This work focuses on the popularity of the hero story by analyzing “The Hobbit” according to archetypical theory as described by Carl Jung and exploring how the images buried deep in our collective unconscious promote resonance.
The hero in a story can take on many forms. He can be a man, a woman, a child, or some other sort of creature. He can be of divine nature, human, or a combination of the two. He can be an actual historical figure or even entirely fictional. He can be an epic hero that everyone expects to succeed, but he can also be considered an unlikely candidate for an adventure of the magnitude that only a true hero has the ability to accomplish. No matter the form, the hero is chosen to take an adventure that will change the fate of his tribe, nation, world, or even universe and most of all change himself in ways he did not deem possible.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Hero and the Heroic Quest
2.1 The Hero
2.2 The Heroic Quest
3. The Collective Unconscious and Archetypes
3.1 The Collective Unconscious
3.2 Archetypes
3.2.1 The Shadow
3.2.2 The Self
3.2.3 The Anima
3.2.4 The Wise Old Man
3.2.5 The Hero Archetype
3.3 Summary
4. The Hobbit - A Jungian Reading
5. The Popularity of Archetypal Hero Stories
6. Summary
Bibliography
1. Introduction
The hero in a story can take on many forms. He can be a man, a woman, a child, or some other sort of creature. He can be of divine nature, human, or a combination of the two. He can be an actual historical figure or even entirely fictional. He can be an epic hero that everyone expects to succeed, but he can also be considered an unlikely candidate for an adventure of the magnitude that only a true hero has the ability to accomplish. No matter the form, the hero is chosen to take an adventure that will change the fate of his tribe, nation, world, or even universe and most of all change himself in ways he did not deem possible (Campbell 1968, 52/53).
The hero's quest consists of several phases, each of which has various substages. The most prevalent piece of literature that is essential for this section of the thesis is Joseph Campbell's book The Hero of a Thousand Faces, in which he details the different parts of a hero's journey. From the Call to Adventure to the Return back home, Campbell describes the different parts he has found in the majority of the stories he has studied and compared. Even though a few critics rightfully point out that the structure he has made out does not correspond to every hero's story there is, he himself points out that there are certainly examples that deviate from it. The story does not have to incorporate all the different stages and substages, as sometimes the author chooses to focus only on a few. Nevertheless, the exceptions usually only prove the rule. The fundamental features typically are to be found in most, if not all, stories of this specific sort (Campbell 1968, 326).
One of the stories I want to take under closer inspection is The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien from 1937. With 140.6 million sold copies worldwide and incredibly popular, as well as profitable, it is certainly worth examining (Wordsrated 2023). Bilbo Baggins, a comfortable hobbit living in the Shire in the fictional and fantastical world of MiddleEarth, is called to an adventure he thinks he did not want nor need. However, it turns out that this is precisely the thing his soul and his unconscious have been yearning for, even though he is anything but aware of it when Gandalf crosses paths with him. Although nobody, most certainly not himself, believes that he is the right one for this undertaking, he succeeds against all odds and changes his life and his very being ultimately (Campbell 1968, 326). Bilbo’s journey stands in the focus of this thesis as a specific example of the story about the hero and his quest.
There are countless examples of heroic quests that have been narrated in different ways. The Hobbit and the following trilogy that sprang off this fantasy novel, The Lord 1 of the Rings, are exceptionally popular examples; however, there are so many more out there that are consumed over and over in various forms all over the world. Every culture has its specific examples of hero stories. It is undoubtedly one of the most common and popular motifs in art and literature, regardless of time and place. The same patterns reoccur in these stories regardless of whether or not the cultures in question have had any contact whatsoever (Al-Jaf 2017, 6). This is indeed astonishing, and the immense popularity is something worth pondering over.
One main reason for the common occurrence of these patterns and stories throughout time and space may be explained by the psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung’s theory of archetypes and the collective unconscious. Primordial images that lie in the deepest parts of our psyche can manifest directly in dreams, visions, and fantasies of human beings but also in transformed states in creative products such as pieces of literature. Comparing these images and patterns that the famous psychiatrist has noticed emerging in his patients' dreams to mythological stories made him realize certain commonalities that he explored further (Rodi 1977, 53). His books The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, Symbols of Transformation and Aspects of the Feminine build the foundation of the section of this thesis that deals with his theory. Although his work has been criticized, he still is a household name when it comes to literary criticism, and his findings have had a lasting impression on various other fields, such as psychology, psychiatry, anthropology, philosophy, and more, making him one of the most important and influential psychologists of all time (Corbett 2009, 1).
In the analysis section of this thesis, I shall attempt to apply Jung's theory to the plot of The Hobbit and describe the archetypal imagery displayed within it. This step should explain the deeper psychological meaning of the story and the symbolism connected to it. There is much more to Bilbo and his adventure than can be seen at first glance. Analyzing the plot in that manner may expand the readers' perspective, raise selfawareness and hopefully animate them to take a closer look at themselves and their lives (Knapp 1984, x). Hopefully, this approach will also shine a light on the central question of this thesis: Why are archetypal hero stories, such as The Hobbit and alike, so incredibly popular? In the last part, further various reasons for the immense popularity of The Hobbit need to be laid out in detail.
In summary, the hero and his various forms need to be explored first. The following section will describe the heroic quest and its stages in detail. Next, Carl Gustav Jung’s theory of archetypes and the collective unconscious certainly needs further explanation as a basis for the analysis later on, as well as some specific archetypes and their possible manifestations and meanings. Those archetypes will then be pointed out in the specific story of the Hobbit and explained within the context of the novel. Before the findings can be summarized, however, I shall attempt to answer the question as to why archetypal hero stories, such as The Hobbit, have been and still are so incredibly popular amongst readers from all over the world.
As an important disclaimer, it should be stated that throughout this thesis, I shall refer to the hero in male form using male pronouns; however, this is only done for better and more fluent readability. As previously stated, the hero can appear in many different forms and figures.
2. The Hero and the Heroic Quest
Heroes and their adventures are an incredibly popular theme in mythology, literary tradition, and other kinds of narratives that can be found in all cultures all around the world, independent of place and time (Lundqvist 2007, 1). A tale as old as time itself that has been told and retold countless times in different ways and languages (Campbell 1968, 358). In the midst of all of them, there is this one extraordinary individual, whether he is human or divine, real or fictional, who ventures out into the world in order to perform the seemingly impossible heroic deed that saves his tribe, the nation or the world in which he lives in (Al-Jaf 2017, 5). The heroic quest he has to undertake entails all types of dangers and hurdles that the hero needs to overcome. With each and every single one of them, he grows and transforms so that, in the end, he is ready and able to perform the ultimate task that seemed so impossible before (Lundqvist 2007, 5/6). Although some details might vary from story to story and from hero to hero, in its fundamental principle, it is always the same ordeal that at long last tells the story of an entirely human experience (Harihan in Lundqvist 2007, 5).
2.1 The Hero
The hero is and forever has been one of the most famous literary figures in the history of mankind. From religious figures such as Christ himself to mythological heroic personas such as Beowulf or modern-time heroes such as Harry Potter or Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, the western oral and literary tradition seems to return over and over again to the popular theme of the hero and his quest. However, the hero is certainly not exclusive to the western world. There are heroes to be found in each culture independent of time and space. Be it the Greek mythological hero Odysseus, the Buddha in Buddhist mythology, the Roman hero Hercules or the Gods of Egyptian and Norse mythologies, there is certainly no shortage of individuals, may they be divine, human, historical, or fictional, who performed incredible deeds and thereby brought upon fundamental change (OwlApps, 2012).
Consulting the Oxford Learner's Dictionary (2023), there are three different definitions to be found:
1. "A person, especially a man, who is admired by many people for doing something brave or good
2. The main male character in a story, novel, movie, etc.
3. A person, especially a man, that you admire because of a particular quality or skill."
These definitions focus on the male sex; however, there are plenty of memorable heroines to be found in the realm of mythology and literature, as well. It is undoubtedly the case, regardless of sex, that the heroic figure is a unique individual who achieves what has not been achieved before and therefore sets him or her apart from the rest since there is no comparison due to new standards that have been set through the heroic deed (Schlechtriemen 2019, 17). Heroes are the extraordinary few that stand out and become visible in contrast to the ordinary masses who look up to them in their helplessness and in need of leadership (Golz 2021, 54). Not only do heroes do what is expected of them, they go above and beyond, which an ordinary person does not do. The supererogatory moment described here cannot be expected of an average person, who is certainly aware of that. Most people do not want to endanger their well-being or even sacrifice themselves and prefer to conform and let somebody else lead and save them (Golz 2021, 55/58).
The hero dominates and simultaneously represents the tribe, nation, or society around him. In fact, the welfare of the people surrounding him depends entirely on his actions and bravery (Al-Jaf 2017, 5 and Reed 1974, 1). Not only are the ones who need a savior entirely dependent on that one exceptional individual, but they are also in absolute awe of him. Through his deviating behavior that sets him apart and above the common crowd, he generates a desire for imitation (Luhmann 1995, 93). The epic hero is utterly 4 devoted to the nation or tribe and his gods. This devotion reaches so far that he is willing to pay the ultimate price in order to save his people, and this very willingness for selfsacrifice is what exerts a unique fascination with his personality (Reed 1974, 3/5). This fascination and awe are especially a given once the hero is human and therefore one of us, not a divine and innately superior being (Ibid 1974, 1). He is beyond good and evil and the only hope and answer to a grandiose problem that could destroy all (Ibid 1974, 5).
The traditional hero portrays specific characteristics that make him a hero of epic magnitude. A man capable of performing the most difficult deeds all the while facing deadly dangers. (Brandt 2018, 5). Usually, the hero is young, determined, and a man of action. Most of the time, he is a great warrior who knows how to wield the sword or any other weapon of choice, and many times he is even the best at it in his circle. Even though he is a talented warrior or fighter and, more often than not, the finest and bravest man to be found, he is usually accompanied by either one other male character on his quest or even supported by a group of figures of which he usually is the leader. He may also receive advice and support from wise and benign beings who sometimes have magical and supernatural characteristics and recognize the hero for his extraordinary traits. He leaves his comfortable and ordered home to enter a sphere entirely opposite to it. This is where the dangers lie, and monsters await him and his company. He fights all monsters and solves all of the problems that lay ahead of him due to his incredible skill and suitable character. Bravery is one of his strongest suits, and his determination is admirable. In addition to that, he is resourceful and rational, which helps him to achieve his goal in the very end, which almost certainly is always the case (Lundqvist 2007, 5/6). His capabilities, meaning extraordinary physical strength and exceptional bravery, set him apart from others and, at times, make him appear more god than man (Brandt 2018, 5).
However, even though the traditional epic hero is still a common and popular figure in literature and other types of narratives, the hero has also evolved just as society and its values have. Instead of focusing on natural heroes who seem so far above the common crowd that they almost reach divine levels, the modern hero steps into the limelight, and there is a clear emphasis on his intrinsic qualities. There is a clear shift from unattainable heroism to the heroism of the simple, everyday man (Brandt 2018, 6). It is the category of unlikely heroes that makes true heroism something that all of us can attain if we genuinely try (Lundqvist 2007, 16). The quest is now the determining factor since the hero truly develops during his adventures, and with each and every encounter, he grows and becomes more capable. These encounters, hurdles, and opponents become more difficult to overcome each time and prepare the hero for the final and main encounter with the dragon, symbolically speaking. Withstanding the last struggle, defeating the last and worst of the monsters or enemies, is what is required of him to truly gain hero status and all of the glory that comes with it (Lundqvist 2007, 13). The man who undergoes the adventure is not the same man that shall return. The hero transforms and lives up to his full potential (Brand 2018, 7). The modern hero’s intrinsic qualities are a necessary precondition for the performance of the heroic deed. Courage, loyalty, and humility are central, and character indeed seems to be destiny (O’Neill 1979, 114).
The hero intuitively knows which way to go. Because his view is whole and not fragmented, he knows what needs to be done. His instincts guide him through the wilderness and show him the way to the ultimate goal (Le Guin 1979, 66/67). The modern hero often finds himself acting without even thinking beforehand because the situation forces him to do so, and he surprises himself with it (Lundqvist 2007, 16). It seems that all of the forces surrounding him, such as the supernatural advisor, his loyal companion, his group of supporters, and even mother nature herself, have recognized the hero’s potential and band together to aid him in the completion of the task he was destined to perform (Campbell 1968, 66). Helpers along the way are essential, whether the hero is a natural or an unlikely one (Lundqvist 2007, 6).
“Discourses about ideals and exemplariness, extra-ordinariness and exceptionalness, agonality, transgressivity and even good and evil become condensed” within the figure of this one heroic individual (Golz 2021, 54). That one awe-inspiring man who seems as though he is beyond good and evil, whole, passionate, extremely capable and competent, evokes a particular fascination within us (Reed 1974, 3/6). As Thomas Carlyle once worded it so aptly: “Hero worship exists, has existed, and will forever exist, universally, among mankind.” (1848, 34). Moreover, this is precisely the reason for the countless stories that put the hero and his adventures at their center. The journey and its various stages will be discussed further in the following passage.
2.2 The Heroic Quest
The heroic quest, the adventure, or more commonly known as the hero’s journey, follows an invariable pattern. Essentially, the hero is forced to leave his home and enter a whole new world full of dangers, monsters, and hurdles that need overcoming in order to reach his final goal and perform the heroic deed that saves himself and his tribe, nation, or even the whole world (Lundqvist 2007, 6). According to Campbell there, the hero has to perform two essential tasks. The first one is entering the abyss and experiencing the stages of the cosmic cycle in full consciousness. The second one describes the return from the abyss to his past life and serving as a “human transformer of demiurgic potentials” (Campbell 1968, 296). Focusing on the monomyth, in his 1949 book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell described the hero’s journey in three main acts that incorporate seventeen stages. As he himself admits, not all monomyths entail all 17 stages, and there certainly are stories that deviate from this structure; however, in principle, it is still the same story that talks of leaving home in order to embark on an adventure, being victorious and returning a changed man (Campbell 1968, 326).
“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.“ (Campbell 1949, 23)
The first act of the hero’s quest is the departure, also called separation. At this stage, the hero is still to be found in his ordinary, familiar world, which he has spent years creating (Williams 2019, 527). Although he is fairly content in his carefully constructed, comfortable space, he senses that something seems to be missing. There arises the lingering sense of the familiar not sufficing anymore, and the soul starts yearning for more. Quietly, at first, but then it either becomes more powerful with time, until it turns into an unbearable urge, or it can be suppressed and silenced so that the hero slides into a depressive state of stagnation because he decides to continue to cling to his ordinary world (Williams 2019, 527 and Green 1995, 8). In order to awaken this lingering voice of longing for more, novelty, and excitement, there needs to be a separating event that initiates the journey that awaits. This separating event that brings upon the departure from the familiar, safe sphere to the treacherous world outside is the “Call to Adventure” (Ibid 2019, 527).
