The aim of this study is to analyse the archetypical patterns and symbols in Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising. An archetype is, in literary studies, a concept used to describe an image, symbol or narrative pattern which is very frequently occurring , for example the Hero archetype. Archetype theories today are mainly based on the work of psychiatrist C.G. Jung or literary theorist Northrop Frye.

The Dark is Rising is a series of five fantasy books for children, in which an old struggle between two cosmic forces, Light and Dark, is about to reach its final battle. This study shows how The Dark is Rising follows an archetypical narrative pattern in which the aim is to create a whole – the Self, in Jungian theory. The conception of the world in The Dark is Rising is an archetypical one. The world was once whole, but later divided in two opposing forces – Light and Dark. In the final book, when the Dark is defeated and the Light leaves Earth to the humans, the world is whole again. The life of main character Will Stanton also follows this pattern, making him an archetypical Hero. His development can be seen as the process of individuation, which in Jungian theory is the process of creating a whole, unified Self by integrating the conscious and the unconscious. Also the Mandala, which is a very important symbol in the books, is an archetypical symbol for unity and the Self.