Researching European shamanism, and then delving into the fairy tale tradition and observing how indigenous European spirituality lingered on in the folk tradition, has opened new doors of reflection. Joseph Campbell was one of the first mythologists to discuss myths as deeply intuitive messages from our ancestors with important messages for our own personal growth. His "Hero's Journey" theory has been hugely influential on subsequent storytellers. But, there is another important journey that we see depicted by certain figures in myth and fairytales; the shaman.
The Shaman's Journey and Why it Matters
| The Shaman's Journey shares quite bit of overlap with the Hero's Journey. The important difference is that the Shaman's Journey is inherently spiritual, and it is directly tied to our lost indigenous worldview. Again, I will keep reiterating that our own native spirituality was never truly lost, it just went undercover and was encoded. By studying the folk tradition that has been with us right along, we can open our eyes to insight that has been with us on a subconscious level and bring it forward into our aware consciousness. And, by doing so, we can realize the deep insight of our ancestors and harness it to elicit a more holistic sense of psychological well-being. |  "The Witch's Maiden" by Jennie Harbour |
Rewind: European Shamanism Was a Thing?
The term "shaman" itself tends to elicit debate. It was originally used to refer specifically to Siberian animistic cultures, from whence the word "shaman" itself derives. Researchers soon realized that "primitive" cultures still found in the world today have figures in their communities that use very similar practices to the Siberian shamans.
By "primitive" I mean people still living closely with nature, often with less reliance on technology, in smaller social groups, and who still believe in animistic spirituality.
By "primitive" I mean people still living closely with nature, often with less reliance on technology, in smaller social groups, and who still believe in animistic spirituality.
Therefore, though the word itself originated in Asiatic language, we use the term to apply to these figures worldwide, although they will have their own word to describe their role in the language of their own native culture.
However, there is another reason the word "shaman" has been problematic when looking at our own European cultural history. It has long been asserted in academia that most European cultures were not shamanistic. Some scholars vehemently stick to this assertion, while others have more recently challenged it.
However, there is another reason the word "shaman" has been problematic when looking at our own European cultural history. It has long been asserted in academia that most European cultures were not shamanistic. Some scholars vehemently stick to this assertion, while others have more recently challenged it.
In my recent studies looking into indigenous European shamanism, I have found evidence that shamanism was certainly present in European society. My view is that European culture simply advanced beyond "primitive" societies very early on, and thus the role of the shaman evolved before our history records begin.
What I mean by that is that we shifted from hunter gatherer nomads to stationary farmers which allowed us to build stable communities which in turn had the ability to grow in size. This means instead of a small tribal group, we moved into civilizations. Of course, this happened even earlier in the Mediterranean regions where temperate climate makes settled farming life much easier.
What I mean by that is that we shifted from hunter gatherer nomads to stationary farmers which allowed us to build stable communities which in turn had the ability to grow in size. This means instead of a small tribal group, we moved into civilizations. Of course, this happened even earlier in the Mediterranean regions where temperate climate makes settled farming life much easier.
Art by Frank Pape
| So, therefore, my best assessment is that as European culture evolved, as we gained greater technological advancement, larger settled communities that grew into civilizations, that the role of the shaman evolved with the community. The tricky part is that by the time we started recording history, we had already moved out of the quintessential shamanic phase. In other words, our historical records begin recording after our shamans had already evolved into other figures, though they still carried with them some shamanic elements and techniques. As mentioned above, every culture will have their own term for the role of the shaman. We now use the term "shaman" as a universal title for the role of this figure, like doctor, or lawyer. African shamans will have their own titles from their own respective languages, and so on in any given culture. |  Click to view this book |
In the English language, our words were "witch" and "wizard," also "sorceror." Other words come up as well, and they are discussed in the article "Magic in Anglo-Saxon England." Also see "Scottish Witchcraft: Background and Practices" for a discussion on "Cunning Folk."
