the story presented, often from both sides.

The analyst is full of questions, loves research, probably enjoys things like spreadsheets and other tools which allows him to form his analysis. He has a lot of structure in his day, is organised with his data, and enjoys collecting and catergorising on many different topics.

I am partially an analyst type myself, and previously worked as an I.T. and Business Analyst. You can witness the analyst in myself by the ginormous amounts of research data I collect, collate and often share. Only some of it will ever form a background for my own fiction.

Analyst Goal: to know and share

3. The Artist-Author or Hobbyist Author

Other names or associations: hobbyist, crafter, journaler, chronicler, one-book author.

The Artist-Author considers writing as a hobby. It’s still extremely important, even for their own mental health, but they are not worried about earning or money. They write for the joy of writing, and of being read, and any money or success which comes is “gravy” or a bonus.

The Artist-Author may combine with many of these archetypes as well, or may be a path towards others including the Professional. They may be as knowledgeable about the craft of writing, and as skilled as any others.

According to the Enneagram Typology the Artist is Found at Type 4, and is individualistic, idealistic, and romantic. This may be, but is not always, the disorganised writer, and the writer who doesn’t complete their work, or is frustrated and demotivated by finding little readership for their life-time’s work.

The Artist-Author may write for themselves or others, but the main identifier is the “author” part – any work produced will not sit in a desk drawer somewhere, it will be published and shared somehow, in the hope it will find a readership. Kathryn Rusch calls this the One-Book author – they may have one book, or a series inside them, but their primary focus is getting published, and they do not have a long-term career focus as a writer.

Artist-Author Goal: to enjoy the writing process for themselves, and as an author, to share their writing.

4. The Chronicler or Columnist

Other names or associations: observer, philosopher, historian, blogger, folk story-teller

The chronicler observes and judges the human condition. Publically, nowadays you may find many of them working as newspaper columnists, often with a humorous bent. Orally-skilled chroniclers have late-night radio shows often allowing chat-time with callers in, discussing recent news and thoughts.

In non-fiction terms, the chronicler is found in writing our History or Philosophical texts, or as a documenter of our common folk, fairy or mythological tales which were once passed down orally.  Or as a biographer or creative non-fiction diarist or journalist. Nowadays social media allows the chronicler their own public presentation via blogs and online posts. Opinions combined with some facts are tools of trade. Because of the relationship to commentary on the human condition, in fiction the novelist chronicler can write with genre or literary fiction domains.

The Enneagram says the Observer is found as a Type 5 – which is a combination of the chronicler and the informer, excellent at investigations and research but also can be emotionally distant.

Chronicler Goal: to comment on the human condition

5. The Educator or Teacher

Other names or associations: text book writer, how to manual writer, non-fiction, blogger, marketing

The educator writes knowledge to help others learn. In this space we now find a lot of internet marketers or bloggers who choose to build their personal brand and expertise by teaching instead of direct selling. Ebooks in the non-fiction ranks do well as how-to’s or instructions for how to do something.

Educator Goal: to teach and help others learn

6. The Entertainer or Story-Teller

Other names or associations: oral story-teller, fiction writer, novelist, short story writer, screen-writer, game writer

This writer archetype is there mainly to entertain. Novels, short stories, stage plays, screen plays, radio plays, animation writers, movies, television dramas or comedies, video or computer games, poetry, flash fiction, fan-fic, and the rest – all are medians which fit within the scope of the entertainer writer.

Of course, many writers in this archetype also fit other archetypes, such as the chronicler, advocate or educator, and these ficitonal works may include themes or commentary on real-life subjects.

Story-Teller Goals: to entertain, to provide a form of escape from parts of our real lives.

7. The Informer or Reporter

Other names and associations: reporter, journalist, documenter, interviewer.

This is the literal journalist or reporter from our news, periodicals, newspapers, television news, sports reporters or entertainment reporters.

The informer has to have a reasonably extroverted or people-orientated personality, be a good listener, and many times, a good speaker, able to think on-their-feet, and at ease in external environments, in crowds and one-to-one with people. They may, in the MBTI typology index, be high in a sensing preference.

The informer’s writing trade is built on the journalistic questions – who, what, where, why and how. Very good journalists and interviewers may find work as documentary or chat show hosts.

Informer Goal: to inform the facts

8. The Professional-Author or Career Writer

Other names and associations: the entreprenuer, the Ebook Author

Unlike the Artist-Author, the Professional-Author writes to earn a living in writing. This may be as a fulltime writer, or supported by another money-earning job, but with the objective to make a helpful income from writing.

The Professional Author may be a fiction writer, say a novelist, and may be either traditionally published with contracts with a publishing company, or publish as a self-publisher. In non-fiction, a lot of professional-authors make a living with educator books or courses, writing for online, or periodicals etc. To ensure income earnings, they may well research and target specific trends and needs for their writing.

Many professional authors can combine with the Seller or Persuasive Writer Archetype, or work across multiple genres and types of writing. Some make a living anonymously (one example being the ghost writer) or with multiple pseudonyms or pen names per different genres. Like any business, the professional-author will need work-orientated skillsets such as organisation and task management.

Professional-Authors are invested in writing. They may have accepted a contract and payment from a publishing company, or they invest their own money and time in tools, websites, software and hiring sub-contractors to offer products from their writing. The Career Writer is in writing for the long-haul and has many books or writing products inside of them.

Professional-Author Goal: to build a long-term career and earn money from writing.

9. The Seller or Persuader

Other names or associations: marketer, advertiser, political speech writer, debater, merchant

The Seller is somebody who takes the skills of an advocate, but not necessarily for a cause. Their persuasive skills target people to get them to take action, but are often sitting within the advertising or public-relations industry. The persuader or seller as writer requires social skills, and an observer personality, and many combine with other visual arts skills.

Persuasive writing techniques are a standard on many nation’s educational curriculums, involving using emotive writing to stir up emotions and reactions in readers. In product or merchandising these writing persuasions are combined with product and visual imagery work to invoke certain reactions and desires.

Seller Goal: Persuader goal – to call a reader to take an action; Seller goal – to call a reader to spend money on a product

