Symbolism: Wise Old Woman/Man

One of the primary Jungian archetypes; after dealing with the Shadow and the Animus/Anima, the Wise Old Woman (or for men, the Wise Old Man) makes her appearance. They are the archetype of wisdom, of the collective unconscious itself, of the Self. The Wise Old Woman is the great Earth Mother or the Wise Crone, the Wise Old Man is the Sage.

Wise Old Man: in men, the archetype of "meaning" or "spirit." Magician, master, teacher, moralist. The Self made flesh. First projected onto the father, it usually appears after a man integrates the personal part of the anima, but anima and Wise Old Man (or "soul" and "meaning") often appear together afterwards. He is her father but also her son. Identifying with this archetype produces the mana personality and a dangerous ego inflation. In Jung's fantasies, the prophet compensates the blind anima: "When you assume the anima is due to the preponderance of the differentiated function in the conscious, the unconscious is balanced by a figure within itself that compensates the anima figure. This is the old man Elijah."

- A Glossary of Jungian Terms

The figure of the wise old man can appear so plastically, not only in dreams but also in visionary meditation (or what we call "active imagination"), that . . . it takes over the role of a guru. The wise old man appears in dreams in the guise of a magician, doctor, priest, teacher, professor, grandfather, or any person possessing authority."

- The Phenomenology of the Spirit in Fairytales," CW 9i, par. 398

The wise old woman may appear as a grandmother; ones mother in old age; a goddess; a female figure depicting fertility; naked female with large breasts, vagina or buttocks; queen or princess; old woman who radiates wisdom, authority and unconditional love.

In general these archetypal figures offer guidance and feeling wisdom gleaned from personal and cultural experience. One may even note from the wise old woman, the signs of deep wisdom that is a synthesis of what has arisen out of the pain and strength of the women in your family, stretching back through time, but sometimes they push you beyond your fears to a new level of experience.

- Tony Crisp, Archetype of wise old woman – wise old man

What qualities then define the "Wise Old Woman"?  She embodies both qualities of light and darkness within one character.  The "Wise Old Woman" is kind, compassionate and wise, and also mysterious, magical and prophetic.  We see her in folktales as the protective old woman who comes to the aid of the hero and as the one who test the worthiness of that same hero.  We also occasionally see her as the unlikely hero in her own right.  She is the keeper of traditions and knowledge, the voice of nature, independent, and respected, eccentric, intuitive and instinctive.  She is the one to be listened to, for she knows the truth and can see through any illusion.  At times she is benevolent while at other times she appears detached, cryptic and even cruel.  She is both judge and jury and dispenses justice to those who are found by her to be unworthy.

Kathy Shimpock, Who is the "Wise Old Woman"? Exploring the Archetypes...

Crone is "a phase in which you can be more authentic, more capable of making a difference in your family and in the greater world. Life gives you experience, and when you draw from it, that's true wisdom. By the time a woman is in her crone years, she is in an amazing position to be an influence. To change things for the better, to bring what she knows into a situation, to be able to say, 'Enough is enough.' You don't have to just go along with things, which is often a part of the middle years. You're often something of a loose cannon."

- Jean Shinoda Bolen



See also:
Crone
Senex

Image by Robert Henri