The Archetypes of the Fisher King and the Wasteland

“...It is a barren Wasteland…."

The story of the Fisher King

Characteristics of the myth

• Married to the landwhat happens to the King happens to the land and its people

– If the King suffers, the land suffers

– If the King heals, the land prospers

• Depending on the author’s goal, some texts highlight the king aspect and some texts highlight the fisher aspect.

• Note: More than one fisher king is possible in a single text/work

The Fisher King

The King

• responsible for the future of the kingdom • represents worldly wealth and power

The Fisher • Fisherman:

– Spiritual aspect – The fish as Christian

symbol—spiritual wealth, heavenly kingdom, fisher of men

– Healer heals the kingdom

The Wound – causes terrible pain / agony – renders the King impotent or

sterile, incapable of leading his people and

– serves as a reminder of greed or misguided priorities and contributes to the infertility of the land, hindering the progress of his people or culture.

The Wasteland • Sterility of the king reflected in the land

– The sterile king espoused to the land results in a barren land.

• A “dead” land, filled with suffering and despair.

Ypres, Belgium, March 1919

The Red Knight • The obstacle to

healing • Symbolizes

danger in the form of repressed emotions (anger, fear, loss, grief, etc.)

Helper • May be

– young and naïve—a metaphorical fool – an actual “fool” in some texts – a knight that saves the king and the land

The Abode

• A castle in traditional texts

• Often made of gray stone

• Place associated with the grail

The Hallows

• Spear: double-edged; both wounds and heals • Sword: destroys; may be broken/re-forged;

associated with the masculine • Platter: assumes many different forms: a stone,

platen, table, dish (with severed head upon it) • Grail: a cup that holds healing powers;

associated with the feminine

The Grail • Associated with

immortality • Prize that must be

possessed to restore fertility or order

• Tolkien suggests this is not possible dystopian LotR not a Grail Quest, but an anti-Quest.

Indulgence and Redemption • Indulgence

– Often represented by hedonistic partying where food and/or wine are consumed to excess

• avoid responsibilities by indulging

• Redemption – Healing of the wound and restoration of the

kingdom • a brighter future

Modern Incarnations • The Fisher King: CEO, president, famous

person)

• The Wasteland: – a metaphor for modern apathy

– a symbol of social and moral decay

– A symbol of the psychological wounding of a culture (ex., the Lost Generation).

Where have we seen Wasteland imagery thus far

in The Lord of the Rings?

The “Dead Marshes” of WWI

In the Dead Marshes of Mordor

Isengard

The Gardens of Isengard (before) (after)

Mordor