According to Campbell, the Call to Adventure results from the suppressed desires and conflicts inside the hero lingering within and unknown to him this entire time (Campbell 1968, 46). The hero has outgrown his familiar surroundings and his ordinary life, and at this same stage, where the hero is mentally ready, even if he himself is oblivious to that fact, the guide appears. It is destiny that knocks on the hero’s door and makes him the chosen one (Ibid 1968, 52/53). Once the guide has issued the Call to Adventure, the call can still be refused. However, the consequences of a refusal on the side of the hero would be detrimental. Almost certainly, this response is sure to cause deterioration within the life of the predestined hero of unthinkable magnitude (Williams 2019, 528). If the path the hero decides upon is to remain stuck in the familiar and ordinary, he is summoning his own breakdown. Life becomes void of all meaning, and the hero becomes a passive victim who needs saving instead of transforming into the savior himself (Campbell 1968, 54).
Still, within the departure phase of the hero’s quest, there is the stage at which the hero receives supernatural help. Both meet for the first time, and the supernatural help appears often as an older gentleman who functions as a protective force along the way (Campbell 1968, 63). He appears even to those who have refused the Call to Adventure:
“What such a figure represents is benign, protecting power of destiny. The fantasy is a reassurance - promise that the peace of Paradise, which was known first within the mother womb, is not to be lost; that it supports the present and stands in the future as well as in the past [...] One has only to know and trust, and the ageless guardians will appear.” (Campbell 1968, 66).
The supernatural, protective guide reassures the hero's decision to answer the call and helps him cross the first threshold into the unknown (Ibid 1968, 71). In addition, he often provides the hero with an amulet or some sort of talisman that shall aid him on his long journey far away from home (Ibid 1968, 63).
Crossing the first threshold is one of the most crucial moments of the departure phase and within the hero's development. Theory turns into actuality, and the first real step is taken. The hero ventures out into the unknown, where dangers lie, and leaves behind what is familiar and dear to him. It is a certain sign of courage since:
“The usual person is more than content, he is even proud, to remain within the indicated bounds, and popular belief gives him every reason to fear so much as the first step into the unexplored. [.] The adventure is always, and everywhere a passage beyond the veil of the known into the unknown; the powers that watch at the boundary are dangerous; to deal with them is risky, yet for anyone with competence and courage, the danger fades.” (Ibid 1968, 71/76).
The dangers that lie ahead are real, and the stakes are high; however, the ones who find the necessary courage within them shall dare, and in the end, they shall win.
Once the hero has crossed the first crucial threshold and stepped into the unknown, he has entered the "belly of the whale," Campbell writes. It is the womb that swallows him whole into the sphere where rebirth awaits (Ibid 1968, 83). It resembles the act of "self-annihilation" and the hero, while venturing outward, in actuality, travels inward in order to be born anew (Ibid 1968, 84). This is a necessary step in the transformation process as "no creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist." (Coomaraswamy in Campbell, 1968, 85). And indeed, to be born twice and transformed, the hero has to let pieces of himself die. All of the parts that hinder his transformation, all of his insufficiencies that resemble deadwood that no longer serves him, must be burned off so that he can grow and rebuild them properly (Peterson 2017, 40:00-42:00). After he has entered the sphere of rebirth begins the initiation phase of the journey.
The initiation phase begins with the road of trials the hero must master and survive. Countless pieces of literature have been focusing on this incredibly exciting and fascinating part of the hero’s journey. There the hero meets monsters and all other sorts of difficulties that have to be courageously fought in order to proceed. All the while, he receives help and guidance from the supernatural protective force that helped him cross the first threshold (Campbell 1968, 89). At this stage, it is crucial for the hero to understand that he has to be willing to accept failure and master some of the most complex tasks “and that is part of our problem: just how to do that. ‘Or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden of Bliss without such trials as came to those who passed away before you?’” (Ibid 1968, 96). One has to go through hell and fail at times to truly become deserving of the bliss that awaits him at the very end of the road, just as all of the others that came before. The trials become increasingly more demanding, making the hero more and more capable step by step so that, in the end, he will be ready to meet and slay the dragon (Williams 2019, 530).
The following substages of the initiation phase of the journey that the hero undertakes can be seen in many myths and stories. The hero meets the goddess, who represents the universal mother of nourishing and protective powers. Here the hero is handed additional items that shall help him in his pursuit (Campbell 1968, 103). The stage “Woman as a Temptress” does not necessarily have to entail an actual female figure who, in actuality, is a symbol of life. It rather stands for physical and material temptations that the hero must withstand to prevent himself from straying from the path.
“Generally we refuse to admit within ourselves, or within our friends, the fullness of that pushing, self-protective, malodorous, carnivorous, lecherous fever which is the very nature of the organic cell. Rather, we tend to perfume, whitewash and reinterpret; meanwhile imagining that all the flies in the ointment, all the hairs in the soup, are the faults of some unpleasant someone else. But then it suddenly dawns on us, or is forced to our attention, that everything we think or do is necessarily tainted with the odor of the flesh, then, not uncommonly, there is experienced a moment of revulsion: life, the acts of life, the organs of life, woman in particular as the great symbol of life, become intolerable to the pure, the pure, pure soul.” (Ibid 1968, 111/112).
This is the moment the hero turns away from the temptations of the flesh and those of materialistic nature and continues on to fulfill the deed.
The next crucial stage in Campbell's theory is the atonement with the father or the abyss. In numerous myths and stories, the father figure is the one that holds the ultimate power in the hero's life. However, this does not always have to be the case. The central aspect here is the confrontation with the figure or the object that grips all the power. During this confrontation, the hero hashes a glimpse of the truth of being: "The hero transcends life with its peculiar blind spot and for a moment rises to a glimpse of the source" (Campbell 1968, 135). The father fundamentally becomes the womb that initiates the second birth. "And in either case, the childhood parent image and ideas of 'good' and 'evil' have been surpassed. We no longer desire and fear; we are what was desired and feared. All the gods [...] have been subsumed in us" (Ibid 1968, 149/150). This leads to the next step, which is the apotheosis, in which the hero realizes and attains greater understanding. A new perception is opened, and the hero is ready for the achievement of the goal of his quest because now he knows: "not only that the Everlasting lives in them, but that what they, and all things, really are is the Everlasting dwell in the groves of the wish-fulfilling trees [.]. These are the immortals." (Ibid 1968, 154). He becomes free of all fear, and his full potential is released (Ibid 1968, 139).
The stage of the ultimate boon is where the hero finally achieves the quest's goal, and this represents the last stage of the initiation phase. This is the reason he has ventured out for. It is the moment that all of the previous steps have led him towards. All of what encountered him before this crucial moment was meant to prepare him and purify his soul so that he could be victorious. "The ease with which the adventure is here accomplished signifies that the hero is a superior man, a born king. Such ease distinguishes numerous fairy tales and all legends of the deeds of incarnate gods." (Ibid 1968, 159/160). The transformation into an actual hero is complete, and he has proven to be above the average man. He is reborn as what he was meant to be all along. Destiny has played itself out, and the hero must return to his familiar space as a changed man (Ibid 1968, 179).
The return is the last of the phases within the hero’s journey and is just as essential as the two phases beforehand. The six subcategories Refusal of the Return, the Magic Flight, Rescue from Without, the Crossing of the Return Threshold, Master of the Two Worlds, and Freedom to Live are incorporated within the return. The hero might refuse to return to his old life and old familiar sphere; however, part of his duty is passing on the “runes of wisdom” that he has attained in the quest so that the tribe, nation, or even world can be renewed. With the return, the cosmic cycle has made a full round, and the monomyth has been accomplished. Campbell writes:
“When the hero-quest has been accomplished, through penetration to the source, or through the grace of some male or female, human or animal personification, the adventurer still must return with his life-transmuting trophy. The full round, the norm of the monomyth, requires that the hero shall now begin the labor of bringing the runes of wisdom, the Golden Fleece, or his sleeping princess, back into the kingdom of humanity, where the boon may redound to the renewing of the community, the nation, the planet, or the ten thousand worlds.” (Ibid 1968, 179).
Sometimes, however, the hero has to escape with the blessing, and another adventurous and dangerous road back home awaits, described in the Magic Flight stage (Ibid 1968, 182). In some cases, the hero is weakened to the point where he depends on helpers once again to come and retrieve him from this other realm in order to bring him back home (The Rescue from Without) (Ibid 1968, 192). However, when he has reached the threshold he once crossed to enter the unknown wilderness, he needs to cross it one more time. Only then does he become comfortable in both spheres and adjusts to the point where he is now able to travel back and forth between the two worlds:
“Freedom to pass back and forth across the world division, from the perspective of the apparitions of time to that of the causal deep and back—not contaminating the principles of the one with those of the other, yet permitting the mind to know the one by virtue of the other—is the talent of the master. The Cosmic Dancer [...] does not rest heavily in a single spot, but gaily, lightly, turns and leaps from one position to another.” (Ibid 1968, 213).
And finally, this leads to the very last substage of the return phase, in which the hero finally achieves the freedom to live a life free of the crippling fear of death. He finally is free of remembering with sorrow and regrets the things that have long passed, nor is he afraid of what is yet to come. Now, he truly lives, at last. (Ibid 1968, 225).
The hero and his marvelous adventures are among the most popular themes in the realm of literature and narrative. Countless myths and stories have this motif at their core, and even today, the film industry keeps retelling them or drawing inspiration from them. If the countless Marvel Superhero films are any indication, the thirst for the awe-inspiring and sublime figure that manages to overcome the most testing of trials and achieve the seemingly unachievable seems to be unquenchable. As Campbell and many others have realized by comparing these stories from all over the world, there seems to be a universal pattern for the hero’s quest that is followed either more closely or loosely depending on the individual narrative. However, essentially the hero always has to set out and leave his familiar, ordered, and safe sphere to embark on an adventure that is undoubtedly destined to change him in a fundamental way. After he undergoes the three different phases of departure, initiation, and return, he is transformed and, in a sense, reborn. As previously established, not all substages have to be represented in the various stories, sometimes only a few of them are incorporated, but the slight deviations do not change the fundamental premise that speaks of venturing out into the wilderness, facing and overcoming obstacles in order to achieve a particular goal and coming back a profoundly changed being. One of the main reasons for this theme to be so popular all over the world, the reason for these types of stories reoccurring in different times, spaces, and within different cultures, of which some are entirely unconnected, is one of a deeply psychological nature. The theory of archetypes and the collective unconscious is certainly one deserving of extensive exploration. The Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung founded the field of analytical psychology. However, his influence reaches numerous other various disciplines such as psychiatry, philosophy, religious studies, archaeology, anthropology, and most importantly, in the context of this thesis literature. To this day, Jung is highly regarded as one of the most important and influential psychologists of all time (Corbett 2009, 1). Following this section, Jung’s notoriously complex concepts of the collective unconscious, archetypes, and the Individuation process will be discussed in more detail.
3. The Collective Unconscious and Archetypes
In order to be able to understand the theoretical basis of this thesis, it is crucial to elaborate on Carl Gustav Jung’s psychological theory of archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. With both of these concepts, there certainly is no lack of complexity, and in order to be able to analyze The Hobbit in Jungian terms, the fundamentals have to be clearly defined beforehand. Firstly, Jung’s hypothesis of the Collective Unconscious, its origin, and function have to be defined. Following this definition, the concept of archetypes needs to be analyzed in detail. Finally, a few of the most central archetypes that also manifest in the story of The Hobbit and their characteristics will be subjected to further inspections.
3.1 The Collective Unconscious
According to Jung, the unconscious has often been reduced to nothing more but a place where forgotten and repressed matters reside. In addition to that, Freud characterized the unconscious as purely personal, suggesting that all of the contents of the unconscious were once situated within the conscious mind and actually experienced by the specific person in question. Be it a traumatic experience or a type of urge that was suppressed by the psyche and sent off to the most bottomless pits of the unconscious as means of selfprotection. Although Jung does not wholly object to the unconscious being partly of a personal nature, he states that only the superficial layer of it can be described in that manner. He calls this layer quite fittingly the personal unconscious. However, underneath it lies the more profound and mysterious part of the unconscious that is to be found beyond all personal experiences (Jung 1969, 3). It is undoubtedly more than just a gathering place where mostly personal aspects, repressed or forgotten over time, are stored.
The Collective Unconscious is defined by a collective and universal character upon which the personal part of the unconscious is based. The matters that reside within this layer of the unconscious have never been personally experienced and therefore have never found themselves in the conscious part of the psyche. They are not something that humans can acquire over the course of their lives since the Collective Unconscious is inborn (Ibid 1969, 42). Therefore, it is of a "suprapersonal" nature, and its contents, as well as the modes of behavior within it, are shared by each and every individual on earth.
These contents are known as archetypes (Ibid 1969, 4). These are owed not to personal but to the collective experience of humankind through all of history. It is the deepest and most ancient part of man (O'Neill 1979, 2).
As previously stated, the contents of the Collective Unconscious distinguish this particular layer of the unconscious from the personal one. While the matter of which the personal unconscious consists are complexes that are emotion-toned, the contents of the collective unconscious are something we call archetypes (Jung 1969, 42). Another component that is to be found within is the lower base or rather animalistic instincts that are a common facet of all animal and human life. Instincts have never been a part of the conscious mind since they were in existence long before any consciousness formed. They are of a universal, motivational, and impersonal nature and strive for life. It is a life drive (O’Neill 1979, 30) that bears the name libido. While the libido to Freud was purely sexual, Jung defined it as composed of many instincts, such as the need for power, value, self-preservation, and spiritual functions, and determined that the individual is motivated by every single one of them (Rodi 1977, 27). Next to physiological needs such as sex, hunger, sleep, and thirst, the libido entails emotions and affects as well and cannot be described as an instinct itself. Rather it is psychic energy that can “communicate itself to any field of activity whatsoever” (Jung 1971, 135-137). The libido, with its life-sustaining instincts and archetypes, is buried deep within the realm of the collective unconscious.
Observably, there are several fundamental commonalities between the motivating instincts themselves and archetypes. Both can be found within the collective sphere of the unconscious, and both are impersonal, inborn, and therefore present within every single individual. These close analogies are indicative of a strong bond between those two concepts. It would be quite reasonable to assume that archetypes are something approximating “unconscious images of instincts themselves,” which means something approximating “patterns of instinctual behavior” within human beings (Jung 1969, 43/44). However, a more in-depth explanation of the concept of archetypes is most definitely in order.
3.2 Archetypes
As previously established, archetypes reside in the collective unconscious and are immensely and closely related to the live-driving instincts that together form the libido. Archetypes could be images of these very instincts that are deeply embedded in the individual's unconscious mind. However, it is surely the case that archetypes are universal primordial or archaic images that have existed since most distant times (Jung 1969, 5). These images can be found in all cultures regardless of space and time, making them universal motifs for all humankind (Al-Jaf 2017, 6). They can emerge from the depths of the unconscious and manifest directly in dreams and visions in an individual and, more often than not, are difficult to understand (Jung 1969, 5). "Archetypes are psychological structures, reflected in symbols, images, and themes, common to all cultures and all times; we experience them within us as different parts of ourselves, but they can manifest differently from person to person, influenced by its individual culture, setting and time in history." (Pearson in Al-Jaf 2017, 6). And although they can manifest slightly differently depending on the twist the individual consciousness in which they appear gives them, they are, in essence, the same genetically defined and inherited patterns for all men (Lundqvist 2007, 1).
