On the basis of Bachofen's work Neumann (1953) postulated that the development of the ‘feminine’ progresses from matriarchy to patriarchy. On the threshold between the two stages the woman is supposed to experience a kind of ‘Stirb und werde’ (die and become), which takes the form of a ‘marriage with death’, such as Apuleius describes in his tale of Amor and Psyche (Neumann, 1952). In the prophecy with which this tale begins, Psyche's partner is first depicted as a death-bringing monster. Only after the girl accepts her fate and surrenders herself completely to the male in patriarchal captivity does he turn out to be a most satisfactory lover-amor in person.
If dreams evolve along this archetypal pattern of ‘consummated marriage with death’, a woman should be able to enjoy sexual gratification during intercourse with a man. If, on the other hand, the dreamer resists or escapes instead of yielding to the male and consummating the marriage, then it can be predicted that she will be unable to accept dominance by the man during genital intercourse and consequently be unable to reach orgasm.
Beyme, F. (1967). Archetypal Dreams and Frigidity. J. Anal. Psychol
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