Recognising the Writer

• Writers (like other creative artists) require long periods working alone. There are relevant settings and tools making a writer easily distinguished from other working archetypes –
  • a study or office, typewriters or personal computers, notebooks, pens and pencils, and (hopefully) a large library of reading and reference books. Note that some writers work in cafes or libraries – they are spottable with the normal tools listed here, and possibly sound-reducing headphones
  • comfortable dress whilst alone and writing – some writers boast of staying in pajamas all day
• Writers need rituals. These may be easy to spot: such as having to write first thing or early in the morning, or during their normal work lunch times (yes, many writers have other jobs to bring in an income)
• Writers are always “on” writing – even if a writer appears to be sitting on a park bench watching people, they will be writing something in their heads. This can make them appear distracted or not in the moment or get them judged as “a dreamer” or “over-thinker”. Some consequences at home may be that a writer in a middle of a writing project may not pay a great lot of attention to areas of domesticity such as household chores. Family members may feel unattended to, or not understand why a parent needs to have some time alone.
• Procrastination and hitting writer blocks are part of the writer life, and long periods of not writing are required to sort out ideas or resolve issues that have come out of the writing project (for fictional work anyway). This can be frustrating for everybody, and is one of the past reasons behind the “tortured artist” stereotype.
• A Writer’s core goal is to create something of enduring value, and to realise a vision. A writer may write for themself, but most have an audience in mind – they want to be heard.
• Consequently a writer’s greatest fear is not to be heard, to fail, or produce a work that is mediocre and of poor standard. Fear of failure (no matter of what amount, and who judges it) is the most paralysing fear of any writer, and stops many from pursuing their dreams or completing work. Even a weakness like perfectionism can be brought in to give an excuse as to incomplete work, to save the writer from judgement of failure.
• As you can see from the above, one of the biggest traits and struggles for the vast majority of writer types is found inside himself. There is a constant psychological struggle and juggle with motivation towards writing, that is very much an archetypal characteristic of many.
• Elizabeth Gilbert and other famous authors and creativity mentors say that writing is co-creative ie. writers aren’t totally alone. Many writers do believe or act on having another “being” as part of the process – whether it’s God, the universe, or a often-missing “Muse”
• Successful writers nowadays use skills relevant to any business – they schedule, organise, plan, meet deadlines, set to dos or tasks, delegate, seek advice and continuously develop and train their own skills, craft and knowledge of the industries they work within. If they don’t have a boss or manager to set some of these, the solitary writer will set them himself.
• Another mighty form of procrastination comes right out of a typical creator personality – creators have a center for self-improvement and are always trying to improve both themselves and the world around them (to create a better world). For writers this leads to many who constantly study the craft of writing, attend lots of workshops or courses, participate in lots of writer’s groups etc, but do not deliver any completed writing.
• Another drive of the creator / writer is a need to be authentic. Taken to extremes the authenticity need can find some writers taking no responsibility for their creations or how those creations may affect others. Essentially, a writer or creator is non-conformist. The subjects of “personal license”, “freedom to write” and  even “hate writing” form around this authenticity. This can lead with clashes from other archetypes such as the Teachers, Politicians or Judges who are more concerned with how things are meant to be, rather than how one person thinks they should be.  Being authentic to yourself is not necessarily authentic or accepted by general society. The anonymity of the internet has given many opinionated writers who do not agree with common social philosophies an outlet to publish their words without repercussions.
• As can be seen above, the shadow side to a creator archetype can be quite large. Creatives (writers included) can feel almost like God (they create, after all), they can get lost in their creations and lose touch with other’s around them, or with reality, appearing insensitive to other’s needs or social graces. Those creators who don’t form working rituals and skills to complete work may muddle through multiple projects, long periods of procrastination and not complete anything. Driven creators may be over-eager, impulsive and untrustworthy. The real shadow side to a Writer or Creator character type may well be a true Villain.

Note – if you’ve come to this post and are a new writer yourself, and may not have a complete understanding of some common tropes of the writer, but want to create a recognisable writer character – go to here: 26 Obvious Signs You’re a Writer (The Write Life) – this is a graphics-intensive – using gifs – post which is comedic but rings true for many of us as writers.

Example Writers

My own favourites have to be Stephen King’s Misery, featuring best selling romance novelist Paul Sheldon, held captive by a ribald and psychotic fan, Annie Wilkes, which should terrorise any writer about fandoms. If you want to know more about writer fandoms and the repercussions, take a read of the F for Fans post in this series.

Recently we’ve had Fan Girl by Rainbow Rowell featuring a nerdy introverted Cath, who is a bestseller fanfic author of stories published on the web which are fan-fiction based on a fictional clone of the Harry Potter books. Cath, as young adult genre dictates, eventually learns that real life can be better than her fanfic built fictional world.

Dr John Watson as sidekick to Sherlock Holmes, is also the narrator / writer of the tales, and his voice is very much of the bemused writer.

Instead of listing some good movies, here’s a link list to movie lists etc. Many are based on real life writers, showing a plethora of different writing careers and motivations.

• 50 Best Films About Writers, Ranked – Flavorwire
• 7 Must-See Movies About Writers | IndieWire
• IMDb: Top 80 Movies about Writers – a list by transitasis
• 20 Greatest Movies About Writers – GeekWeek

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: other titles are given above
• Associations:  musician, artist, other creatives; Jung: creator archetype
• What the Writer is not: a scribe. Historically, there used to be a time where people who could hand letter and “write” were called scribes. In essence a scribe did the work of a common day printer or copyist – they either scribed down histories dictated to them, or copied already scribed documents. They were documenters or recorders, but not writers in the creative way we now see writers as being.
• Shadows: addict (drugs, or addiction to work or creativity); psychological shadow – writer’s block; impulsive over-eager insensitive and creator turned villain with a God complex.

Resources

If you are interested in reading more on some subjects from this post, I recommend the following links –

• Writers according to Myers-Briggs
• 6 Personality Types Who Will Succeed as Writers | A. Victoria Mixon, Editor (especially good if you want to have a writer character and set them up for failure)
• Personality Type for Writers: What Writers Must Know – Visionary Fiction Alliance – more about Myers Brigg types and Jung
• The Type Writer – Personality Type and the Written Word – this types a few well known authors, but also links to Judith Searle’s article suggesting that certain Enneagram types fit with specific genres.
• What’s Your Writing Personality? – Helping Writers Become Authors – this article links writers with the 4 Temperments.
• 26 Obvious Signs You’re a Writer (The Write Life) – this is a graphics-intensive – using gifs – post which is comedic but rings true for many of us as writers.
• The INFP Writing Personality: Elegant Persuasion | Write with Personality – in 2009 Andrea Wenger wrote a series of posts on different Myers-Briggs types as writers. There is no index to all the posts, but if you scroll down to the bottom of this example you will find links to the others, and here is the category filter which will also locate personality posts published currently.
• Writing Types based on Myers-Briggs– 2012 posts at Thinking Through your Fingers
• The Myers-Briggs Types of 101 Famous Authors [Book Riot]
• A Writer’s Taxonomy | L.Z. Marie and Writer’s Hierarchy of Needs | L.Z. Marie are of interest in personality and traits
• The Business Rusch: A Career Versus Publication (one-book versus career writers)
• Know Your Goals: Artist-Author or Professional-Author? – Jami Gold
• The Creator Archetype
  • The Creator Archetype – Alex Hurst
  • Character Archetypes 101: The Creator – The Character Therapist
• Addictive Personalities –
  • 25 Great Writers Who Battled Drug Addiction and Alcoholism
  • 10 Literary Figures With Crippling Drug Addictions – Listverse
  • 20 Genius Minds and the Drugs they Were Addicted To
• How Top Brands Use The Creator Brand Archetype to Get Customers
• BRANDALITY Archetype Creator – Brand Strategy by Kaye Putnam – a good infographic here

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

Very early this year I published a large post on using tarot for writing inspiration. Since then, the post has made some headway around the tarot community in general. Here are some additional resources as an update to the original post, found here.

Note 1: I am not a tarot user or expert. I simply use tarot cards (particularly nicely designed ones) as inspiration for plot or characters in my writing. I am not interested in correct readings of the cards, only in what it might offer a writer as ideas.

