Divine marriage and the image of a politician

• Main Author: Šerman Elena M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Philosophy, Kosovska Mitrovica 2014-01-01
• Series: Zbornik Radova Filozofskog Fakulteta u Prištini
• Subjects: myth; image; ritual; archetype; political leader; ritual marriage
• Online Access: http://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-3293/2014/0354-32931403255S.pdf

It is a common place of the contemporary political science that the pattern of the image of a politician contains components based on the archaic cognitive structures. First of all, to such components the archetypes belong. The archetype is in turn intimately associated with the corresponding myth and ritual. Some of the rituals that accompany the realization of an archetype have roots stretching back into the cradle of human civilization, but remain relevant in the 21st century. The paper deals with the technologies of using the mythological motif of the divine (sacred) marriage as a means of cultivation of the image of a politician. As a case studies the marriages of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, the leader of the Rumanian extreme right-wing 'Legion of the Archangel Michael' (1926), and of the radical Yugoslav nationalist Željko Ražnatović Arkan, the commander of the 'Serb Volunteer Guard' (1995), are taken. The use of this subject has everything to do with the Jungian archetype which forms the basis of the image of the extreme right-wing politicians, namely, that of the Hero, for the motif of the 'bride acquisition' with the subsequent marriage is one of the culmination points of the corresponding mythological narrative. As the mass media render national importance to the actual marriage, not only does it activate through certain technologies the archaic layers of conscience of the target population, but it also reproduces an old behavioural pattern, i. e. participation in the mystery. In the author's opinion, the success of the activation of the divine marriage motif depends on a series of factors, such as the type of the society (agrarian or semi-agrarian), the charismatic type of the political leader, as well as certain ideology. The successful use of this motif makes it possible not only to sustain the positive image of a politician, but also to create a political myth. The author gives special consideration to the role of mass media in this process.