The similarity and close bond between archetypes and instincts have already been established, and Edinger has described their relationship further and maybe more comprehensible:
“An instinct is a pattern of behavior which is inborn and characteristic for certain species. Instincts are discovered by observing the behavior patterns of individual organisms and, from this data, reaching their generalization that certain patterns of behavior are the common instinctual equipment of a given species. The instincts are the unknown motivating dynamisms that determine an animal’s behavior on the biological level. An archetype is to the psyche what an instinct is to the body. The existence of archetypes is inferred by the same process as that by which we infer the uniformities in biological behavior, so archetypes are inferred by observing the uniformities in psychic phenomena. Just as instincts are unknown motivating dynamisms of biological behavior, archetypes are unknown motivating dynamisms of the psyche. Archetypes are the cyclic instincts of the human species. Although biological instincts and psychic archetypes have a very close connection, exactly what this connection is we do not know any more than we understand just how the mind and body are connected.” (Edinger in Knapp 1984: xi).
Archetypes, therefore, can be understood as the psychic equivalents of biological instincts. They have a certain autonomy and can emerge from the unconscious to intervene or react whenever necessary. They are helpful and motivating powers and can influence our innermost thoughts and feelings (Lundqvist 2007, 1 and Jung 1969, 21). Archetypes are immensely potent so that they are not only able to attract and convince individuals, but they are also able to overpower them when they are experienced in their raw form and therefore exerting their full power (Jung 1969, 10).
However, experiencing the overwhelming powers of archetypes in their unprocessed form is certainly rare. As previously stated, their immediate manifestation mostly takes place in dreams. Yet, they can also manifest themselves in a transformed or translated state in active fantasies and all types of creative products, such as art and literature (Lundqvist 2007, 1). Ubiquitous sources for their expression are myths and fairytales that have been handed down through generations upon generations in various unconnected cultures in different spaces and times. The fact that it seems as though the same types of stories are told in different ways over and over again is due to the fact that the archetypes that express themselves within are essentially the same for all human beings since they were formed by the fact of the human condition. Human beings mostly go through the same types of experiences in life and react in a similar manner to them. A clear example to illustrate the argument would be the shared experience of human beings having a mother. A woman who birthed them and, more often than not, also raised them. The mother archetype stems from that common and collective experience that most, if not all, humans share (O’Neill 1979, 24). Humans are fundamentally alike. Just as all of our bodies are constructed roughly the same way, our psyches are as well. In essence, our thoughts and feelings follow the same patterns, even when there are slight differences between individuals (Le Guin 1979, 63).
Although Jung is responsible for the considerable development of the concept of archetypes and made them a household name, he was not the one to invent the term itself (Rodi 1977, 20). ‘Archetypes’ are to be found as early as in the works of the philosopher Philo Judaeous between 30 B.C. and 45 A.D. There they refer to the Imago Dei, the divinity to be found within human beings themselves (Jung 1969, 4). In the scholasticism of the medieval period, archetypes were described as images found within the human mind and supposed to help humankind form judgment. They were understood as images that could be found within god himself or a higher world in general that then were realized on earth (Rodi 1977, 22). Descartes, however, stripped the concept of its metaphysical dimension and reduced it to a mere synonym for “thought” and an “internal condition of cognition .” Even so, the French scholar Lucien Lévy-Bruhl rediscovered the innate depth of the concept and introduced “collective representations” that can be described as motifs found in different myths and rituals that have risen from collective affective experiences of the primitive men (Mousalimas 1990, 38). They are autonomous to a certain extent and can intervene in the choices and concepts of human beings (Rodi 1977, 23). Nevertheless, Jung’s work that followed all of the above truly fleshed out the concept of archetypes and made them an integral part of literary analysis and within the field of psychology (Ibid 1977, 20).
Archetypal images are so rich in meaning that it becomes incredibly difficult to truly understand those images in their entirety (Jung 1969, 13). Adding on to that complexity, archetypes are paradoxical in their essence (Ibid 1969, 3). They can manifest positively or negatively. Once again, taking the mother archetype to exemplify this part of their nature: The archetype of the mother is positive when she is a loving, nurturing, and protective force. However, she can quickly become the terrible mother who devours her child when she does not let go of her offspring in time and continues clinging to it (Knapp 1984, 369). The paradox within is the essential point the conscious intellect seems to miss. Archetypes are ambivalent, genuine symbols that, in principle, are manifold meanings and entail almost limitless references and therefore are inexhaustible in interpretation (Jung 1996, 38). The complexity of Jung’s theory and the terminology surrounding it is notoriously difficult (Le Guin 1979, 62); however, the constant usage of the archetypal images - especially in religious contexts - smooths them and conceals their wealth of meaning even further to the point where it becomes increasingly complicated to discover their very essence (Jung 1969, 8).
The powers of archetypes should never be underestimated since their intervention in the individual psyche can have visible and sometimes devastating effects. If the individual lives in accordance with these potent images, they avoid friction within their mental health and their society and are considered well-adjusted members (Rodi 1977, 23). If, however, these images do not cooperate with the inner psychic life of the individual, disturbances of a pathological extent can arise:
“When a situation occurs which corresponds to a given archetype, that archetype becomes activated and a compulsiveness appears, which, like an instinctual drive, gains its way against all reason and will, or else produces a conflict of pathological dimensions, that is to say, a neurosis.” (Jung 1969, 47/48).
This particular consequence can also occur when these buried and unconscious archaic psychic forces are denied any expression (Green 1995, 32). To avoid the adverse and devouring effects of archetypal images, they need to be integrated since they are, after all, integral and necessary parts of the whole psyche (O’Neill 1979, 30 and Jung 1969, 39). In order to integrate them properly, they first need to be recognized. Therefore these unconscious forces need to be made fully conscious, whereby the conscious and unconscious spheres become synthesized. This, nevertheless, is an incredibly arduous undertaking, and the process is anything but smooth. A “real coming to terms” with these images is required that goes beyond pure rationality and takes place in an inner dialogue which one can also call meditation in the sense of real understanding. Throughout, failure is a necessary condition, and due to the conscious mind deviating and constantly resisting the impulses of the unconscious, hurdles along the way that need overcoming are a given (Jung 1969, 40/41). This process is the unconscious drama of the restless soul within, and archetypes are essentially its expression (Jung 2014, 11).
The synthetic process of integrating archetypes into the psyche, merging the conscious and unconscious spheres, is what Jung has termed the individuation process. It essentially means the psychic differentiation that turns a person into an actual individual that can easily be distinguished from the rest due to his or her unique personality (Knapp 1984, xiii). The individual achieves psychic wholeness, which we could also term maturity (Green 1995, 32). It is the escape from one-sidedness, which means accepting and integrating all parts of the psyche and merging them into wholeness (Green 1995, 96). The individuation process is nothing less than the quest for the true self in which the “individual becomes what he always was” (Jung 1996, 40). In essence, it is the concept of self-actualization, which is the ultimate goal of life (O’Neil 1979, 17).
“The goal of individuation, as pictured in unconscious images, represents kind of a midpoint or center in which the supreme value and the greatest life intensity are concentrated [...] A Foursquare city or garden [...] as the imago dei in the soul, as the circle whose periphery is nowhere and whose center is everywhere.” (O’Neill 1979, 70)
It is this very process that is represented in most of the epic heroic quests and great mythological dragon slayer stories that are so popular all over the world and throughout time.
The individuation process consists of three different phases. In the first phase, the human being is still in possession of their childhood innocence. This is precisely when human thought is still completely ruled by archetypes. Within the second phase, consciousness arises, and it frees itself from the control of the unconscious sphere. The last and most vital phase of the individuation process is where the archetypes of the collective unconscious find their way into the conscious mind and manifest through images in dreams, projections, visions, and fantasies. Finally, the archetypes can be integrated, and the union of the unconscious and conscious spheres can be achieved (Lundqvist 2007, 7).
At this stage, it is crucial to explore some of the most common archetypes that are necessary for the wholeness of the psyche.
3.2.1 The Shadow
The Shadow is the first and one of the most fundamental archetypes that needs to be recognized and integrated. The Shadow can be described as the dark side of the soul. It is the dark doppelganger, the dark brother, that represents all that was suppressed throughout life (Le Guin 1979, 60). In dreams or fantasies, it manifests as a human or creature of the same sex as the dreamer (Lundqvist 2007, 7). The Shadow is the alter ego that is anything other than consistent with the individual's persona, namely the mask that is shown to the world. Essentially, it is "the personification of the dark side of man's nature, the beastly phylogenic heritage." (Jung in O'Neill 1979, 26). It entails greed, selfishness, and strong desires that we do not want to admit to anyone we have, much less ourselves. Jealousy, lust, ability for violence, and all of the other frightening impulses that the persona tries to mask and that we want to stay hidden in the deepest depths of our being (Le Guin 1979, 60). And even though we would like to pretend that this side of us does not exist, that we are free of every corrupt thought or desire, it does not at all change the fact that it exists within every single one of us. It is part of our nature since it is true that "I am bound to which I hate as surely, as I am to what I love." (Edinger 1984, 17).
The Shadow is a necessary part of our personality that cannot and should not “be rationalized into harmlessness” since it does hold possessive powers that only grow stronger the longer they are suppressed and denied (Jung 1969, 20). For obvious reasons, human beings prefer to think of themselves as heroes. Nobody likes to admit weakness and inner evil; therefore, most people tend to project all of what is considered negative outward. As long as they can project anything that does not suit their idealized image of themselves, a meeting with their own dark alter ego can be avoided entirely. However, it is this very confrontation that represents the first step towards individuation. In order to become a whole and unique individual, one has to wander downwards to the dark waters that are their unconscious and face their mirror image that will be anything but flattering. The mirror of the water does not show the carefully constructed mask but the grim Shadow (Ibid 1969, 20). One meets their dark sibling right at the gates that lead to the deep unconscious, in which one shall meet all of the other psychic forces that need to be integrated and brought up from the grounds beneath the dark waters. We must pass through the door of the Shadow first if we long to find our true selves (Ibid 1969, 23).
Even though the Shadow contains all of what we deem immoral and wicked, it is not purely evil. This Shadow that stands on the threshold between the conscious and the unconscious is simultaneously the bearer of creative energy. In order to create, we have to accept and cooperate with the dark side of our nature since this is the only way to activate creative genius (Le Guin 1979, 62). The Shadow possesses powers that the ego cannot do without. As already established, it is the source of creativity; however, it is also essential in order to avoid becoming easy prey for all types of predators. Sometimes situations may arise in which we have to be disagreeable so that we are not taken advantage of or perform worse deeds to protect ourselves. This would not be possible without utilizing the powers of our dark alter ego (Peterson 2017, 2:26:15-2:23:30). Properly integrated, the Shadow can be of immense and vital utility. Without: proper integration, however, the individual slides into passiveness and becomes a victim of the unpredictability of his own psyche and compulsive, intense affects (Jung 2003, 189/190). Light can only be found where darkness resides. It is impossible for a body not to cast a Shadow, for it would cease to exist (Le Guin 1979, 64). One cannot withstand without the other. Consequently, the confrontation with one’s own Shadow is the “apprentice-piece” in the development of the individual (Jung 1969, 28). The one who finds himself in the midst of a quest for his true self must be disillusioned and accept the reality that there is a dark side to their nature. Only those who accept this unflattering but indispensable part of themselves have a chance to dive into the dark waters of the unconscious and ascend in possession of the long-lost treasure (Green 1995, 32).
3.2.2 The Self
The central archetype that needs to be brought up from the bottom of the unconscious into consciousness is the Self. Once we pass through the door of the Shadow to the realm of the unconscious, we descend further to find what we have been longing for and what was lost to us. The Self is present at birth but splits off after the infant realizes that mother and child are separate entities. The Self represents the transcendent center of our being that is grander and of greater wholeness than the ego (Green 1995, 32 and Lundqvist 2007, 4). Our ego needs to identify with something that is bigger than itself and that lies outside of it. This is when it turns inward and towards the collective unconscious, where the Self resides (Le Guin 1979, 63). Once the Self has been lifted up into consciousness, the ego becomes secure and stable and can mediate between the Self and the outer world (Green 1995, 32). This specific archetype can either be personifying or transforming. It can appear “representing either the path to self-realization or personifying the finished product.” Whether it appears as male, female, or both, in its personifying form, one of the most common symbols of the Self is the Yin Yang image, the well-known symbol of the union of opposites (O’Neill 1979, 34-36).
However, as with all of the other archetypes, the Self also has possessive powers. The ego can identify too closely with the Self and become possessed by it. Once this occurs, the ego, which is now inflated with the forces of the archetype, becomes a compulsive monster preoccupied with selfishness (Green 1995, 33). The unhinged inflow of energy makes the ego lose control and become the puerile Self (Ibid 1995, 81). The ego must understand that it is only one part of the Self and revolves around it as the new center of the psyche (Le Guin 1979, 62). It has to interact with the Self and not try to become it (Green 1995, 33).
Finally, the Self is “who you are and everything you could potentially be.” It transcends consciousness and merges all opposites into one (Brandt 2018, 4). It can be realized in the last phase of the individuation process and requires the individual to embark on a journey inward (Lundqvist 2007, 7). In order to find the illuminating light of the Self, the hero figure has to descend into the darkness that is the realm of the unconscious. Countless dangers, trials, and hurdles will await him along the way, and failures are predestined. Nevertheless, to find the treasure and thereby merge the conscious and unconscious minds, complete the psyche, and ascend, the quest must be undertaken (Jung 1969, 19). To achieve that, the transforming forces of the Anima or the Animus are required (Green 1995, 74).
3.2.3 The Anima
The archetype of the Anima or Animus is another substantial part of the collective unconscious. It is quite difficult to describe and grasp; however, its role in the individuation process is crucial. Essentially, in the dogmatic sense of the word, Anima means soul. However, the dogmatic definition transforms this archetype’s nature into something solely beautiful that lives on after we are gone. It glosses over the frightening and negative ways this archetype can manifest in. To primitive men, the Anima is the “magic breath of life or a flame” (Jung 1969, 26). Although the Anima is just one of the archetypes of the collective unconscious and cannot account for the entirety of the unconscious sphere, it is still a psychic energy that creates. It sustains itself, grants us life, and is the origin from which consciousness arises (Ibid 1969, 27/28). In essence, the Anima is the archetype of life itself, moving quickly, arbitrary, and sparkling (Ibid 1969, 26/32).
The Anima is the immortal light that breaks through the darkness (Jung 1969, 37). The Anima participates in the quest for the Self and is the one to establish a link between the ego in the conscious sphere and its object of desire that lies in the mystical darkness within (Green 1995, 32/33). If the individual follows the Anima into the wilderness, desert, or darkness, which essentially means withdrawing into solitude, the hidden treasure will be found (Jung 1969, 35). Everything touched by the Anima turns divine and metaphysical, and Jung calls it the “master-piece” (1969, 28/29). Her impulsive and compulsive character needs to be tamed by recognizing the manifold meaning of archetypal figures (Ibid 1969, 31). However, it also needs to be stated that the Anima is the contra-sexual Self within a man. The same spirit or psychic energy within female psyches is called the Animus (O’Neill 1979, 29).
Consequently, the Anima or Animus is the archetype of life. It is the source of inspiration (Ibid 1979, 39). Its emergence is necessary for the process of individuation as it function as the light that pierces the darkness and guides the ego towards the hidden Self (Jung 1969, 35 and O’Neill 1979, 39). The Anima’s transformative, inspiring, and initiative powers are of crucial necessity for the integration of archetypes and psychological wholeness.
