A magical fable : encounter with the shadow

The aim of the aticle is an attempt to apply C. G. Jung’s theory to the analysis of a magical fable. With the use of a thesis stating that fable motifs can be interpreted as the symbolical realisations of the individuation process, the ways in which the Shadow archetype manifests itself have been indicated. The point of departure is Vladimir Propp’s concept of the fable’s ritual derivation and of its genetical linkage with myth. The concept postulates the initiating cycle being the basis of analysed folcloric texts. The cycle is, in turn, according to Mircea Eliade, an integral element of human condition.The connection of the above theses with the concepts of depth psychology allows to discern the expression of a universal psychical attitude in magical fables. One of the key points is seeing the initiation cycle as an analogon of the individuation process. The magical fable, thus, appears as a field where archetypie symbols, encountered by an individual during his development, manifest themselves. In the fables, therefore, figurative representations of the Shadow’s different aspects can be revealed