The Goddess Archetype is one that encompasses a number of other sub-archetypes. These sub-archetypes includes Medusa, Aphrodite, and Artemis. Each of these archetypes is adds to the extent of the Goddess archetype in general. To find and examine this archetype one can go to the growing study of archetype psychology. This is a type of psychology “help[s] individuals create a new and more complete models of what it means to be a man or a woman” (Enns, 127). The Goddess archetype is one that allows for a connection and encouragement to women (Enns, 128). One can easily see that with the Goddess archetype there is a natural connection drawn to Greek mythology. Enns states that “Although the goddess of Greek mythology experienced lower status than did male gods, they also demonstrated greater power and diversity of behavior than women have historically exercised in Western culture and use creative ways of counteracting the negative aspects of male gods’ power (qtd. in Enns 128). These archetypes like Medusa, Aphrodite, and Artemis all inhabit different aspects of the female psyche and add to the knowledge of how women understand themselves and their relationships with others (Enns, 128). These goddesses allow for women to become more comfortable in themselves and to find mirrors of themselves.
 

Each of these goddesses has a distinct archetype that they will fit into depending on the characters arch in the book. The first archetype that fits into the equation is Medusa, who is a described as a women who confronts us with our “mother’s rage, a rage often visited upon us as daughters” (Pratt 3).  She is also a shadow like character that allows self-doubt into women, something that was picked up by nineteenth-century gender roles (Pratt 7). This comparison to the shadows is important for one to understand since she is a character that has such a heavy negative influence on her name, in the same way that shadows do.  Medusa is often used as a warning symbol also. She has been painted on to many objects as a warning sign for negative forces. Medusa is often only left in her state as an ugly woman to warn others away; however, she was a beautiful women and a priestess before she became a Gorgon (Pratt 19). Her identity as a misunderstood women is part of the reason why the Greeks as well as every other god fearing society was afraid of her.

 

A character that fits easily into the archetype of Medusa is the character Nefert for the book series, House of Night. Nefert begins her story as a character that run the Tulsa House of Night, which is a school for young vampires for their protection. Nefert’s character is almost an exact mirror of Medusa. She is a beautiful woman who was a priestess in the House of Night, which is how she came to run the school. She is revered like a goddess in the school but ultimately allows herself to become over powered by Kalona, who is an evil half bird and half man who wants to enact revenge. A dark force, which gives her the ability to control of the shadows like tendrils, also turns Nefret from the dark goddess that she is to a dark, and fearful goddess. Nefret can be seen more like Medusa because of the powers that she holds. When Nefert conjures an evil force who rakes over her power and uses her body as a resting place one can see the comparison to Medusa even more prominently. The power that takes over her body is a smoke and shadow like tendrils, which she uses to harm people or help her in her endears. Since Medusa is compared to shadows it seems like a natural conclusion that Nefert, with her power to control the shadow like tendrils, also has control of the dark forces that surround her. Potentially, the most prominent source of the dark force for both the Medusa like characters and Nefret herself is the self-doubt that looks like confidence. In this dichotomy and this archetype one sees characters that have a confident demeanor but a lack in self-confidence. It is this lack or perceived lack that allows these women to adopt the Medusa sub-archetype.

 

Another sub-archetype is that of Aphrodite, whose is the “goddess of love and beauty, the alchemical goddess governing a women’s enjoyment of love and beauty, sexuality and sensuality, impels women to fulfill both creative and procreative functions” (Montgomery 14-15). In Greek mythology Aphrodite is seen as the ultimate seductress who leads men astray and into potentially devious scenarios. She is also seen as one of the most vengeful goddess in the myths because of her jealously of other women and her ability to care and sympathies for others. But as a sub-archetype Aphrodite is little different form the mythical form of the goddess showing that this sub- archetype has been around for centuries. When applying this sub-archetype to characters in literature one must take a socially constructed approach since Aphrodite is a male construct.

 

Isabelle is a character from The Mortal Instruments series that could be considered an Aphrodite like character. She is a highly sexualized character in the novel that is especially recognized for her clothing choices and her body image. Isabelle is especially noticed for her harsh words towards her friends and the males in her life. She is wanted by a number of characters in the story but is unable to be attained by many of the other characters. She is also a vengeful character because of the actions that she takes against people she cares for being hut. When Simon is take by a vampire clan, Isabelle and the other characters go after the vampires and she is vengeful and behind her vengeance she is sympathetic towards Simons situation. Isabelle also can be seen as a character that holds some jealously towards Clary in the novels. Isabelle is part of the Aphrodite sub-archetype because she has some of the characteristic of Aphrodite and she also fits perfectly into the socially constructed picture that men have of women.

 

The last sub-archetype that is important to consider is Artemis. Artemis is the “goddess of the wilderness, the hunt and the moon, personifies the independent, solitary feminine spirit” (Montgomery, 15). Artemis is an important character type to consider especially in a feminist aspect since most hunter archetypes are considered to be male (Pratt, 294). The intuned Artemis sub-archetype is a pure feminine character that has an affinity towards nature. But she also is antipatriarchal in her views and ways of working. Another description that can be given of Artemis is a wild women, she works outside of the lines of conformity and her wild women image can be seen as a male construction of her antipatriarchal ideals (286).

 

A character that can be compared to the Artemis character is the character of Clary for The Mortal Instrument series. Clary is an Artemis character because she is with all aspects of femininity. Clary fights against all forms of patriarchy in the novels. Clary has a tense and unhappy relationship with her father towards the end of the novel. She also is unwilling to allow her best friend Simon to do much of anything for her. Also during any of the battles scenes throughout the novel, Clary is unwilling to not fight for herself. She wants to fight for herself and ends up asking for lessons from Jace and some of the other characters so that she is able to fight for herself and defend the ones that she loves. Clary fits perfectly into the Artemis archetype because she is a person who is unwilling to allow others to fight for her and she also is antipatriarchal in her ways of thinking and acting. Clary can also be considered a wild woman with her needs to fight her own fights and she lives outside of the normal lines of conformity.

 

The Goddess archetype is apparent in many of the fantasy novels that are present in the genre. The Goddess archetype allows for both women and men to find aspects of themselves in the relatable characters in the fantasy genre. All of the sub-archetypes of the Goddess allow for more of a distinction between the characters and a more thorough understanding of the novel in general. They also add to the cultural understanding of our world. Because of the Goddess archetype, characters’ femininity and masculinity are both embraced and empowered without giving into traditional portrayals of patriarchal power that society favors.