The Skilful Huntsman - Fairytale Analysis

The Skilful Huntsman tells the story of a young man who leaves home in search of his fortune. Trained first as a locksmith, he abandons his trade and learns the art of hunting, receiving in parting a remarkable air-gun that never misses its mark. Wandering through a vast forest, he comes upon three giants roasting an ox over a great fire. They speak of a princess imprisoned in a tower beyond a lake and of their desire to carry her off. The huntsman agrees to help them, but instead turns his skill against them.

Crossing the lake alone, he shoots the watchdog that guards the palace and enters the silent castle. There he finds a silver sword bearing the King’s name and a sleeping princess of extraordinary beauty. Rather than wake her, he takes tokens to prove his presence and returns to the giants. One by one, he draws them into a narrow passage and cuts off their heads. Their tongues he keeps as further proof of the deed.

When the King awakens and discovers the giants slain, a one-eyed captain claims the victory and is promised the princess’s hand. She refuses him and is stripped of her royal status, forced first into humiliation and then into a lonely life in a forest hut. News of her dwelling reaches the huntsman, who travels there and reveals the tokens he had taken. Together, they return to the King, and the truth is laid bare. The false captain receives his sentence, and the huntsman is recognised as the true deliverer of the princess.

Working with Fairytales
For Jung, fairy tales reflected the anatomy of the psyche. According to Marie-Louise von Franz, fairy tales represent “the purest and simplest expressions of the processes of the collective unconscious.”

Stripped of the cultural, historical, and personal layers that often obscure myths and legends, fairy tales offer the clearest window into archetypal patterns at work within the psyche. In each session, working with a fairy tale involves four steps:

• Reading — Immersion within the tale's story and imagery.
• Exploration — Identifying the key symbols and motifs
• Interpretation — Understanding the archetypal meaning.
• Application — How the tale’s message relates to oneself.