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Cousins Issue 08
A place for the Witches, Pagans, nature spirits, fey-folk, and assorted
elder kin of Sherwood to share ideas, challenges, dreams, and projects,
and to stir up a little magic of our own.
***
ISSUE #8 - October 1992
Happy 1st Birthday to Us!
***
This Issue's Fun Word: WEDBEDRIP
An agreement under which a feudal lord's tenant was bound to provide
him, on request, with a day's reaping from the tenant's land.
(Thanks to: Sharon Wells)
***
LETTERS
Pen
[...has graciously sent along her list of...]
Books of Interest
Green, Miranda J. Dictionary of Celtic Myth and Legend.
ISBN #0-500-01516-3
Campanelli, Pauline. Wheel of the Year: Living the Magical Life.
ISBN #0-87542-091-5
Glass-Koentop, Pattalee. Year of Moons, Season of Trees.
ISBN #0-87542-269-1
Lane, Edward William. Arabian Society in the Middle Ages.
ISBN #0-7007-0195-8
***
Grace Meisel
Dear Hilda (and other Happy Heathens), Hello, hello! Just got the
latest Cousins. Hilda, I don't know how you can produce these so
quickly... I still haven't read them all! Someday I may get up my
nerve to participate in the discussions, but for now I don't feel
qualified. Keep it up, Cousins, I'm learning a lot from you!
It was wonderful getting together at Weekend. I now have some faces to
attach to names, although when I got my photos back there were still
numerous unidentified persons! Would anybody be willing to do a
"Cousins Photo Gallery?" Instead of (or in addition to) names and
addresses, maybe we could all contribute a Xerox-able snapshot. I can't
be the only one who wanders around conventions reading name-tags and
trying to remember faces!
I must tell you how much Scott and I enjoyed the circle at Weekend. We
are both what could be termed "intellectual wiccans": we agree with the
concepts, but are not much for practicing ritual Craft. I was raised
atheist, with Science and Technology as the highest powers. This was
embodied as the sterile, nature-hating science of the 50's: the super-
technology of early science fiction. I've come to realize that
spirituality and science are NOT incompatible, and that many of the
fundamental ideas behind modern biology/ chemistry/geology/physics are
embodiments of the aspects of the Goddess. Some of us just
anthropomorphize [gynopomorphize? -H] Her more than others. (Look up
GAIA theory if you are interested. James Lovelock is the pioneer in
this field. For the more mathematically inclined, check out nonlinear
science, also known as chaos theory. Science is rapidly becoming
multidisciplinary, with Nature gaining reverence once more.)
Ironically, I spent the last evening of the con doing Tarot readings for
some friends. I had never done readings for anyone, and considered it a
way to focus on personal, subconscious conflicts. Much to my surprise,
the readings were consistently accurate for five people! This is the
sort of thing that troubles a former skeptic, believe me! Can anyone
recommend good books on Tarot? My Borders Book Shop carries about 50
titles, and I haven't the time to read them all. So far my sources
include Barbara Walker and Vicki Noble.
After scanning through some letterzine back issues, I discovered a new
project that I really would like to start: a complete bibliography of
Robin Hood and related topics. As I work at Borders Book Shop, I have
access to Books in Print on CD-ROM, so I can get complete topic or
keyword listings of what is available. However, I am more interested in
compiling the information that all of us have in our private
collections. We are a highly literate group, and constantly make
reference to this book or that. I would set the database up to include
title/ author/publisher information, whether the book is in- or out-of-
print, and any related topic information. We could include the growing
base of Wiccan-related materials, historical texts, etc.
I think that this would be an incredibly useful reference tool, enabling
us to network the books that we find by accident. For example, Chris
Haire mentioned Charles de Lint's Greenmantle as a new discovery for
her, while I read it as a new release in 1988. With a combined
database, we will be able to let everybody know what we have found,
rather than having to trust in some higher power to help us locate them
all. (Indeed, I have discovered many wonderful books because Borders
customers have special-ordered them!)