Note 2: One of the emails I received recently regarding the original post reported that the post has some dead links. That post is very long, and full of helpful resources for a writer to investigate further into tarot decks and meanings of cards. But as we know, people are always moving around pages on websites, and websites go dead entirely. Rather than go and check and attempt to find the correct (if they still exist) links, I would suggest as writers we are capable of locating or futher exploring across the web. As time goes on and I do locate more links, I will update.

The Original Post – Using Tarot for Writing [Resource Post]

More Resources 1 – Current Blog Posts

In the almost complete series on A to Z’s of Character Archetypes, there are several archetypes which are profiled within tarot. Take a look at The Lover, The Herald, The Judge, and The Initiates (beginning journey).

Link: Character Archetypes A to Z Series Index 

More Resources 2 – Love Tarot at Trusted Tarot

This Love Tarot spread is automated on a website. It automates a three-card spread for you, which you can then interpret for writing. Once you’ve selected three random cards, the spread is detailed for you, including a card’s relationship to astrological timing.

My thanks to Jeremy for writing to me about this.

Link: Love Tarot

More Resources 3 – Pins A-plenty

Speaking of astrology, I’ve been busy updating my Pinterest account with many mythology categories. Just today I added twenty of so Pins to the Mythology – Zodiac, Elements & Tarot board.

These pins, including the one featured below, link the tarot card with modern situations and possible plot ideas, as well as the zodiac relationship. These new pins come from Tarot Romance where you can read all the meanings.

Link: Mythology – Zodiac, Elements & Tarot | Writing Reference Pinterest Board

Link: Tarot Romance Tarot Meanings

Credit: Tarot Romance (link above)

Do your characters have A or B Type personalities? Or perhaps something from both?

Or maybe they are a C Type or D Type? With associations to blood types, or maybe some humor? Today’s post will be a study of personality type systems or groups with four different types; and a study in melding them together for a realistic personality.

The X-Type

“I’m aware I’m a little Type A, and sometimes more Type B, but I choose to take the best of both types, and simply be me.” ~ X-Type Self-Awareness

Some of your characters may well fit into the standard A Type or B Type personality but most of us in real life, let alone fictionally, combine a range of characteristics from different archetypes to become a Type X.

“Type X” as a name is a catchall phrase used occasionally by people to explain that they have a combination of some traits from those pinpointed as Type A or Type B. In theory this wouldn’t make a great lot of sense – Type A’s and B’s are meant to be in contrast to each other, so having somebody holding contrasting traits may seem odd. But any of these traits could be used, meaning there’s no defining list of traits relevant to a Type X.

This is probably as it should be. Even an obvious Type A can not always resort to Type A traits in all situations. And nor can our main characters be confined to just one archetypal list of relevant traits and behaviours. Our main characters need to grow and learn, and this may well require a mixture of other archetypes as they move along their character arcs.

My own main character, as an example, is a Type X Archetype – a mixture – primarily an advocate hero (an INFJ on the Myers-Briggs scale, an Enneagram Type 1 or Reformer), they become reluctant hero the more they learn, and combine some traits with Aquarius, their star sign (psychic healer), and some overly-assertive traits coming from a ENFP (Myers-Briggs again) champion aspect. There are several aspects of ancient myths in there too. In my choice of archetypes I’ve ensured I have selected ones which complement and match, essentially creating a multi-faceted character. But with enough contrast to give the characters worthy inner conflict.

But sometimes, especially for secondary or tertiary background characters, it’s better and faster to just use one highly recognisable archetype. So, let’s take a look at the Type A or Type B Personalities from which the Type X or mixture was derived.

A Little History on Type A’s and B’s (and C’s and D’s too)

The Type A and Type B Personality Theory was developed by two cardiologists in the 1950’s, who began to believe that coronary heart disease was more prevalent in people with personalities which were more competitive, outgoing, ambitious, impatient or aggressive.

Although the theory was later rejected by many (with links from the Tobacco Industry as funding the research), the theory nevertheless had major impacts on our health psychology fields of today. Now we understand that Type A’s are more at risk for heart disease if they are heavy on the hostility and expressed anger quotient, but there is no real permutations with mortality rates or longevity.

Other psychological studies have pinpointed certain behaviours and personality traits have a link with heart disease or even cancer, with cancer patients being taught to express their feelings (rather than keep them pent up) via behavioural therapy and journal writing; while other studies have shown laughter and humour as being a helpful medicine for recovery.

Michael Jawer and Marc Micozzi are co-authors of ‘The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion: How Feelings Link the Brain, the Body, and the Sixth Sense’, in which they propose a Type C and Type D personality type. The book and other psychologists suggest that Type C personalities – who feel much more stress over work – are also more prone to cancer.

So, although the full-on Type A OR Type B Theory has been mostly discounted, or certainly moved on, we still tend to use it in businesses, corporations or to describe certain friends, coworkers or classmates today. Type A, B and somewhere in between has become a cultural shorthand or archetype for us.

Unfortunately this also means that most of us have more understanding for the person who outright fits a Type A. Type A’s are more visible – they are the queue-jumpers or people making a fuss at airport counters, or the over-bearing boss. Type A’s fit more stereotypical tropes or other archetypes; like the boss, the over-bearing mother, the cheating bully.

Meanwhile Type B is much less talked about and less visible.  Fortunately, for character development, we can turn to several archetypes which fit the Type B’s main set of possible characteristics – the creative artist, the helper or carer, the retired mentor or hero, the wise old man.

Type X – the Mesh

It’s important to see the Type A , B, C or D as a spectrum or continuum of behaviours and traits, not a label or real solid archetype. Realistically, most people – and characters – will mesh or hybridise some of these as behavioural tendencies only, which we may call a Type X.

In different situations, the angry boss type A may be a very indulgent and casual parent at home; the obsessive workaholic on failing a large task may find they have an innovative design taking them away from their stress; and the indecisive artist may, when facing a villainous monster, find some quick decisions and the power of an angry outburst helps him survive.

Type A’s – The Achievers

“I will fill the glass” ~ Type A Motto

Type A’s are the ambitious, outgoing and driven individuals at risk of heart disease or coronary problems if taken to the extreme. In the workforce particularly it’s easier to be accepted as the hard-driven go-getter Type A than a Type B.

Traits and behaviours listed for Type A’s are –

• ambitious, goal-orientated, self-driven
• rigidly organized (to do lists, plans, schedules, diaries)
• highly status-conscious
• sensitive and anxious (external signs of heightened agitation which are good for characterisation – nail biting, teeth-grinding, fidgeting)
• impatient and domineering, proactive and decisive
• detail-orientated, so may be more short-term focussed
• in a rush, frenetic, hate delays and ambivalence to their deadlines – the best way to annoy a Type A is to go slowly
• extroverted, to the point of frequently talking over and interrupting other people
• concerned with time management, have a time urgency (hate waiting in queues, being held up in traffic, queue-jumpers)
• workaholic (to exhaustion) – always doing something, even standing in a queue
• aggressive and demanding, short-fused or hostile, triggered by minor events.
• sets high standards
• concentrated in multi-tasked careers (often in management)
• high-achievers / over-achievers
• competitively or achievement driven – focus on winning, or losing (if there’s no competition, they’ll create it for themselves)
• left-brain thinkers – logical, analytical
• highly conscientious – take on other responsibilities, remember birthdays, makes sure everyone is having a good time at a party
• can be very productive, and achieve a lot – Type A’s make it happen
• difficulty in accepting failure (in themselves, although may expect it of others)
• low tolerance to incompetency
• more likely to be preoccupied with social status, life accomplishment and self-esteem
• future-worrier – worries about the future, and dwells on worst possible outcome
• sleep and relaxation problems – difficulty in falling and staying asleep

Associated Archetypes (these display some Type A characteristics) – big boss, manager, over-bearing mother, achiever, over-achiever, administrator, idealist, advocate, angry woman, puppet-master, dictator, battle-axe, big bad, bad mother or simply mother, carer, cleric, director, drama queen, extremist, jobsworth, workaholic, neat freak, schemer, plotter, scientist, shrew, nag, performer, world-changer.

