Why is it that Greece has the story of Herakles killing the Hydra while India has the story of Indra defeating the drought serpent Vrtra?

Because both stories are about Sky Heroes (Sky Paragon + Hero) fighting the Earth Dragon. Both stories are about overcoming the limitations of Nature (or our own physical limitations) and making sense of the World, something we can all understand. We can connect to it for the same reason we cheer when an athlete breaks a World record or a disease is cured by scientific achievements.

John Singer Sargent, Hercules, 1921 [Public domain]

Why is it that China has the story of Sun Wukong, the trickster Monkey God, rebelling against the Jade Emperor while France has Reynard, the trickster Fox, who rebels against the Lion King of the Animals?

Because both stories are about Earth Heroes (Earth Dragon + Hero) rebelling against the Order of the Divine Parent (Sky Paragon + Earth Dragon). Both stories are about wanting to be free and wild, something that we all want sometimes. We can connect to it for the same reason we always root for the underdog, the renegade.

Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, Sun Wukong and Jade Rabbit, 1889

Of course, this is only the first step. These figures are not rigid boxes in which to fit the vast tapestry of the World in. Those three Primordial Needs branch out and expand in a thousand ways, telling a million stories.

But think of ideas that unite great numbers of people. What do they all have in common? Many religions promise to overcome the Earth Dragon, and with it the death and pain of the physical world (see below the Sky Paragon Saint Michael literally slaying a Dragon). And because Death is something we all fear, these religions can connect great numbers around that one idea.

Raffaello Sanzio, St Michael and the Dragon, held at the Department of Paintings of the Louvre.

So when you wonder why something is popular, adored by millions, it may very well be that it is because it fulfills for people one of these Primordial Needs. Maybe it makes them feel free and hopeful and full of possibility. Maybe it makes them feel like they matter and are part of something greater than themselves. Maybe it connects them to others in a powerful way.

One example to show that: sports. In one tidy package, sports like football or rugby fulfill so many of those needs. It links you to a community that you share something with, united against the rest of the world (Earth Hero). It connects you to a greater identity, a history (Sky Paragon). Every match is filled with hope and possibility, while the world’s greatest players can come from anywhere (Hero). It rewards excellence, skill and dedication to surpass oneself (Sky Hero). That is why sports are so universally popular: they fulfill many of those Primordial Needs all at once.

“Aviva Stadium” by Sean MacEntee is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Once you see things through that lens, you can understand a lot of behaviors which seem strange or irrational. And you can start to see the value in them. You might not “get” sports, but you can understand the need for connection, community, hope. You might not “get” a type of music, a trend, a movie, a religion — or a political affiliation. But by looking at which Primordial Needs they fulfill, you can understand the value others find in those things.

You can see the story behind the story, the power behind powerful, universal statements. From Hero-like slogans of “Just Do It” (Nike) or “Think Different” (Apple), the Sky-Hero appeal of “Red Bull Gives You Wings” (Red Bull) and “Impossible is Nothing” (Adidas), or the Divine-Parent reassurance and stability of statements like “Strong and Stable” (UK Conservative Party) or “Keep America Great” (Donald Trump), these Needs have always been used to sell people on certain ideas.

In further essays I will delve deeper into these various archetypes, how they have manifested themselves over history, and how they impact the world today just as much as ever, if not more. Our reality is nothing but a collection of stories we tell ourselves and one another.