This paper interprets the myth of the hymen through the archetypal theory of Carl Gustav Jung. Today it has been proven that there exists no hymen that breaks at a woman’s first intercourse. Nonetheless, the myth of the hymen lives on – creating enormous consequences for girls and women. In several cultures the hymen symbolizes purity and a gift to be offered to the man on the wedding night. According to the theories of C. G. Jung, the human psyche contains archaic remains that run cross cultures within the whole of humanity. These remains, called archetypes by Jung, hold special functions within the subconscious, and have been expressed in religions, myths and fairytales since the beginning of mankind, according to Jung. In this paper, tales and collectively held ideas about the hymen will be examined and analyzed. The archetypes found in the material will be identified and their functions presented. The object of the paper is to try to gain a better understanding of how a belief in a nonexistent part of the body has been able to survive. According to my interpretation of Jung's theories, the hymen can be seen as a result of emotionally charged functions in the human psyche, which contributed to the creation of myth of the hymen. Keywords: Analytical psychology, Archetypes, C. G Jung, Hymen, Virginity
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:hig-19705 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Schiller, Lina |
| Publisher | Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för humaniora |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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