Female archetypes are the archetypes women usually identify with or who have identified with through the years. There is a popular saying that defines each archetypal woman: “All the princesses are stupid, but not so stupid that they can’t find a good man in Shrek”. Although the quote was made about Disney Princesses and not all archetypes, it can apply to women from any culture or time period. The archetypal woman is strong independent, bold and beautiful but is not without her own faults.
The ancient Greek and Roman societies possessed many archetypes of the Feminine Person. These archetypes are still widely held by society to this day. It is said that every gender has their own archetypes which are different aspects of femininity. The modern Western society however, has evolved into more of a society that embraces and celebrates the different feminine archetypes.
The most popular archetypal figure is the Mother. The motherly figure is almost always portrayed as being nurturing to her children or loved ones. Most often these images represent a mother with a child or perhaps a daughter and the image is typically associated with mothers taking care of their children. Another popular archetypal figure is the nurturer. Often times these images are related with professions such as the nurse or a governess. However, these female archetypes are not limited to these fields; they are also found in literature and films.
Another archetypal figure associated with the Feminine Person is the Two-Cycle Lover. This type of female Archetype is very common in literature, especially in fantasy novels. The two cycle Lover is a person who will seek out love and romance throughout her different cycles, which are essentially seasons of life. For example, in a woman’s cycle of life she is in the primary season, the primary period of her life, then in her secondary season, the secondary life stage, then into her tertiary cycle, and lastly in her forthcycle, which is the last cycle of her life. In a man’s life he goes through the primary, secondary and tertiary seasons, then through his last stage in his life which is his exultation and celebration of his renewed existence.
The next two archetypes on our list are the courageous ecstatic woman and the courageous passionate woman. These two archetypes represent the opposite ends of the spectrum of Feminine Person. The courageous ecstasy energy represents an individual that is incredibly in touch with her feelings and are therefore able to express them in a healthy way. The courageous passionate woman, on the other hand, is one who has very little or no emotions at all and who will go through great pains to experience these intense feminine emotions.
The last two archetypes on our list are the plucky girl and the harpy girl. The plucky girl is the female archetypal character that displays an endless variety of strengths and weaknesses in equal proportion. This includes being extremely loyal to her male counterparts, while also being willing to sass up a little to get the approval of her male counterparts. The harpy girl on the other hand is shown by the color of her hair and eyes, as well as her dress and exterior traits to be sexually provocative and often aggressively sexual.
As we have seen there are several different archetypes represented by the female gender. Each of these archetypes, however, provides the women with different characteristics and functions. We can thus say that each of the various archetypes represents a certain aspect of what it means to be a woman. This is why there are several different archetypes of women such as the nurturer, the courageous, the passionate and the plucky girl. All women represent different aspects of what it means to be a woman, and therefore each of them should be honored for their contributions to the progression of the gender.
When it comes to writing stories about women, it helps to be aware of the various archetypes represented by the female characters. In many movies and anime series the archetypes are combined in what is called the Yin-Yang archetypes. These combine to give the character something that is uniquely hers. By paying close attention to the various archetypes found throughout the different plots and situations that the female characters find themselves in, the writer is better placed to develop a sympathetic and believable character. This can make the story much more enjoyable for the reader because the emotional attachment is much closer than with common, archetypal female characters.