Wise old man

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A wise old man: "The Scholar in Mediation" by Rembrandt
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A wise old man: "The Scholar in Mediation" by Rembrandt

The wise old man (or "Senex") is an archetype as described by Carl Jung. It is also a classic literary figure, and may be seen as a stock character.

This kind of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that, in a mystical way, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become, thereby acting as a mentor. He may occasionally appear as an absent-minded professor, losing track of his surroundings because of his thoughts.

The wise old man is often seen to be in some way "foreign", that is, from a different culture, nation, or occasionally, even a different time, than those he advises. In extreme cases, he may be a liminal being, such as Merlin, who was only half human.

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[edit] Terminology

Jung dubbed this character as a senex. This is Latin for old man in general, and in fact, two stock characters of the stage are the senex iratus, an old man who irrationally objects to the love of the younger characters, and the senex amans, an old man foolishly in love with a woman too young for him. This senex, unlike these characters, has grown old graciously. His wisdom is not only in his increased knowledge and judgment, but his knowing that younger people have taken on the role of hero, and that his position has changed to one of mentor.

Merlin fell from the role of senex to senex amans when he fell in love with Nimue; this lapse from judgment is what led to his being enchanted and imprisoned.

[edit] Examples

[edit] Historical

Xi Kang
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Xi Kang

Seven Sages of Greece

Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove

[edit] Mythology

"Telemachus and Mentor" Illustration of Les Aventures de Télémaque by François Fénelon
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"Telemachus and Mentor" Illustration of Les Aventures de Télémaque by François Fénelon
Merlin instructing a young knight, from The Idylls of the King
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Merlin instructing a young knight, from The Idylls of the King

[edit] Literature

[edit] Fantasy literature

[edit] Comics

[edit] Television and film

[edit] Science fiction

[edit] Animation

[edit] Comuter and video games

[edit] References

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    [edit] See also

    [edit] External link

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