Type B’s – The Chilled

“The Glass is Half-Full, and that’s good enough for us” ~ Type B Motto

Type B’s are the contrast to Type A’s, the more laid back and less driven individuals. Their traits and characteristics include –

• people-orientated, may have lots of friends and a vast social life
• less stress levels, can disregard physical or mental stress when they don’t achieve
• focused on enjoying the game rather than the outcome of winning or losing in competition
• indulgent and tolerant
• patient, even under stressful conditions
• collaborative, enjoy the process, and non-competitive  – everyone wants them on their project
• steady workers, but work is not the be-all and end-all
• able to not work and relax
• careers in creativity, technology, teaching or helping eg. writers, artists, designers, counsellors, therapists, actors, software architects, judges,
• may appear messy, disheveled or disorganised
• happy (may prefer) to work alone, as sole entrepreneurs, or helping others
• enjoy exploring new ideas and concepts
• reflective, creative and innovative
• inner and outward world focused
• higher levels of satisfaction in life
• right-brain thinkers – pattern-orientated, creative
• big-picture and broad thinkers – focus on the long run, with coherent views of the road ahead
• can make good high-level thinkers and planners as leaders, CEOs etc
• may be indecisive, procrastinators
• can be disappointed in failures, or goals fall short, but not devastated
• good at moving on
• can enjoy achievement, but not solely focused on it
• can be time-challenged – miss appointments, poorly scheduled
• don’t mind long-queues, it’s a good time to look at social media on the phone
• have more friends than the Type A’s
• see the good in people – able to see people as other than simply being useful, or a competitor. put people at ease
• mindful, enjoy the moment, focussed on living in the moment

Associated Archetypes (these display some Type B characteristics) – absent-minded professor, artist, helper/carer, architect, artisan, designer, mediator, judge, bohemian, change-maker, writer, inventor, bestie, charming rogue, egalitarian, supporter, enthusiast, loner, lone-wolf, lovable loser, wanderer, seeker, explorer, loyal friend, wallflower, maintainer, Peter Pan, pedagogue, intellectual, spirtualist, player, hedonist, thrill-seeker, Pollyanna, dreamer, romantic, techie, theorist, world-changer.

Type C’s – The Knowledge

“I will find out how to fill the glass up again” ~ Type C Motto

Type C’s take a little of the introversion and work ethics of the Type A’s but also turn some of the traits of Type B’s and turn them on their head.

• introverted, uncomfortable around people and social situations, would prefer alone time
• detail-orientated, heavily into research and knowledge
• self-driven and focussed
• numbers and facts orientated
• curious, do not take things at face-value, will find out how things work
• decisions are based on systematic and detailed information
• known for being deep and thoughtful
• notice small things, good listeners, able to pick up context easily
• natural problem solvers, innovators, if given enough time
• highly sensitive to emotions, and critique, yet can be overly critical themselves
• take great responsibility for others and outcomes, dedicated, takes life seriously
• may suppress their own wants, needs and desires
• are not overly assertive (yet also not passive)
• can be highly stressed by conflict, things going wrong
• over-thinker, worrier, anxious
• requires time alone (as an introvert) to re-energise
• provided they are given time to base decisions on facts and information, can be excellent leaders and strategists who have great control

Associated Archetypes – accountants, clerics, number-crunchers, some innovators, inventors, professors, analysts;  leaders, rulers, strategists (sometimes)

Type D’s – The “Distressed”

“The Glass is half-empty, as usual” ~ Type D’s Motto

Type D’s may be a mesh between Type B’s and C’s – the introverted person who likes routine and guidance set by others.

• Prefer trodden paths, routines and structure driven from somebody else
• Can prefer inertia, certainly don’t like change
• Won’t volunteer if actions are unknown, or risky; won’t take responsibility
• Prefer to blend into safe routines – part of the crowd
• Can be afflicted with worry, gloom or depression, and this can impact others around them
• Negative outlook, always sees the worst-case, problems and issues, but can rarely resolve them
• Irritable and grumpy
• Avoid rejection by not opening up to others or taking risks
• Can be very stressed or depressed, prone to heart problems, sleeplessness
• Passive, let things happen
• Hugely pessimistic, depressed and down-trodden
• Let’s the world get on top of them
• Whilst Type A’s are prone to coronary disease (and associated problems like blood pressure), Type D’s are very disease-prone in all aspects. These people may take a lot of time off work for health reasons, and recover slowly.
• Avoids social contact, very few friends

Associated Archetypes – the worker, the crowd, the slacker, the sloth, lazy. negative nancy, grumpy old man,

Association to the 4 Humours

Although this post isn’t really about the four humors as type theory, there is an associated relationship. This Type theory refers to the four humors –

• Choleric  –  refers to a person that is irritable (yellow bile).
• Melancholic  –  refers to depression (black bile).
• Sanguine  – refers to being optimistic (blood).
• Phlegmatic  –  refers to being calm (phlegm).

These four basic personality groups (humors) were established by the Greek in 140 AD and were based on an excess of four body fluids: yellow bile, black bile, blood and phlegm.

Note that the “humors” pertain to the bodily fluids identified by the Greeks. The term “temperament” pertains to the name given to the personality group – sanguine as an example.

The 4 Humors and Temperaments have lately had a fifth added – Supine, showing you that most people let alone characters don’t sit comfortably within only one personality grouping, no matter how many you come up with.

The 4 Humors have also been associated with other typing systems or names.  Speaker Florence Littauer described the four temperaments with alliteration: Powerful, Popular, Peaceful, and Perfect. Author Dr. Gary Smalley characterized them using animals: Lion, Otter, Golden Retriever, Beaver. Happily, both authors agreed that some people are primarily one type, while others may incorporate two or even three types within themselves.

The 4 Temperaments have also been associated to many other systems of type differentiation, for instance – the 4 elements (air, water, fire and earth) and from those, associated through to Western Astrology which also links into the elements. You can perhaps see from all of these links how easy it may be to build on the character development by starting off with something as simple as a generalistic personality type.

Types to Blood Types

Or, if you have a character who is from certain parts of Japanese Culture, or visiting Japan, you may like to build your character with one final and very specific detail – their blood type.

In parts of Japanese and Korean culture, dependent on your blood type (ketsu eki gata), you may have certain character traits.

Here, instead of C and D, we have an AB Type, and an O Type.

Blood types have repercussions on your best diets, health matters and your future career and who you should marry.

