Children of Hermes: What Archetypal Psychology and Classics Should Learn from Each Other

This chapter argues that Jungian interpreters of classical myth should engage with classical scholarship and vice versa. It begins by mapping the different approaches that are typically called 'archetypal' and delineating theoretical dividing lines. It then offers a sample reading of a passage in the Homeric hymn to Hermes. This reading aims to show how a reading informed by both classical scholarship and Archetypal Psychology can greatly enrich the meaning of the text while remaining grounded in sound understanding of the evidence. It concludes by reflecting on how Archetypal Psychology can help classicists to answer a common question from students, namely why myths feel 'deep'.