Editing Wise old man

{{Short description|Jungian and literary archetype}}
{{Redirect|Senex}}

[[File:Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 038.jpg|right|thumb|250px|A wise old man: ''Philosopher in Meditation'' by [[Rembrandt]]]]

The '''wise old man''' (also called '''senex''', [[Sage (philosophy)|'''sage''' or '''sophos''']]) is an [[archetype]] as described by [[Carl Jung]], as well as a classic [[literature|literary]] figure, and may be seen as a [[stock character]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Northrop |last=Frye |author-link=Northrop Frye |title=Anatomy of Criticism |title-link=Anatomy of Criticism |page=151 |isbn=0-691-01298-9}}</ref> The wise old man can be a profound [[philosopher]] distinguished for [[wisdom]] and sound [[judgment]].

== Traits ==
This character is typically represented as a kind and wise elderly father figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that may in a mystical way impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become, thereby acting as a [[mentor]]. He may occasionally appear as an [[absent-minded professor]], seeming absent-minded due to a predilection for contemplative pursuits.

The wise old man is often seen to be from a different culture, nation, or occasionally time, from those he advises. In extreme cases, he may be a [[liminal being]], such as [[Merlin]], who was only half human.

In medieval chivalric [[Romance (heroic literature)|romance]] and modern [[fantasy literature]], he is often presented as a [[Magician (fantasy)|wizard]].<ref>Frye, p. 195.</ref> He can also or instead be featured as a [[hermit]]. This character type often explained to the [[Monomyth|knights or heroes]]—particularly those searching for the [[Holy Grail]]—the significance of their encounters.<ref>{{cite book |first=Penelope Reed |last=Doob |author-link=Penelope Reed Doob |title=The Idea of the Labyrinth: from Classical Antiquity through the Middle Ages |url=https://archive.org/details/ideaoflabyrinthf0000doob |url-access=registration |location=[[Ithaca, New York|Ithaca]] |publisher=[[Cornell University Press]] |via=[[Internet Archive]] |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ideaoflabyrinthf0000doob/page/179 179–181] |isbn=0-8014-8000-0 |year=1990}}</ref>

In storytelling, a few times the character of the wise old man is in some way removed for a time in order to allow the hero/heroine to develop on his/her own.

== Jungian psychology ==
{{further|Wise Old Man and Wise Old Woman}}
In [[Carl Jung|Jung]]ian [[analytical psychology]], '''senex''' is the specific term used in association with this archetype.<ref>{{cite book |title=Terrapsychology: Reengaging the Soul of Place |last=Chalquist |first=Craig |year=2007 |publisher=Spring Journal Books |isbn=978-1-882670-65-9}}</ref> In ancient Rome, the title of Senex ([[Latin]] for ''old man'') was only awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village; the title [[senator]] derives from this. Examples of the senex [[archetype]] in a positive form include the wise old man or [[Magician (fantasy)|wizard]].

In Jungian [[individuation]] process, the archetype of the wise old man was late to emerge, and seen as an indication of the [[Self (Jung)|Self]]: "If an individual has wrestled seriously enough and long enough with the [[anima and animus|anima]] (or animus) problem...the unconscious again changes its dominant character and appears in a new symbolic form...as a masculine initiator and guardian (an Indian ''guru''), a wise old man, a spirit of nature, and so forth'.<ref>{{cite book |first=Marie-Luise von |last=Franz |chapter=The Process of Individuation |editor-first=C. G. |editor-last=Jung |editor-link=Carl Gustav Jung |title=Man and his Symbols |location=London |publisher=Picador |year=1978 |pages=207–208 |isbn=0-330-25321-2}}</ref>

The antithetical archetype, or [[enantiodromia|enantiodromic opposite]], of the senex is the [[Puer Aeternus]].

==In religion==
===Judaism and Christianity===
[[Abraham]], [[Moses]], [[Solomon]], [[Methuselah]], [[Simeon (Gospel of Luke)|Simeon]], [[Saint Joseph|Joseph]] and [[Paul the Apostle]] and many others are considered wise old men in [[Judeo-Christian|Judeo-Christian tradition]]. The basic sentence of the [[New Testament]] and [[Old Testament]] gerontology, which is equally binding for the [[Judaism |Jewish]] and for the [[Christianity |Christian religion]], is: A long and fulfilling life is a gift from God.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emk-bildungswerk.de/fileadmin/word_documents/der_alte_Mensch_im_AT.doc |title=The old person in the Old Testament |access-date=2022-04-20 |archive-date=2006-03-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060302110303/http://www.emk-bildungswerk.de/fileadmin/word_documents/der_alte_Mensch_im_AT.doc |url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> Those who die "old and full of life" are happy.<ref>Genesis 25.8; 1 chronicles 29:28; Job 42:17</ref> In the [[Pentateuch |Books of Moses]] a long life is promised, among other things, to those who honor father and mother and who do not use false weights.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Many attitudes toward old age in the [[Western world]] have origins in the [[Old Testament]] and [[New Testament]]. Age has been associated with [[prudence]], [[experience]], [[insight]] and [[wisdom]],<ref>Sirach 25,4-6; Job 8.8 ff. and 12.12; Wisdom 4,8 f .; Daniel 13.50; Job 12.12.</ref> but also weaknesses such as declining physical health and sensory performance.<ref>1 Kings 1,1 ff., 14,4, 15,23; 2 Samuel 19.36 f.</ref> Biblical references state that although wisdom is a gift of old age, even the elderly are not protected against youthful folly and<ref>Job 12.12 and 32.9; Sirach 25.2.</ref> that "gray hair is a splendid crown / one finds it on the path of righteousness."{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

As a child, [[Jesus]] debated religious issues side by side with wise elders.<ref name="Recovering Jesus p. 111">''Recovering Jesus: the witness of the New Testament'' Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld 2007 {{ISBN|1-58743-202-1}} p. 111</ref>

== Cultural references ==

In fiction, a wise old man is often presented in the form of a wizard or other [[Magician (fantasy)|magician]] in medieval chivalric [[Romance (heroic literature)|romance]] and modern [[fantasy literature]] and [[films]], in the style of [[Merlin]]. Notable examples include [[Gandalf]] from ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Albus Dumbledore]] from ''[[Harry Potter]]'' and [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from ''[[Star Wars]]''.

"Senex" is the name of a wise old character in the novel ''[[A Wind in the Door]]'' by [[Madeleine L'Engle]].

Around the 1850s, the antiquarian [[Robert Reid (antiquarian)|Robert Reid]] used the pseudonym "Senex" when contributing articles on local history in the ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|Glasgow Herald]]''. These were later published in a series of volumes. Sir [[Alan Lascelles]] used the penname "Senex" when writing to ''[[The Times]]'' in 1950 setting out the so-called [[Lascelles Principles]] concerning the monarch's right to refuse a prime minister's request for a general election.

==See also==
* [[Analytical psychology]]
* [[Elderly martial arts master]]
* [[Hermit]]
* ''[[Hero's journey]]''
* [[Ivory tower]]
* [[Magical Negro]]
* [[Magician (fantasy)|Magicians in fantasy]]
* [[Freemasonry|Masonic]]
* ''[[Philosopher in Meditation]]''
* [[Sage (philosophy)|Sage]]
* [[Wise Old Man and Wise Old Woman|Wise Old Man/Woman]]
* [[Yogi]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Stock characters}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wise Old Man}}
[[Category:Jungian archetypes]]
[[Category:Analytical psychology]]
[[Category:Terms for men]]
[[Category:Male stock characters]]
[[Category:Folklore]]
[[Category:Wisdom]]
[[Category:Old age]]