The Jaguar, The Fire, The Man: A Jungian Interpretation of a Brazilian Indigenous Tale

Abstract

Fairy tale interpretation is a common practice among Jungian analysts, although tales originating from early societies in which the level of culture achievement is still in its primordial wrapping are less often analyzed. The objective of this paper, therefore, was to investigate a tale from the depth psychology point of view, which was originally collected from a group of indigenous Brazilian tribes. Several versions of this tale deal with the motif of the theft of fire. In this narrative, the owner of fire is the most prominent being of the forest: the Jaguar. The Jungian interpretation demonstrates the ordeals of a young fellow who, after serendipitously venturing into the jungle, ends up stealing fire from the god. In this tale, one will recognize the archetypal disposition that creates and fosters human consciousness, represented by the acquisition of cultural goods and progressive differentiation from nature. The archetypal motifs present in this Amerindian tale are also contrasted with dreams of modern individuals so as to demonstrate the pertinence of the theme for psychological development.

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Notes on contributors

Inácio Cunha

Inácio Cunha, PhD, is a Brazilian Jungian analyst, graduate of the Research- and Training Centre for Depth Psychology according to C. G. Jung and M. L. von Franz, who maintains a private practice in Brazil. He lectures and teaches on Jungian psychology. He wrote the books: The Lower Limbs in Jungian Psychology: The Girl with Her Big Toe in the Mouth; The Feminine Entrapped Within Fruits (a Jungian Interpretation); and Os Custos da Consciência. He translated three books authored by von Franz into Portuguese.