The Necromancer

The necromancer is the shadow side of the ascetic and represents the death instinct or thanatos principle of Freud. It is also the mother complex that we must confront and moving into the realm of the dead, the graveyard we come very close to the mother complex and constellate very strong feelings that try to overwhem us. The symbol of deference that is staged by the necromancer when he kneels down and bows his head is very interesting. A Christian version of this story might require a sacrificial act so this image would not make it into a more western story. We are reminded that the east does not believe in self-sacrifice so the ritual of kneeling and bowing is to be avoided. Yet the celebration comes from cutting off the head of the destroyer, defeating the mother complex and transforming the mother complex into the creative and ever-expanding mother archetype. It is the difference between drinking alcohol until unconscious and drinking herbal tea referring back to the fishing trip. It is using the fermentation of yeast in making bread vs making and drinking alcohol. It is transmuting mother nature into nurture rather than being destroyed by mother nature's byproducts. In fact a Christian version of the story is the story of Faust and requires a pact with the Devil. There is no good and evil in our Indian story just the visible and invisible worlds.

The necromancer is also the archetypal trickster setting us up for failure by telling us a lie. The king's response is to become the trickster himself and turn the tables on him. There is an internalization of the components of the story into the king. The king takes in the fruit that hides the gems for years. He takes in the corpse and his stories and teaching and finally he takes in the trickster and the trickster becomes part of him. He is now a complete person.