Mythology and Archetypes in Literature — Flashcards
Grade 10 · English · Flashcards
Key terms, archetypes, and mythological concepts for Grade 10 English.
Flashcards
- Monomyth
- Joseph Campbell's term for the universal Hero's Journey pattern found across world mythologies.
- Hero archetype
- A protagonist who undergoes transformation through trials, ultimately returning changed with new wisdom or power.
- Mentor archetype
- A wise guide who prepares the hero for challenges without completing the journey for them (Gandalf, Chiron, Dumbledore).
- Shadow archetype
- The villain who represents the hero's darkest potential — what they could become without moral courage.
- Trickster archetype
- A boundary-breaking figure who uses cleverness and chaos to expose hypocrisy or force change (Loki, Anansi, Puck).
- Threshold Guardian
- A figure who tests the hero's worthiness before they can cross into a new phase of the journey.
- Allusion
- A brief reference to a myth, text, or person that imports emotional or thematic meaning without full explanation.
- Collective Unconscious
- Jung's concept of a shared layer of the human psyche containing universal archetypes and symbols.
- Hero's Journey stages
- Call → Refusal → Acceptance → Departure → Trials → Abyss → Transformation → Return.
- Creation myth
- A narrative that explains how the world or humanity came into existence (found in virtually every culture).
- Narcissus (myth)
- Greek youth who fell in love with his own reflection — origin of the word 'narcissism' (excessive self-love).
- Pandora's box
- Greek myth: Pandora opens a jar releasing all human evils — allusion used to mean unleashing irreversible trouble.
- Achilles' heel
- Mythological allusion: the one vulnerable spot of an otherwise invincible person — used to mean a critical weakness.
- Hubris
- Excessive pride that leads to a character's downfall — a central concept in Greek tragedy and myth.
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