The Archetype of The Archer
Augustus Saint-Gaudens (American, Dublin 1848–1907 Cornish, New Hampshire). Diana, 1893–94, cast 1894 or after. Bronze. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New YorkArtemis, Robin Hood, Katniss from The Hunger Games…why are people who can wield a bow and arrow so bad-ass?
Archery as a sport seems like a pretty esoteric endeavor to me, intimidatingly so. But the Archer as an archetype represents a universal human cycle: the cycle of wanting - and getting.
The symbolism of the bow and arrow, like most symbols, derives from how it actually functions in the world. Therefore, the bow part of this object pair represents tension and potential energy, which are needed for release and creativity. Its counterpart, the arrow, signifies movement, direction, and precision.
Archery as a sport seems like a pretty esoteric endeavor to me, intimidatingly so. But the Archer as an archetype represents a universal human cycle: the cycle of wanting - and getting.
The symbolism of the bow and arrow, like most symbols, derives from how it actually functions in the world. Therefore, the bow part of this object pair represents tension and potential energy, which are needed for release and creativity. Its counterpart, the arrow, signifies movement, direction, and precision.
According to my very favorite reference book in the world, Penguin’s Dictionary of Symbols, the symbolism of the arrow “is a symbol of unification, decision-taking, synthesis” and the bow provides “the tension from which our desires spring”.
Traditionally the bow and arrow was a way of getting food, or guarding one’s castle. Katniss Everdeen and Robin Hood used them as a way to defend against evil oppressors.
Sometimes we are in the “bow” phase, acknowledging the distance between what we have and what we want. And at other times we’re shooting the arrow, and watching it close the gap between where we are and what is ahead.
You can’t fire the arrow without the bow, so the next time you find yourself feeling stagnant, or tense, remember that it’s part of the process. Take a deep breath, take aim, and let go.