By: Tori Griffiths and Collin Gunter Electra complex ELECTRA or ELEKTRA ηλέκτρα / ΗΛΕΚΤΡΑ By: Tori Griffiths and Collin Gunter

Electra in Greek mythology: The Greek origin of Electra means “amber”, “shining”, and “bright”. The most common Greek myth associated with the name is the story of Electra, princess of Argos; the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra. The story of Electra is elaborately told within The Libation Bearers section of the trilogy play titled, Oresteia by Aeschylus. Electra and Orestes, from an 1897 Stories from the Greek Tragedians, by Alfred Church

Electra, princess of argos: Loyal sister & faithful daughter unto her father Due to the brutal murder of her father, Agamemnon, by the hands her mother, Clytemnestra, and Aegisthus (Clytemnestra’s lover), Electra aids her exiled brother, Orestes, in the plot to avenge their father’s death by killing Clytemnestra and Aegisthus. Seven years after the death of Agamemnon, Orestes secretly returns to Argos. While he is visiting Agamemnon’s tomb, Electra approaches with “a band of black-clad women” (Aeschylus, p 70). Upon the tomb, Electra grieves and pours libations for their deceased father. Orestes presents himself to Electra, and together they pursue justice for their father, as well as the restoration of the House of Atreus (their birthright), which can only be achieved through the deaths of Aegisthus and Clytemnestra. Storage jar (neck amphora) with Orestes and Elektra at the tomb of Agamemnon Greek, South Italy. Classical or Hellenistic Period (about 335–320 B.C.) The Boston Orestes Painter

Modern Association: In psychology today, the Electra complex is a girl’s psychosexual competition with her mother for possession of her father experienced during child development (between 3-6 years in age). The term was first coined by Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung in 1913. The Greek myth of Electra and her hate toward her mother for her father’s death was what inspired Jung. The Electra complex is the female counter-part to the Oedipus complex, which is a boy’s psychosexual competition with his father for possession of his mother during child development (age 3-6 years). The Oedipus complex was coined by Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud in 1910. The term was inspired by the tragic Greek story of Oedipus, which involves him killing his father and marrying his mother. Electra at the Tomb of Agamemnon,  Frederic Leighton c. 1869 Oedipus and the Sphinx, Gustave Moreau (1826-1898).

Sources Allie. (2018, March 17). The Electra Complex: What Is It and What Does It Do? Retrieved from https://exploringyourmind.com/electra-complex-what-is-it/ Greek alphabet letters & symbols. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.rapidtables.com/math/symbols/greek_alphabet.html HEROES & VILLIANS. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theoi.com/greek- mythology/heroes.html Meineck, P., Aeschylus, & Foley, H. P. (1998). Oresteia. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company. Morford, M. P., Lenardon, R. J., & Sham, M. (2019). Classical mythology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.