IMAGE ARCHETYPE OF ERL-KING IN THE WORLD CULTURE

Collective consciousness is highly sensitive to myths. Myth-oriented character of consciousness is expressed in reality perception through the stable structures (archetypes) producing myths and stereotypes. The article considers cultural archetypes as psychological and cultural reference points in world perception of a human, as the basis of mythological assimilation of the real world. The potential prototypes of Erl-King of J.W. von Goethe’s poem “Erlkö- nig” are studied.