All the books in all the world could not contain all there is to know.
Benevolent mentors and custodians of wisdom are some of the hallmark characters of fantasy. Part mystic, part genius, the Sage is an essential driver of the Hero’s Journey, delegating the task of changing the world to their often younger, more naive and eager fellows. The Sage differs from the Creator in that they do not always use their knowledge to change the world, and very rarely do they desire to create something new––in this, the Sage might be closer to the Explorer. While the Explorer’s goals are outward, the Sage’s are inward.
As I have mentioned in prior posts in this series, this collection of posts deals with the archetypes first put forth by psychiatrist Carl Jung, and the use of these archetypes in fiction. Every post deals with the motivations, character profiles, and Shadows (or negatives) of each archetype. This week we continue looking at the group known as the Soul types, which are defined by goals related to personal development, or agendas that serve to improve their spiritual, mental, or physical standing with the world. The Sage, driven by a need for knowledge, is next.
THE TWELVE ARCHETYPES
The Sage
Also known as the scholar, expert, detective, thinker, teacher, mentor, savant, and philosopher, the Sage seeks to understand the world in analytical ways, processing reality with logic and the wisdom of their often long life.
The Sage seeks nothing but the truth. Whether that truth is uncomfortable or heart-rendering, it will be accepted, as the only meaningful path in life is one that pursues truth.
Personal truth based on falsehood is one of the great fears of the Sage, and so they are always questioning what they know to be true. This eagerness to find contradiction sometimes leads the Sage to be misled, or even manipulated by others who are aware of their weakness. In addition, the Sage can be addicted to learning, spending so much time pouring over books and information that they never actively engage in the threat facing their world. One of the most easily recognized representations of this fault is Morla, the giant turtle from the Neverending Story, who is so trapped by her knowledge that she will not even pull herself out of the mud she is in, even to help save her world.
The Sage, being one of the pillars the Hero can depend on, is not easily corruptible. Though the Sage can function in ignorance, when the wool is removed, they often more easily accept that change than the other archetypes. But a shadow Sage is not impossible. A Sage surrounded by profound ignorance may become fed up with such an unenlightened world, and would be happily engage in its political, religious, moral, and spiritual sabotage. A Sage can also become overly critical, impractical, or even unsympathetic to those not on their intellectual plane. Due to the nature of genius, a Sage may also become addicted to mind-numbing substances.
EXAMPLES
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It takes a great deal of finagling to get Yoda to come out of retirement and train Luke Skywalker, but Yoda is perhaps the most incorruptible of the Sages listed here. His wisdom and carriage suggest constant thought and patience as facts are deliberated. He is a mentor to many, but the peerlessness he faces also gives him an aura of profound loneliness.
Uncle Iroh, while certainly jolly, is the level head within the Fire Nation, guiding his nephew, and even the other side towards a revolution of peace. His wisdom is so sought after, in fact, that even after his death, he is sought out by the avatars for advice.
Morpheus, perhaps a Sage-in-Training, wants to free the world from untruths. His desire to see Neo succeed are in part tainted by his knowledge that only Neo will be imparted with some of the information he wishes to know about the world, and his paranoia about what is “real” and what is “not,” as well as the reality that he was ultimately misled, make Morpheus a tragic case of the Sage in Shadow.
What to do when you are simply too intelligent for this world? Cannibalism aside, Hannibal is a fascinating look at what happens to a genius who needs mental help. Hannibal is in the unique and terrifying position of being smarter than everyone in the room, but also desperately desiring to find someone with which he can relate, on the most base levels of communication. Hannibal is definitely the Sage in Shadow, unsympathetic, and even desiring, the world to burn.
When you think of the Cheshire Cat, you don’t really think of a Sage. But, factor in the laws of reality in Wonderland, and the Cheshire Cat is in fact the benevolent mentor to Alice, offering advice and wisdom on how to progress through the world and eventually return home. Even further than that, take into account Lewis Carroll’s designs in the structure of the novel, and the Cheshire Cat is the only voice of reason.
Advisor to the line of kings, Rafiki is a bit eccentric and at the best of times, not all that influential. His wisdom is overshadowed by the day-to-day struggles of the Sahara, but it is his eventual confrontation with Simba that sends the young lion back to save his pride.
