What Is A Dark Forest Archetype

Dark forests are an archetype because of the multiple times they appear in literature and what it symbolizes when they do. Usually, when a dark forest is introduced in literature, the forest symbolizes death or danger. In both The Hobbit and in “Hansel and Gretel”, the protagonists are lost in a dark forest and are almost killed and eaten. Also, when characters encounter a dark forest it usually foreshadows something bad happening in the future. For example, in “Hansel and Gretel”, Hansel and Gretel are brought into a forest by their father, they then come across a witch’s house. The witch then attempts to eat Hansel and Gretel and that is definitely bad. Additionally, dark forests are always appearing throughout literature. Dark forests appear
in many books, like The Hobbit, Robin Hood, and “Hansel and Gretel”. To conclude, dark forests are an archetype for many different reasons.