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The wise old man (also called sage or "Senex
Senex

Senex is Latin for old man. In Ancient Rome, the title of Senex was only awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village....
") is an archetype
Archetype

An archetype is an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all....
 as described by Carl Jung
Carl Jung

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of Analytical psychology. Jung's approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in counterculture movements across the globe....
. It is also a classic literary
Literature

Literature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" . In Western culture the most basic written literary types include fiction and non-fiction....
 figure, and may be seen as a stock character
Stock character

A stock character is one which relies heavily on cultural types or names for his or her personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics....
. Historically, an expert
Expert

An "expert" is someone widely recognized as a reliabilism source of wikt:technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their Peer groups or the public in a specific well distinguished domain....
 was referred to as a sage. The individual was usually a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom
Wisdom

Wisdom is knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and Intuition , along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards finding solutions to problems....
 and sound judgment
Judgment

A judgment , in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. At the same time the court may also make a range of court orders, such as imposing a sentence upon a Guilt y defendant in a Criminal law matter, or providing a Legal remedy for the plaintiff in a civil law matter....
.

type of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that, in a mystical way, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become, thereby acting as a mentor
Mentor

In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcumus and, in his old age, a friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War he placed Mentor in charge of his son, Telemachus, and of his palace....
.






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Rembrandt Harmensz
The wise old man (also called sage or "Senex
Senex

Senex is Latin for old man. In Ancient Rome, the title of Senex was only awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village....
") is an archetype
Archetype

An archetype is an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all....
 as described by Carl Jung
Carl Jung

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of Analytical psychology. Jung's approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in counterculture movements across the globe....
. It is also a classic literary
Literature

Literature is the art of written works. Literally translated, the word means "acquaintance with letters" . In Western culture the most basic written literary types include fiction and non-fiction....
 figure, and may be seen as a stock character
Stock character

A stock character is one which relies heavily on cultural types or names for his or her personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics....
. Historically, an expert
Expert

An "expert" is someone widely recognized as a reliabilism source of wikt:technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their Peer groups or the public in a specific well distinguished domain....
 was referred to as a sage. The individual was usually a profound philosopher distinguished for wisdom
Wisdom

Wisdom is knowledge, understanding, experience, discretion, and Intuition , along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards finding solutions to problems....
 and sound judgment
Judgment

A judgment , in a legal context, is synonymous with the formal decision made by a court following a lawsuit. At the same time the court may also make a range of court orders, such as imposing a sentence upon a Guilt y defendant in a Criminal law matter, or providing a Legal remedy for the plaintiff in a civil law matter....
.

Traits

This type of character is typically represented as a kind and wise, older father-type figure who uses personal knowledge of people and the world to help tell stories and offer guidance that, in a mystical way, may impress upon his audience a sense of who they are and who they might become, thereby acting as a mentor
Mentor

In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcumus and, in his old age, a friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War he placed Mentor in charge of his son, Telemachus, and of his palace....
. He may occasionally appear as an absent-minded professor
Absent-minded professor

The absent-minded professor is a stock character of popular fiction, usually portrayed as a talented academic whose focus on academic matters leads them to ignore or forget their surroundings....
, losing track of his surroundings because of his thoughts were just mind boggling.

The wise old man is often seen to be in some way "foreign", that is, from a different culture, nation, or occasionally, even a different time, than those he advises. In extreme cases, he may be a liminal being
Liminal being

In speculative fiction and, loosely applied, in mythology, a liminal being is a fantasy character that combines two distinct states of simultaneous existence within one physical body....
, such as Merlin
Merlin

Merlin is best known as the Magician featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures....
, who was only half human.

