JP107 | Jungian Ever After: Snow White Part 1: Archetypal Evil

[@christinabachman8361]

Hello and thank you for the episode! Just found your podcast and I look forward to exploring it further. First, I was surprised to hear that Maria Von Franz suggested avoiding investigating the evil archetype without some serious qualifications. Maybe she meant in real life? I may be misremembering the comment. exaggeratedly

[@mirellavasileva2038]

My guess about pricking the finger and the drops of blood is that this is a metaphor for loosing the queen's virginity and getting pregnant. Eating of the heart is supposed to give you the qualities of the person you have consumed in Snow White case her beauty and youthfulness. Modern take on this will be the film "Neon demon" by N. Refn.

[@yootoob1001001]

Disney nsmed the Evil Queen 'Grimhilde.' She's always had a special place and my compassion because I wonder what happened to make her so sinister. If only she had a backstory like Elphaba from 'Wicked'! It is indeed one of the most popular fairy tales---so many versions and just as many interpretations.

[@tewtravelers9586]

You definitely did a great job of making me lose interest within the first two minutes.

[@CooperLysekGomez]

Thank you for your analysis of Snow White and Bluebeard. However, I found your interpretation lacking in depth, particularly in terms of the Jungian psychological aspects of these stories. In Snow White, you focused too much on her innocence, missing the central Jungian theme of individuation-the integration of the shadow. The Queen represents the shadow, with qualities like envy, vanity, and fear of aging that Snow White must confront and ultimately accept in order to become whole. The dwarfs should be seen as internal guides, protecting Snow White as she navigates her unconscious, rather than just helpers. The story is not just about surviving external threats but about facing the repressed parts of the self and learning to balance light and dark aspects of the psyche. As for Bluebeard, the reference to him being a sailor is irrelevant. In Jungian terms, Bluebeard embodies the destructive, unconscious forces we often repress-tendencies toward violence, dominance, and self-sabotage. The story is not about merely avoiding these traits but about integrating them consciously. The key moment-opening the forbidden room-symbolizes the dangerous consequences of ignoring or repressing the unconscious. Overall, your analysis didn’t delve deeply enough into the core psychological themes of integration and self-realization. Both Snow White and Bluebeard are powerful narratives about confronting and transforming the shadow, which could have been explored more fully from a Jungian perspective.