Resources

• 16 Signs You’re A Little (Or A Lot) Type A – Huffington Post
• A/B Personality Test – Personality Tests
• 10 Reasons You Should Be Glad You’re Type B – Huffington Post
• Four temperaments – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Four Temperaments – this website also describes blends between the four
• Japan Today explains the Importance of Blood Type

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

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The Young Man from the Provinces is a hero type in a situational story archetype.

The Archetype

“I return, ready to take my rightful place”~ Young Man from the Provinces Motto

The young man from the provinces is a mythical archetype from many fairy or folk tales and sits well within the Hero’s Journey story archetype, although typically the young man from the provinces has an extended journey of knowledge acquiring and training in his early life, before finally making the return as “prodigal son”.

The Young Man from the Provinces is a situational character archetype- about a hero who has been cast out from his normal world and lived and trained elsewhere by strangers, to finally be accepted back into that old world as a hero.

Although he may appear innocent and naive of that original world, and he may initially be judged as being unworthy, uncouth or too barbarian or simple for that world; inevitably his integrity and heroic qualities will teach and inspire others, and provide new solutions for problems, to win that world over.

The young man will often be taught and trained in a country or provincial environment, somewhere where the law of nature or the land will create a warrior with integrity. And his return back to civilisation (the big city or a kingdom) will find a world of confusion, hostility and corruption, in need of an innocent yet skilled hero.

Derivatives of the Mythic Journeys

Lately the Young Man from the Provinces archetype has become a little associated with a young person seeking adventure and leaving their dull boring home to find success or their empowerment. This speaks to the monotony and routine of normal domestic lives. Several songs are held up to identify this adventure calling such as Eminem’s Lose Yourself.

As a brand, the Pepsi advert of a person seeking adventure with Tibetan Monks, is held up as an example. Adventure is a brand archetype which targets anyone with a calling to change themselves or seek enlightenment by means of adventurous pursuits.

Many of our video games feature training of heroes who then go on a journey through various challenges and battles. Facing stronger and stronger challenges and levels, we hear the call to “Power Up.”

Although these are certainly examples of a hero’s journey and coming-of-age, in my opinion they remain a little separate from the true Young Man from the Provinces archetype which sits on a young person being whisked away from their normal world through circumstance and situation, with no choice of their own.

Recognising the Young Man from the Provinces

• The provinces are very old-land based (rarely an urban environment) – country farms, jungles, deserts, dojos hidden in mysterious mountains, islands, other lands. Whatever the environment, it will be harsh, offer many challenges, and provide many life lessons on survival.
  • Note that often the provinces are set in a desert or an island. Water being necessary for survival, the hero may often have to traverse water (oceans or rivers) to return to their old world of birth-right. This water is symbolic of their rebirth.
  • Old world vs the provincial other world are often contrasted in terms of lightness vs darkness, or fire vs ice, haven vs wilderness or heaven vs hell. Many of these are contrasts of hope, birth, knowledge, safety or life with wildness, sterility or death.
  • Be aware, sometimes appearances aren’t all they seem. Corrupt civilisations are often initially portrayed as shiny bright. The Wizard of Oz uses dark versus light as a reversion – with the old world of farmland Kansas in the movie being shot in black and white, emphasising the colourful new world of Oz. The Hunger Games sets District 12 in dull greys while the Capitol’s inhabitants are gregariously coloured.
• The Young Man will be outcast from his original world not through any crime or blame of his own. He will preserve his innocence and heroic spirit.
  • Note – the young man from the provinces is outcast, but different from that of a more normal outcast archetype – an outcast in this later case, is somebody who was outcast from society due to perceived crimes (sometimes falsely accused) and doomed to wander. The outcast in this case, may train himself in skills to allow him back into society, or may wander forever.
  • Often young men are outcast or whizzed away by good guardians on becoming orphans.
• Although his life in training and the provinces will be harsh, he will be happy in his world, until something happens and there’s a call to adventure.
• Often the young man will not have an awareness of his birth-right or the old world. He may discover this with time, or accidentally. At this point his primary goal will turn to returning to this world, whether unknowingly or not. Often he will see this as an adventure of his own.
• In the new world (provinces) the young man will most often have a mentor or group of mentors to train him. We may see mentors again, once he returns to his old world, especially if he has no knowledge of the ways of that world.Mentors in the old world (civilization) could, however, have alternative motives or be corrupt.
• Mentors are often masters, or at least old wise men/women. Their teachings include not only the physical skills necessary but mental and spiritual teachings to make a hero.
• The mentor often provides many archetypal conflicts (see Examples below with Alfred the butler) between the provincial goodness or simpleness and old world civilised badness or blindness to their problems.

Situational Archetypes and Associations:

• father vs son – conflict which causes the two to be separated, with the son eventually returning as an adult with new respect and understanding for the father (as metaphor for the old world) and new ideas and resolutions (gaining respect and equality with the father)
• the fall (from the old world, often accompanied by being outcast)
• death and rebirth (often accompanied by seasonal changes)
• the initiate – young hero goes through training (somehow often wears white)
• innate wisdom vs educated stupidity (often portrayed as mentor vs hero)
• the unhealable wound and loss of innocence (physical or psychological) – the hero realises his full background and that not all of his wounds can be healed.
• the journey or the quest – young men whilst in the provinces must often prove themselves as being worthy of returning to their old world in a series of quests or challenges
• the ritual (rite of passage for an initiate, back into the old world)
• nature vs mechanistic world (nature is good while technology and society are often evil).

Example Young Men from the Provinces

Shrek, as an ogre quite happy with his village life, must suddenly take a hero’s journey to face monsters, and ultimately the politics of the big city, and Princess Fiona’s family. He eventually returns with Fiona to his small village, after conquering and improving the kingdom itself, and in his village Fiona and Shrek find they can have the best of both lives.

Tarzan and Hercules were both mythical heroes “trained” in the provinces (or in Tarzan’s case, the Jungle) before being taken back to a civilisation which was both confusing and judgmental of them due to their perceived barbarianism. Tarzan’s jungle upbringing was the result of an accident and his mentors as jungle animals were far from normal.

Hercules, on the other hand, as a son of Greek God Zeus, was sent to complete twelve labours, mentored by Chiron, as a result of some awful crimes. The account of Hercules has been retold through pop culture and skewed, but in essence he was one of Zeuses’ many half-children and the offspring of some parental misdemeanours, and Zeuses’ wife Hera was out for revenge and plotted to have Hercules killed at any chance. In a fit of madness (some say was caused by Hera) Hercules killed his own wife and children. In atonement, Hercules was sent on his twelve labours.

Hercule’s story doesn’t initially sit true to the archetype in that it’s through his own crimes that Hercules must be outcast. However, consider that Hercules was a demi-god himself, who through his own parental origins, was actually outcast as a baby from his heritage as half-god and forced to live in the human world, although had huge strength and the physique of a God. In that human world he took a normal wife, yet above him Hera was doing all her best to eradicate him, and some say had a hand in influencing the choice of seemingly impossible tasks such as defeating the hydra and Nemean Lion as part of his labours.

When Hercules completed his tasks one of his own heroics included setting Prometheus free from the rock he’d been doomed to be chained to for eternity by a vengeful Zeus. As returning hero to the God world, Hercules actually brought the civilisation he’d learned in his human world background back to the Gods, with Prometheus being symbolic of that as the creator of humans (and for giving them fire) in the first place.