In medieval chivalric romance
Romance (genre)

As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose and Verse narrative that was particularly current in aristocratic literature of Middle Ages and Early Modern Europe, that narrated fantastic stories about the marvellous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight, often of super-human ab...
 and modern fantasy literature
Fantasy literature

Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, the majority of fantasy works have been literature. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other media....
, he is often presented as a wizard
Magician (fantasy)

A magician, sorcerer, wizard, or a person known under one of Magician #Names and terminology in fiction is someone who uses or practices Magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources....
. He can also or instead be featured as a hermit
Hermit

A hermit is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in solitude and/or isolation from society.In Christianity the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Catholic spirituality#Desert spirituality of the Old Testament ....
. This character type often explained to the knights or heroes — particularly those searching for the Holy Grail
Holy Grail

According to Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers....
 — the significiance of their encounters.

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

Terminology

Jung dubbed this character as a senex
Senex

Senex is Latin for old man. In Ancient Rome, the title of Senex was only awarded to elderly men with families who had good standing in their village....
. This is Latin for old man in general, and in fact, two stock characters of the stage are the senex iratus
Senex iratus

The senex iratus or heavy father figure is a comic archetype character who belongs to the alazon or impostor group in theater, manifesting himself through his rages and threats, his obsessions and his gullibility....
, an old man who irrationally objects to the love between the younger characters, and the senex amans
Senex amans

A senex amans is a stock character of classical Greek and Roman comedy, medieval literature and drama. It is an old jealous man married to a young woman and thus often an object of mockery....
, an old man foolishly in love with a woman too young for him. Jung's senex, unlike these characters, has grown old graciously. His wisdom is not only in his increased knowledge and judgment, but his knowing that younger people have taken on the role of hero, and that his position has changed to one of mentor.

Merlin fell from the role of senex to senex amans when he fell in love with Nimue; this lapse in judgment is what led to his enchantment and imprisonment.

Examples


Historical

Xi Kang
Seven Sages of Greece
Seven Sages of Greece

The Seven Sages or Seven Wise Men was the title given by ancient Greece tradition to seven early 6th century B.C. philosophers, statesmen and law-givers who were renowned in the following centuries for their wisdom....
  • Solon
    Solon

    Solon was an Athens statesman, lawmaker, and lyric poetry. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic period in Greece Athens....
     of Athens
    Athens

    Athens , the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery; as one of the List of cities by time of continuous habitation, its recorded history spans around 3,400 years....
  • Chilon of Sparta
    Chilon of Sparta

    For the athlete, see Chilon of PatrasChilon of Sparta was a Lacedaemonian, son of Damagetus and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. He was elected an ephor in Sparta....
  • Thales of Miletus
    Thales

    Thales of Miletus , was a Pre-Socratic philosophy Greek philosophy from Miletus in Asia Minor, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek philosophy....
  • Bias of Priene
    Bias of Priene

    Bias , the son of Teutamus and a citizen of Priene was a ancient Greece philosopher. Satyrus the Peripatetic puts him as the wisest of all the Seven Sages of Greece....
  • Cleobulus of Lindos
  • Pittacus of Mitylene
  • Periander of Corinth


Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove

The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were a group of China Taoist Qingtan scholars, writers, and musicians who came together in the bloody 3rd century CE....
  • Ruan Ji
    Ruan Ji

    Ruan J? is one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. He is associated with the guqin melody, Jiu Kuang which was believed to be composed by him....
  • Xi Kang
    Xi Kang

    Xi Kang or Ji Kang was a List of Chinese writers, poet, Taoism philosopher, musician, and alchemist.As a thinker, he wrote on longevity, music theory, politics and ethics....
  • Liu Ling
    Liu Ling

    Liu Ling , born 221 and died 300, was a Chinese poet and scholar. Little information survives about his family background, though he is described in historical sources as short and unattractive, with a dissipated appearance....
  • Shan Tao
    Shan Tao (Taoist)

    Shan Tao is one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove....
  • Ruan Xian
    Ruan Xian

    Ruan Xian , a Chinese scholar who lived during the Six Dynasties period, is one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. The Chinese lute called ruan is named for him, as he was a skilled player of this instrument....
  • Xiang Xiu
    Xiang Xiu

    Xiang Xiu is one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.His most famous contribution is a commentary on the Zhuangzi, which was later used and amended by Guo Xiang....
  • Wang Rong
    Wang Rong

    Wang Rong was a general serving under the Jin Dynasty following the later years of the Three Kingdoms period of China.Wang Rong served under Jin as the 3rd East General....


