The Dying God Archetype
Whom does this picture depict?
• Odin of Norse mythology
What is similar about this picture?
The Dying God Archetype
• Also known as a the “resurrection deity,” this god is either resurrected or reborn in a literal or symbolic sense
• All myths imitate ancient rituals that were intended to renew the fertility of the land and crops each year
Egyptian Mythology
•Osiris
Maya Mythology
• Quetzalcoatl
Greek Mythology
•Dionysus
Death and Resurrection
• When the god dies, he/she often experiences a descent into the Underworld
• The god either ultimately triumphs beyond or rules over the Underworld
The Tree of Life
• A tree connecting earth to a heaven and/or and underworld
• Some tree symbols:– The Judeo-Christian Garden of Eden features
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil– The Buddha attains Nirvana under a bodhi tree– In the film Avatar, the Na’vi find their spiritual
home in a tree– Cigna health insurance uses a tree of life as its
insignia
The Odyssey
• Odysseus (Ulysses) and Penelope built their world of Ithaca around an olive tree
Norse Cosmology
• Yggdrasil is the “world tree” that reaches into every realm and rises through three different lands
Judeo-Christian Tradition
• The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden
Buddhism
• Gautama Buddha receives enlightenment under the bodhi tree
Modern Cinema
• In the film Avatar, the Na’vi live in a sacred tree
Corporate Logo
• Cigna health insurance