I learned a new word today, and I want to share it. The word is Psychopomp.
I was googling for the correct spelling of the term puer aeternus, since the lead character in one of the novels I am writing is just that, and I wanted to see what the archetype entailed.
The Puer Aeternus is an eternal boy, the boy that refuses to grow. In mythology, he can be a boy god, such as Cupid, or an irresponsible youth, such as Dionysus. In real life, it is used in relation to men such as Michael Jackson (with his Peter Pan fixation)
Then somewhere, I read that Peter Pan is both puer aeternus and psychopomp, so I had to know...
Googling the new word led me to a whole lot of sites about a song sung by... blah, blah, blah. Who cares?
Now, the classic reference is to a guide to the world of death. The boatman. The voice at the end of the tunnel. Death on a white horse, in the Tarot card.
The psychopomp, while not actively bringing death, keeps the keys of both worlds, the great beyond and the here-and-now. He is the Master of Two worlds. And in this sense, it is potentially a great possible mentor for the main character.
Interesting.
This does not apply to the character I was googling for, but it fits another, and it made me happy. I love to learn new words.
