The archetype of the wild woman is often confused with the archetype of the witch. There are similarities between these two, but they are not identical.
The witch might be a wild woman: she might live in the woodlands and be close to the animals and the earth. But a witch might also live in the city and work with the elements as she converses and engages more with the people. So my primary method of differentiation here is that a wild woman (or a wild man/person/etc…) must live in close relationship to the woodlands, the animals, and the plants than to modern culture and civilization. To classify as a Wild Woman, one must identify with one’s wild, uncivilized, and unconscious self.
Often, the wild woman is a shape-shifter. There are fairy stories from old Europe (and across the globe) that tell of women who can become sea creatures, foxes, and wolves. They often take human form in order to mate, but they always return to their wild roots. These humanoids began as wild, perhaps as an independent race or species of being, or they might be partly divine. They appear human under certain conditions and when it serves their needs. The recent animated film Wolfwalkersis one such story, and I highly recommend watching it!
Another theme is the return to one’s wild roots due to tragedy. In these stories, ordinary people befall some sort of hardship or extreme condition where the only method of coping is to return to one’s wild roots. The story of Medusa is one such story—she was turned into a half-snake-half woman because she was raped by the god Poseidon and then cursed by the Goddess of Athena (the rape happened in Athena’s hall, and she didn’t like it very much. Why didn’t she curse Poseidon? Good guestion...)
If one digs even deeper in the Medusa mythology, one finds her roots as an African and black woman who was wronged by white rulers. Medusa also represents the ancient neolithic feminine goddess religions with her reference to the snakes. Her decapitation by Perseus can be seen as an analogy to our disembodied connection with each other and our earthly roots of worship. I find the wild form of Medusa to be a very interesting analogy to our times.
In some tales of the wild woman, the grief over loss of a child or a love becomes so intense that she is retreats into the wild world. Her lives inside caves and trees, her hair becomes a nest, and she may eat animals raw. One such wild woman comes from the Irish tradition, her name is Mis (pronounced Mish). She was a princess. Her father set out to rule Ireland and his entire army was killed in a battle that she witnessed. As she held her dead father, she tried to lick his wounds to bring him back to life. When she realized the futility of her actions, she retreated into the woodlands and turned absolutely wild. You canread more about Mis here, at Sharon Blackie’s site.
Mis and all the wild women represent the depths of rage, grief, and loss of control that lies dormant deep inside of us all. These stories symbolize a decent into darkness. I believe they can also possess our deepest truth—that we are very much connected to the animal and plant worlds around us. We build up fancy buildings and intricate stories of government and money. We have many incredible mechanical devices that (sometimes) make our lives easier, and our years are extended through the advances of modern medicine. These can be wonderful things. But we should never forget our wild roots because we will return to them.
The Wild Woman archetype is an expression of the nature of our own unconscious, a portal into the depths and richnesses of our inner landscape and original self.
Please consider these questions in your journaling for this module:
What is civilization? How do you define it?
In what ways does civilization help you? What gratitude can you hold for modern conveniences?
In what ways does civilization hinder your connection to your true nature? Your inner landscape?
What would it be like to “Become Animal? What animal would take form through you?
How do you respond to grief, anger, or those other emotional depths? How does nature heal and hold you during those times?
Activities
Create an altar to your wild self. What animal would reside over this altar? What items from the natural world would sit on this altar?
What would you look like as a wild one? paint a picture, draw, or collage an image of your wild self.
Meet Jessica Weston! Owner of Superfresh Cafe in Brattleboro, VT.
In this conversation, we discuss her story that brought her to natural healing with plants, and why it is so important to establish our living bond with nature’s intelligence.
