Archetypes In Ancient Mythology

What are the common archetypes in ancient mythologies? I chose this topic because I have a large interest in past culture, and I would like to know more about the stories of heroes passed down through many generations. These archetypes help historians understand the lifestyle of past civilizations, such as Greek, Norse, and Egyptian. When people include an archetypal character in a piece of literature, “it helps to get the message of a work across to the reader, by appealing to specific universal components of human nature” (McSorley). Each archetype has its own characteristics, and many cultures have a recurring theme in each of their characters. The history of the introduction and usage of archetypes also interests me, because this idea started
My topic is basic because I have a question that I want to answer, and the results show usefulness in the real world to help answer other questions. Curiosity mainly fueled my research and interests, and the subject I researched can spread through many areas. However, a broad topic enhances the knowledge of what we already know. In addition, I would describe my topic as qualitative because it covers a variety of information-based sources. I researched this topic to gain a better understanding of archetypes in mythology. I also tried to decipher trends in these archetypes, and explored in depth details about what I
Most people can recognize this archetype, and it has been in many stories throughout mythology. Some characteristics of a hero are strength, bravery, and leadership. From Greece, scholars use Oedipus to represent a commonly known character in the hero archetype. The tragic hero more specifically describes his archetype. This type of hero has their fate foretold by the Gods or some other higher force to cause wreckage or suffering as a result of his or her choices (“Tragic Hero”). Also from Greek Mythology, many people recognize Odysseus as a hero. He fought valiantly during the Trojan War, trying to save Helen, a woman from his country who Troy kidnapped. The victory of the Greeks occurred from of Odysseus, because he disguised himself as an old beggar and managed to make his way into Troy, where he infiltrated the enemy. Odysseus also came up with the idea of the Trojan horse, which allowed most of Greece’s soldiers to invade Troy unknowingly. After fighting in this war, he began his quest to get home to his family, but many hardships ambushed him; he does not return to his homeland for twenty years (Homer). Odysseus represents a hero because of his bravery during the war, and his will to continue on even after losing all of his crew. Additionally, he had loyalty to his men, wife, and child, and would sacrifice his life just for them to live on. Beowulf, in Norse mythology, also