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Carl Jung argued that archetypes were not independent inventions, but rather operated independent of human consciousness, and were in fact an inheritance from the collective unconscious.
Desire, despair, destiny, dream, death, delirium, and destruction; also known as The Endless in Neil Gaimans Sandman series.
The Endless
Desire has a certain cruel streak and creates attractions. Despair is responsible for depression, disease, and particularly enjoys creating self-loathing. Destiny is chained to his book from which he reads fate.
Dream, or the Sandman himself, controls the world of dreams; both good ones and nightmares. He can give a person dreams, and he can take them away. Death is responsible for the trafficking of human souls; she picks them up and takes them to where they belong. Delirium is strange and eccentric; her job is to influence that element of craziness in life. Destructions job is easy: destroy and decay.
Greek Mythology
Ares, god of war. Enjoyed violent and bloody battles. Comparable to Destruction. Charon, boatman who rows the dead across the river Styx if they were buried properly. Comparable to Death. Eros, god of passionate love (cupid). Comparable to Desire.
Norse Mythology
Hel, daughter of Loki, responsible for disease and famine. Comparable to Despair. Loki, famous trickster, cunning and a shapeshifter. Could be compared to Delirium.
Other Mythologies
Hindu Mythology: Varuna, a Vedic god who keeps the cosmos in order and is the embodiment of destiny and truth. Comparable to Destiny. Egyptian Mythology: Bes, god who sent sweet dreams and banished nightmares. Comparable to Dream.
Why do comic book writers transfer ancient mythology into their comic books?
Comic book writers, such as Neil Gaiman, use archetypes to make their readers feel more comfortable with the world the writer has created. The mythology behind the modern tales make them seem more powerful and therefore somewhat invincible. It also relates to the readers collective unconscious, and therefore makes the comics applicable to a wider audience.
References
Banks, Amanda (1998, January). Folklore and the comic book. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from Newfolk Web site: http://www.temple.edu/isllc/newfolk/comics1.html The Endless. (2008). In Wikipedia [Web]. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. Retrieved November 17, 2008, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Endless Glassman Gaiman, N. (1993). Sandman: Fables and Reflections. New York, NY: DC Comics. Gaiman, N. (1999). Sandman: The Dream Hunters. New York, NY: DC Comics. Glassman, W. E., & Hadad, M. (2004). Approaches to Psychology.New York: Open University Press. Keenan, S. (2000). Gods, Goddesses, and Monsters: A Book of World Mythology. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc..