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A New GnosisThe Shadow of the Bat: Batman as Archetypal Shaman

A New Gnosis: The Shadow of the Bat: Batman as Archetypal Shaman [Most early human cultures revered the bat. Not only was the bat held sacred for the essential role they play in our ecosystem as pollinators, seed dispersers, and natural insect control, they were also appreciated for their uniqueness. Bats are the only mammals that possess the ability for sustained flight, they nurse their young, and even share brainwave patterns common with those of primates. And yet, they mostly live underground in caves, sleep upside down, have the ability to see in the dark, and are nocturnal. Despite their clear benefit to humans and our ecology in general, Western culture has demonized the bat and therefore one is forced wonder why so much negative shadow material has been projected on the bat. What does the image of the bat hold for the Western psyche? What aspects of ourselves have been deemed demonic that are essential to our own inner ecosystems? And why, despite this fear of the bat, have we as a culture embraced Batman, a man dressed as a bat? A deeper exploration of the image of the bat as not only holding negative shadow material, but also holding that of the light bringer or psychopomp reveals a great deal about the human condition in the modern Western world. This chapter explores the image of the bat, Batman, and what it holds for the modern Westerner.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

A New GnosisThe Shadow of the Bat: Batman as Archetypal Shaman

Part of the Contemporary Religion and Popular Culture Book Series
Editors: Odorisio, David M.
Todd, John
A New Gnosis — Jan 1, 2023
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23 pages

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Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Copyright
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
ISBN
978-3-031-20126-4
Pages
197 –220
DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-20127-1_10
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Most early human cultures revered the bat. Not only was the bat held sacred for the essential role they play in our ecosystem as pollinators, seed dispersers, and natural insect control, they were also appreciated for their uniqueness. Bats are the only mammals that possess the ability for sustained flight, they nurse their young, and even share brainwave patterns common with those of primates. And yet, they mostly live underground in caves, sleep upside down, have the ability to see in the dark, and are nocturnal. Despite their clear benefit to humans and our ecology in general, Western culture has demonized the bat and therefore one is forced wonder why so much negative shadow material has been projected on the bat. What does the image of the bat hold for the Western psyche? What aspects of ourselves have been deemed demonic that are essential to our own inner ecosystems? And why, despite this fear of the bat, have we as a culture embraced Batman, a man dressed as a bat? A deeper exploration of the image of the bat as not only holding negative shadow material, but also holding that of the light bringer or psychopomp reveals a great deal about the human condition in the modern Western world. This chapter explores the image of the bat, Batman, and what it holds for the modern Westerner.]

Published: Jan 1, 2023

Keywords: Batman; Bat; Shaman; C.G. Jung; Archetype; Ecology

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