The+Trickster+-+Written+Paper

The trickster has always been a key role in almost all fiction. A trickster is the character that plays jokes, acts devious or makes fun. In mythology he or she brakes away from the ways of the gods or behavioral norms. They break the rules, sometimes in mean spirit but usually to be funny or to have fun. The trickster is said to simply be trying to endure challenges and dangers while using trickery. Tricksters are often shape-shifters, and can switch gender roles. In most myths they are the imitators and/or messengers of the gods. Besides trickery and jokes the trickster can also provide substitutes for the ordinary. They can show others another way to arrive at the same destination. The trickster frequently points out flaws in society by destruction. He causes men to question things that are widely accepted and provides a new way of thinking. The trickster can be found in many pieces of modern day fiction as well as in legend and myth. One standard example of the trickster archetype can be found in Norse mythology. Loki, meaning fire, is perfectly named because he, like fire, is unpredictable and ever changing. This “sly god” was actually part god and part giant, making him large in stature as well as in personality. His desire to make things fun for himself usually caused turmoil for others. His ability to change his shape helped him to also earn the title “Father of Lies.” (Wilkinson 84) To give him this role of a trickster one must explain the tricks he played upon other mythological creatures. When he was captured by the giants, in order to be set free, he promised them the goddess Idun. Once he was free, he then proceeded to tricking Idun into being captured by the giants, only saving her after being thoroughly threatened by the rest of the gods. Though usually a nuisance to the other gods, his schemes sometimes proved beneficial to them. He tricked the unnamed giant who built the walls outside of Asgard to not be paid for his work. To do this, Loki took the form of a mare and distracted the giant’s horse. His most influential trickery was that that caused the death of Baldr, the Norse god of innocence, beauty, joy, and purity. He made a dart of mistletoe, the one plant that had not sworn to never harm Baldr, and tricked Baldr’s own brother, who was blind, to throw it at him, ultimately killing him. As punishment for this crime he was binded to three stones and a snake placed above him leaking venom onto him. Though his wife, Sigyn, stays near him and catches the venom in a bowl before it touches him. However when she has to empty the bowl the venom hits his face and he is in so much pain that when he reacts the whole world shakes. He is ultimately killed on the battlefield by Heimdall, the guardian of the gods ( HOW DO I CITE THIS, FROM WIKIPEDIA.) Another mythological example comes from Greek mythology and is the son of Venus and Mercury. Cupid, the god of love, is most commonly dipicted as a beautiful, young boy, always carrying a bow and arrows. His job is to shoot individuals with these invisible arrows which cause the person struck to fall in love immediately with the next person they set their eyes on. At times his power was not used for the good of the parties involved thus giving him the giving him the title of the “trickster god of love.” His mother, Venus, sent him to the mortal Psyche to have her fall in love with a monster. Venus wanted Psyche to have this fate because Psyche’s beauty was often compared to that of Venus, and Venus believed that Psyche thought she was prettier and for that she needed to be punished. As he was about to shoot her with his arrow, Cupid was stunned by her beauty and accidently pricked himself, thus falling for her instead. (Avery 342) The trickster archetype can also be found in many modern films. Captain Jack Sparrow from the __Pirates of the Carribean__ is one example. Throughout the movie, Captain Sparrow uses his ability to out wit and persuade others for his own benefit. He is constantly using others wants and needs to help him reach his own. For example, he knows that Will Turner, another character, will do anything for the woman he loves so Jack uses this knowledge to use Will in his adventures. Often in the movie many characters find themselves being tricked by Jack Sparrow. Another modern trickster can be found in the movie __Mrs. Doubtfire.__ The main chararcter, Daniel or rather “Mrs. Doubtfire,” holds this position. “She” embodies the gender switching and shape shifting aspect of the trickster. This man makes himself into a woman in order to get a job as the housekeeper and nanny to his children, whom he has lost custody to. He goes so far that he is unrecognizable to both his ex-wife and three children and tricks them all into believing that he is this Mrs. Doubtfire. The trickster continues to appear in literature and film for the same reason it originally existed in myths and legends. It’s job is to give people the illusion that it is possible to get away with such schemes. They would like to believe that they are clever enough to pull off these elaborate plots. This archetype also adds comic relief to most stories. The things they do and say to accomplish their trick is sometimes so indepth and intricate that it becomes halarious that they would go through all that trouble and also that the other characters fall for it. Their ability to decieve and entertain will help them to continue to come up again and again within all fiction.

The New Century Classical Handbook Catherine B. Avery-Editor page- 342-343