Navaratnas
Navaratnas

Navaratnas was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in a king's court in India. Some well-known groups are in the court of King Janaka, Vikramaditya and in Akbar's darbar....


The Rabbis
Pharisees

The word Pharisees comes from the Hebrew language ?????? perushim from ???? parush, meaning "separated" . The Pharisees were, depending on the time, a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era ....
, or Sages
Tannaim

The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years....
 of Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
ic lore (Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
)
  • Yohanan ben Zakkai
  • Hillel I
  • Shammai
    Shammai

    Shammai was a Jewish scholar of the 1st century, and an important figure in Judaism's core work of rabbinic literature, the Mishnah.Shammai was the most eminent contemporary and the Halakha opponent of Hillel the Elder, and is almost invariably mentioned along with him....
  • others


Others:
  • Benjamin Franklin
    Benjamin Franklin

    Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author and Printer , Satire, list of political philosophers, politician, scientist, inventor, activism, statesman, and diplomacy....
    , at least at the time of the American Revolution
    American Revolution

    The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
     and afterwards, shows much of the character of a "wise old man".
  • Jiang Ziya
    Jiang Ziya

    Jiang Ziya was a Chinese historical and legendary figure who resided next to the Wei River about 3,000 years ago. The region was the feudal estate of King Wen of Zhou Dynasty....
    , a genius and patience old man. He has known well as a legendary military strategist and the most famous Prime Minister of the Zhou Dynasty
    Zhou Dynasty

    The Zhou Dynasty was preceded by the Shang Dynasty and followed by the Qin Dynasty in China. The Zhou dynasty lasted longer than any other dynasty in China history?though the actual political and military control of China by the dynasty only lasted during the Western Zhou....
     of China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
    .

Mythology


  • Mentor
    Mentor

    In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcumus and, in his old age, a friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War he placed Mentor in charge of his son, Telemachus, and of his palace....
    , in Greek mythology
    Greek mythology

    Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
  • Merlin from the Matter of Britain
    Matter of Britain

    The Matter of Britain is a name given collectively to the legends that concern the Celtic and legendary history of Great Britain, especially those focused on King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table ....
     and the legends of King Arthur
    King Arthur

    King Arthur is a legendary Britons leader who, according to medieval histories and Romance , led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century....
  • Nestor
    Nestor (mythology)

    In Greek mythology, Nestor of Ger?nia was the son of Neleus and Chloris, and the King of Pylos. He became king after Heracles killed Neleus and all of Nestor's brothers and sisters....
     from Iliad
    ILiad

    The iLiad is an electronic handheld device, or e-book device, which can be used for document reading and editing. Like the Sony Reader or Amazon Kindle, the iLiad makes use of an electronic paper display....
  • Tiresias
    Tiresias

    In Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet of Thebes , famous for being transformed into a woman for seven years. He was the son of the shepherd Everes and the nymph Chariclo; Tiresias participated in fully seven generations at Thebes, beginning as advisor to Cadmus himself....
     from the Odyssey
    Odyssey

    The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Hellenic civilization epic poetrys attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work traditionally ascribed to Homer....
    , Oedipus Rex, and other Greek myths
    Greek mythology

    Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the Ancient Greece concerning their List of Greek mythological figures#Immortals and Greek hero cult, Cosmology#Metaphysical cosmology, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices....
  • Utnapishtim from the Epic of Gilgamesh
    Epic of Gilgamesh

    The Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poetry from Ancient Mesopotamia and is among the ancient literature. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the mythological hero-king Gilgamesh, which were gathered into a longer Akkadian language poem much later; the most complete version existing today is pr...
  • M%C3%ADmir, in Norse mythology
    Norse mythology

    Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the beliefs, myths and legends of the Norse paganism of the North Germanic language people, including those who settled on Faroe Islands and Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled....