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The Shaman in Context of Shamanistic Cultures
One important element of the "Shaman's Journey" is that while shamans were unique individuals within their societies, and they underwent their own special training that sometimes involved ordeals for personal transformation, that part of their role also serves to assist other members of the community in their own personal transformations.
| In tribal warrior societies, it is common for boys on the cusp of manhood to go through a warrior initiation ceremony. Very often similar rites of passage existed for girls who cross into the sphere of womanhood. Usually these rituals are gender specific, so all the men or all the women gather together to initiate the young person in their symbolic passage to adulthood. Where shaman figures are still present in the culture, a shaman is often there to lead the ceremony, especially when a spiritual component is involved. Shamanistic cultures are also typically animistic spiritually. So, while the shaman may have the special training and spiritual gifts to negotiate with the spiritual realm, the belief in the spiritual realm and some level of purposeful interacting with it will be universal throughout the society. |  Native American shamanic experience, by H. J. Ford. |
In other words, everyone within the society will hold a shamanistic worldview and engage in some level of shamanic practice.
| An analogy would be that today if a child scrapes his knee, it is nearly universally understood that the parent would clean the wound, usually keeping rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, or some other disinfectant on hand, perhaps smear on an antibiotic or antiseptic ointment, and then cover with a bandage. One does not need to be a doctor to have a basic understanding of hygienic medical treatment of a surface wound. However, if the cut is excessive and it is beyond the skills and understanding of the parent to tend to it, then they will bring their child to a physician for treatment. As we live in the Scientific Age, and in societies ruled by rational reason, we have certain basic scientific knowledge and understandings even when we are not trained scientists or medical doctors ourselves. |  Click to view this book |
Just so, people living under a magical and animistic worldview will all have a basic understanding of the magical ways in which they believe the world functions. But, when the situation reaches beyond their own ability to cope, then they seek out the help of the shaman.
So, as we can see, while the shaman themselves is a distinct figure within the society, shamanism is also intertwined within the community on an intrinsic level.
So, as we can see, while the shaman themselves is a distinct figure within the society, shamanism is also intertwined within the community on an intrinsic level.
What is a Shamanic Journey?
| I propose that the "Shaman's Journey" is a process that not only the shaman his or herself undertakes, but it had symbolic meaning for all individuals who lived within a shamanistic society. The steps are very close to Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey,"outlined in his masterpiece, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces." The difference is that the Hero's Journey functions almost more like a literary formula repeated over and over again in stories both ancient and modern. Of course, Campbell also pointed out that this formula can be used as a metaphor us in our own lives. |  Click to view this book |
The Hero's Journey is undertaken by someone separate from ourselves, off in the distance, whom we admire and want to emulate; while the shaman was once a member of our own community who worked with us and whom we personally observed engaging upon his own journeys, and who assisted us in engaging in our own spiritual journeys of self-transformation.
The process in becoming a shaman often involved steps quite similar to the steps outlined in Campbell's Hero's Journey. In watching interviews with people who have spent intensive time studying shamans in modern times found in remote cultures around the world, we find that their experiences somewhat match the Hero's Journey.
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Campbell's outline has three main stages with sub-stages, adding up to a 17 point pattern.
The big difference between the "hero" and the "shaman" is that the hero's journey is not necessarily undertaken for spiritual purposes, and it can be solely for his or her own benefit. Whereas the shaman's journey is inherently spiritual, and the shaman is tasked with the larger role of obtaining gifts that he or she will then share with their communities.
I haven't worked out an entire intricate pattern like Campbell's, but I have noticed some recurring elements that turn up in shamanic figures. These are found both in real living shamans as well as shamanic figures in myth and religion. And these are only slight variations upon the original Hero's Journey that seem specific to the shaman archetype.
I haven't worked out an entire intricate pattern like Campbell's, but I have noticed some recurring elements that turn up in shamanic figures. These are found both in real living shamans as well as shamanic figures in myth and religion. And these are only slight variations upon the original Hero's Journey that seem specific to the shaman archetype.
The Call of Spirit
Fairy Tale illustration by Warwick Goble
So, Campbell's Hero will initially hear the "Call to Adventure." But, the Shaman hears the call of Spirit. People who have studied modern shamans in world cultures today often find that shamans begin experiencing spiritual phenomena that others do not experience. This could be in the form of hearing voices, in dreams, or so some other similar phenomenon.