Haymitch, an alcoholic and survivor of the Hunger Games, is a reluctant Sage — he carries in him all of the knowledge and wisdom Katniss will need to survive her obstacles, but is hesitant to give them and act without being begged. He is a Sage purposefully being misled, because in this case, the truth is too hard to stomach.
Katniss is a good example of one archetype turning into another. While I mentioned her originally in my Outlaw post, by the end of her character arc, she is on track to become the Sage, a seeker of truth, and an almost violent exposer of hypocrisy and falsehood. Katniss’s arc is also interesting in that the Sage rarely makes an interesting main character, but the circumstances of her story propel the Sage’s motives into the realm of requirement for freedom.
Ask any long-time reader of the X-Men comic universe, and it makes sense why Professor X makes this list. While in general a humanitarian and benevolent figure, there are many cases of Professor X’s desire for knowledge and the to test the limits of his mind leading the world into chaos and destruction.
Wan Shi Tong, the great owl that keeps a library of all the world’s knowledge, is a simplistic character, following the archetype’s desires almost perfectly. In his simplicity he is also a powerful message, showing, like the Great Sphynx, that knowledge can also be a gilded cage to those who acquire it.
For Spock, logic and reason are the key to everything. His level-headedness keeps his fleet balanced with the heroic tendencies of Kirk, while his rational way of looking at the world is constantly challenged by the erratic and incomprehensible decisions made by the people he interacts with.
Athena, muse and benefactor to men, is the Sage in Action – defying her father, weedling the other gods to give the humans favor, and fighting herself when all else fails, Athena remains a strong example of this archetype in its perfect form: knowledge and wisdom, with the desire to actively do good with it.
Oracle, from the Matrix, like many other oracles and diviners across Earth’s cache of stories, is an example of the Sage Entrapped. Similar to Wan Shi Tong, oracles are nearly stereotyped by their forward-seeing knowledge; knowledge that they can not share with anyone even if they wanted to. To share would be to change, and to change would have far-reaching, unexpected effects. As a story device, oracles run the risk of being deus ex machina, providing only the information the author needs the character to know to progress the story further, without warning that same character of the consequences awaiting him or her.
Rufus is a Sage-as-Time-Traveler, a device that separates this Sage from Oracle–the time traveler’s knowledge is limited, and once the past begins to change, their future knowledge is no longer relevant. In general, whenever a person comes back from the future with the intent to educate key players in a way to change the future, they can be called a Sage.
While Gandalf later transforms himself into the Magician by becoming Gandalf the White, he very much starts as a Sage. Addicted to pipe weed and inconsequential knowledge, Gandalf languishes his talents in the Shire, and in general, putting others in danger before himself, and even doing so knowingly. Like many sages, he does not tell his younger cohorts the true motives behind his actions or theirs, to deadly consequence.
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Sages are awesome. I love characters like Gandalf, Dumbledore, Rafiki, Yoda, and Haymitch. 😀 And as I was reading the description, I was able to identify a possible Sage in my own WIP. A very young one (he’s 15 years old), but this archetype is definitely the one that fits him best. Great job once again, Alex!
Btw, thanks for linking to my Character Arcs post. 🙂
Hahaha, I actually had Dumbledore on this list for about 5 seconds, then I realized he’s actually a Magician more than a Sage. Gandalf gets to be on two lists because he actually goes through a transformation. I’ll have to really consider the differences between Sages and Magicians for the expanded version I’ll eventually publish for this series. They’re quite similar, in the way Innocents and Lovers are.
And you’re quite welcome, though to be honest, I remembered the article so well that I already knew it was going to link there! 😉
BTW, I think really young characters can definitely be Sages (savants). It occurred to me as I was writing that Katniss is very much how I would imagine a young Athena, slowly blossoming into wisdom (that rejects untruths even from those she cares about and allies herself with.)
I’ve been loving this series. What a great resource for writers! The Sage has always been one of my favorite characters, wherever I find them, and one I identify with, if even in the teeniest way. I love what you say about the sage being an explorer who goes inward, seeking personal development and essential truths about reality. I also recognize some of the shadow aspects, the tendency to become a hermit, to hide away from the world, to become addicted to mind-numbing, or even mind-expanding, substances and experiences–that navel-gazing tendency. Mentoring becomes a way to pull out of oneself and make a difference in the world. Writing can be a way out too. So much good stuff here to ponder. Thank you again for creating this series!