3.2.4 The Wise Old Man
The archetype of the Wise Old Man appears, just like the Anima and the Shadow, in personified form in dreams, visions, and fantasies. A common symbol of this archetype is the wise magician, an equivalent of the man practicing medicine in primitive society. He is similar to the Anima in terms of guiding the way through the dark depths of the unconscious on the quest for the hidden self. He enlightens, and he teaches. He is the “psychopomp” that guides and accompanies the soul on its dangerous travels to higher stages of consciousness (Jung 1969, 37 and Lundqvist 2007, 7). His wisdom is a crucial part of the puzzle that the hero cannot do without (O’Neill 1979, 38). Once his duty is fulfilled, however, and he realizes that the hero must continue on his own, he leaves and only reappears if it is absolutely indispensable (Lundqvist 2007, 13). Figures such as him or the cosmic mother are usually of supernatural origin and represent the warm and protective powers of destiny (Campbell 1968, 66).
3.2.5 The Hero Archetype
Since to Jung, all mythological or archetypal figures are psychological projections; in a sense, the archetypal hero is of psychic nature, as well (Rodi 1977, 52). Jung described the universal characteristics of the hero by inductively analyzing the Aztec Indian hero that emerged in the dreams of one particular patient and then comparing his findings to various myths, religious texts, arts, and literary works (Ibid 1977, 53). He established that the hero archetype usually appears in dreams whenever there is a need for the performance of a “hero task,” which in nature is psychic (Ibid 1977, 64). The hero is the individual that ventures out and sinks into darkness in order to rise again in a transformed state (Jung 1967, 171). The heroic figure is the answer to the universal need for a visible hero, a god-like but human being that symbolizes concepts, ideas, and powers that “grip and mold the soul” (Ibid 1967, 177/178).
The archetype of the hero is, in principle, the life force that Jung equates with the libido that personifies itself in human or divine form. It is the totality of primordial images, incredibly potent and omnipresent. In mythology, it is the image of the solar hero, which is, in essence, the personified sun with its solar powers. It sinks and then rises anew. Similar to the sun, the hero is a wanderer who, driven by the restless urge that cannot find its object of desire, longs for the lost mother and sets out on a dangerous quest. It is the representation of the unconscious longing for the light of consciousness it shall, however, never have (Jung 1967, 202/205). Simultaneously, it is the image of the process of individuation and actualization of archetypes. The hero essentially is twice-born (Rodi 1977, 66).
“Heroes are usually wanderers, and wandering is a symbol of longing, of the restless urge which can never find its object [..] The sun comparison can easily be taken in this sense: the heroes are like the wandering sun.” (Jung 1967, 205).
In a psychological sense, according to Jung, the Hero archetype is the image that represents the libido and its progressive and regressive movement. There, the libido moves back and forth between the conscious and unconscious realms. The hero moves inward into the depths of the unconscious to raise the archetypal contents within it into consciousness (Rodi 1977, 68). The hero archetype also symbolizes the libido's movement toward sexual objects.
"The sun, rising triumphant, tears himself from the enveloping womb of the sea. [...] in the morning of life the son tears himself loose from the mother, from the domestic hearth, to rise through battle to his destined heights." (Jung 1967, 355)
Essentially, the hero has to break free of the firm grip of the terrible mother in order to avoid being devoured by her and set out into the world where transformation awaits (Rodi 1977, 71). This is a necessary task to be undertaken before the individuation process can begin and psychological wholeness can be sought. Then follows the Hero archetype as the image for the individuation process itself. This second birth, the ultimate goal of every human's psyche, occurs during the second half of the hero's life. A journey inward is necessary to find the true self, meaning all the aspects of the individual personality that have been lost during the maturation process. Self-realization, therefore, is to be understood as a heroic quest to find oneself (Rodi 1977, 74/75). Jung writes:
"No one should deny the danger of the descent [.]. Yet every descent is followed by an ascent; the vanishing shapes are shaped anew; and a truth is valid in the end only if it suffers change and bears new witness in new images, in new tongues, like a new wine that is put into new bottles." (Jung 1967, 357).
Although the hero's quest bears dangers and risks, in the end, the hero will be born anew and indeed find who he always was. He will merge conscious and unconscious spheres and be whole at last.
3.3 Summary
Finally, archetypes are primordial images buried deep in the collective unconscious of a human psyche. Just as the inner workings of biological inheritance, these images are the psychological inheritance that each of us owes to the collective human experience of our ancestors. None of those images have ever been acquired by the individual in question, meaning that none of them has ever wandered through the personal conscious into the unconscious realm. These archaic images have never been conscious content (Rodi 1977, 30). However, they can rise into consciousness and manifest in dreams, projections, visions, fantasies, and even psychological or physiological symptoms. When archetypes are universalized in the public sphere, they appear in religious myths and various works of art (Ibid 1977, 39/40 and Jung 1969, 5).
Various archetypes are indispensable for the totality of the human psyche and essential for the individuation process. The Shadow is the first archetype that must be faced, acknowledged, and integrated. Representing the dark and, at least from the viewpoint of the conscious mind, inferior, animalistic side of human nature, all of its forces that do not harmonize with the meticulously constructed persona are then projected outward in order to keep the social mask from crumbling and avoid disillusionment. However, projection is the ultimate symptom of an immature ego, and in order to enter the realm of the unconscious to find the true self, one has to enter through the door of the Shadow (Jung 1969, 23 and Edinger 1984, 16). Another vital archetype that aids in the individuation process is the Anima or the Animus. This primordial image represents the quickly changing, compulsive, and creative forces of life itself. The more archetypes are actualized and integrated, the more the veil of mystery around them is lifted, and the easier it becomes to tame and control the Anima (Jung 1969, 32). The transformative and inspiring powers of this central archetype are a necessity in the process of selfactualization (O’Neill 1979, 39 and Green 1995, 74). The wisdom that the archetype of the Wise Old Man provides to the hero figure is crucial for the success of the heroic quest. He functions as a protective and simultaneously motivating figure along the way and knows precisely when the hero is mature and prepared enough to be left to continue the adventure on his own. Without this crucial moment, which the Wise Old Man provides, there would be no further development, and the transformation would be stalled (Jung 1969, 37 and Lundqvist 2007, 13).
All of the aforementioned archetypes are essential for the quest that the individual has to set out to if he wants to be reborn anew, transformed, and whole. The archetype of the Self represents that very psychic wholeness that human beings strive for. While moving through adolescence, parts of the personality are lost in order to attain social acceptability and become part of the group. However, during the second half of a single lifetime, the individual needs to venture out to recover those very parts of their being that have been lost and constitute the true Self (Rodi 1977, 74/75). Archetypes are necessary psychic forces that aid in this increasingly arduous and perilous undertaking. The individual, or symbolically speaking, the hero, has to venture out from the comfortable and controlled sphere of the conscious mind into the chaotic, mysterious, and dark waters of the unconscious. There he encounters the primordial images that have slumbered within him all this time, and the wanderer begins to realize that he has been a subject of those forces all along (Jung 1969, 23). In order to use those psychic powers to his advantage, the individual needs to actualize the encountered archetypes by raising them into the conscious sphere and thereby avoid being overpowered by their potent and compulsive nature (Jung 1969, 10). Once the individual sinks into the darkness, finds the true Self and ascends with it in hand, psychic wholeness has been reached, the conscious and unconscious realms have been merged, and he himself has been twice-born.
The hero archetype thereby represents not only the figure, the individual that dares to undertake this dangerous but vital quest but also refers to the various stages of the individuation process itself. The hero hereby is the libido that moves between the conscious and unconscious, directs its energies towards things and people outside of the parental home, thereby breaking free of the devouring powers of the terrible mother and consequently ventures inward in order to free the lost parts of his personality and become who he always was once again. The individual, the hero, is whole and in harmony with the archetypal images at last (Rodi 1977, 78/79). The common phrase “He who dares, wins” then rings true to those who have deciphered their innermost longing of the soul and courageously decided to wander the perilous road inward and downward into the deepest and darkest pits of their psychic being.
After explaining Jung’s theory in detail, the following section will apply it to Tolkien’s famous 1937 work The Hobbit, which shall function as a specific and prime example for similar stories. A Jungian reading of this and other literary works will hopefully broaden the horizon and view of the reader and bring forth a more fundamental understanding of the piece in focus and how it applies to human reality.
4. The Hobbit - A Jungian Reading
Bilbo Baggins lives a comfortable life in the Shire, which is a region in Middle Earth where hobbits reside. Hobbits closely resemble humans, but they are much shorter and have huge leathery feet with much hair on top of them. They mainly focus on agriculture and enjoy the fine things in life, such as good food, drink, festivities, and in general, they prefer a quiet life without much excitement. Bilbo is regarded as a respectable community member stemming from a wealthy family. Bilbo’s family, on the side of his father, the Bagginses were well respected, as well, since they never seemed to get into any trouble or get caught up in exciting adventures. Adventuring is frowned upon within this quiet and comfortable community. While the Bagginses had no trouble conforming to that specific societal convention, Bilbo’s mother and her side of the family, the Tooks, were the exact opposite. The Tooks, especially Bilbo’s mother, Belladonna, who lived across the water, were well-known adventurers. That made the hobbit community ponder upon this remarkably unusual behavior and speculate that the only explanation for this abnormality must be a fairy relative somewhere in the family tree. And although the Tooks were considerably wealthier than the Bagginses, their weakness for venturing outside the clearly defined borders of the Shire made them certainly less respectable in the eyes of their fellow hobbits (Tolkien 1979, 13/14).
Although Bilbo is the unity of Baggins and Took, he does not resemble his mother in the slightest anymore: “he looked and behaved like a second edition of his solid and comfortable father” (Ibid 1979, 15). Bilbo is middle-aged, probably around fifty years old at this point of the story, and all this time, he has stayed within the borders of the familiar and comfortable (Green 1995, 8). Therefore, it is definitely not surprising that he seems to be wholly Baggins by that point. Moreover, as far as Bilbo can tell, he is quite comfortable in that role. He enjoys living in a typical hobbit-like manner and staying out of any trouble. He has not realized yet that his life and spiritual condition have become stagnant to the point where his passive state of being could be regarded as depression (Ibid 1995, 39). Living this cozy, structured, and monotone sort of life simultaneously means that he has not had the opportunity to truly accomplish something that could be deemed worthwhile (Ibid 1995, 40). However, even though Bilbo is fond of his life and quite frankly oblivious to the harmful stagnation, the fact that something is lingering within him that is reminiscent of his adventurous mother cannot be denied. Bilbo has “got something a bit queer in his make-up from the Took side, something that only waited for a chance to come out.” (Tolkien 1979, 15). Even though he is oblivious to that specific bit of truth, too, the longing for adventure and the desire for transformation and accomplishment rests within him as though in a deep slumber, waiting to be awakened and set free.
The "supernatural aid," as Campbell terms it (1968, 63), comes in the personified form of a wizard named Gandalf who knows precisely when Bilbo is ready for the adventure of his lifetime, even though Bilbo himself does not consciously know of it, yet (Purtill 1984, 114). So, he proposes to Bilbo, "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone." (Tolkien 1979, 16). Bilbo is certainly not surprised about the fact that Gandalf is not able to find a willing participant in the Shire, "I should thing so - in these parts!" and he goes on to explain what he himself thinks of adventures, "We are plain quiet folk and I have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can't think what anybody sees in them." (Ibid). His straightforward answer leaves no doubt about Bilbo being a mere "sterile reenactment of that paternal past" (Green 1995, 40). The last remnants of his mother seem to die within him and cease to exist slowly. Therefore, the Call to Adventure is undoubtedly overdue, and the Wise Old Man, represented in the form of the wizard Gandalf, has arrived to issue it to Bilbo. Here, and in so many other instances that shall follow, Gandalf takes the role of the rescuer (O'Neill 1979, 59), and this moment might very well be his most important salvage operation regarding Bilbo's development. Without Gandalf appearing on Bilbo's doorstep just at the right time, Bilbo might have lost himself completely and irreversibly.
Unaware of the immense danger of staying within the suffocating confines of the Shire, the familiar and ordinary, Bilbo refuses. Gandalf certainly has a reputation for tempting countless individuals to venture out in hopes of experiencing adventures, thereby upsetting the quiet communities of Hobbits. When Bilbo realizes that this very troublemaker is now trying to convince him to go out into the unknown, too, his refusal becomes all the more vehement. Especially when Gandalf proports that he is only there to give Bilbo what he is asking for, "Indeed for your old grandfather Took's sake, and for the sake of poor Belladonna, I will give you what you asked for." (Tolkien 1979, 17). Bilbo, upset and in disbelief, denies having asked for anything, but Gandalf reiterates and states that Bilbo has actually asked for the second time, even. "Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you! Not today. Good morning! But please come to tea - any time you like! Why not tomorrow! Come tomorrow! Goodbye!" (Ibid). This invitation, issued by his unconscious, should become something he regrets right after he issues it. This whole ordeal has frightened him. Just the mere thought of stepping out of his comfort zone is enough to terrify the comfortable little hobbit, indicating that he truly is too close to home (Green 1995, 8). As Campbell writes, "The usual person is more than content, he is even proud, to remain within the indicated bounds, and popular belief gives him every reason to fear so much as the first step into the unexplored" (1968, 71). This is certainly true for Bilbo and the community of hobbits he has lived all his life in. Gandalf's reputation and discomforting talks of hobbits partaking in unexpected adventures, as well as the horrifying things they encountered along the way, Bilbo is surely aware of, which makes him even more petrified of the mere idea of leaving his - as far as he is concerned - peaceful, secure and pleasant life. This leads me to believe that he is most definitely aware of the possibility of him actually agreeing to Gandalf's proposal since so many have been convinced to do before. And this is precisely what terrifies him most, the fact that he could be swayed.
In full awareness of what is yet to come, Gandalf marks Bilbo’s door and returns the next day, but only after most of the company of thirteen dwarves has arrived beforehand. Bilbo, in his seemingly endless politeness, invites one in after the other, even though he has no clue as to who they are and what intention they might have, and serves all of them with food and drink, all the while hiding his anger and immense frustration: “Bilbo rushed along the passage, very angry, and altogether bewildered and bewuthered - this was the most awkward Wednesday he ever remembered.” (Tolkien 1979, 21). Not sensing that the adventure essentially has already begun, Bilbo sits apart from the company and Gandalf, trying his best to pretend that none of this is out of the ordinary and trying to suppress this lingering realization that his refusal of the Call to Adventure would not uphold (Ibid 1979, 22). The party then decides to take out their musical instrument and engage in the bewitching power of music, which shall have a remarkable effect on the poor little, overwhelmed hobbit.
