# A Flight Back to Ground: Jung’s Recalcitrant Fourth as Rape into Consciousness. Symbolic Rape and Literal Rape in Persephone’s Myth

## TL;DR

This paper explores the myth of Persephone and Jung's psychological concepts to connect symbolic and literal rape, emphasizing the trauma of real-world violence.

## Contribution

Reinterprets Jung’s 'recalcitrant fourth' as 'rape into consciousness' to bridge symbolic and literal understandings of trauma.

## Key findings

- The Persephone myth reveals a split between matriarchal and patriarchal worlds, reflecting archetypal gender conflict.
- Jung’s concept of the recalcitrant fourth demands a confrontation with the material and sensorial realities of trauma.
- The Homeric Hymn and modern events like October 7th show the enduring presence of patriarchal violence against women.

## Abstract

Patricia Berry’s interpretation of the Demeter/Persephone myth, and her concept of rape into consciousness, illuminate intrapsychic dynamics. However, this symbolic lens may inadvertently distance us from the devastating nature of literal rape—a reality the Homeric Hymn encapsulates. Jung’s concept of recalcitrant fourth offers a crucial counterpoint, demanding a shift from the symbolic to the empirical world. This violent flight back to ground forces a confrontation with life’s material and sensorial dimensions, where literal rape reaps trauma and death. Jung’s fourth, reconceptualized here as rape into consciousness, compels the retrieval of the neglected: elements absent from conscious awareness. Guided by this concept and the Persephone myth, the author examines rape’s concrete realities, urging witness to its traumatic devastation. The Persephone/Demeter myth, in Jung’s view, reflects a split between matriarchal and patriarchal worlds. The Homeric Hymn intensifies this fracture, bringing into full view the violence perpetrated by the patriarchy against the two female protagonists. Played within the divine realm, this archetypal gender conflict reverberates throughout history, appearing in different forms, from the personal sphere to the horrors of war and terror. The events of October 7th serve as a grim reminder of its enduring presence.