Another mythic hero as young man from the provinces is Odysseus. Odysseus, as a boy-king, was sent off to war for 10 years and when he came back he fought the men who were trying to take his throne, on the island kingdom of Ithaca. Odysseus also used his battle knowledge gained in those many years away to originate the Trojan horse.

Dumbo is another account of a young naive elephant introduced to the corruption, commotion and vulgarities of the circus, but able to hold himself above it by his honest spirit and integrity.

After his parents are killed in ‘Batman Begins’, young Bruce Wayne outcasts himself and goes off to train himself, ending up in prison. He then returns to Gotham City, and as Batman, uses his training to clean up the city. If we look at many of the other Batman origin stories from both the comics and the movies, the butler Alfred often appears as mentor to a young and cocky Bruce Wayne.

Alfred’s character provides another archetypal conflict often found in the young man from the provinces situation – the conflict between the innate wisdom of the old wise or experienced provincial man, and the cockiness or educated stupidity of the wealthy, young or supposedly civilised young man.

Although it remains unknown for sometime, as to Luke Skywalker’s real parentage, his is a Young Man from the Provinces story in Star Wars.

Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, is whizzed away by a tornado, to journey through and learn in Oz, before returning home.

Arthur is another young man from the provinces – as a young boy he is mentored by Merlin, lives a poor but respectable life, before eventually taking his place as King Arthur.

Katniss is literally a Young Woman from the provinces who starts out in the Provinces to a corrupt Capitol, but is outcast into a training ground of the actual Hunger Games arena, before returning as hero to both of her older worlds of Capitol and District 12.

And I’m not sure if any of these 26 posts have managed to not feature some character out of Harry Potter, but in this respect, Harry Potter himself is the proverbial young man from the provinces. Literally “spirited away” (or asparated) from Voldermort’s work as a young baby, he is left to learn how to be a muggle with his Aunt’s family, until the day he is then again spirited away to Hogwarts, his place of heritage. Also, Harry as a literal orphan shows one often-used method for moving the young man away from his old world (kill off the parents) which is seen in several examples (especially in the superhero and mythic genres) above.

In the Lion King, little Simba is another orphan outcast once his father is killed, and his disposed Uncle takes an un-rightful place on the throne. Luke Skywalker, mentioned above, is another example of orphan outcast who doesn’t know his true heritage for some time.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: prodigal son, hero
• Associations:  the innocent, child; country boy, country hick, yokel, outcast, orphan
  
• Other Archetypes who populate the situational archetype:
  • guardians / angels (the character(s) who spirits the young man away) who could go unseen until his return or be –
  • the mentor(s) – two types – the mentors who train and bring up the young man while he lives in the provinces and the mentors who welcome him back into his old world and mentor him into the ways of “the city”
  • an archetype villain / situation that necessitates the young man being outcast
  • setting acts as a symbolic archetype, contrasting the two worlds
• Shadows: outcast who remains a wanderer, revenger, disposed son or traitor

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

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Okay, for Z I’m taking liberties and actually titling with a career choice, not an actual archetype, but the zoologist or animal loving character has a few tropes to work with.

For the real zoologists out there, forgive me. But here we will talk about the fictional animal fanatic, and some of the purveying symbolism in using animals in our stories.

The Zoologist (Animal Lover)

“I trust my pets more than I trust you” ~ Animal Lover’s Motto

The animal fanatic as a character is easily recognisable. Their house is filled with animals, and they probably get on with animals more easily than human beings. Stereotypically they are anti-social, but incredibly competent (almost magically) at understanding and communicating with animals, either of a specific species or overall.

We’ve seen this fictional persona take hold in reality with certain people branding themselves as horse, cat, lama, elephant or dog “whisperers”.

Fictionally there are derivatives where such animal lovers are actually brought up outside of human society by animals – Tarzan of the Jungle and Mowgli of the Jungle Book are two. In real life we are absolutely enthralled by tales of wild children who have been brought up by wolf packs, large cats or other wild animals.

Then we get into a few of associated archetypal tropes which make for interesting studies of literature –

1. Animals Who Talk

The Anthropomorphs

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to something else (usually animals)—language, clothing, housing, food, behaviors, relationships, thought processes. Anthropomorphism has very old roots as a literary device, often used to help convey a message or lesson, like in fables and fairy tales or other juvenile literature. In fantasy we often see anthropomorphic animals as characters, who may even wield magic. Anthropomorphic characters may be protagonists or the companions of a human protagonist, but to really be a part of this sub-genre, they must be key players in the story.

~ Best Fantasy Books Genre description

There are a couple of types of this trope. The first is the literal talkers – animals who are personified as humans, and can tell their own story – often in English, complete with human dialects and accents from where they come from. Disney and Pixar does this popularly as cartoons, Movies like Cats and Dogs use the trope in real live action. Many stories also include actual humans amongst the population.

The In-an-Animal-World

The other permutation of this trope is animals who talk only to each other, and remain animalistic and (reasonably) true to their nature. In fiction, these animals still go on a hero’s journey. The lovely books Watership Down and The Incredible Journey are examples.

Many of these stories of animal talkers are for children. Animal stories make up a large proportion of children’s literature, and there are many literal studies of this sub-genre. Often in this format, a child reading of an animal character can relate to the character more easily than a human or adult character.

2. The Female Rescuer

The female rescuer is a somewhat derogatory stereotype of the Caregiver Archetype (see below). In the female rescuer we find a nerdy or antisocial girl wall-flower who spends her time rescuing animals and caring for them. Her house is normally filled with her pets. From this we may find the further trope of the “cat lady”, often apportioned to single older women without a family.

Why are Animals so Important in our Stories? The Caregiver Archetype

1. Animals as Worthiness Judges

“You can judge a man’s true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” – Paul McCartney

“Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.” ― Arthur Schopenhauer

Looking into the psychology a little bit, one of the all-persuasive sayings across our world is that you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats animals.

We also tend to trust that animals (somehow) have an innate sixth sense towards how good or bad a person really is, and that they are choosy in giving their unconditional love to just anybody. Somehow our domestic pets at least have been imbued with the ability to judge human beings as being worthy or not.

Not to mention that many folk stories tell us that animals like cats have the second-sight ability to see spirits, ghosts or angels or other beings outside our human range of vision.

We find the derivatives of this in our stories all the time – villains seldom have pets and even when they do, somehow only certain types of animals (fluffy grumpy persian cat, or vicious doberman dog) are allowable pets (because they are equally evil) for criminal masterminds. Ala Dr Evil’s cat Bigglesworth in Austin Powers, which was a parody of the cat found in Jame’s Bond’s You Only Live Twice, but we also find the same fluffy evil cat parody through many other films.

Then we have the stories of a man on a first date entering the house of his girlfriend and being assessed towards his trustworthiness by her cat or dog. If the pet takes an instant dislike to a man who’s wooing the heroine, we will later find out the pet was right. TV Tropes calls this ‘Animals Hate Him.’ Further derived we have the common trope that animal haters or those who want to harm animals for their own profit, are our true villains. Disney’s Cruella in 101 Dalmatians is one of the most masterful renditions of a supreme villain encountered from this trope.

