Man should be able to say he has done his best to form a conception of life after death, or to create some image of it— even if he must confess his failure. Not to have done so is a vital loss. For the question that is posed to him is the age-old heritage of humanity: an archetype, rich in secret life, which seeks to add itself to our own individual life in order to make it whole.

– C.G. Jung, Memories, Dream, Reflections, p.302

This program will explore the archetypal image of death in two parallel fairy tales: one, Godfather Death, from Grimm’s collection; the second, a Polish fairy tale, Godmother Death. The focus will be on the differences in the encounters and the ensuing relationship between the Death and the human protagonists. Examples from other tales and dreams will also be explored. The presented material suggests that the human psyche can view Death as an Imago Dei in preparation for the final encounter.

Learning objectives:

Explain the importance of fairy tales to our psychological development.

Compare the archetypal image of death in at least two fairy tales.

Explain how regarding Death as an archetypal figure, the Imago Dei, can be helpful in preparing for death.