Most of all, a database would save the frantic searches for
bibliographical information. ("I know I saw this book, but was it in
Cousins, or On Target, or Herne's Stepchildren, or... and which issue
was it??!")
If any of you are interested, just send me a list of your books, along
with any helpful tidbits about them. I can start cross-referencing with
BIP (Books in Print) and getting it all on the computer. (This may take
decades... be patient.) There's bound to be overlap, and I may include
a category for "owner(s)," so that people wishing to copy/ borrow rare
materials will know who to contact/grovel to. (The nicest thing about
databases is that I don't have to decide the format ahead of time.) If
you'd prefer listings alphabetical by author or title, or something
else, let me know.
A word here on unfinished projects. Some of you may remember "The
Sherwood Network," which was intended as a database of RoS fans, along
the lines of the mainstream SF "Fandom Directory." This project has
been scuttled, due to the fact that only 25 people sent in forms. I
guess we really are too specialized (translation: small) a fandom, and
we already have plenty of contacts in Spirit of Sherwood, Friends of
RoS, Herne's Stepchildren, Cousins, etc. My apologies to those who sent
in forms and wondered if anything was ever done with them. (They ARE on
my computer, if anyone is still interested.)
A wonderful book I recently found is West Country Wicca by Rhiannon
Ryall ($8.95 paperback; ISBN# 0-919345-98-0; Phoenix Publishing Inc.)
It describes traditional English witchcraft, the hereditary sort that
Kip referred to at Weekend. A great reference for fan fiction, and
lovely reading.
Another book for all of "us" is Textual Poachers: Television Fans and
Participatory Culture by Henry Jenkins. Yes, someone has written a
"scholarly" book about fans. Patti Heyes sent me the order form, and I
have extra forms for any interested persons. The paperback version is
$14.95 plus $2.50 shipping. I haven't seen a copy yet, but I am trying
to get it for the store.
If you are having trouble locating relevant books, feel free to contact
me and I'll get them ordered from Borders. We can ship UPS from the
store, and can get anything that is still in print. (I'll be glad to
give my 25% employee discount for Cousins.) For those who like to
browse, there are Borders Book Shops in Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Minnesota, Wisconsin
(soon), Texas (soon), and Virginia. Rumor and several magazines insist
that our next move will be to San Francisco.
I'd also be happy to provide publisher addresses and phone numbers if
you would prefer direct contact. (Keep in mind that some publishers
will not deal with "the public" directly, while others prefer to.)
I guess that's it for a while. School is starting soon, and I am
tremendously excited to finally have a teaching position after two years
of searching. Goddess Bless!
***
Julie Phipps
Dear Cousins, just thought I'd answer while the newsletter is still
fresh in my mind. Firstly I'd like to announce that there is going to
be a Greenwood 4 which is a Robin of Sherwood convention. It will be
next August '93 to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of RoS. It will be
held at the Shepperton Moat House Hotel, Shepperton, which is just
outside London. For further details and registration form please
contact:
Donna Lauchlan
16 Tonbridge Rd.
West Molesby
Surrey KT8 OEL
ENGLAND
Please enclose International Reply Coupons! [Available at the Post
Office. -H]
I attended the first 3 Greenwood cons and they were all very enjoyable.
I hope to see some of you there!!
Chris Haire: I finally received my photo of Michael and Jason. It's
lovely, it has pride of place in my bedroom!! And also I got my
membership kit for Spirit. I hear the convention went well. I wish I
could have been there!!
Sounds like you had a magical trip. I've just been to stay with my RoS
friend in Wales. We visited Chepstow, which was used in The
Inheritance, and we went to Kidwelly, which was Clun Castle in Herne's
Son. Isn't Chepstow gorgeous!!