Once Thorin, the leader of the company of dwarves, struck the cords of his golden harp, the internal journey began within Bilbo: “[...] and when Thorin struck it the music began all at once, so sudden and sweet that Bilbo forgot everything else, and was swept away into dark lands under strange moons, far over The Water and very far from his hobbit-hole under The Hill.” (Ibid 1979, 24). Unexpectedly, he found himself far away from the home he so dearly loved. In new lands with darkness all around them and waiting to be enlightened. And once the deep voices of the dwarves began their song of their lost “ancient homes,” Bilbo was entirely bewitched, even though it was just for a moment, but a moment that proved to be a significant turning point as it stirred up the part of him that so yearned to be acknowledged and awoken out of its deep slumber:
“As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains , and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick. He looked out of the window. The stars were out in the dark sky above the trees. He thought of the jewels of the dwarves shining in dark caverns. Suddenly in the wood beyond The Water a flame leapt up - probably somebody lighting a wood-fire - and he thought of plundering dragons settling on his quiet Hill and kindling it all to flames. He shuddered; and very quickly he was plain Mr Baggins of Bag-End, Underhill, again.” (Ibid 1979, 25/26)
The desire of the dwarves to retrieve the home that was stolen from them reminded Bilbo of his own unconscious desire to go out and find what has been lost to him all this time, too. The remnants of the mother that have been awakened from their sheer endless sleep within Bilbo's unconscious, however, are once more overpowered by the father's conscious and fully active side that senses the genuine dangers of venturing out into unexplored, chaotic lands. The ominous warnings of the conscious sphere prove to be justified once Thorin states that they shall embark on the long journey before the next day has even started and that the chances of never returning are high.
“Poor Bilbo couldn’t bear it any longer. At may never return he began to feel a shriek coming up inside, and very soon it burst out like the whistle of an engine coming out of a tunnel. [...] the poor hobbit could be seen kneeling on the hearth-rug, shaking like a jelly that was melting. Then he fell flat on the floor, and kept calling out ‘struck by lightning, struck by lightning!’ over and over again; and that was all they could get out of him for a long time.” (Ibid 1979, 27)
Bilbo, now fully consumed by paralyzing fear, experiences something we could call a panic attack. The horrors of leaving his home, and embarking on an adventure that might very well end up being deadly to him, is too much for the little hobbit to bear. The 30 conscious side, in which the father’s heritage rests, violently resists every spark that emerges from the dark waters within in which Bilbo’s long-lost mother resides and tries vehemently to banish her back into the hidden sphere of the unconscious (Jung 1969, 19). The struggle between conscious and unconscious spheres begins, which is depicted as the symbolic wrestling between the heritages of the Bagginses and the Tooks.
The panic attack occurs in full display in front of the whole company. Understandably, the dwarves begin to doubt that Bilbo is suited for their undertaking. “In fact, if I had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house. As soon as I clapped eyes on the little fellow bobbing and puffing on the mat, I had my doubts.”, Gloin expresses, which, once again, sets off the Tookish side within Bilbo, who has been listening in outside the door. In fact, this is when the struggle between internal Baggins and Took is settled: “The Took side had won. [...] Many a times afterwards the Baggins part regretted what he did now.” (Tolkien 1979, 28). His ego, unconsciously sensing his own potential, could not accept this talk that expressed doubt in his abilities. Moreover, even though he initially wanted to avoid anything that had to do with this dangerous undertaking and would scold himself for opening his mouth at this very moment, he proclaims confidently:
“Pardon me, [.] if I have overheard words that you were saying. I don’t pretend to understand what you are talking about, or your reference to burglars, but think I am right in believing [.] that you think I am no good. I will show you. [.] I am quite sure you have come to the wrong house. As soon as I saw your funny faces on the doorstep, I had my doubts. But treat it as the right one. Tell me what you want done, and I will try it, if I have to walk from here to the East of the East and fight the wild Were-worms in the Last Desert.” (Ibid), thereby answering the Call to Adventure and agreeing to join the party on their long journey ahead.
Not only the dwarves doubt that they have the right hobbit at hand, and not even Bilbo seems to believe they do. Rightfully so, since Bilbo is not quite the typical hero of choice for such a grandiose and dangerous undertaking; after all, a dragon is involved, and dragon slayers usually do not look anything like the middle-aged, short, and frightened hobbit. Bilbo indeed is not the traditional, epic hero that one would expect, and even Gandalf admits to that fact once the dwarves speak of wandering through the main door of their home where the dragon lives:
“That would be no good, not without a mighty Warrior, even a Hero. I tried to find one; but warriors are busy fighting one another in distant lands, and in this neighbourhood heroes are scarce, or simply not to be found. [...] This is why I settled on burglary - especially when I remembered the existence of a Side-door.” (Ibid 1979, 31).
However, although he admits that Bilbo is an unconventional choice, he is adamant in persisting that he is, in fact, the right one, “Just let anyone say I chose the wrong man or the wrong house, and you can stop at thirteen and have all the bad luck you like, or go back to digging coal. [.] If I say he is a Burglar, a Burglar he is, or will be when the time comes.” (Ibid 1979, 29). Gandalf knows that Bilbo is not everything that he could be, yet. Nevertheless, he is aware of his buried potential, and therefore, he, who represents the archetype of the Wise Old Man and takes on the role of destiny, made his choice consciously and purposefully. “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself.”, Gandalf proclaims decisively (Ibid). Bilbo Baggins is, in fact, “ the burglar, the chosen and selected burglar.” (Ibid 1979, 31) — much to his own dismay, at least as of right now.
The Tookishness within him has taken hold of him; however, just as suddenly as it appears, it quickly starts to fade. Bilbo offers the dwarves to stay the night, and he shall serve them breakfast in the morning, “What about bed, and an early start, and all that? I will give you a good breakfast before you go.” (Ibid 1979, 35). Thorin is quick to respond, “Before we go, I suppose you mean. Aren’t you the burglar? And isn’t sitting on the doorstep your job, not to speak of getting inside the door?” (Ibid), reminding Bilbo of his promise. Doubt arises within the little hobbit once more, and father Baggins attempts to stop Bilbo one last time. Now, he was not at all sure whether he would see his promise through in the morning. Thorin quietly sings to himself in the bedroom next to Bilbo, and he falls asleep to the tune and the words that have just moments before awakened his unconscious desires (Ibid 1979, 36).
Once Bilbo wakes up, he finds that the dwarves have already set out without him. Next to the relief he feels, however, he also senses a slight disappointment, so that he has to scold himself once again, “Don’t be a fool, Bilbo Baggins! Thinking of dragons and all that outlandish nonsense at your age!” (Ibid 1979, 37). His disappointment should not last for long, however, since Gandalf hands him a note that was left behind by Thorin, explaining that they will be expecting him at the Green Dragon Inn shortly. The wizard, sensing Bilbo waver, urges him to set out quickly so that Bilbo finds himself running outside his house as fast as he possibly can into the direction of the aforementioned meeting point, much to his own surprise. Bilbo has not only answered the Call to Adventure in theory, but he made it a reality by actually stepping out of his cozy hobbithole and meeting the rest of the company, seeing through the promise he gave them the night before, pushed by the compulsive urge felt due to the Tookish side within him being awakened (Ibid 1979, 38). This very moment marks the completion of the departure phase of the hero’s journey, as described by Campbell:
“The original departure into the land of trials represented only the beginning of the long and really perilous path of initiatory conquests and moments of illumination. Dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passed - again, again, and again. Meanwhile there will be a multitude of preliminary victories, unretainable ecstasies, and momentary glimpses of the wonderful land.” (1968, 100).
Archetypical imagery is undoubtedly strong and visible within this section of the story. Gandalf is, unsurprisingly, the personification of the archetype of the Wise Old Man. He is the initiator who sets the inevitable events into motion. He is the one to issue the Call to Adventure and does so at the perfect point in time. He knows of the buried potential within Bilbo, sensing that one side of him, the long-dead mother’s heritage, is almost certain to vanish as Bilbo continues to slide into one-sidedness because he stayed too close to home for far too long. He is slowly becoming a shallow copy of his father, which means he certainly does not know who he is or could be. He is oblivious to the fact that there is far more to him than he believes and does not seem to see the imminent danger of continuing to live the way he has for around 50 years now. Bilbo is in his second part of life and about to lose a crucial part of himself and, thereby, his true self irreversibly. A Call to Adventure is of crucial necessity. Awakening the heritage of the long-lost mother, Belladonna Took, which is beginning to fade away into oblivion, is of the essence. The dwarves’ desire to find what they had lost awakens the dead mother’s spirit within Bilbo, and now he, too, feels the need to venture out and find what is lost to him.
The Tookishness, personified in the figure of the adventurous mother, “is a female figure; a magical, potent figure out of Faerie, and the author and manipulator of his urges to climb above his humdrum Hobbit existence” (O’Neill 1979, 58). It seems evident that Belladonna Took is the contra-sexual self within Bilbo and, thereby, the archetype of the anima (Green 1995, 33). She is the source of inspiration, of compulsive character, and manages to overpower Bilbo within moments. She pushes him to agree to join the dwarves in their dangerous adventures, even after he has already refused the call vehemently. She is the a priori element in all men’s spontaneous impulses, reactions, and moods (Jung 1969, 26/27 and O’Neill 1979, 39). The individuation process requires the anima to emerge in personified form, which the figure of Belladonna Took manages to do (O’Neill 1979, 39). Once Bilbo decides to follow his instincts and thereby dead mother’s heritage, he will be led into the unexplored lands outside his comforting and familiar space by the light that illuminates everything around it (Jung 1969, 35/37). With the help of the potent forces of the Anima, Bilbo shall venture out and encounter the archetypes that need to be integrated in order to reach wholeness so that Bilbo can finally find his true self and wake up from this passive state and become the active author of his own life.
The initiation phase of the hero's journey begins. At first, when the road is less perilous, he even feels that he might find adventures somewhat pleasurable and not as bad as he anticipated them to be. The only part of the beginning journey he is not too fond of is the fact that there are fewer meal breaks than he would prefer: "These didn't come quite as often as Bilbo would have liked them, but still he began to feel that adventures were not so bad after all" (Tolkien 1979, 39). This circumstance, however, is to change rather quickly. After the company has crossed the familiar and civilized hobbit lands, they begin to enter places entirely strange to Bilbo. The roads start to become more challenging to travel, and the weather worsens, as well, just like the mood does. Bilbo starts to dream about being in his warm and dry home he left behind, "Bother burgling and everything to do with it! I wish I was at home in my nice hole by the fire, with the kettle just beginning to sing!" (Ibid 1979, 40). This should certainly not be the last thought of the sort to cross the hobbit's mind. Adventuring turns out to be more inconvenient and uncomfortable than it seemed initially.
Already the company runs into the first group of enemies that displays the very real threat to life that Thorin spoke of the evening before. Bilbo is sent off to creep up to the fireplace the company spotted from afar. Since he is a hobbit, he can move incredibly quietly and avoid being spotted in order to report back to the group what it is he saw (Ibid 1979, 42). His first task, however, ends up going wrong to the point where three hungry trolls capture the whole company. At this stage, Bilbo is anything but a capable hero since he is the one to cause the problem, and on top of that, he is entirely clueless about how to rescue the dwarves. He is entirely dependent on Gandalf reappearing and saving the day. “It was the wizard’s voice that had kept the trolls bickering and quarreling, until the light came and made an end of them.” (Ibid 1979, 49/50). Since it is only the beginning of the adventure and the group of trolls represents only the first enemy encounter out of many, it comes as no surprise that Bilbo is nowhere near being an actual hero. Many more experiences have to be made, many more thresholds to be crossed, and many more opportunities to elicit true bravery need to arise first. The transformation into a hero, in other words, the process of individuation, needs to progress slowly, step by step, and failures are to be accepted as an essential part of growth (Jung 1969, 40/41).
Archetypically speaking, Bilbo’s encounter with the three trolls is certainly interesting. The hungry trolls who devour anything in their path represent the broad dark side of human nature. However, it is not the encounter with Bilbo’s personal Shadow yet. Instead, the trolls represent a kind of collective Shadow that humans display when they find themselves swept away by the devouring and destructive powers of the mob. The trolls, as the collective Shadow of the entire humankind, are “giant incarnations of infantile hunger” that symbolize an elemental weakness. Bilbo encounters and must overcome the general weakness of humankind before he can face and overcome his own personal demons (Green 1995, 50/51). This is the necessary step before becoming able to see the evil inside oneself, realizing what human beings are capable of when they act out the dark impulses in a group.
After the encounter with the collective Shadow, Bilbo, the company of dwarves, and Gandalf make their way into the cave of the trolls, to which Bilbo finds the key. They find weapons within, and the whole group is finally armed. Even Bilbo eventually realizes his dream of exchanging his walking stick for a sword: “and Bilbo took a knife in a leather sheath. It would have made only a tiny pocket knife for a troll, but it was as good as a short sword for the hobbit.” (Tolkien 1979, 51). As the sword represents “phallic power”, Bilbo has found the key to his own heroic potency (Green 1995, 56). Bilbo’s sword fits his stature perfectly and therefore makes for a realistic match. As already established, a sword or some other weapon is essential to a classic hero as it enables him to fight off any enemy that might cross his path. Bilbo’s sword is one of the fundamental tools he will need along the way, aiding him in accomplishing his goal in the end.
Once the company has reached the begging of the Misty Mountains, Bilbo is astonished by their sight and inquires whether this is their destination. He is quickly disillusioned and told that it is only the beginning of the mountains and that there is a long, rough way ahead of them. “’O!’ said Bilbo, and just at that moment he felt more tired than he ever remembered feeling before. He was thinking once again of his comfortable chair before the fire in his favourite sitting-room in his hobbit-hole, and of the kettle singing. Not for the last time!” (Tolkien 1979, 53). The longer and harder the road becomes, the more he wishes to be back home. His endurance is not nearly where it needs to be yet, but this shall change with each step of the way — gradually building up perseverance and capability and preparing him for the confrontation of the dragon under the Lonely Mountain.
When they reach Rivendell, where the Elves live, they rest in the Last Homely Home. There they also encounter Elrond, who helps them to read the moon letters on their map. The moon letters themselves can only be deciphered once the light of a moon that is “of the same shape and season as the day when they were written” (Tolkien 1979, 60) illuminates the scripture, which happens to be the case at this very moment. The fact that they happen to be in the right place at the right time only supports the notion that their adventure is in harmony with the will of destiny, as described by Campbell (1968, 66). At this very moment, they are enlightened by the contents of the mysterious scripture that provides them with information as to how to find the keyhole to the secret door to the lonely mountain, as Elrond reads, “Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin’s Day will shine upon the key-hole.” (Ibid 1979, 60). Armed with this vital information and well rested, the company “rode away amid songs of farewell and good speed, with their hearts ready for more adventure, and with a knowledge of the road they must follow over the Misty Mountains to the land beyond.” (Ibid 1979, 61). So, they continue on their long path with lifted spirits, full of hope and optimism, with another crucial piece of the puzzle in hand.
While after the incident with the trolls, Bilbo’s presence seemed more of a burden than a help, this should change right before the travelers encounter the goblins. When they take shelter in a cave to protect themselves from a raging storm, one by one falls into a peaceful and deep slumber, except for Bilbo. He struggles to fall asleep, and once he does doze off, he dreams of a crack opening in the wall; all that he is able to do is lie in paralyzing fear until he dreams of the floor giving away and him falling into the deepest and darkest depths (Tolkien 1979, 66/67). This awakens him right in time:
“At that he woke up with a horrible start, and found that part of his dream was true. A crack had opened at the back of the cave, and was already a wide passage. He was just in time to see the last of the ponies’ tails disappearing into it. Of course he gave a very loud yell, as loud as a hobbit can give, which is suprising for their size. Out jumped the goblins [...] and they were all grabbed and carried through the crack [...]. But not Gandalf. Bilbo’s yell had done that much good. It had wakened him up wide in a splintered second, and when goblins came to grab him, there was a terrific flash like lightning in the cave, a smell like gunpowder, and several of them fell dead.” (Tolkien 1979, 67).
