The Orphan | Character Archetypes | Flora & Fauna Symbolic Art

Here is “The Orphan.”

The idea of the twelve character archetypes, invented by Carl Jung, is that there are universal, inborn models of people, behaviors, and personalities that influence human behavior.

Fiction writers and all kinds of storytellers use these archetypes as a helpful device when creating characters in a story. In real life, no one person fully embodies any one archetype. Rather, this is a useful device for us to describe parts of ourselves that we all have in different measures, which may come to the forefront at different moments in our lives.

Meditating on the essence of each archetype can be an inspiring and empowering reminder of the different strengths that exist within our own character. These ideas can help us answer the continual question of who we want to be.

I chose to paint animals and plants that humans have associated with the various traits inherent in the different archetypes. Some of these symbols are shared across different world cultures, others less-so.

Perhaps looking at this image will help awaken this part of your character a little bit, reminding you of a well within yourself that you can tap into when needed.

The Orphan connects with others through friendship.

In fiction writing, the Orphan, also known as the Regular Person or the Everyman/woman, is always someone’s friend.

The Orphan is honest and hardworking. They’re happy to support and collaborate with others because they have a need to belong.

These are the people who sustain a social network, connecting people to one another through friendship.

The hummingbird, a friendly pollinator, represents this connection, and the background of yellow freesias are a symbol of friendship.

Having no family of their own, the Orphan is a master at creating their “chosen family.”

Although this practice of connecting with and supporting others arose out of a vulnerable position of lack, the Orphan comes out strong in the end, being the friend most needed by others.

Contact me if you’re interested in purchasing the original painting or a print of this artwork.