The Dying God Archetype

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Odin of Norse mythology

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The Dying God Archetype Also known as a the “resurrection deity,” this god is either resurrected or reborn in a literal or symbolic sense All myths imitate ancient rituals that were intended to renew the fertility of the land and crops each year

Egyptian Mythology Osiris

Maya Mythology Quetzalcotl

Greek Mythology Dionysus

Death and Resurrection When the god dies, he/she often experiences a descent into the Underworld The god either ultimately triumphs beyond or rules over the Underworld

The Tree of Life A tree connecting earth to a heaven and/or and underworld Some tree symbols: – The Judeo-Christian Garden of Eden features the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – The Buddha attains Nirvana under a bodhi tree – In the film Avatar, the Na’vi find their spiritual home in a tree – Cigna health insurance uses a tree of life as its insignia

The Odyssey Odysseus (Ulysses) and Penelope built their world of Ithaca around an olive tree

Norse Cosmology Yggdrasil is the “world tree” that reaches into every realm and rises through three different lands

Judeo-Christian Tradition The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden

Buddhism Gautama Buddha receives enlightenment under the bodhi tree

Modern Cinema In the film Avatar, the Na’vi live in a sacred tree

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