Thewise old man (also calledsenex,sage orsophos) is anarchetype as described byCarl Jung, as well as a classicliterary figure, and may be seen as astock character.[1] The wise old man can be a profoundphilosopher distinguished forwisdom and soundjudgment.
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 amentor. He may occasionally appear as anabsent-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 aliminal being, such asMerlin, who was only half human.
In medieval chivalricromance and modernfantasy literature, he is often presented as awizard.[2] He can also or instead be featured as ahermit. This character type often explained to theknights or heroes—particularly those searching for theHoly Grail—the significance of their encounters.[3]
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.
InJungiananalytical psychology,senex is the specific term used in association with this archetype.[4] In ancient Rome, the title of Senex (Latin forold man) was only awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village; the titlesenator derives from this. Examples of the senexarchetype in a positive form include the wise old man orwizard.
In Jungianindividuation process, the archetype of the wise old man was late to emerge, and seen as an indication of theSelf: "If an individual has wrestled seriously enough and long enough with theanima (or animus) problem...the unconscious again changes its dominant character and appears in a new symbolic form...as a masculine initiator and guardian (an Indianguru), a wise old man, a spirit of nature, and so forth'.[5]
The antithetical archetype, orenantiodromic opposite, of the senex is thePuer Aeternus.
Abraham,Moses,Solomon,Methuselah,Simeon,Joseph andPaul the Apostle and many others are considered wise old men inJudeo-Christian tradition. The basic sentence of theNew Testament andOld Testament gerontology, which is equally binding for theJewish and for theChristian religion, is: A long and fulfilling life is a gift from God.[6] Those who die "old and full of life" are happy.[7] In theBooks 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]
Many attitudes toward old age in theWestern world have origins in theOld Testament andNew Testament. Age has been associated withprudence,experience,insight andwisdom,[8] but also weaknesses such as declining physical health and sensory performance.[9] Biblical references state that although wisdom is a gift of old age, even the elderly are not protected against youthful folly and[10] that "gray hair is a splendid crown / one finds it on the path of righteousness."[citation needed]
As a child,Jesus debated religious issues side by side with wise elders.[11]
In fiction, a wise old man is often presented in the form of a wizard or othermagician in medieval chivalricromance and modernfantasy literature andfilms, in the style ofMerlin. Notable examples includeGandalf fromThe Hobbit andThe Lord of the Rings,Albus Dumbledore fromHarry Potter andObi-Wan Kenobi fromStar Wars.
"Senex" is the name of a wise old character in the novelA Wind in the Door byMadeleine L'Engle.
Around the 1850s, the antiquarianRobert Reid used the pseudonym "Senex" when contributing articles on local history in theGlasgow Herald. These were later published in a series of volumes. SirAlan Lascelles used the penname "Senex" when writing toThe Times in 1950 setting out the so-calledLascelles Principles concerning the monarch's right to refuse a prime minister's request for a general election.
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