Trickster/Prankster/Jester/Fool/Clown
Appears in Amerindian,
Chinese, Greek and Oceanic symbolism as the egoist, or the evolution of the
Hero from the unconscious, chaotic and amoral to the conscious, integrated
and responsible man. The Trickster also represents the life of the
body which tends to cunning and stupid action and in this aspect shares the
symbolism of the fool or jester in provoking laughter and exposing weakness;
it is sometimes used as the villain to throw the Hero and the good into
relief. Among the Red Indians it is symbolized by the Raven in North
Pacific regions, the Coyote in the western mountains and the Rabbit or Hare
in the eastern forests. The Scandinavian Loki is a Trickster. From:
An
Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols (J.C. Cooper)
...these symbols do not seek to integrate the initiate with any religious doctrine or secular group-consciousness. On the contrary, they point to a man's need for liberation from any state of being that is too immature, too fixed or final. In other words, they concern man's release from -- or transcendence of -- any confining pattern of existence, as he moves toward a superior or more mature stage in his development. From: Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung
Hermes is Trickster in a different role as a messenger, a god of the crossroads, and finally the leader of souls to and from the underworld. His phallus therefore penetrates from the known into the unknown world, seeking a spiritual message of deliverance and healing. From: Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung
Fool/Clown: The extreme opposite of the highest temporal power, the King. The fool, clown or jester is the lowest at the court and frequently took the place of the king, in ritual sacrifice, as the scapegoat. The king symbolizes the forces of law and order, the fool those of chaos, hence the license of the fool or jester who could say or do what he pleased. The fool also represents unregenerate man who does not know whence he came or where he is going but goes on blindly towards the abyss. From: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols (J.C. Cooper)
Songs referenced:
After
All