Role tricks


Musings on the Trickster archetype

On one of my lists a few days ago, there was an interesting discussion about tricksters, good, and evil. Unfortunately the discussion got derailed (NOT me this time!), but I did want to share some thoughts.

Neopagans often carry baggage about the whole idea of good versus evil from Christitianity. More times that not, evil is defined as whatever is outside the cultural norm while good is all those values that the culture cherishes. This completely misinterprets the role of the Adversary in the Jewish faiths.

Originally, the Adversary tested a person's faith. Sort of a cross between a tempter and a free lance prosecutor, his job was to look for weaknesses. But the Adversary was distinctly subservient to the Hebrew G*d.

Later Christian mythology threw in a war in Heaven and defined their Adversary as everything that their Most High was not. The gods of the old became the devils of the new. So all those pleasurable things that the priests LOVED to denounce got associated with some of the godmasks floating around Europe. Even though the Christian Adversary had overwhelming power on Earth (thereby giving the ready excuse of persecution when things didn't work out the way the priests said), the faith of the righteous was still supposed to be enough enough to send him packing. We'll overlook the implications here about the sort of Deity who would allow this and move on.

In non-monotheistic cultures with gods, the role of the Trickster archetype is less defined. Often, he's a central part of the creation myth because he tends to push boundaries. Still he's a way to step outside the accepted rules, especially if it's an opportunity to test someone else's honor. He does it not because it is his job, but because it is fun to f*ck with people and deflate assumptions. Tell him it's a job and he'll stop listening because hey, that is NOT cool.

So is the Trickster evil? Not really, the whole idea of evil lies in absolutes that a trickster would never accept. I prefer to think of the Trickster as part of those things that make us uncomfortable so we reach beyond ourselves. He's the loophole in the law, the bit we overlooked, the dangling thread at the seam in the clothes we use to hide from others. The Trickster wants what he does not have just because playing with it will mess with your head. He'll play keepaway with your most sacred ideals just because he can. He'll trot out your secret shame even as he reveals the one thing you absolutely MUST know.

The one thing you can be certain about with the Trickster is that things will change when he's around.

Posted: Thu - November 8, 2007 at 01:18 PM
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