We also have the stereotype of the Friend to All Living Things – often a female character like Snow White, who makes friends easily with all the cute little creatures in the woods. This shows us how wise, trustworthy and wholesomely good our character is.

And then there are the animal wars. Even if we trust animals to judge us for our worthiness it seems that some animals sit higher in the pecking (petting?) order for some humans. Some of us are cat lovers, some dog lovers, some are dog haters…and if we find somebody who disagrees with our love, we distrust them!

Taking it back to the purely affected zoologist or animal lover archetype in this post, we should know that a true zoologist would not allow  themselves to be pinpointed down to choosing only one type of animal – they love them all. And as for distrusting other humans, the zoologist hates only the types who kill or harm animals, so hunters or bullies or psychopaths who kill little animals are the true enemies of this archetype. Borderline enemies may exist in meat-eaters or animal farmers or corporations who destroy natural habitats. Obviously a shadow of the animal lover may be the extreme animal activist.

2. The Animal Spirit

Many cultures have spoken mythically of animals having a guiding spirit within them. Native Americans are a well-known example of denoting animals with totem archetypes. Several zodiac systems also use animal characters to denote certain behaviours and associate these with birth dates of humans.

World-wide certain traits are associated with specific animals – the wolf, horse and dog, for instance, is spoken of having a “noble spirit”, the owl as being “wise”, lions and other big cats are associated with royalty and ruling, crows and doves provide messages or omens.

Related to this is the common archetypal belief that, as TV Tropes says, Humans Are the Real Monsters, and animals are truer in spirit. From this we get some subverts of the trope, in shadow characters like the naive animal lover, who believes so much in the spirit and good nature of animals that he forgets that some animals are just plain dangerous by nature.

Another common thinking for wild and larger animals is that such animals are a worthy adversity for the human. Here we get the shadow aspect of the big game hunter who goes out there to prey on animals who could, as he believes, prey on him, in a competition of some sort. From this is derived the animal trophy collector as another shadow.

Then we have the extra-sensory aspect spoken of already in the ghost-seeing cat above. Trope wise, one associated stereotype is the evil-detecting dog.

Specific animals have been from ancient times related to witches, as witch’s familiars – black cats have many superstitions associated to them; frogs, lizards and wolves also have witchcraft and pagan Witch Goddess associations.

But common real life tales of dogs who go missing from their homes and years later make a return appearance having somehow navigated hundreds of miles make appearances in our media all the time. And heroic animals and journeys are popular genres for not only children but adults too. Those are the stories of Lassie, or in Australia, of Red Dog. So perhaps there are animal senses and abilities we will never understand.

As writers when adding animals into our story we should always be aware of the associated archetypes and tropes.

For more on animal characters see D for Dolphin in this series.

3. Unconditional Love

“Animals are such agreeable friends ― they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” ― George Eliot

This belief seems almost contradictive to that nominated in number one above. At the same time that we can believe that an animal can somehow sense how good or bad a person is, we also very much want to believe that animals will love us unconditionally. At least for dogs, that is. Cats don’t have the same reputation, and are free-er spirits with their will.

In actual fact, in real life, even dogs don’t love unconditionally. In real life, they are reliant on humans as a source of food and shelter. The many horrible stories of rescued dogs who are fearful and aggressive shows that bad ownership does not beget love. Dogs in this example are symbolic of the parent-baby relationship of need and behaviours to get what we want when unable to get it for ourselves.

In our modern times when many people are left lonely from nuclear family breakups, divorces, modern travel and employment movements, or simply the longer lifespan afforded our older generations, is there little wonder that many of us are looking for a simple reciprocated and (un)conditional love from animal companions?

However, this aspect does relate to the fact that through all of this, to acquire the “unconditional” love we seek, many of us, including our fictional characters, may return to an ancient archetype, that of the caregiver.

The Caregiver Aspect

Animals, especially domestic pets, have taken the mantle of being in need of our protection and love, and of being incapable of protecting themselves. As pseudo-children, we often see loved pets being “baby”, being personified with human needs, talked to with baby-talk and even being taken around parks in backpacks or prams, when they should be walking. Pet accessories are a billion dollar industry across the world.

More realistically (yes, even in fiction), many of our animal lover characters (Dr Doolittle, Charlotte the spider in Charlotte’s Web, Mr Popper and his penguins) are portrayals of the caregiver. And the caregiver is a portrayal of Jung’s archetype, the Mother.

The caregiver archetype represents selflessness and generosity.

Caregivers, even as animal carers, have many associated shadow archetypes. Animal lovers can become obsessed with one specific type of animal (the cat lady),or can choose animals over humans and become extremist in their practices (the activist or terrorist). In real life we have stories of beloved pets inheriting huge family fortunes and leaving human family members without anything.

Polarising Beliefs

A word of caution. When dealing with animals, animal lovers and animal haters in fiction, writers must be wary of the real life aspects of a couple of polarising beliefs associated with animals.

Animal Haters

The belief that animal haters are bad people is very polarising in the real world. With dogs in particular increasing in urban populations, there are studies now out showing how one becomes an animal lover.

It’s been found that being an animal lover is partly inherited and partly based on not being menaced by an animal in our childhood. Specific and very common fears are created out of childhood encounters with particular animals. I, for instance, have a morbid fear of spiders, but as I was not brought up in a country with snakes, I don’t have the same scare with them, even though I now live in a country containing very venomous ones. Worms I can’t stand because in my early school years some boys thought it funny to stuff them down our tops.

However, as an animal lover myself, my household has always been full of various animal menageries. Currently we have two dogs – one very large, two cats and a bunny. And with a teen daughter I am mindful of her inviting friends around who may be scared of the dogs, particularly the large one. He’s the kindest most gentlest dog I’ve ever had, but he’s big.

One of my daughter’s best friends is a dog hater. She won’t come inside this house if she knows our dogs are here. When I inquired why, she had no reason. She’d never, from memory, been menaced by a dog. But somehow she’d formed a morbid fear of all of them, regardless of nature or size. I can only put this down to her parent’s influence – both she says hate dogs, and have brought her up to mistrust them herself.

When I have my small dog in the car to pick up my daughter after school, the best friend often accompanies my daughter out to the car, but draws back when she sees the dog. The dog senses this, and acts wary and mistrusting around her. He would welcome her with licks and wags if only she patted and greeted him, but she refuses to be encouraged to try that. So the two are at a stale mate – the dog acts like she’s untrustworthy, and she acts as a hater.

If she were a fictional character, she’d be a dog hater at least, and the way a dog reacts to that would find her earmarked stereotypically as a bad person, perhaps even a villain. So beware of the possible stereotyping of bad people as animal haters here.

Don’t Kill an Animal

Because of the symbolism of animals as characters of good spirits, their unconditional love and trust of their humans, and the fact that we believe anyone who has a pet or is an animal lover is a good person, if we as writers dare to kill off an animal in our stories (much like killing a child) we must be ready for hate-mail from disappointed readers.

This is one of the odd rules of writing – never kill off a [beloved] animal or child.

Of course, technically it makes no real life sense. Children and animals are killed or have accidents as readily as adults. Crime fiction and disaster action fiction would be much more realistic if it were allowed to impact both sets of characters.

