The Trickster

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is within all of us just sitting on the borderline of
conscious and unconscious though.
So who is this Trickster? He has many forms both human and animal. His
physical form seems to be particular to each religion. The best way to view a
trickster is by his personality. "[He is] Admired, Loved, venerated for his
merits and virtues, he is represented as thievish, deceitful, parricidal,
incestuous, and cannibalistic. The malicious practical joker is deceived by just
about anybody; the inventor of ingenious stratagems is presented as an idiot;
the master of magical power is sometimes powerless to extricate himself from
quandaries." (p.67 Hynes and Doty). The trickster seems to be a comedy of
opposites. For every good aspect of his persona there is an equal and opposite
aspect. In religious stories his role is very diverse. He is the breaker if
taboos. He provides comic relief to a religious myth. And he will pull off
elaborate schemes to teach a moral lesson or expose the folly ...

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schemes, but in the end the
result was always the same. The long fall from the cliff to the ground.
The Trickster of Greek mythology was a God by the name of Hermes. Once
again we see a sort of bridge between the average man and the gods. Hermes is
the only God in Greek mythology that is born to a nymph (a mortal) . Also with
Hermes we see the recurring theme of flight. Hermes is said to have wings on
either side of his head.
In Greek culture Hermes is seen as a patron of facilitating roles as
oppose to commanding roles (p.48 Hynes and Doty). Icons of Hermes were displayed
in front of houses and where roads intersect. He is seen as guiding people in
transition. Stories about him also ...

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