Very often, just as the Hero refuses the call, the Shaman-to-be will also refuse it. As discussed in the videos linked in this piece above, many people do not desire to be a shaman. In fact, they often want nothing to do with it! But, they are plagued by dreams, visions, voices, etc, that they cannot turn off.
| In this case, they themselves seek out the help of a shaman who then tells the individual that they, too, have been called to this path. This is not the only way someone is called to the life of a shaman, but it is one common way. In some cultures and instances, a shaman is identified at birth and then raised up in his or her pathway. When the shamanic figure is identified in infancy, often the "call of Spirit" is some supernatural element pertaining to their conception or birth. In the case of Christianity, it was the Virgin birth. Sometimes it might be a birthmark on the infant's body that symbolizes their special status. Being born with the caul was sometimes seen as the child being marked supernaturally. |  Fairy tale illustration by H. J. Ford |
Crossing the Threshold of Nature
Illustration by Warwick Goble
One common element of shamanic training is taking a journey alone into the wilderness. A shaman's function is to bridge the barriers between the human and spirit worlds. To do so, they need to leave the world of humans and connect with Spirit. Often, this is an ordeal wherein the shaman-in-training journey's out into the wilderness alone. There he must survive by relying on his senses, his relationship with Nature, and thereby strengthen his ability to communicate with the spirit realm.
Jesus in the desert as depicted by Ewen MacGregor
Many figures from mythology and world religions also depict storylines that match both the Hero's Journey and elements of shamanism. It might shock some people to view the figure of Jesus Christ as a shaman. Yet, like shamans in some cultures, he was identified at birth as special and set apart from ordinary humans.
Like some Native American shamanic (medicine man) training ordeals, we are told that Jesus spent forty days alone in the wilderness where he wrestled with temptation and supernatural forces.
Like some Native American shamanic (medicine man) training ordeals, we are told that Jesus spent forty days alone in the wilderness where he wrestled with temptation and supernatural forces.
The Ordeal - A Suffering
| Once a shaman begins their journey, they often undergo some kind of personal suffering which must be endured so that their spiritual gifts can be realized. These ordeals are also present in shamanic societies in rites of passage undertaken by members of the culture group. The "Vision Quest" is one such ordeal that is found in some Native American cultures, and similar rites are found in warrior-tribal societies throughout history. While the shaman may engage in an ordeal to obtain his own shamanic gifts, his role is then to guide the community in such cultural rites of passage that they may engage in. Shamanic figures in mythology are seen to suffer to obtain gifts that they then pass on to adherents of the faith that venerates them. |  Odin by "darktear83" on DeviantArt |
So, we see Odin sacrificing his own eye to obtain wisdom and hanging from the World Tree in order to learn the secrets of the runes, which were then revealed to his followers. Jesus Christ's story tell us that suffered on the cross as a gift to humanity.
Symbolic Death & Rebirth
Illustration by Warwick Goble
We see death and rebirth enacted in shamanic elements of cultural myth as well as in the rituals of many world religions. In the Christian myth, Jesus Christ died and experienced a resurrection. Just so, his followers engage in a ritual of symbolic death with their rite of baptism. In the Christian tradition, baptism is meant to symbolize the death of one's former life and a rebirth of their new life as a Christian.
| This also serves as an initiation ritual as the individual is being initiated into their faith. While some sects initiate infants into their religion, other Christian sects couple the rite of baptism with a rite of passage into adulthood. In some Christian traditions, an individual is not baptised until they have reached "the age of reasoning." This is meant to say that the person is no longer in the "innocence" (or obliviousness) of childhood, but has reached a maturity level of psychological understanding and responsibility. When they have reached this maturity level, then they have the ability to make choices and understand consequences. |  Jesus' later death and resurrection was a repetition of the motif seen previously with his own baptism. |
Therefore, their baptism is a death and rebirth ritual symbolizing their own moving into a new phase of life where they are responsible for their choices in addition to the religious symbolism that the rite entails.
Heroic & Shamanic Journey Elements in Fairy Tales
As we've been exploring stories in the European Fairy Tales Series, elements of shamanism, a shamanic worldview, and shamanic/heroic journeys have appeared. In "The Three Heads of the Well," an important element of Campbell's Hero's Journey not discussed above is shown: supernatural assistance. This is a recurring element within fairy tales, and one example of how the Hero's Journey is played out over and over again in the fairy tale tradition.