Recognising the Animal Lover

• The true animal lover will be surrounded by animals – their home will have a lot of them
• They will often be anti-social, or shy, and struggle to form or maintain relationships with humans, or in less drastic terms, be more comfortable around animals than humans.
• They may work in zoological-related jobs – vets, animal welfare officers, zoo keepers, animal charity organisers, pet store owners, conservationists, scientists who study animals in the wild
• They may have a magical ability to understand animals and their needs, to calm wild animals down, to heal animals, and get animals to do what they want
• They may confine themselves to one particular species (ie the cat lady) but a true animal lover will not want to choose and will love all types, regardless of how cute or dangerous they may or may not be.
• Particularly, injured, rejected, endangered, or scared animals in need of help or protection will be an attractive to the animal lover who has a rescuer complex.
• The animal lover’s sense of responsibility and care for their animals means they may have to give up or miss more human activities.
• Animal lovers are often considered strange, odd or crazy by other humans. This is often used for comical effect.
• Any animal lover story or story which includes animals as main characters will prove the point that animals can behave better than many people, and ultimately make the animal lover character more human and accepted in society.
• Healthy animal lovers as metaphor are inclusive, accepting, kind, selfless, considerate, and passionate human beings; contrasting with racists, bigots, selfishness, me-only, me-first and other bad archetypes. The animal lover story will always have a heavily humanistic moral premise.

Example Zoologists

• ‘Old Yeller’ – boy and dog (realistic dog)
• ‘Ratatouille’ – cartoon personified rat who wants to be a chef
• ‘Babe’ – the pig and other animals remain moderately realistic and talk amongst themselves
• ‘Gorillas in the Mist; – the true story based on scientist Dian Fossey, and her relationship with African gorillas
• ‘Marley and Me’ – a movie based on an autobiological book telling the story of a family and real dog
• ‘War Horse’ – a real horse who has a tear-jerking journey
• ‘Black Beauty’ – a classic horse story
• ‘Charlotte’s Web’ – a classic children’s story about several farm animals, with Charlotte being a spider. The animals can talk to each other.
• ‘Dr Doolittle’ is the father archetype of the human who can talk to animals.
• ‘Mr Popper’s Penguins’ is the story of a firstly reluctant caregiver to a group of penguins. The penguins succeed in making Mr Popper more human.
• ‘Lassie’ and ‘Skippy the Kangaroo’ – heroic animal on adventures
• ‘Red Dog’ – an Australian example of the heroic dog who has some mystical abilities to make huge journeys.
• ‘We Bought a Zoo’ – the based-on-a-true-story journey of one family into the world of true animal carers, and a happier life.

Other Names, Associates and Origins

• Other names: zoo keeper, animal-lover, Dr Doolittle, animal spirit, animal talker, dog whisperer
• Associations:  caregiver / mother, helper; humans raised by animals (Tarzan); Cruella Villain type; talking/personified anthromorphic animal stories (kidlit)
• Sub-archetypes / stereotypes: naive animal lover, female rescuer; Disney types- friend to all living things, and fluffy tamer (a friend to dangerous living things); animals hate him.
• Shadows: extremist animal activist; female rescuer as cat lady; big game hunter; animal trophy collector; metaphor of token racist (an animal lover who chooses or selects only one species of animal and classifies others including humans below them)

Part of 2016’s Character Archetype Series (A-Z) @ Hunter is Writing.

And so the end of the Character Archetypes A to Z has arrived. This is the final index to the posts. I hope these were helpful for some.

These posts were published from March through August 2016 on the Word Hunter blog. Find them under the series under tag: character archetypes a to z.

	Introduction and What’s an Archetype? [Reference Post] Archetypes, Character Archetypes, Shadow Archetypes, Types of…
	A is for Alter-Ego Shadow Archetype
	B is for Brat Teen Archetype
	C is for Catalyst The Magician
	D is for Dolphin (and other animal archetypes)
	E is for Explorer
	F is for Fallen (and other) Mentors Mentors galore
	G is for Gemini (and other astrology archetypes) Bonus: How to Create Characters using Astrology (Step by Steps)
	I is for the Initiates
	J is for Judge
	K is for Kuuderes (and all the other Deres)
	L is for Lover
	M is for Minions, Medleys & Minor Characters Looking for Mentors? Look under F.
	N is for Nerd
	O is for Ordinary Guy and Orphan
	P is for Prophet (Oracle and Wise Man)
	Q is for Questioner
	R is for Royal or Ruler
	S is for Sidekick
	T is for Traitor (and the Shapeshifter)
	U is for Ubermensch (the Superhuman)
	V is for Villain (28 Villain Types)
	W is for Writer (9 Writer Types)
	X is for Type X (A Study of 4’s) – X, A, B & C Types Japanese Blood Types 4 Humours / Temperaments
	Y is for Young Man from the Provinces
	Z is for Zoologist (Animal Lover) The Animal Lover and Animal Symbolism in Story Also see – D is for Dolphin

Some timely news to tag onto the full 26 post series describing some character archetypes: There is now a brand new workshop on turning archetypes into full characters. And it’s on special if you get in quick.

This is not an affiliate blurb. The link below is not affiliated. But I am a huge fan and taker of Lynn Johnston‘s writing courses, and she’s today announced a new one.

Now, a couple of caveats. I’m a pretty visually-orientated learner myself, and Lynn teaches via live tele-seminars. Due to timing, but mainly because I just don’t get on sitting and listening to a teacher without many visuals, I tend to not attend the live session myself. Instead, I download all the playbacks and occasionally listen to them. But it’s from the PDF, slides and worksheets (which aren’t hugely visual themselves) that I pick up my own learning from Lynn’s work. These are available afterwards and are useful into the future.

So, in the preceeding blog posts I published, I nominated over 26 different types of archetypes, many are not of the traditional sort also. I also, in the Introduction to the series, spoke a little around what an archetype is, from a historical and world-storytelling viewpoint.

What I didn’t – and couldn’t – do, was tell you how to use them.

As Lynn points out, no-one does. Although she personally went looking for the answer of how to use an archetype to build character, she came up wanting. So she created the teaching herself.

In From Archetype to Character, you’ll learn:

• What character archetypes really are (and how understanding this makes plotting easier)
• The most powerful way to create an archetypal character’s backstory (and the #1 pitfall to avoid when it comes to backstory)
• The biggest mistake writers make when choosing an archetypal character’s motivation
• How to take advantage of an archetype’s built-in emotional resonance and cohesion to make your story more compelling
• The two facets of psyche that you must develop if you want your archetypal character to feel real (and techniques that make it easy to develop them)

In this live training, you’ll watch Lynn take an archetype and turn it into a three-dimensional character right before your eyes, step-by-step. Also, the same techniques you’d use to develop an archetype can also be used to fix cliché characters and generic characters.

To read more and register, go here. If you register before the live training on 22nd September, it’s only US$17.

I’ve taken a lot of Lynn’s courses in the past, and they are high up there regarding different and workable content for fiction writers. As I mentioned, I’m not an affiliate – although there are a few emails buzzing around from affiliates today introducing the Archetypes workshop – so the links here are simply Lynn’s own.

Links:

• From Archetype to Character
• Lynn Johnston’s website, Write Smarter Not Harder – sign up to the newsletter for further workshop release news, or access the older courses (at greater cost).