How many of these archetypes are there? - And what would they be called?

[Dom Cruise]

I'm talking about archetypes for which there are about 7, knight, ninja, samurai, pirate, Viking, cowboy and spaceman.

What do they all have in common? I'm not sure, but you get what I mean, right? They're all guys that fight, though they can be in a group they can also be solo, they can be lone wolf style wanderers, they personify toughness and grit, a willingness to take charge of one's destiny.

I like how most of them are from the past save for one that's from the future, the spaceman, which I don't just mean an astronaut, when I say "spaceman" I mean someone like a Han Solo, Buck Rodgers, Buzz Lightyear or Flash Gordon, a bounty hunter, smuggler, gun for hire or just general adventurer getting into laser battles while traveling the vastness of space.

Are there more than 7 though? Could gangster be included ala Al Capone? How about Indiana Jones/Nathan Drake style adventurers and treasure hunters? What would you call that alongside general "man of action" type characters like Mack Bolan? Do superspies like James Bond, Jason Bourne and Ethan Hunt count? Or are those too tied to specific characters than something like "knight"?

It should also be noted that these archetypes can be female, even if something like a female knight never existed technically (unless they were in disguise ala Joan of Arc), "female knight" is a valid concept as far as pop culture goes, as for the others there either were females in reality or again, it's an accepted pop culture trope, Samus Aran from Metroid is a space bounty hunter, perfectly fitting the "spaceman" trope except she's female.

I'm just fascinated by stuff like this and wonder if there's a good discussion to be had.

 

[King Fructose]

I'm not sure what this is but it sounds autistic and I am all for it.

 

[Zero Day Defense]

What do they all have in common?

That you put them all in a list while asking us what they all had in common?

 

[Dom Cruise]

I'm not sure what this is but it sounds autistic and I am all for it.

To kind of rephrase the question in simpler form, what do broad cultural archetypes like knight, ninja, samurai, pirate and cowboy have in common that we associate them with one another, what exactly would we name it and how many of these archetypes are there?

Think what types of archetypes you'd see first in dollar store toys or cheap Halloween costumes.

 

[Shadfan666xxx000]

You're talking about the archetypal 'man of action' that Jung describes. Someone who has, as a man, grown into competence and worldly success through physical and daring means. It's literally the basis of every kind of action hero.

 

[I am vomit]

They all die in space without a suit. They share that in common.

 

[Dom Cruise]

You're talking about the archetypal 'man of action' that Jung describes. Someone who has, as a man, grown into competence and worldly success through physical and daring means. It's literally the basis of every kind of action hero.

"Man of Action" is a good name, but I've realized that my original 7 list are also very tied to their environment, ie Europe, Japan, the ocean, the American frontier, the north sea or outer space, globe trotting adventurers like James Bond and Indiana Jones are not tied to any single environment and thus something kind of different, Bond even went to space, but you wouldn't call him a "spaceman" character as it's not central to the character or archetype of "super spy"

 

[Aunt Carol]

I'm talking about archetypes for which there are about 7, knight, ninja, samurai, pirate, Viking, cowboy and spaceman.

What do they all have in common?

 

[Shadfan666xxx000]

"Man of Action" is a good name, but I've realized that my original 7 list are also very tied to their environment, ie Europe, Japan, the ocean, the American frontier, the north sea or outer space, globe trotting adventurers like James Bond and Indiana Jones are not tied to any single environment and thus something kind of different, Bond even went to space, but you wouldn't call him a "spaceman" character as it's not central to the character or archetype of "super spy"

They may not be tied as strictly to the environment but they're still very much a part of their time. Indiana Jones going to ancient ruins in a race against Nazis and James Bond sipping martinis in space as he dismantles the plans of elite criminals are very evocative of their eras.

 

[Red Hood]

To kind of rephrase the question in simpler form, what do broad cultural archetypes like knight, ninja, samurai, pirate and cowboy have in common that we associate them with one another, what exactly would we name it and how many of these archetypes are there?

Think what types of archetypes you'd see first in dollar store toys or cheap Halloween costumes.

They're generally honorable men of action that lead adventurous lives (save for pirate, though they could potentially be honorable if they have an altruistic streak).

But I'd class good guy pirates as a subset of honorable rogues- heroes or anti-heroes like Robin Hood, Han Solo, or even yours truly. Guys that are rough around the edges, but have a heart of gold. Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, Rick O'Connell and Nathan Drake, the adventurer archaeologist types, are similar.

 

[We Are The Witches]

I think the answer that Zero Day Defense gave you is pretty accurate. (that you put them in a list together)

You're using your arbitrary rules for setting the archetypes you mentioned, but we don't know in which context. Like at first I thought you were talking about the supposed universal types of human nature and what would someone excel or lean towards to (like if put in a fantasy story, the sage would seek knowledge above all else as opposed to the one who seeks freedom, or power, or whatever), but it doesn't seem like you're about that.

So what are you talking about? You can add as many as you like as long as you cover all traits that you consider worth of having its own category.

Like for example, I could make a story with my own archetypes to bring variety to it. Here's a random list that I just made up based on the seven deadly sins:

• Pride: The Paladin.
• Lust: The prostitute.
• Gluttony: The King.
• Wrath: The executioner.
• Sloth: The priest.
• Greed. The merchant.
• Envy: The peasant.

You can probably make it better or more complex, but they all have something that makes them unique in the scope I'm setting. What is yours? What differenciates the knight from the samurai in your list?
If you know the traits that you're looking for, then you'll have the answer right there, and that's entirely up to you.