North American Myths: Tricksters

     The "trickster" archetype is one that has come to influence many factions of modern culture. While these stories may have started the Trickster is an archetype that is, true it's name, always creating chaos or playing tricks. While these myths were somewhat devious, myths like the Raven were sometimes viewed as a creator or fellow God. When reading about the trickster archetype, what instantly resonated in my mind was the fact that these types of characters have filtered into popular film and literature, most notably in my mind is "Puck" from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
     The character of Puck is one of the fairies in the story who controls and manipulates the human characters and laughs at their expense. While this is not an exact mirror of the Raven character, there are solid similarities. The Raven masks himself in front of man, and guides them throughout their development. While Puck does seem to be a bit of comedic relief and can at times not seem as integral character, he plays a large role in the fate of the main characters, as does the Raven to mankind.