The divine figures of ancient mythology often embody extreme and volatile behaviors. In the modern era, psychologists and scholars have examined these mythologies through the lens of mental illness, seeing in these deities archetypes of psychological disorders. This approach helps explore human emotion, cognition, and pathology not as random afflictions but as expressions of archetypal forces embedded deep in the collective unconscious.
Archetypes, Myths, and Mental Illness: A Jungian Framework
Carl Jung argued that myths and gods are archetypes — symbolic representations of universal aspects of the human psyche. According to Jung:
- Gods are not external beings but inner symbolic realities.
- Mental illnesses sometimes arise when individuals are overwhelmed by one archetype or unable to integrate conflicting ones.
- Healing comes through integration, often via myth, dreams, or symbols.
Thus, myths provided pre-modern societies a framework to understand behaviors that we now diagnose as psychiatric conditions.
Greek and Roman Gods as Archetypes of Mental Disorders
1. Eris/Discordia – Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
- Goddess of strife and discord, Eris (Greek) or Discordia (Roman) is impulsive, emotionally unstable, and thrives on interpersonal chaos — traits consistent with BPD.
- Evidence: Eris threw the golden apple at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, causing the Judgment of Paris and the Trojan War — symbolic of destructive interpersonal dynamics.
- Psychological interpretation: The inability to tolerate being excluded, extreme reactions to perceived slights, and splitting (idealizing vs devaluing) are BPD traits mirrored in her myth.
2. Ares/Mars – Intermittent Explosive Disorder or Antisocial Personality Disorder
- God of war, aggressive and bloodthirsty, often acting without strategic thought.
- His impulsive violence and disregard for consequences reflect traits of antisocial behavior or impulse control disorders.
- Jungian View: Ares represents the unintegrated “shadow” — pure aggression without conscience.
3. Dionysus/Bacchus – Bipolar Disorder / Substance Use Disorder
- God of wine, ecstasy, and madness.
- Described as alternating between ecstatic highs and destructive rages — mimicking bipolar mania and depressive episodes, coupled with addictive tendencies.
- His worship involved emotional extremes, dissociation, and identity dissolution — much like manic episodes.
- Modern parallel: Dionysian rites resemble group psychosis or collective dissociation (as seen in cults or mania-driven events).
4. Athena/Minerva – Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Traits
- Goddess of wisdom, rationality, and war strategy.
- Perfectionistic, emotionally detached, and focused on rules and order.
- Modern psychologists have linked such archetypes to OCPD traits — not necessarily disorder-level but reflecting a certain rigid, unemotional rationality.
5. Hera/Juno – Delusional Jealousy / Paranoid Personality Disorder
- Known for her obsessive jealousy and vengeance against Zeus’ lovers and their children.
- Her myths show suspicion, possessiveness, and disproportionate emotional responses — possibly aligned with paranoid or delusional disorders.
6. Hermes/Mercury – ADHD / Trickster Archetype
- Messenger god, fast-moving, witty, impulsive, and a trickster.
- These traits mirror Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
- Jung saw Hermes as the psychopomp — guide of souls — often representing the unconscious mind’s flow of symbols and creativity.
Religious Saints and Mental Illness
Saints as Archetypes of Suffering and Healing
Christian saints have often been invoked as patrons of mental or neurological conditions:
| Saint | Associated Condition | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| St. Dymphna | Mental illness in general | Fled an abusive father; became symbol of trauma and emotional resilience. |
| St. Vitus | Epilepsy, chorea (“St. Vitus’ dance”) | Involuntary movement disorders named after ecstatic dancing in his cult. |
| St. Teresa of Ávila | Mystical ecstasy (possible seizure disorder?) | Her trances and visions today might be viewed as temporal lobe epilepsy or dissociation. |
| St. Joan of Arc | Auditory hallucinations | Heard voices commanding divine mission — historically seen as schizophrenia by some. |
These saints were venerated rather than institutionalized, showing how cultural context defines whether mental states are pathologized or spiritualized.
Cross-Cultural Archetypes & Shamanic Mental States
In many indigenous and pre-modern cultures:
- Mental illness was seen as a call to shamanism or spiritual role.
- “Madness” could be the breakdown required for transformation.
Mircea Eliade and Jung both highlighted this pattern:
“A shaman is often a madman who has, through initiation, become healed and powerful.”
The Shift from Myth to Psychiatry
The Enlightenment and rise of biomedical psychiatry transformed the view of these conditions:
- Gods and demons were replaced with diagnoses and pathologies.
- Mythic patterns remained, but now reinterpreted scientifically.
However, Jungian and post-Jungian analysts argue that mythology still unconsciously shapes psychiatric categories.
Modern Interpretations and Uses
- Therapy through Archetypes:
- Jungian therapy uses myths and gods to explore inner dynamics (e.g., identifying with Athena or Dionysus).
- James Hillman’s “The Soul’s Code” emphasizes the importance of mythical imagination in healing.
- Art & Literature:
- Films and novels often personify mental illness through divine or mythic metaphors (e.g., Black Swan as a Dionysian descent).
- Pop Psychology & Astrology:
- Modern trends link gods and planets to psychological traits (e.g., Mars = anger issues, Moon = emotional instability).
Conclusion
From Eris’ chaos to Dionysus’ ecstasy, gods and saints have embodied psychological extremes long before modern diagnoses existed. Today’s understanding of mental illness benefits from revisiting these mythological figures, not as outdated relics but as timeless mirrors of the human psyche.
By reintegrating myth, psychology, and spirituality, we gain a richer and more compassionate understanding of mental health — not merely as dysfunction but as part of a deeply symbolic inner journey.
🧩 Further Reading:
- Carl Jung – Man and His Symbols, Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious
- James Hillman – The Myth of Analysis, Re-Visioning Psychology
- Thomas Moore – Care of the Soul
- Jean Shinoda Bolen – Goddesses in Everywoman
Postal Address
