Brothers Grimm Archives - Fates and Graces Mythologium

Colleen’s talk is called “Wedded to Death: Trauma and Healing within ‘The Robber Bridegroom'”

“Ach! My dear child, if I don’t rescue you, you will be lost!” cries the old woman in the Grimm Brothers’ story, “The Robber Bridegroom.” Yet the rescue does not occur until after the violence has taken place, and it is the young woman who must save herself.

The shadowy world of the fairy tale is one wherein evil fabricates traps, well hidden within societal mores and tradition. Here, the horrific happens with regularity and its victims often have little recourse but to be ensnared. This fate befalls the maiden in “The Robber Bridegroom.” Yet the occult information the tale harbors regarding trauma and its transformative powers has not been explored sufficiently by modern scholars. In this presentation, I analyze the story, employing the lens of shamanism, and shamanism clothed as witchcraft. Gathering in other German folktales, I glean clues that help explain the experience of shattering that the maiden undergoes, leading to a new kind of wholeness, one that empowers her to take a role of leadership within her clan.

About Colleen

After studying art history and languages at Purdue University, Colleen Salomon, Ph.D. continued her academic work at the Sorbonne in Paris and the University of Hamburg, Germany. During years of living and working in Germany, she had the privilege of hearing many stories of the trauma of World War II, told by the people who had lived through the events. She witnessed the healing that emerged through the telling of the stories. In a very concrete way, she learned about the fundamental necessity of myth to the individual. Returning to the US, and working as a curator at the Williamson Gallery of Scripps College, Colleen earned a master’s degree in psychology. Later, she was drawn to Pacifica Graduate Institute to study mythology with a particular emphasis on the role of myth in the healing of trauma. Colleen holds a doctorate in mythological studies and depth psychology. Her dissertation focuses on the ancient knowledge of trauma contained within the old stories still told in Germany.

To hear Colleen’s talk and many others, join us at the Mythologium!

The Mythologium is a conference and retreat for mythologists and friends of myth, held July 30 – Aug 1 via Zoom. Register here!

Drew’s talk is called “Trimming Iron John: Alchemical Healing of the Masculine Soul Through the Barber’s Chair”

In the German fairy tale “Iron Hans,” as recorded by the Brothers Grimm, we watch as a wild man initiates a young prince into adulthood. Made popular by Robert Bly and helping to spawn the mythopoetic men’s movement of the 1990s, the tale has become synonymous with a call for modern men to embrace the intense and shadowy inner masculine energy, their own lost psychic “wild man,” and thus embark on a journey toward individuation and finding one’s authentic identity. This myth, culminating with the golden-haired prince marrying the princess, ends with an unexpected twist not often explored: The wild man Iron John appears at the wedding feast, no longer a hair-covered beast but transformed into a noble king.

This nearly instantaneous transformation from wild man to nobility through the removal of Iron John’s hairy coverings provides an opportunity to explore how the physical act of growing one’s hair out and then cathartically cutting it off has the potential to transform a man internally and externally, physically and psychically, by shedding identity and image and stepping into a new way of viewing himself. We investigate the shamanic role of barber as well, who acts as counselor, mentor, and agent of change, and the barber’s chair as the alchemical alembic in which this transformation takes place.

About Drew

Drew H. Smith, Ph.D. is the Director of Online Learning at Walsh College in Troy, MI, where he oversees the design, development, and technical support for all of Walsh’s online and hybrid courses. He has a passion for moving higher education forward into a new pedagogical model focused on transformation rather than information. Dr. Smith earned his Ph.D. in Depth Psychology which focuses on the unconscious and transpersonal aspects of the human experience. His research interests include men’s psychology, mindful masculinity, spirituality and Christian mysticism, the current sociopolitical climate surrounding gender in academia and culture, and scotch.

To hear Drew’s talk and many others, join us at the Mythologium!