Thanks to Bilbo waking up just in time, Gandalf is able to escape being captured by the terrible goblins, and this is what will, later on, save the whole bunch. Looking at this passage from a psycho-analytical angle, it becomes evident that Bilbo is becoming more in tune with the forces that lie within his unconscious. As Green describes, losing consciousness and waking up to new situations arising is a common device used in various stories of adventure. It symbolizes the deepening of consciousness. A stable ego makes good use of the powers that lie within his unconscious mind, especially when the individual is asleep, finds himself in danger, or during creative processes (1995, 73). The merging of Bilbo’s conscious and unconscious spheres begins, and this is the exact moment when he becomes more active and capable, proving to be useful to the company of dwarves after all.
The goblins, just as the trolls, personify the collective Shadow that Bilbo and the company encounter once again.
“Now goblins are cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted. They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones. [...] they are usually untidy and dirty. [...] also instruments of torture, they make very well, or get other people to make to their design, prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and light. It is not unlikely that they invented some of the machines that have since troubled the world, especially ingenious devices for killing large numbers of people at once [.]. They did not hate dwarves especially, no more than they hated everybody and everything [.].” (Tolkien 1979, 69).
Goblins are the exact opposite of elves on the spectrum between good and evil. They are the irredeemable, pure evil and the precise result of human beings abusing free will and becoming corrupt to their core (Green 1995, 72). As history teaches us repeatedly, this is one of the unfortunate truths of human nature, and people have to be wary of that profoundly real possibility. It is, therefore, of utter necessity to see the evil within and recognize it for what it truly is in order to avoid becoming part of the mob.
One of the most critical moments of the story, in terms of Bilbo’s personal development, is to take place in chapter five of the book. While trying to escape the hoard of goblins, Dori carries Bilbo until he is grabbed from behind, and Bilbo falls into darkness and becomes lost. Separated from the company of dwarves and the wizard, Bilbo wakes up in complete darkness, lost and alone. Disoriented, he starts to crawl, guided by his unconscious until he finds something on the ground that shall become integral to his quest: “He guessed as well as he could, and crawled along for a good way, till suddenly his hand met what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it. He put the ring in his pocket almost without thinking; certainly it did not seem of any particular use at the moment.” (Tolkien 1979, 74). Bilbo finds the ring of power in pure darkness, in an underground tunnel, when he is alone, helpless, entirely staggered, and acting purely instinctively. He has no inkling, yet, as to what this ring is capable of doing and in which ways it shall become essential to him on his own personal journey (Ibid). Not knowing what to do next, Bilbo decides to sit there for a while and ponder. Drawing out his little sword makes him feel comforted, and he decides, “Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” (Ibid 1979, 75).
So, the little hobbit courageously proceeds to go forward. “On and on he went, and down and down [...]. I don’t know how long he kept on like this, hating to go on, not daring to stop, on, on, until he was tireder than tired. [...] Suddenly without any warning he trotted splash into water! Ugh! it was icy cold.” (Ibid 1979, 76). He has wandered so far that he found the dark and cold waters hidden deep within. However, this was not the only thing he should find there. “There are strange things living in the pools and lakes in the hearts of mountains. [.] Even in the tunnels and caves the goblins have made for themselves there are other things living unbeknown to them that have sneaked in from outside to lie up in the dark.” (Ibid). So, other, stranger, and scarier things reside in the deep waters beneath the mountains that only wait to be discovered as the creature Gollum does.
“Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature. I don’t know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was a Gollum - as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes in his thin face. He had a little boat, and he rowed about quite quietly on the lake; for lake it was, wide and deep and deadly cold. He paddled it with large feet dangling over the side, but never a ripple did he make. Not he. [.] He liked meat too. Goblin he thought good, when he could get it; [.]. He just throttled them from behind, if they ever came down alone anywhere near the edge of the water [.]. They very seldom did, for they had a feeling that something unpleasant was lurking down there, down at the very roots of the mountain.” (Ibid 1979, 77)
A cannibalistic creature as dark as a shadow that can even scare off goblins. The meeting between the little hobbit and the frightening creature of darkness should be one that Bilbo would not ever forget or be free of, ever again. One of the most crucial points in the story and in Bilbo’s personal journey to wholeness. (O’Neill 1979, 61).
Gollum watches Bilbo from a distance and decides to approach the hobbit, thinking about eating him. He scares poor Bilbo almost to death. Both of them wonder who or what the other one actually is. Gollum is as much stunned and clueless as Bilbo. Both had no idea about each other’s existence up until this fateful moment. Genuinely confused and curious about each other’s identity, Gollum decides to be friendly to the little hobbit, having caught sight of his sword. “Praps ye sits here and chats with it a bitsy, my preciouss. It like riddles, praps it does, does it?” (Tolkien 1979, 78). Riddles are something Gollum had engaged in with his friends back when he still had them and before he lost all of them. In The Lord of The Rings trilogy, we shall find out that Gollum was once a hobbit, just as Bilbo is before he became corrupted by the immense powers of the ring that he harbors, or rather harbored before Bilbo found and takes it from him.
Planning on outsmarting the hobbit with his wits, Gollum proposes a riddle contest. If Bilbo is the one to win, he shall help him find the way out of the darkness; if not, however, Gollum will devour the little fellow at once. Although quite a clever man, Bilbo is panicking and trying his best to think of riddles challenging enough to get out of this situation victorious and, most importantly, alive (Ibid 1979, 79). And so the contest begins. Some of the riddles remind Gollum of the days he used to be a hobbit and live overground, making him struggle to find an answer since he almost cannot remember those days (Ibid 1979, 80). The last riddle that Gollum poses makes Bilbo almost lose the battle and, therefore, his life. Gollum senses Bilbo panicking, confident of his imminent victory. “Gollum began to get out of his boat. He flapped into the water and paddled to the bank; Bilbao could not see his eyes coming towards him.” (Ibid 1979, 82). This is undoubtedly a terrifying scene, and the rather light-hearted tone of the novel seems to change. There is a clear hunch of looming and deadly danger. Bilbo is only saved by mere luck, as all the times before (Ibid), as Gollum is clearly intellectually superior and more powerful than the good-natured hobbit, and Bilbo only survives this ordeal by a hair’s breadth (Green 1995, 78).
In traditional fashion, the last question that pops into Bilbo’s head and ultimately enables him to win the competition does so by pure chance. He asks Gollum what is in his pocket and grants him three tries, which does not help the slimy little creature. “He knew, of course, that the riddle-game was sacred and of immense antiquity, and even wicked creatures were afraid to cheat when they played at it. But he felt he could not trust this slimy thing to keep any promise at a pinch. Any excuse would do for him to slide out of it. And after all that last question had not been a genuine riddle according to the ancient laws.” (Tolkien 1979, 84). Bilbo is certainly aware that cheating is not the morally right thing to do; however, he senses that he has to protect himself by any means necessary, as deadly danger is imminent. He knows precisely that Gollum is not to be trusted, that he is cunning and certainly able to outwit him. Tricking the terrifying creature is the only way out of this situation.
Defeated and frustrated, Gollum longs for the only thing that has the power to comfort him and can help him to reach what he wants after all. "'My birthday-present!' he whispered to himself, as he has often done in the endless dark days. 'That's what we wants now, yes; we wants it!' He wanted it because it was a ring of power, and if you slipped that ring on your finger, you were invisible; only in full sunlight could you be seen, and then only by your shadow, and that would be shaky and faint." (Tolkien 1979, 85). According to Green, there is a central link between invisibility and corruption (1995, 75). The ring allows the wearer to walk in the shadows, disguise himself and his intentions and act out deeds unnoticed. However, it can also help him to escape without being seen. The corrupting and possessive powers of the ring are indicated in the following passage: "Gollum used to wear it at first, till it tired him; and then he kept it in a pouch next his skin, till it galled him; and now usually he hid it in a hole in the rock on his island, and was always going back to look at it. And still sometimes he put it on, when he could not bear to be parted from it any longer, or when he was very, very hungry, and tired of fish." (Tolkien 1979, 85). The ring is able to take hold of the person wearing it and rule over its soul so that it becomes impossible for the doomed victim to stay away from it for too long. He always finds himself coming back to it. Using the ring's powers comes at a high price, as is visible by looking at what has become of the former hobbit, now known as the cannibalistic creature Gollum. He has lost his old self completely, so much so he can barely remember the good old days before he found the ring.
It does not take long for Bilbo to discover the hidden forces of the ring once Gollum has realized that he has, in fact, lost it. Gollum figures out fairly quickly that Bilbo must be the thief and starts chasing him, determined to kill the man that has stolen what was most precious to him. As Bilbo runs away in sheer horror, he reaches for the ring in his pocket, which slips on his finger quickly and quietly. Bilbo trips and falls, and much to his surprise, he realizes that he has become invisible to Gollum (Tolkien 1979, 87). Bilbo witnesses Gollum weeping and arguing with himself, unknowingly disclosing the ring’s powers to Bilbo (Ibid 1979, 88/89). As unaware as he was when giving away the ring’s secret, just as unknowingly, he takes on the role of a guide. “As the count grew he slowed down, and he began to get shaky and weepy; for he was leaving the water further and further behind, and he had lost his ring.” (Ibid) Gollum is the one to lead Bilbo back to the surface, back to the light, and out of the darkness.
Now, with Gollum standing between Bilbo and the exit out of the mountain, sensing his presence, Bilbo is faced with a choice.
“He was desperate. He must get away, out of this horrible darkness, while he had any strength left. He must fight. He must stab the foul thing, put its eyes out, kill it. It meant to kill him. No, not a fair fight. He was invisible now. Gollum had no sword. Gollum had not actually threatened to kill him, or tried so yet. And he was miserable, alone, lost. A sudden understanding, a pity mixed with horror, welled up in Bilbo’s heart [...]. He trembled. And then quite suddenly in another flash, as if lifted by a new strength and resolve, he leaped.” (Tolkien 1979, 90).
Ultimately deciding to spare the creature's life that solicits such an ambivalent reaction out of him. He manages to withstand the urge to rid himself of this problem once and for all. After all, it would have been an easy kill, but, as Bilbo notes, anything but fair. So, he decides to leap over the little, pathetic monster and run as fast as his feet can carry him. "Gollum was defeated. He dared go no further. He had lost his prey, and lost, too, the only thing he had ever cared for, his precious." (Ibid 1979, 91). Bilbo overcomes this episode on his journey all by himself, showing his increasing suitability and capability once more. However, in terms of symbolism and meaning for Bilbo's personal development, this confrontation is of crucial importance.
The richness of symbolic meaning within this passage is certainly worth exploring further. For Bilbo, this meeting means his very first confrontation with his personal Shadow (Crowe 1983, 8). Bilbo was entirely unaware of his existence, as well as Gollum, or rather the Shadow, was oblivious to Bilbo’s existence. Both figures are similar, which should not come as a surprise since Gollum used to be a hobbit, too. However, possessing the ring and obsessing over it obscured his appearance, personality, and his very soul.
There is a duality within Gollum that can be best observed whenever he speaks to himself, indicating that this creature has two opposite sides to him. Functioning as the Shadow, he represents the dark side of human nature (O’Neill 1979, 26). This is also mirrored in his appearance, as now he does not look anything like a hobbit at all. There are similarities; after all, he still appears to have maintained a humanoid form. However, he is dark, slimy, and entirely terrifying; his pale eyes are enormous and see all the better in the dark, whereas Bilbo is as good as blind. Gollum lives by the water in the heart of a mountain. To find him, Bilbo has to venture downwards, further and further into the mountain, until he reaches the dark waters, which symbolize his own unconscious (Jung 1969, 17).
The dark presence is mighty, wise, and entirely superior to the little hobbit, especially in the darkness where he resides and rules (Green 1995, 78). His wish is to eat Bilbo, to devour him like the darkness devours the light. He is certainly capable of that; however, Bilbo is weary of him and is wise in not underestimating him or turning his back on him. In order to save his life, Bilbo resorts to trickery and cheating, which he knows to be morally wrong; nevertheless, the situation requires it. He is lending some of the dark power inherent to the Shadow archetype (Ibid 1995, 33). However, Bilbo is sure not to let the dark impulses rule uncontrolled and take over. After all, he stopped himself from killing the scary creature, even though it would have been particularly easy to do (Ibid 1995, 75). Not only does the hobbit make use of the Shadow's forces, but he also is lucky enough to find the very thing that defeats the Shadow: the ring of power that the Shadow has harbored all this time.
The ring of power represents the archetype of the Self, lying in the deepest depths of the unconscious, guarded by the Shadow (Green 1995, 81). As described earlier in the section dealing with archetypes, one must pass through the door of the Shadow to find the Self (Jung 1996, 23). This is precisely what Bilbo does. The Self he retrieves in the form of a ring from the depths underneath the mountain, from the depths of the unconscious, helps him defeat the Shadow, or rather integrate its powers so that he is able to avoid being devoured by it. Of course, Bilbo does not know yet, that the ring of power will be incremental in his quest for self-actualization and integrating those parts of him, he retrieves along the way. The Shadow was the one to guide him back to the surface and thereby back into the conscious sphere, equipped with the powers of the Shadow, the Anima, and now the Self, as well (Green 1995, 64). All of the archetypes he encountered on his journey so far are now aiding him in his quest for wholeness. Bilbo, now aware of the existence of his own Shadow, knowing full well what could happen if he allows the
Self or his dark side to take possession of him, more powerful and capable, is ready to continue along the road of trials and achieving his final goal.
After this utterly terrifying but incredibly rewarding experience, Bilbo looks for the rest of the company. He wanders around for a long while but cannot find anyone, which leads him to believe that, most likely, his comrades are still within the mountain and probably still in the grip of the goblins. So, seeing no other option left, “he wondered whether he ought not, now he had the magic ring, to go back into the horrible, horrible tunnels and looks for his friends. He had just made up his mind that it was his duty, that he must turn back - and very miserable he felt about it - when he heard voices.” (Tolkien 1979, 94). Bilbo seems to be transforming into someone that begins resembling a hero. The ring is certainly one of the reasons for his increasing courage and self-confidence; however, it seems that the experiences he made on his own in the dark and terrifying depths of the heart of the mountain, surviving the encounter with Gollum and finally realizing that there is so much more to him than he used to believe, is another prominent reason for his growing courage (O’Neill 1979, 114). Bilbo is willing to go back into the awful darkness of the mountain, where goblins and another even worse creature reside, willing to risk his own death because he knows that it is the only right thing to do. And even though he might not be too fond of this prospect, he still decides to return in order to save his friends. Not only does his own self-image improve, but after being reunited with the company of dwarves and Gandalf, and especially after describing to them in detail the adventures he has had just moments before, his popularity with the dwarves increases dramatically, too.
