King

The King is the center of the world, the hub of the universe, and everything he does, no matter how insignificant it may seem, affects all. The king is "the highest," the one who represents "everything." In this way, the king is a symbol of the Self, "the vital nerve and core of the collective psyche" (von Franz 2002, p. 19). The king, as the Self, symbolizes "unity." Jesus is the "king" in Christianity.

The Self and the ego sometimes have similar symbols; thus, the appearance of the "king archetype" in a dream can also refer to a stable, inner authority and autonomous identity. With this typical fusion, the king also sometimes represents the intermediary between the ego and the Self. (Cf. Hero.) The tyrannical king can just as well suggest an inner authority of a destructive kind, as the tyrannical ego. (Edinger 1995, p. 172ff.)

A typical fairytale motif is that there are several kingdoms that compensate or oppose each other, meaning that the unifying symbol can no longer keep "the world" together, and the collective life has fragmented. If the king dies, instability and insecurity follow, possibly dissolution, but as we will return to, this can be a prerequisite for the new.

With a good king, the harvest is abundant, but if the harvest fails and the people starve, a new king is required; psychologically speaking, the situation calls for something new. The king symbolizes the prevailing attitude. If the king is old and sick, he must be replaced, something that is represented by the young hero in fairy tales. The old, “bad” king can represent the idea, the identity, or the archetypal image that needs renewal. Once upon a time, it was a good, living system, and perhaps it still works, but now it has become an outdated routine, a barren habit, which needs to be replaced by something new; it becomes a conflict between the prevailing order and the impulse for renewal.

This theme, which is so common in fairy tales and legends, can be seen as a reflection of the midlife crisis, where the old methods and prevailing attitudes have stagnated and lost their value, while an impulse for renewal arises from within.

In fairy tales, the young hero represents the renewal, but the motif of the king renewing himself with, for example, the water of life or a rejuvenating apple also occurs.

It is worth noting that the king implies a need for leadership. A group of people who can lead themselves needs no king, whereas a group that cannot lead itself and lacks a king needs a hero.

The Individuation Process

The king thus represents the conscious attitude that may need renewal, perhaps the ego viewed from an objective (inner) standpoint. This is expressed notably in alchemy as the mortificatio of the king (or the sun or lion). Edinger states: "I believe we can assert that the symbolic expression of the king’s death and rebirth is the fundamental image of the process of individuation..." (1995, p. 216).

The old, powerless king represents the psyche’s, or its dominant’s, lost life force. This is followed by the king’s descent into the waters – the encounter with the unconscious. Images of illness, symptoms, pregnancy, the multicolored, illustrate the conflict and synthesis between the conscious and the unconscious. The king’s son, the hermaphrodite, "the round," corresponds psychologically to the formation of a new "dominant"; a process accompanied by symbols of wholeness. (See CW 14, par. 523.)

The King in Contemporary Dreams

In the dreams of modern people, the archetypal image of the "king" can take on other roles, often more generalized leaders or presidents, etc.; some form of central, authoritative figure.

Crown

The royal crown can be seen as a hypostasis of the king and thus shares symbolism with him. More specifically, the crown can symbolize totality and unity; the one who wears the crown is not at the mercy of fate’s whims. The crown is a sun symbol, just as the good king is an expression of the highest value.

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