Archetype Characters of Sinister Shadow

I have been working on my second fantasy novel, Sinister Shadow.  Hence my hiatus from posting on this blog.

My characters in Sinister Shadow fall under certain archetypes.

Hero -  The hero is a protagonist character who fulfills a task and restores balance to the community. He/she is a born leader, whether they know it or not. He/she is a real survivor who has faith in good. Others are willing to believe in this hero and will follow him/her.

 Mentors – Mentors are the teachers who counsel initiates almost the way a parent does. They show examples, sometimes magical, to teach the initiate skills and information. 

Loyal Companions – These loyal peers are there to protect the hero at all costs. They are willing to face hardships and dangers and even death either because they believe in the hero, or the cause.

The Fool – This character is always optimistic that things will turn out well. He/she is symbolic of blind hope and always has time for silly things and always sees the best in people. 

The Traitor – A character who uses words carefully, he/she weaves elaborate plots in order to trap heroes. Most others don’t realize how dangerous or manipulative this person is.

 The Creature – This character is reminiscent of a wild animal. It plays on our deepest fears of being eaten by something we never quite saw. 

The Professor – The professor is usually cool and intellectual. He is a thinker, logical, honest and faithful. He has a tendency to not be flexible. 

So here is a short plot summary of Sinister Shadow using the archetypal character types.

Tom is on a journey with his parents when they are killed by an evil creature.  He is saved from harm and  taken to a safe place where he is nurtured and protected.  He finds loyal companions there, including a foolish companion.  He learns about the evil creature from several sources, including a wise intellectual character and his mentors. He risks his own safety for one of his companions and becomes an accepted member of their society.  In return, the companion agrees to help him find and defeat the evil creature. Along the way, Tom discovers that one of his mentors is a traitor, and he is in jeopardy of losing his place in society and losing his life to the creature.