''Jungfrauen'' ("Jung's women") was a satirical and scornful descriptive given by those on the outside of the supportive group of trainee women analysts (mainly based in Zurich) who were among the first disciples of Carl G. Jung. Some of these women were early popularizers of Jung's ideas. Even more unflattering were the terms ''maenads'' or ''

valkyries In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ("chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters"Orchard (1997:3 ...

''.

Members

After his wife, Emma, chief among the circle of women was

Toni Wolff Toni Anna Wolff (18 September 1888 – 21 March 1953) was a Swiss Jungian analyst and a close collaborator of Carl Jung. During her analytic career Wolff published relatively little under her own name, but she helped Jung identify, define, and na ...

, followed by

Jolande Jacobi Jolande Jacobi (25 March 1890 – 1 April 1973) was a Swiss psychologist, best remembered for her work with Carl Jung, and for her writings on Jungian psychology. Life and career Born in Budapest, Hungary (then under Austria-Hungary) as Jolan ...

, Marie-Louise von Franz,

Barbara Hannah Barbara Hannah was born in England. She is well known for her association with Carl Gustav Jung whom she joined in 1929 in Zurich and remained so until his death. Biography Hannah began analysis with Jung in 1929. She befriended Joseph L. Hen ...

, Esther Harding, and his secretary,

Aniela Jaffé Aniela Jaffé (February 20, 1903 – October 30, 1991) was a Swiss analyst who for many years was a co-worker of Carl Gustav Jung. She was the recorder and editor of Jung's semi-autobiographical book '' Memories, Dreams, Reflections''. Life Jaffé ...

. Other, more peripheral, figures were Kristine Mann and Hilde Kirsch.

Meaning

In this context, the term is a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

, the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

word '' jungfrauen'' means '

maiden Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

' or 'unmarried woman', as the adjective '' jung'' means 'young' and the plural noun '' frauen'' means 'women'.

Public image

Mary Bancroft Mary Bancroft (October 29, 1903, Boston – January 10, 1997, New York City) was an American novelist and spy and a member of the Bancroft family, which at one time owned Dow Jones & Company. In 1942, while living in Switzerland, Bancroft was re ...

(who was not a member of the group) described the ''Jungfrauen'' as "

vestal virgin In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins or Vestals ( la, Vestālēs, singular ) were priestesses of Vesta, virgin goddess of Rome's sacred hearth and its flame. The Vestals were unlike any other public priesthood. They were chosen before puberty ...

s" hovering around Jung, their sacred flame. His secretary

, who was regarded as a member, said at an

Eranos Eranos is an intellectual discussion group dedicated to humanistic and religious studies, as well as to the natural sciences which has met annually in Moscia (Lago Maggiore), the Collegio Papio and on the Monte Verità in Ascona, Switzerland sin ...

conference that they would throw off the stigma of the name ''Jungfrau'' and would hover around Jung like “bees around a honey-pot.” It has been suggested that Jung's foreign travels in Africa were partly motivated by his desire to escape from the ''Jungfrauen''.

Later criticism

One former Jungian woman has criticized Jung's early women acolytes. Naomi R. Goldenberg, said that “Jungian psychology is a patriarchal religion within which I once lived and worked... oryears in a Jungian universe”.Naomi R. Goldenberg, ''Resurrecting the Body'' (1993) p. 5 and p. 116.

References

Bibliography

*Maggy Anthony, ''The Valkyries'' (1990) *Thomas B. Kirsch, ''The Jungians'' (2000)

External links

''Jungfrauen''Jung's Women
{{Jung Carl Jung