Literature

  • Gandalf
    Gandalf

    Gandalf is a fictional character with major roles in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a Magician , member and later the head of the order known as the Wizard , as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West....
     from J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
    The Lord of the Rings

    The Lord of the Rings is an Epic poetry high fantasy novel written by Philology J.R.R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work....
  • Albus Dumbledore
    Albus Dumbledore

    Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by United Kingdom author J....
     from J.K Rowling's Harry Potter
    Harry Potter

    Harry Potter is a Heptalogy fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the eponymous adolescent wizard Harry Potter , together with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, his friends from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry....
     series
  • Aslan
    Aslan

    Aslan, the "Great Lion", is the central character in The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S....
     from C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia
    The Chronicles of Narnia

    The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 120 million copies in 41 languages....
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
    Obi-Wan Kenobi

    Obi-Wan Kenobi is a fictional character in the Star Wars Star Wars galaxy. He is one of the protagonists in the Star Wars film series; along with Anakin Skywalker, R2-D2, and C-3PO, he is one of the few major characters to appear in each of the six Star Wars films....
     and Yoda
    Yoda

    Yoda is a character and a protagonist in the Star Wars fictional universe, who appears in all of the Media franchise's films except for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope....
     from Star Wars
    Star Wars

    Star Wars is an epic film space opera Media franchise initially conceived by George Lucas. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, but later had the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope added to distinguish it from its sequels and prequels....
    .


  • Wizard
    Wizard

    Wizard may refer to:...
    s and other magician
    Magician

    A magician is a person skilled in the mysterious and hidden art of magic , the ability to attain objectives, acquire knowledge, or perform works of wonder using supernatural or nonrational means....
    s: As noted above, due to the influence of Merlin
    Merlin

    Merlin is best known as the Magician featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures....
     (and later Gandalf
    Gandalf

    Gandalf is a fictional character with major roles in J. R. R. Tolkien's novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In these stories, Gandalf appears as a Magician , member and later the head of the order known as the Wizard , as well as leader of the Fellowship of the Ring and the army of the West....
    ), a wise old man is often presented in the form of a wizard or other magician
    Magician (fantasy)

    A magician, sorcerer, wizard, or a person known under one of Magician #Names and terminology in fiction is someone who uses or practices Magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources....
     in medieval chivalric romance
    Romance (genre)

    As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose and Verse narrative that was particularly current in aristocratic literature of Middle Ages and Early Modern Europe, that narrated fantastic stories about the marvellous adventures of a chivalrous, heroic knight, often of super-human ab...
     and modern fantasy literature
    Fantasy literature

    Fantasy literature is fantasy in written form. Historically speaking, the majority of fantasy works have been literature. Since the 1950s however, a growing segment of the fantasy genre has taken the form of films, television programs, graphic novels, video games, music, painting, and other media....
     (i.e. Albus Dumbledore
    Albus Dumbledore

    Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore is a fictional character and a major protagonist within the Harry Potter novels written by United Kingdom author J....
    ) (See List of magicians in fantasy for examples.)


See also

  • Elderly martial arts master
    Elderly martial arts master

    The elderly martial arts master is a stock character in martial arts filmsTypically East Asian, he is a near-invincible master of the martial arts ....
  • Ivory Tower
    Ivory Tower

    The term Ivory Tower originates in the Biblical Song of Solomon , and was later used as an epithet for Mary, the mother of Jesus.From the 19th century it has been, originally ironically, used to designate a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life....
  • Jungian psychology
  • Masonic
  • Hermit
    Hermit

    A hermit is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in solitude and/or isolation from society.In Christianity the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Catholic spirituality#Desert spirituality of the Old Testament ....
  • Magicians in fantasy
  • Magic Negro


External links

  • Citadel of Sages