| Other shamanic elements were discussed in the booklet "Thomas the Rhymer." Thomas' character can also be seen as engaging in a Shamanic Journey. He was "called" by a spiritual "guide" to go on a journey. The steps along his journey can be seen as symbolic of death and rebirth, as he went through a desolate desert (death) through a dark cavern tunnel resulting in his arrival in Elf-land (which can be seen as a metaphor for a paradise or afterlife), and then journeyed back again through the tunnel (birth canal) and ultimately arrived back to Middle Earth. While in Elf-land, Thomas had to go through an ordeal. This particular example seems a bit mild compared to others at first glance, but there are some strong parallels to other shamanic/spiritual/religious traditions. |  Click to view this book |
Thomas was told by his spiritual guide that he was not allowed to eat anything apart from one apple that she gave to him. This parallels the use of fasting seen in other mythical shamanic journeys (Christ fasted in the wilderness, Odin fasted as he hung on the tree). In addition, fasting is still used in various religious rites and rituals around the world today. Hindu spiritual people sometimes use fasting, as do Christians and Muslims.
| The other part of Thomas' ordeal was that he was told he must remain silent while in Elf-land. While this seems simple, it was implied that there would be negative consequences if he did not, so there was an element of danger involved. Silence is more difficult than it seems, and for this reason it is part of the religious experience of only the most serious devotees of certain paths. Silence is used in various Christian traditions, most well known with Catholic monks who take a vow to remain silent for a certain period or even their entire lives. It can also be found among Buddhist monks. And, the practice of silence is key to yoga and transcendental meditation of the Hindu tradition. |  Art by H. J. Ford |
By successfully following the directions of his spiritual guide and completing the ordeal, Thomas was allowed to be "re-born" as he re-entered the mortal world, and he was blessed with supernatural gifts which he then used for the benefit of his own community.
Shamanic Cultural Worldview Evidenced in Fairy Tales
| We explored animism in Grimms' "Aschenputtel." This story is a great representation of how Europeans absolutely were immersed in a "shamanic" cultural worldview. The archetype of the shaman exists within the broader cultural paradigm. I would argue that even when the "profession" of shaman is no longer present, that the archetype of the shaman may still appear in the mythos of a given society wherein the profession had once previously existed. And, that society will hold a worldview that is inherently spiritual, animistic, and which views the Earth as "magical" in nature. This worldview is evidenced quite strongly in the European fairy tale tradition. |  Click to view this book |
The symbolism of death and rebirth also appears frequently within fairy tales. We've not covered it yet in the Fairy Tales Series, but we surely will. You will already be aware of this theme through well known tales like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and others.
While death is symbolized in those tales just mentioned through a deep sleep, or a sleep that mimics death, it sometimes appears in more veiled ways (as described above in Thomas the Rhymer), or more overt and gruesome ways. For instance, I have seen beheading used as a mode to elicit transformation in several tales.
While death is symbolized in those tales just mentioned through a deep sleep, or a sleep that mimics death, it sometimes appears in more veiled ways (as described above in Thomas the Rhymer), or more overt and gruesome ways. For instance, I have seen beheading used as a mode to elicit transformation in several tales.
| Most of you
will be familiar with "The Frog Prince," wherein the girl must kiss the frog in order to break his curse. Other variants of this tale, such as an English version called "The Well at the World's End," require the girl to chop off the frog's head in order to break his enchantment and return him to his original form. I have seen this motif in other tales, and I plan on exploring this more in future Fairy Tales Series volumes. | |
A Treasure Trove of Deep Spirituality
| Every day I delve deeper into our indigenous European spirituality and discover that our spiritual inheritance runs deeper than I ever imagined. We're only beginning to scratch the surface. The Fairy Tales Series is allowing me to study elements of European folk religion methodically, and share my research with you as it is uncovered. Ultimately, my plan is to bring all of this research together in a full length book that uncovers our deep indigenous spiritual roots and how they lived on in our culture right along. |  Illustration by H. J. Ford |
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More than that, the higher tiers are supporting this ongoing research so that I may keep unearthing important insight from our shared heritage and share it with you. Subscribers at all levels are very much appreciated!
More than that, the higher tiers are supporting this ongoing research so that I may keep unearthing important insight from our shared heritage and share it with you. Subscribers at all levels are very much appreciated!
 | My name is Carolyn Emerick, and I write on the history, myth, and folklore of Northwestern Europe. Explore this website for more on European history, mythology, and folk tradition. Please check out the section for my books! And, please follow me on Facebook! |
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