What Is The Archetype Of The Allies In The Odyssey

The Brothers Grimm were two German authors who wrote more than 210 children’s stories in the 1800’s, many of which are still well known today. “The White Snake”, one of these stories, was published in 1812, and is about a youth who leaves his king to travel the land after gaining the ability to speak to animals. The Odyssey, an ancient myth by the greek author Homer, is about a greek king who spends 10 years away from home attempting to return after fighting in a war. Although “The White Snake” and The Odyssey were written thousands of years apart, comparing the archetypes in both stories, like Allies, the Temptress, the Suitors’ contest, and the Task, supports the theory that the deeper meanings of different stories, even across multiple …show more content…
Allies is present in The Odyssey when Circe gives them advice about Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus says, “[Odysseus] Only instruct me, goddess, if you will, how, if possible can I pass Charybdis [...] Swiftly the loveliest goddess answered me” (Homer 1233). From this quote, one can tell that the goddess Circe is helping Odysseus pass Scylla and Charybdis which makes her an ally. The purpose of this archetype is to show that even someone like Odysseus still needs help to finish a task. When Odysseus and his men are about to face Scylla, he is asking help from Zeus: “[Odysseus] Zeus help us pull away before we founder. You at the tiller, listen” (Homer 1235). This quote shows that he needs help because he is looking towards the Gods to help him which portrays the purpose of Allies in The Odyssey. The archetypal element of Allies is also present in “The White Snake” when the servant helps the fish who end up helping him marry the princess. When he saves the fish, they say, “We [The Fish] will remember you [The Servant] and repay you for saving us” (Grimm 1). This quote’s significance is to foreshadow the servant needing help from the fish which ultimately portrays the allies archetype. The purpose of allies in “The White Snake” is to show that a brave adventurer like the servant still needs assistance to accomplish something. When the servant needs to find and retrieve an apple from the tree of life, in order to marry the princess, the ravens who he helps say: “[Ravens] We are the three young ravens whom you [The Servant] saved from starving [...] we flew over the sea to the end of the world, where the tree of life stands, and have brought you the apple” (Grimm 1). Through this quote one can see the purpose of the archetypal