> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.descentpress.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Treasure hard to attain - URL: https://www.descentpress.com/index/treasure-hard-to-attain/ - Published: 2026-09-05T04:40:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-10T02:37:49.000Z - Description: Treasure hard to attain names, broadly, aspects of self-knowledge necessary for psychological individuality; specifically, a metaphor for the goal of individuation—a good working relationship with the - Author: Jae Botávn - Tags: #index, #Import 2026-09-04 23:45 ## 1\. Etymology **Treasure hard to attain** names, broadly, **aspects of self-knowledge necessary for psychological individuality**; specifically, a metaphor for the goal of [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/)—a good working relationship with the [self](https://www.descentpress.com/index/self/). Related: [hero](https://www.descentpress.com/index/hero/); dragon fight; Kore / nekyia. --- ## 2\. Plain summary Sharp’s short head: self-knowledge for individuality; metaphor for individuation’s aim—relation to the self. In myth the hero wins the hoard only by facing the dragon without being overcome; psychologically that hoard is the hard-won claim to self-confidence after meeting the dark ground of the self. Kore / maiden quests likewise speak of a “treasure hard to attain” in descent and ordeal. Samuels has no dedicated head under this exact title; house keeps Sharp primary and points to hero / individuation / self. **Examples (exhaustive house list for this Index lemma — common treasure-hard-to-attain motifs named across Jung’s essays and standard Jungian lexica; not a claim that Jung’s CW contains only these):** self-knowledge for individuality; goal of [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/); working relation to [self](https://www.descentpress.com/index/self/); hero vs dragon / hoard; genuine claim to self-confidence; Kore nekyia quest; ring / elixir / golden egg as metaphors; energy released from unconscious complexes. --- ## 3\. Academic elucidation In analytical psychology the **treasure hard to attain** is a **mythic metaphor for hard-won self-relation**, not a literal prize. Lexicon Sharp supplies the head verification of Sharp-cited neighborhoods (CW 14 *Conjunction*; CW 9i *Kore*). Prefer dual [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/) / [self](https://www.descentpress.com/index/self/) / [hero](https://www.descentpress.com/index/hero/)—do not mint unverified page+¶ as stamped. --- ## 4\. Lexicon **Sharp (1991)** > Treasure hard to attain. Broadly, a reference to aspects of self-knowledge necessary for psychological individuality; specifically, a metaphor for the goal of individuation, a good working relationship with the self. (Sharp, 1991) **Samuels, Shorter & Plaut (1986)** — no dedicated *treasure hard to attain* head located this pass (\*\* --- ## 5\. CW concordance — sample, not exhaustive > In myths the hero is the one who conquers the dragon, not the one who is devoured by it… Equally, only one who has risked the fight with the dragon and is not overcome by it wins the hoard, the “treasure hard to attain.” He alone has a genuine claim to self-confidence, for he has faced the dark ground of his self and thereby has gained himself. > (Jung, 1955–1956/1970, CW 14, p. 531, ¶756) Dual [self](https://www.descentpress.com/index/self/) / [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/) untouched. > Sometimes it is a true nekyia, a descent into Hades and a quest for the “treasure hard to attain.” > (Jung, 1941/1968, CW 9i, p. 184, ¶311) Dual [hero](https://www.descentpress.com/index/hero/) / Kore neighborhood untouched as leaf rewrite. --- **See also:** [individuation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/individuation/); [self](https://www.descentpress.com/index/self/); [hero](https://www.descentpress.com/index/hero/); [trickster](https://www.descentpress.com/index/trickster/); [trauma](https://www.descentpress.com/index/trauma/); [shadow](https://www.descentpress.com/index/shadow/); [anima](https://www.descentpress.com/index/anima/); [transformation](https://www.descentpress.com/index/transformation/). ## References Jung, C. G. (1970). The conjunction. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), *The collected works of C. G. Jung* (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 14, p. 531, ¶756). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1955–1956) Jung, C. G. (1968). The psychological aspects of the Kore. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler, & W. McGuire (Eds.), *The collected works of C. G. Jung* (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 9, Pt. 1, p. 184, ¶311). Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1941) Sharp, D. (1991). *Jung lexicon: A primer of terms & concepts*. Inner City Books. ---