The story continues, and the party encounters many more enemies who try to kill them; they rest up in a few other safe places before continuing on their path. With each test, Bilbo becomes more courageous, more competent, and more popular with his group. He transforms from a passive, unwilling participant who needs to be saved over and over again to a leader in the absence of Gandalf and Thorin (Green 1995, 45). Bilbo is the one who saves the company from huge spiders in Mirkwood and the one to kill enemies himself. With every single trial, he becomes more of a hero, fighting against his fears and uncertainties, proving himself worthy to all of the others, especially to himself. More and more, he is uncovering his hidden potential and finding who he truly is. However, the transformation can only be complete once he faces and slays the dragon. It is his most important task, and all of the experiences he had before prepared him for this very confrontation.
Once the company finally makes it to the Lonely Mountain and Bilbo is the one to find the secret door, the most critical part of the journey and especially in his personal quest, is finally about to play itself out. Bilbo now has to creep down into the dark depths of the mountains, once again venturing downward into the unknown. This time, however, he knows what is lurking beneath the surface, which makes his actions all the more brave and incredible.
“Then the hobbit slipped on his ring, and warned by the echos to take more than hobbit’s care to make no sound, he crept noiselessly down, down, down into the dark. He was trembling with fear, but his little face was set and grim. Already he was a very different hobbit from the one that had run out without a pocket-handkerchief from BagEnd long ago. He had not had a pocket-handkerchief for ages. He loosened his dagger in his sheath, tightened his belt, and went on.” (Tolkien 1979, 204)
It is one of the most crucial moments in Bilbo’s development. He is not the same hobbit he used to be anymore; he has found parts of himself that he thought lost or non-existent. He experienced his own potential and experienced himself act out what he never thought possible. However, this very moment, this very deed, was the biggest and most dangerous one yet, and he is painfully aware of that.
“‘Now you are in for it at last, Bilbo Baggins,’ he said to himself. ‘You went and put your foot right in it that night of the party, and now you have got to pull it out and pay for it! Dear me, what a fool I was and am!’ Said the least Tookish part of him. ‘I have absolutely no use for dragon-guarded treasures, and the whole lot could stay here for ever, if only I could wake up and find this beastly tunnel was my own front-hall at home!’ He did not wake up of course, but went still on and on [...].” (Ibid 1979, 205)
Once more, the dead father’s heritage within him, his conscious mind, tries to resist the dangerous venture downward to the dark unconscious and wishes to be home safe and warm. He thinks to himself that he could not care less about the material treasures guarded by the dragon, practically asking himself what made him agree to join in on this venture, but it was never about the gold, to begin with. Deep down, he senses as much, and the Anima, his mother, pushes him to go on downward, regardless of the protests voiced by that one part of him that used to have such a firm grip on little Bilbo. He knows that he needs to continue walking, and he knows that he must confront the dragon in order to find what he is searching for.
“It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterwards were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.” (Ibid)
There again, it becomes evident that this is the most crucial moment in the development of Bilbo Baggins. It is the moment that decides whether he loses it all or ascends victorious. Once again, he is on his own, in darkness, with no one to lean on but himself. This is simultaneously the peak, as anything that follows will never compare to the courage he had to work up to face the dragon.
Bilbo sees the dragon sleeping on the treasure like a bed of gold and is awestricken. He manages to steal a cup to prove to the others that he indeed went down into the dragon’s pit. After he returns to the dwarves, the company celebrates Bilbo’s astonishing accomplishment, not for long, however, since the dragon wakes up and notices that he has been robbed. His wrath unleashes, and he makes his way out of the mountain to find the burglar who dared to enter his cave. He returns to his gold and decides to pretend to sleep so he can catch the thief in his act (Tolkien 1979, 208/209). The dwarves are quick to blame Bilbo, but he defends himself rather vehemently; after all, he is not a warrior who slays dragons; he is not more than a burglar (Ibid 1979, 210). Nevertheless, he offers Thorin to make his way back into the dragon’s cave:
“‘Now I will make you an offer. I have got my ring and will creep down this very noon - then if Smaug ought to be napping - and see what he is up to. Perhaps something will turn up. “Every worm has his weak spot,” as my father used to say, though I am sure it was not from personal experience.’ Naturally the dwarves accepted the offer eagerly. Already they had come to respect little Bilbo. Now he had become the real leader in their adventure. He had begun to have ideals and plans of his own.” (Ibid 1979, 211).
This time, however, the dragon lies awake and feels Bilbo's presence though he cannot see him. The dragon starts to talk to Bilbo and tries to convince him to come closer. But Bilbo is more resourceful now, which is also the reason for his resisting the dragon spell. He does not tell Smaug about who came with him, which stands in stark contrast to the first confrontation with enemies when he forfeited this information to the trolls, displaying his growth once more (Ibid 1979, 214). Using flattery and trickery, powers he lends from his shadow, he manages to trick the dragon into showing him his chest in order to confirm what he saw the first time he entered the dragon's pit. Indeed, he finds and confirms a weak spot in Smaug's armor (Ibid 1979, 216) And although he does not physically slay the dragon himself, he finds the weak spot and thereby aids in the process. However, as previously established, facing the dragon was the ultimate task for little Bilbo, not slaying it.
Trapped in the dark tunnel and not knowing whether the dragon is still in there or not, Bilbo, having done so twice before, decides once again to venture downward while the dwarves are giving up on their undertaking “‘Come, come!’ he said. ‘“While there’s life there’s hope!” as my father used to say, and “Third time pays for all.” I am going down the tunnel once again. I have been that way twice, when I knew there was a dragon at the other end, so I will risk a third visit when I am no longer sure. Anyway the only way out is down. And I think this time you had better all come with me.’” (Tolkien 1979, 223). And indeed, the only way to ascend is to descend first, that is, to ascend victoriously (Jung 1969, 19). This time he ventures down, he is the one to find the Arkenstone, the heart of the Mountain (Ibid 1979, 224), just as Thorin described it: “It was like a globe with a thousand faces; it shown like silver in the firelight, like water in the sun, like snow under the stars, like rain upon the moon.” (Ibid 1979, 220). The stone has an “enchanting” effect on Bilbo, and he feels drawn to it. With his eyes closed, he pockets the stone and thinks to himself to keep it as his 14th of the treasure, at the same time acknowledging that he will probably have to tell the dwarves about it when the time comes (Ibid 1979, 225).
Turning to the archetypal explanation of this item, the Arkenstone represents the self through Individuation, gleaming, enchanting and luring. However, Bilbo proves to have found himself and be a true hero as he never keeps the stone to himself. He also does not hand it over to Thorin. With the real dragon slain, Bilbo notices that his friend has been possessed by the dragon sickness and turns into the second dragon beneath the mountain in human form. He is resistant to the possessive powers of the stone and hands it over to the Elvenking and Bard in order to prevent humans, elves, and dwarves from fighting each other.
“‘This is the Arkenstone of Thrain,’ said Bilbo, ‘the Heart of the Mountain; and it is also the heart of Thorin. He values it above a river of gold. I give it to you. It will aid you in your bargaining.’ Then Bilbo, not without a shudder, not without a glance of longing, handed the marvellous stone to Bard, and he held it in his hand, as though dazed. ‘But how is it yours to give?’ he asked at last with an effort. ‘O well!’ said the hobbit uncomfortably. ‘It isn’t exactly; but, well, I am willing to let it stand against all my claim, don’t you know. I may be a burglar - or so they say: personally I never really felt like one - but I am an honest one, I hope, more or less. Anyway I am going back now, and the dwarves can do what they like to me. I hope you will find it useful.’” (Tolkien 1979, 256)
Giving up the stone to prevent all hell breaking loose is the ultimate test of his newly discovered abilities and qualities. Even when the Elvenking warns him of going back and tells him to stay with them in order to prevent falling victim to Thorin's wrath, he replies: "Thank you very much I am sure. [...] But I don't think I ought to leave my friends like this, after all we have gone through together." (Ibid). Being willing to sacrifice his own well-being because he is truly a loyal friend, not keeping the stone to himself and "betraying" - at least in the eyes of the dwarves, his friends - the company and thereby destroying his image and standing with them is what truly proves him to be worthy of the title 'hero'. He does all this to protect his friends and prevent unnecessary bloodshed. And even though Thorin is furious with him, a sort of negative eucatastrophe prevents friends from fighting each other when they all have to bend together to fight an army of orcs.
The Battle of the Five Armies costs many their life, as it claims Thorin’s, too, but not before Bilbo is reunited with his friend. After waking up from being knocked unconscious and finding the battle to be over, the little hobbit is devastated to find his dear friend Thorin fatally wounded on the ground. In disbelief, he sits beside him as the dwarf speaks to him:
“‘Farewell, good thief,’ he said. ‘I go now to the halls of waiting to sit beside my fathers, until the world is renewed. Since I leave now all gold and silver, and go where it is of little worth, I wish to part in friendship from you, and I would take back my words and deeds at the Gate.’ Bilbo knelt on one knee filled with sorrow. ‘Farewell, King under the Mountain!’ he said. ‘This is a bitter adventure, if it must end so; and no mountain of gold can amend it. Yet I am glad that I have shared in your perils - that has been more than any Baggins deserves.’ ‘No!’ said Thorn. ‘There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. But sad or merry, I must leave it now. Farewell!’ [.] he wept until his eyes were red and his voice was hoarse. He was a kindly little soul.” (Tolkien 1979, 271).
Bilbo, in everyone’s eyes now, proves to be worthy of being called a hero. His transformation is complete. He has lived up to his full potential; he has found and integrated parts of himself that he has lost due to staying too close to home and conforming with the societal norms of his tribe, mistaking them for what he thinks he truly wants. Bilbo faced the dragon that he was more than terrified of; he learned what true friendship is and what really matters. Even more importantly, he now finally has found his true self and knows who he truly is and what he is capable of. His humility saved him from becoming inflated by the powers of the Self that he has found in the deepest depths of the mountains, hoarded by the dragon, by the thing he is most afraid of. His fears hoard the gold, which represents everything he needs to find ( Peterson 2002, 50:00-50:20). Bilbo is now whole, in psychological terms, having lifted the archaic powers within his unconscious into the conscious sphere merging the two opposites into a complete and even more powerful unity. Now, he is ready to return home and cross the threshold he dared to cross once before in the very beginning. Ironically, he starts writing down his adventure story, giving it the entirely accurate title “There and Back again, a Hobbit’s Holiday.” (Tolkien 1979, 284). We, as readers, have come full circle now with the little hobbit. His return caused quite a ruckus which was to be expected, and he logically becomes an outcast as, in his transformed state, he does not fit into the aged confines of his old world anymore, which only proves one thing: he has indeed found his unique and authentic self.
5. The Popularity of Archetypal Hero Stories
In order to find out why the hero quest is such a popular motif in literature, especially looking at The Hobbit and the following The Lord of the Rings trilogy as specific examples, it is essential to look at some statistics. Overall, according to an article from Wordrated, the year 2022 marks the second consecutive year in which fiction books outsell non-fiction books. Fiction books account for almost 53% of all published books, bringing in a little over 53% of all trade book revenue. Although romance is still the most popular genre in the fiction sphere, it is closely followed by the genre of fantasy, especially when it comes to young adult readers. In general, some of the best-selling books of all time are to be found in this particular category, in which the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling are indisputable leaders. The Hobbit takes first place with approximately 140.6 million sold copies, followed by Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s 48
Stone with 120 million. The Lord of the Rings sold about 150 million copies in total, and the whole franchise, including The Hobbit and all of the films, is worst around 10 to 15 billion dollars. 2.25 billion of those constitute book sales alone. The Lord of the Rings was voted book of the 20th Century by Waterstones and the nation’s best-loved novel by the BBC (Wordsrated 2021 and Curcic 2023).
Now, it is also important to take into account the various films that were produced. Each of the two, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was adapted into film trilogies. The sales for the Lord of the Rings films range from a little over 626 million to 1.12 billion dollars in revenue. The Hobbit films range from over 956 million to 1.02 billion dollars in revenue. The films won 475 of 800 nominations; it is the one film series that has won the most Oscars, 17 in total. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings movies are the winningest film series of all time. The Return of the King broke numerous world records, and it is safe to say that this franchise certainly is one of a kind, be it in the form of a book or a film (Wordsrated 2021).
To state that The Hobbit, as well as The Lord of the Rings, are popular stories would be a clear understatement. It is one of the prime examples of fantasy novels, only followed by the Harry Potter franchise. Even though Harry Potter is different from Tolkien’s creation in many ways, the essential parts, such as the hero who has to face all sorts of monsters, overcome hurdles, and in the end, face the main enemy in order to complete their destiny, are the same. So now, the question is, why are stories like these so incredibly popular?
I believe there are certainly quite a few reasons why people seem to never get enough of stories such as these. When we look at the genres, the usual hero story is fictitious and fantastic. Fantasy is surely the right choice if the reader wants to escape the ordinary and mundane world. Especially works that could be described as belonging to high fantasy are popular since the worlds the reader can escape to, are highly detailed with their own rules, places, creatures, and magical. Middle Earth is probably the prime example of an entire universe rich in detail, such as various races, monsters, creatures, and even 15 own and developed languages, as well as a history that spans over thousands of years. This makes this imaginary world so close to being real that it might as well exist somewhere in a different universe. The amount of work and thought that went into creating this masterpiece, which is truly unique, is astonishing. That is undoubtedly one factor attracting people to The Hobbit and stories alike. However, escapism alone is insufficient to explain its immense popularity (O’Neill 1979, 1).
Focusing on The Hobbit, another main reason for the appeal lies in the kind of hero Bilbo Baggins portrays. He is not the superior, omnipotent, almost god-like hero such as Beowulf or Heracles, where we can almost certainly rely on them achieving their goals with hardly any trouble. Bilbo might not be an epic hero per se; however, he is the chosen one nonetheless. He is the unlikely hero who succeeds against all odds and achieves what seems almost impossible to achieve. He is an everyday character, a man like any other; he is one of us. And since he is just like any single one of us, transforming into a hero suddenly seems possible to everyone who only dares (Brandt 2018, 6 and Purtill 1984, 108). It turns out that “the mighty hero of extraordinary powers [...] is each of us.” and only waiting to be released (Campbell 1968, 237).
Life often throws us for a loop, and we have to endure the most awful of catastrophes that can destroy our psychic well-being if we do not find a way to cope with them appropriately. Realizing that each of us has the potential to become a hero, in a sense, can give many people the feeling of agency in their life. This is why the hero’s journey can and indeed is used as a mud map for patients who find themselves in psychotherapy. Clive Williams writes that the hero’s journey can be used as a template for change and turn clients into client-heroes, and this enables them to view their struggle as part of an adventure in which monsters have to be slain, and difficulties have to be overcome. It allows the individuals to become active authors of their own stories instead of suffering the tragedy of life in a passive state and slowly withering away into oblivion (523). Everyone has to understand that when tragedy strikes, and if there is one thing that is certain in life, then it is this; we have to face it like little Bilbo faced the dragon, the thing he was most afraid of because if not, it will devour us whole. For heroism is still of the essence, no matter how small and insufficient we think ourselves to be (Green 1995, 9).