Thank you, Deborah! I can definitely see you identifying best with this archetype. You are very introspective and contemplative. 🙂 That’s also a great point made about mentoring! Thanks for deepening the connection for me.
Great post! You’ve put a great deal of time and thought into these posts.
Of the characters that you’ve posted above, Yoda stands out as the prime example, but I am extremely fond of the Cheshire Cat (Wan Shi Tong is great too).
Considering your love for comic books and the like, I have a question? Which archetypes would you apply for the characters in the TV show “Heroes” (or “Heroes Reborn” for that matter)? Ha! You could always turn that into a quiz question I suppose to see if your readers have been paying attention 😉
Agree, great post for sure!! I think applying the archetypes to the Heroes and/or Heroes Reborn series/characters is an interesting and awesome idea Crispian!! I would love to try and take that quiz! How fun!
It sounds super fun! I’d love to make a quiz…. but I’d have to watch Reborn first! Perusing the Wiki, I could only remember the first five characters, haha. Time to rewatch it, I suppose. 😉
Probably best to wait until you’ve completed the “Archetypes series”, but it could be a fun ‘future’ post. It could also be applied to “Lost” (although, perhaps not…)
Oh man, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve watched Heroes, and haven’t had access to the reboot. I wouldn’t know how to answer that one! I can only remember a couple of the characters (an effect of binge watching, I guess) and known that I do recall fit this… I think the idea for a quiz would be really fun, but I wouldn’t be able to make this one!
And Hello Alex! First time here and so glad I followed Crispian here for this posting!! So interesting and very thorough in your detailing and examples. I am excited to read further about the other archetypes you have done and explore more from you.
Thanks for this fantastic post and bringing these Archetypes to Light =)
Hello R.H.! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post! 😀 It’s always wonderful when a new person shows up. Who was your favorite character from this list? I have two more archetypes to go, and then I’ll be doing a follow-up series on how to use them in fiction writing. My favorite post so far is the Explorer, if you’re looking for a recommendation! 😉
Me too! Most of the women I could think of off the top of my head were either goddesses (like Athena or Gaia) or witches, though. If you can think of any more, I’d love to hear them! I’m sure it’s just a limitation of my own mind. 🙂
Once again, great article. And that’s a remarkable gallery of sages 🙂
I like that you tried to include both positive (seems easy) and negative (not so easy) and even mixed (definitely not easy) examples.
Thank you, Sarah! Actually, I had a lot of fun with the mixed examples because it’s going to tie into my “how to use these archetypes” post-series. But finding corrupted Sages was definitely hard, since they are almost always portrayed as the unchanging element within the Hero’s world.
Among my favorite sages are Gandalf, Yoda, and Spok. Reading this makes me wonder if I have any sages in my WIP. One I have is young, but he’s quite wise for his age.
I think Spok is mine. 🙂 I just love his overall personality and how he deals with problems. Children can definitely be sages, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you did have one!
Very interesting to read. These could go a long way toward characterization. Something for me to think about. Thank you!
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You are quite welcome! I am so glad that it might be helpful for you. 😀
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Sages are awesome. I love characters like Gandalf, Dumbledore, Rafiki, Yoda, and Haymitch. 😀 And as I was reading the description, I was able to identify a possible Sage in my own WIP. A very young one (he’s 15 years old), but this archetype is definitely the one that fits him best. Great job once again, Alex!
Btw, thanks for linking to my Character Arcs post. 🙂
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Hahaha, I actually had Dumbledore on this list for about 5 seconds, then I realized he’s actually a Magician more than a Sage. Gandalf gets to be on two lists because he actually goes through a transformation. I’ll have to really consider the differences between Sages and Magicians for the expanded version I’ll eventually publish for this series. They’re quite similar, in the way Innocents and Lovers are.
And you’re quite welcome, though to be honest, I remembered the article so well that I already knew it was going to link there! 😉
BTW, I think really young characters can definitely be Sages (savants). It occurred to me as I was writing that Katniss is very much how I would imagine a young Athena, slowly blossoming into wisdom (that rejects untruths even from those she cares about and allies herself with.)
