The Guild of Pastoral Psychology
Older Women in European Myth and Fairy Tales: An Archetypal Analysis
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There is no clear image of a viable female elderhood in the contemporary cultural mythology of the West; it seems not to be an archetype we recognise any more. Older women are mostly ignored, encouraged to be inconspicuous, or held up as objects of derision and satire. But our myths and folklore contain a rich and diverse collection of women from midlife and beyond who offer insight into the ways that each of us could uniquely embody a bold and purposeful elderhood. They tell the wisdom stories and know where the medicine plants grow. They serve as guides for younger adults; they know when the community is going down the wrong path, and they’re not afraid to speak out and say so. Their focus is on giving back: on bringing out, for the sake of Earth and community, the hard-earned wisdom which they’ve grown within themselves. From the Trickster to the Creatrix, the Medial Woman to the Mentor, these stories shed light on the rich and varied nature of older women’s wisdom.
Photo by Art Institute of Chicago on Unsplash