“If you’re willing to turn around and to [.] stand up straight and face the darkness fully, what you discover at the darkest part is the brightest light [.] because there’s going to be terrible darkness in your life and it is going to make you cynical and bitter and it could easily be that you’re just not looking at it enough. Because if you looked at it enough and you didn’t shy away and you brought everything you had to bear on it, you’d find that there was more to you than there was to the horror.” (Peterson 2020, 12 Rules for Life Tour).
Moreover, this is precisely why we have to face the dragon because it harbors the gold, which symbolizes everything that we could be. We do not know how strong we truly are until we have to be. Like the hero's adventure, our life can turn into a "journey of darkness, horror, disgust and pantamogoric fears" (Campbell 1968, 111), which is as certain as the sun rising in the east setting in the west. Since we cannot change the nature of life itself, we must venture out and find our true and best self, everything that we could become that is strong enough to withstand and overcome; or stagnate and die. The hero story assures us that the gains indeed justify the means and that all of the struggles will be worth the while (Rodi 1977, 3).
Fundamentally the hero story is the story of life itself retold in the only language adequate enough to deliver the essential message. It is the language of fantasy that is the only appropriate and natural language to truly describe the internal, spiritual journey that has to be undertaken by each individual in their life. It is the only way not to trivialize the deep and fundamental truths that reveal themselves in the struggle between darkness and light within the soul (Le Guin 1979, 68). Relating the everyday to the eternal by expressing the psychic journey within us in terms of the heroic quest, linking it to mythological and archetypal imagery infuse the mundane with meaning since there is a definite interdependence between the outer and the inner spheres due to the close relationship between myth, metaphysics, and psychology (Williams 2019, 524 and Campbell 1968, 151). In general, the hero stories portrayed in art and literature can be seen as instruments that help the reader to “past limitations into spheres of ever-expanding realization as he crosses threshold after threshold, conquering dragon after dragon” (Ibid 1968, 176). It serves as a developmental metaphor for individuals that aids them in making sense of life and the world around them, making them realize that it is crucial to let the old and limiting cognitions of themselves die and develop and rebuild those parts to them that bring them closer to becoming their true, capable and heroic reborn self (Williams 2019, 526).
“Art heals consciousness by re-aligning the two creation myths and reconnecting them to our collective reality, understood as present time psychically imbued with the past. In fact [...] art materializes the past into imagination, which is to say, provides an embodiment of past consciousness that spiritualizes matter.” (Rowland 2010, 61)
Herein lies the most profound of all reasons as to why the hero and his quest is such a popular subject. The stories that carry in them the primordial archetypal images of humankind reach deep into the psyche of readers and deep into the history of all humanity and make us return to our roots in order to discover that “everything most dear and precious to us has already been said in the most superb language.” (Jung 1969, 16). The more a story can successfully evoke archetypal images, the more it is in harmony with the psyche and collective psychological heritage of all human beings (O’Neill 1979, 2). The imagery makes us feel truly at home and reminds us of the essential, fundamental truths that we unconsciously and instinctively already know (Campbell 1968, 164). Breaking those narratives apart alchemically and see them for what they truly are and what it is they try to convey allows the readers to expand their vision and “understand their reality as part of an ongoing and cyclical reality”, as well as increase their selfawareness, their understanding of themselves and push towards a personal confrontation (Knapp 1984, x). The strength of the shared images is precisely the reason why some stories reach us and touch our souls in a fundamental way, and others do not. It can be easily measured by the “number of people willing in this jaded age to lay down the price of a [...] book of fantasy.” (O’Neill 1979, 16) and, if I may add, the number of people watching and rewatching the adapted film versions of these books. And as already laid out in the first paragraph of this section, the numbers for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings truly speak volumes.
6. Summary
It is a story as old as time itself; the hero receives a Call to Adventure and goes out into the world on a mission that ends up saving his tribe, his community, the world, and sometimes even the whole universe. On the road of trials, he faces all kinds of obstacles that he needs to overcome, monsters that he needs to slay until he faces the ultimate enemy that hoards the one thing he needs to find. It is a story we all know; it has been told and retold countless times in various ways. A simple story, although certainly not simplistic, if told right (Le Guin 1979, 68). The truly great stories evoke archetypal images that lie within the depths of our collective unconscious, truly connecting us to the collective experience of humankind. They make our souls feel at home and in harmony with ourselves and the world (O’Neill 1979, 2 and Campbell 1968, 164).
The hero can take on many forms. He can be a man, a woman, a child, a creature, real or fictional, human or divine. Chosen by destiny, he receives the Call to Adventure, summoned to venture outside his familiar and ordered sphere into the deep, dark, and chaotic unknown (Campbell 1968, 52/53). Once he has crossed the threshold, the departure phase of his quest is completed. Along the way, he faces many different forces, some of which are protective and support him ins his undertaking, and some of which mean him harm and try to lure him astray from his path. The journey is long, complicated, and filled with all kinds of dangers, as well as trials. All of these serve to prepare him for the ultimate enemy he shall have to face in order to fulfill his heroic duty and complete the transformation into a true hero (Ibid 1968, 135). Once the deed is done and the hero emerges alive and victorious, the initiation phase is complete, and he needs to return home. He has to cross that same threshold he dared crossing in the very beginning once more and his familiar sphere by passing on the wisdom he gained. Once he does that, he will be able to adapt to his new life and his new self and truly live (Ibid 1968, 179).
In psychological terms, these stories written and told in the language of fantasy are rich in meaning and symbolism. The hero can be anyone who dares to venture out into the darkness to find what his whole being truly longs for. It is the concept of selfactualization that is described in the fantastic language of so many hero stories all around the world and all throughout time (Le Guin 1979, 68). The Individuation process describes the human being’s inward spiritual journey in order to find who he always was. We are born psychologically whole; however, through maturing and attempting to fit into society, we lose parts of ourselves that we need to rediscover and integrate back into our personality in the second part of life (Rodi 1977, 74/75). We realize then that we are not everything we could be, that there is still hidden potential buried within us, and that there is far more to us than we have ever thought possible. The only way we can find who we truly ought to be is to dive deep into our psyche and make our way into the dark waters of the unconscious, where we find our collective heritage in the form of archetypes which we then have to lift up into our consciousness so that we can integrate and actualities those archaic images. Archetypes are primordial images of patterns of behaviors or instincts that are remnants of our animalistic past (Jung 1967, 176). They are buried deep within our collective unconscious and are something we can only inherit, not achieve or gain through personal experience. Archetypes are of incredible potency and full of meaning to the point where one can be possessed and overpowered by them. However, they are primarily helpful forces that arise and manifest directly in our dreams, visions, and active fantasies or in a translated or transformed form in products of creative genius (Jung 1969, 21). The one who does not live in harmony with those images falls prey to all sorts of psychological conditions, such as neurosis (Ibid 1969, 47). Retrieving these images and integrating them into the conscious mind, thereby merging the unconscious and conscious spheres, make us psychologically whole and, therefore, capable of withstanding all sorts of situations that may encounter us throughout life. The unity of opposites is the balance our soul yearns for, symbolized in the archetype of the individuated Self (Green 1995, 32). This is precisely what the dragon, our greatest fear, harbors. “That which we need the most will be found where we least want to look” (Jung in Peterson 2020). In the darkest spot, we shall find the brightest light, which is why we need to dive to the bottom of the dark waters that symbolize our unconscious, ascend with the parts of us we lost, and thereby expand our consciousness and infuse it with the powers that it truly needs (Knapp 1984, 370/371).
Certain archetypes appear quite commonly. The Shadow represents the dark side of human nature. It entails negative impulses such as greed, the potential for violence, the ability to lie, jealousy, and anything that could be considered morally bankrupt. However, it is also the bearer of creative energy, and integrating the Shadow is essential if we want to prevent becoming victims of various sorts of predators. The one who has never met his own Shadow acknowledged that there is potential for evil within his very soul, cannot enter 'the House of Poetry' and release his creative genius in full form (Le Guin 1979, 62). Meeting the Shadow, accepting it, and integrating its forces into the conscious mind is the essential first step to finding the true self. Without admitting to one's dark impulses, there will be no venturing forward deeper into the unknown. When the Shadow is suppressed or ignored, it can unleash demons within that possess the entire being and make the individual a slave of his own corrupt desires (O’Neill 1979, 30). Properly integrated, however, the Shadow aids in the adventure, enabling the person to control the impulses and thoughtfully make use of them whenever there is an ultimate need for them. In The Hobbit, the Shadow is represented in the figure of Gollum, which Bilbo meets in the very depths of the mountain, near a dark body of water (Crowe 1983, 8). He manages to outwit it using the ring of power that Gollum used to harbor. Using his forces against Gollum was the only way for Bilbo to escape being devoured by him. When faced with the impulse to kill the dark, terrifying, but unsuspecting creature, he controls himself and decides to spare his life. Bilbo could not have killed Gollum in any circumstance, for the one who kills his own Shadow kills his true being. It is what happens to Frodo in The Lord of The Rings. After losing his Shadow and after returning home he cannot reintegrate himself as he never truly recovers (Ibid). The Shadow is an integral part of the psyche, and wholeness cannot be reached without it. Of course, Bilbo is unaware of this fact and acts instinctively (O’Neill 1979, 30).
The Anima or the Animus is another vital part of the unconscious psyche. It represents the part of the individual that entails the characteristics of the opposite gender. For women, this archetype is called the Animus, and for men, it is called the Anima. It is the source of inspiration, the breath of life with a flimsy and compulsive character. It can lead us too far if it is not tamed. The more archetypes become actualized, the less unpredictable and the more integrated the Anima becomes (Jung 1969, 26/27). It is, in essence, the archetype of life represented as Belladonna Took, Bilbo’s mother, and her heritage within the comfortable hobbit. It is the archetype that emerges from the unconscious by the power of music and songs of longing, for Bilbo, too, longs for more even though he seems to be unaware of that. It animates him to cross the threshold and leave his hobbit hole and his old life and old self behind. Without its inspiring powers, Bilbo would have stayed in his old, suffocating confines and become nothing more than a second version of his father. He would never have achieved anything worthwhile on his own if not for his adventurous mother’s heritage.
The Wise Old Man depicts a protective power that aids the hero during his quest. He appears just at the right time when a call for adventure has been issued or needs to be issued by him in the case of the hobbit. This archetype guides the hero through the darkness with wise advice and helpful knowledge, just as the Anima, illuminating the way through the dark unknown. In narratives, it usually manifests as an older man who, more often than not, is of supernatural character, such as a wizard (Jung 1969, 37). The wizard Gandalf, therefore, is the personified image of this specific archetype. He is the one to issue the call to Bilbo to an adventure since he knows that Bilbo has stalled in his growth and needs to find himself, as there still is ample potential deep inside him. He knows exactly when Bilbo is mentally ready and acts as a rescuer as soon as the hobbit steps out the door alongside the company of dwarves (O’Neill 1979, 59). However, he leaves the hobbit to fend for himself and the group when he feels he is capable enough to do so successfully, as this is the only way the growth can continue and Bilbo can uncover his full potential (Lundqvist 2007, 13). Therefore, the Wise Old Man is a power that protects the hero on his journey, guides him, as well as facilitates the Individuation process.
The archetype that lies at the bottom of the deep waters is the Self. Just as all of the other archetypes, this specific one can manifest in a positive or a negative way (Green 1995, 33). It, too, has powers that can inflate the ego and essentially turn the hero into a tyrant. It is precisely what happens to Thorin’s grandfather and would have happened to Thorin himself if Bilbo had not given the Arkenstone that represents the Self through Individuation, the unity of opposites, to the Elvenking and Bard the dragon slayer (O’Neill 1979, 70). Bilbo, however, is resistant to the luring powers the individuated Self promises, proving that he has successfully undergone the Individuation process and found himself stabilizing his ego properly. He managed to do so at the very moment he faced the dragon, and anything that followed after was only solidifying the results. He sacrifices what is his and potentially risks his own life by returning to Throin, regardless of the wrath that awaits him. Courage, loyalty, and humility are his strong suits, making him the ultimate candidate to deal with the tempting powers of the Self archetype (Purtill 1984, 114).
The hero is also an archetype and has an inexhaustible magnitude of different meanings and interpretations, as any other primordial force. It symbolizes the libido, the live driving force that moves from conscious to unconscious spheres back and forth. Just like the mythical solar hero, it goes under and arises anew each time (Jung 1969, 205). The hero archetype also manifests in the figure that is able to wrestle himself free of the powerful and firm grip of the terrible mother that devours her offspring because she cannot bear letting them go out into the world and leave her behind (Rodi 1977, 71). In Order to grow, however, the hero has to break out of his familiar home and turn toward new people and experiences. Just as Bilbo did when he crossed the threshold between his hobbit hole representing his parental past and the vast unknown on the other side of it. Another interpretation of this particular archetype is the Individuation process itself that plays out in the second half of the individual’s life, in which he ventures into his own unconscious mind and retrieves all the parts that he has lost along the way in order to complete his personality and become his higher self (Ibid 1977, 74/75).
“The great mission of our day is not conquering the sea or space, disease or tyranny. The grand quest which calls to the hero in every one of us is to become fully alive - to stand up and claim our birthright, which is our inner freedom, love and radiant purpose.” (Nordby in Méi, 2021)
To find out who we truly are, to become our higher self, psychologically whole, stable, and strong, is essential if we want to withstand the suffering that is life. Realizing that there is so much more to us than we believe and than to the agony we endure can make us able to stand firm in the face of the most awful and dark horrors we are sure to encounter one day. It is the only way we will prevail. Realizing our full potential will free us to live and untie us from societal restraints and those we put on ourselves, as it allows us to see what truly matters. Life becomes infused with purpose and meaning when we venture out, as little Bilbo did, descend into the dark waters within us, and ascend with what is most valuable. Stories that describe this journey are so incredibly popular because they remind us of this fundamental truth that is buried deep within our unconscious. They remind us that all of the pain, trials, and hardships along the way will be worth it and that each and every one of us is able to achieve what we never deemed possible, overcome what seemed impossible to overcome, and master the most difficult of all tasks. They remind us that we do have a choice to answer the Call to Adventure, dare, win, and thereby, become the true hero of our own story.
The path the hero needs to take is undoubtedly paved with dangers, and those should not be underestimated, but the hero instinctively knows that what can be gained is worth all trouble and pain along the way. Staying too close to home is just as, if not even more, dangerous for the inner psychic life of the hero than venturing out and daring. Going too far, however, is the same danger on the opposite side of the spectrum. Everything aims at balance. A psychologically balanced, whole, and stable ego is what can overcome anything life throws its way. Therefore, it is of essence to shed the parts of ourselves that halt our growth or even cause regression in order to create space for those parts of us which we venture out to find that complete us and transform us into strong, courageous individuals that are worthy of being called a hero.
This process is precisely what Bilbo underwent when he reluctantly answered the Call to Adventure issued by Gandalf. He has lost the heritage of his long-dead mother, which animated him to venture out of his comfort zone. He was in danger of fully transforming into an empty shell formed by the father’s remnants within him, sliding into one-sidedness in a sedentary life. The call came at the right time in his second half of life when he was ready, even though he was certainly unaware of that fact. On this lifechanging journey, he transformed, step by step, through failure and success, into a capable and courageous hobbit who descended into the dragon cave, faced his grandest fear, and ascended victoriously. He returned a transformed man who has lived up to his full potential and discovered who he truly was. And this is what will happen to us if we only dare.
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