The Trickster Archetype

  

The trickster is an alchemist, a magician, creating realities in the duality of time and illusion. The Trickster lives inside and outside of time. He is of our world, yet not of our world, so our laws will not always apply.

The trickster is an important archetype in the history of man. He is a god, yet he is not. He is the wise-fool. He rebels against authority, pokes fun at the  overly serious, creates convoluted schemes that may or may not work, plays with the laws of the universe and is sometimes his own worst enemy.

He exists to question, to cause us to question not accept things blindly. He appears when a way of thinking becomes outmoded, needs to be torn down, built anew.

Tricksters can be cunning or foolish or both; they are often very funny even when considered sacred or performing important cultural tasks.

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In many cultures, the trickster and the culture hero are often combined. (as may be seen in Greek, Norse or Slavic folktales, along with Native American/First Nations lore) For example, in Greek mythology, the titan Prometheus stole fire from the gods to give it to humans. He is more of a culture hero than a trickster.

However, in many Native American and First Nations mythologies, the coyote (South-western United States) or raven (Pacific Northwest and coastal British Columbia) steal fire from the gods (stars or sun) but they are more tricksters than culture heroes. This is primarily because coyote and raven are usually seen as jokesters and pranksters.

The Trickster or Fool is an example of a Jungian Archetype and survives in modern playing cards as the Joker. In modern literature the trickster survivors as a character archetype, not necessarily supernatural or divine, therefore better described as a stock-character.

In later folklore, the trickster is incarnated as a clever, mischievous man or  creature who survives the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as a defence.

For example, many typical fairy tales have a King who wants to find the best groom for his daughter by ordering several trials. No brave and valiant prince or knight manages to win them, until a poor and simple peasant comes. With the help of his wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, he evades or fools the monsters and villains and dangers with unorthodox manners.

Therefore the most unlikely candidate passes the trials and receives the reward. More modern and obvious examples of this type are Bugs Bunny and The Little Tramp (Charlie Chaplin).

The trickster is an important archetype in the history of man. He is a god, yet he is not. He is the wise-fool. He rebels against authority, pokes fun at the  overly serious, creates convoluted schemes that may or may not work, plays with the laws of the universe and is sometimes his own worst enemy.

He exists to question, to cause us to question not accept things blindly. He appears when a way of thinking becomes outmoded, needs to be torn down, built anew.

The trickster can be an ally or companion of the hero or may work for the villain. In some instances the trickster may even be the hero or villain. In any role, the trickster usually represents the force of cunning, and is pitted against opponents who are stronger or more powerful.

Other symbols, associated with him include keys, clock, masks, and infinity, among other mythological images

Trickster is a creator, a joker, a truth teller, a storyteller, a transformer linked to the spiritual frequency changes humanity is experiencing at this time.

The trickster 'deity' breaks the rules of the 'gods' or nature, sometimes maliciously (for example, Loki) but usually with ultimately positive effects. Often, the rule-breaking takes the form of tricks or thievery.