There is a Biblical story that I see the same thing in: Jacob fighting "God" at the river. By not hunting with the other men but staying in the village to help the women, Jacob would have built a strong shadow self from suppressing for years a sense of shame. God(s) are/were associated with flowing rivers and with nighttime. When Jacob fought "God" and refused to let go, I believe he fought his own, long repressed, and powerful shadow and Jacob's shadow injured his leg. As a herder of sheep and cattle, his livelihood depended on walking great distances and his shadow self then injured Jacob where it would most affect his life. Your shadow self will do that if you keep it suppressed and never face it.