Jungian Ever After | Snow White Part 1: Archetypal Evil
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Snow White is one of the most recognized fairy tale stories and characters but, as usual, not many people are familiar with the Grimm version. Part one centers around Archetypal Evil and how it taints those who come into contact with it.
The story is from Household Tales by Brothers Grimm and is read starting at 6:24 and ending at 24:55.
Adina also recommends:
- The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Pantheon Fairy Tale And Folklore Library). If attempting to purchase this, be sure it says, “with Padraic Colum (intro) and Joseph Campbell (commentary) and James Scharl (illustr)”. Amazon considers all versions to be the same book, so you could accidentally buy a copy without those key elements.
- Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales. Written by Marie-Louise von Franz.
Our intro/outro music is from Antoni Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, performed by John Harrison with the Wichita State University Chamber Players. You can find the original at freemusicarchive.org
Banner Image: File:Schneewittchen2.jpg – Wikimedia Commons
Email: jungianeverafter@gmail.com
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2 Responses
In listening to this episode, I hope that the hosts consider listening to Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ brilliant take on this story. Dr. Estes is a Jungian analyst who authored “Women who run with the Wolves”. The Snow White analysis is in one of her other collections of folk and fairy tale analyses.
The topic discussed was archetypal evil, so of course the emphasis was on the Queen. I can only hope, for the sake of Wholeness, that the Puella is explored in the next episode. It’s the undeveloped feminine in Snow White that fuels the murderous rage of the Queen. In this telling of the tale, Snow is given three chances — three warnings — of the Queen’s murderous intent. Trusting, innocent – and willful – Snow thinks “Oh, I don’t have to pay attention to what the creatures of the earth tell me, I like the pretty things!” She has no insight. She doesn’t have a mirror, she doesn’t see herself, she is hiding from her shadow by remaining ignorant. Of course she must fall into suspended animation in this battle with evil. Here in this internal underworld she may begin to grow. I love the detail that it’s the Prince’s servants who rescue her. The animus is just as blind as the dead-seeming Snow. He has capture the Pretty and only thinks to take it home to worship her/its inanimate form. The servants, in touch with the earth, stumble on that grounding reality. So much more to say. Perhaps you’ll touch on this in the next chapter. Whose idea is the torture of the Queen? Hmmmm.