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I’ll definitely have to read the Magician article when it’s up then. It’s possible that I confused the two when thinking about Dumbledore.
Do you think there are other archetypes that are very similar to each other, like Sages / Magicians and Innocents / Lovers?
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I’ve been loving this series. What a great resource for writers! The Sage has always been one of my favorite characters, wherever I find them, and one I identify with, if even in the teeniest way. I love what you say about the sage being an explorer who goes inward, seeking personal development and essential truths about reality. I also recognize some of the shadow aspects, the tendency to become a hermit, to hide away from the world, to become addicted to mind-numbing, or even mind-expanding, substances and experiences–that navel-gazing tendency. Mentoring becomes a way to pull out of oneself and make a difference in the world. Writing can be a way out too. So much good stuff here to ponder. Thank you again for creating this series!
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Thank you, Deborah! I can definitely see you identifying best with this archetype. You are very introspective and contemplative. 🙂 That’s also a great point made about mentoring! Thanks for deepening the connection for me.
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Great post! You’ve put a great deal of time and thought into these posts.
Of the characters that you’ve posted above, Yoda stands out as the prime example, but I am extremely fond of the Cheshire Cat (Wan Shi Tong is great too).
Considering your love for comic books and the like, I have a question? Which archetypes would you apply for the characters in the TV show “Heroes” (or “Heroes Reborn” for that matter)? Ha! You could always turn that into a quiz question I suppose to see if your readers have been paying attention 😉
Anyway, I’m curious…
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Agree, great post for sure!! I think applying the archetypes to the Heroes and/or Heroes Reborn series/characters is an interesting and awesome idea Crispian!! I would love to try and take that quiz! How fun!
What do you think Alex??
Now I am curious too =)
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It sounds super fun! I’d love to make a quiz…. but I’d have to watch Reborn first! Perusing the Wiki, I could only remember the first five characters, haha. Time to rewatch it, I suppose. 😉
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Probably best to wait until you’ve completed the “Archetypes series”, but it could be a fun ‘future’ post. It could also be applied to “Lost” (although, perhaps not…)
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Oh man, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve watched Heroes, and haven’t had access to the reboot. I wouldn’t know how to answer that one! I can only remember a couple of the characters (an effect of binge watching, I guess) and known that I do recall fit this… I think the idea for a quiz would be really fun, but I wouldn’t be able to make this one!
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And Hello Alex! First time here and so glad I followed Crispian here for this posting!! So interesting and very thorough in your detailing and examples. I am excited to read further about the other archetypes you have done and explore more from you.
Thanks for this fantastic post and bringing these Archetypes to Light =)
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Hello R.H.! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post! 😀 It’s always wonderful when a new person shows up. Who was your favorite character from this list? I have two more archetypes to go, and then I’ll be doing a follow-up series on how to use them in fiction writing. My favorite post so far is the Explorer, if you’re looking for a recommendation! 😉
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I think th Sage is my favorite archetype – thanks for this series!
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No problem! I’m having fun drafting them up! 😀
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Would like to see more female Sages. 🙂
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Me too! Most of the women I could think of off the top of my head were either goddesses (like Athena or Gaia) or witches, though. If you can think of any more, I’d love to hear them! I’m sure it’s just a limitation of my own mind. 🙂
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One probably needs to look to Asian legends…which I’m not exactly well-versed.
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Once again, great article. And that’s a remarkable gallery of sages 🙂
I like that you tried to include both positive (seems easy) and negative (not so easy) and even mixed (definitely not easy) examples.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sarah! Actually, I had a lot of fun with the mixed examples because it’s going to tie into my “how to use these archetypes” post-series. But finding corrupted Sages was definitely hard, since they are almost always portrayed as the unchanging element within the Hero’s world.
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These posts from you have been wonderful and very informative! Great ‘cliffs note’ sized references. =)
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Among my favorite sages are Gandalf, Yoda, and Spok. Reading this makes me wonder if I have any sages in my WIP. One I have is young, but he’s quite wise for his age.
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I think Spok is mine. 🙂 I just love his overall personality and how he deals with problems. Children can definitely be sages, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you did have one!
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Spok is epic! Definitely the main reason I liked Star Trek. 🙂
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