A Jungian Revision of the Grail Myth in The Left Hand of Darkness

Abstract

The present paper studies the connection between Wolfram von Eschenbach’s poem "Parzival" and Ursula K. Le Guin’s novel The Left Hand of Darkness through the lens of Carl Jung’s psychoanalysis. It focuses on the evolution of the main characters in both narratives and their psychological evolution from the Ego, embodied in Genly Ai and Perceval, towards the Self, manifested in Estraven and Parzival at the end of their journey. This essay reflects on the main conflict that appears in both narratives, such as the fear of the other or the corruption of the governments of a nation that transform a society into a psycho-social wasteland which requires from the Grail hero to achieve the Self in order to enlighten and to restore the balance to the land and its inhabitants. The analysis is approached from a theoretical framework that merges Myth-Criticism with Jungian psychoanalysis, employing works by Carl Jung, Emma Jung, Joseph Campbell or Ursula K. Le Guin, starting with Gethen; the Winter planet, and continuing with the figure of the Fisher Kings in both narratives, the Heroes, the travel through the Ice in comparison with the discovery of Grail castle, and the Grail, to emphasize the importance of the Anima and values associated to womanhood, to restore the balance in both societies and overcome the fear of the Other.