Todd: I agree, Gizzy never gets any credit at all!! I mean, in Herne's
Son, the Sheriff doesn't believe him when he states that Robert would
give up the Earldom for Marion!! And in another episode he states that
"Robin Hood and the Sheriff are two sides of the same coin!" Once
again, he is laughed at.
At Greenwood 3, when asked about Gisburne's actions in Time of the
Teeth, Robert replied that Gisburne was on the brink of a nervous
breakdown, which I suppose the Sheriff's constant jibes didn't help. I
guess we would have found out more if there had been a fourth season.
Linda Frankel: I take it you're a Gisburne fan!! Your stories sound
interesting. I guess I'll have to buy No Holds Barred.
Wyvern: Yes, I've heard of Elfquest. I've read some of them too.
Great fun, aren't they? Are they still going?
Julianne: Got your letter tape yesterday. I'll answer soon, I promise!
I'd love some pics of your Elena cossie!! I've got a favour to ask
about that one??
You also asked about The Seventh Sword. Do you want me to try and get
it for you??? Who's it by?? [Andrew Collins. -H] It could be a
Christmas pressie, if you like??
Janet R.: Hello! Thanks for the info on the books. Do you think you
could bring them with you when you come over?? I'll have to try to get
The Oxford Dictionary you mentioned.
Ariel: So you're a Branagh fan too!! I'm hoping to go and see him live
in Hamlet, all 4 hours of it!! HEAVEN!! He was so brilliant in Henry V
live. I can't wait to see Hamlet. Have you seen Dead Again?? Silly
question, I suppose, I've still not seen it!!
Mary Ann McKinnon: Hello! Great to speak to you on the phone again.
I'll work on my story for The Turn of the Wheel and send over details
about my two new characters as soon as I can. I'm having great fun with
this story.
Tara: Hello! Mary Ann told me you'd be in contact soon. Hope the move
went well!! Look forward to your letter.
Hilda: Hiya! How's things? Hope your move went well. It's probably a
good job Rob and I postponed our trip, bet things were a muddle.
I don't think that there was ever a St. Julie. Does anyone know if
there was?
Do you think we'll be able to have a Cousins get-together when I come
over next May? Just an idea.
Well, I guess I'll close now, so take care, all. From your English
Cousin: Julie.
***
Linda Frankel
I have just come across a book of meditations called The Golden Cauldron
by Nicki Scully. It's pretty superficial and New Agey, but there are a
couple of things in it of interest to the Cousins.
Those of us who have a particular affinity for Herne as Lord of the
Trees may be interested is Scully's idea of how to be healed by a tree.
The tree must be your friend, and know you well. You must ask the tree
to heal you first. Then place your hands on the trunk, and give it your
pain, grief, or anger. Make certain to replace the energy you've given
the tree by calling down a shaft of illumination. This is a wise idea.
Nature does indeed abhor a vacuum. We would probably call on Lugh, the
Shining One, to send us some of His light. Scully reminds us to leave
an offering for the tree. Of course, if you've called on Lugh, you
should also pay His fee too.
Scully also has a section on the King Stag. To open the section there
is a lovely Stag illustration with a raven in the foreground. In her
first sentence she says that the Horned One serves the Lady. I believe
strongly in this view. I feel that the Hooded Man is the servant of a
servant. The meditation in this section is about becoming connected to
ley lines. It involves visualizing yourself in a stone circle. We
might be in Rhiannon's Wheel. There is a raven on your shoulder. The
raven asks you if you are ready to undergo this initiation. The raven
is sacred to a number of Celtic Goddesses and is associated with wisdom,
so it is certainly an appropriate guide. If "your heart says yes," you
are to lie down on the stone slab in the center of the circle. Such
slabs were altars and places of sacrifice in ancient times, but Scully
is too New Agey to make any mention of this. I think it's always a good
idea to remember that if you've asked for something from the Gods, you
will be called upon to pay for it. There is the implication of
sacrifice in Scully's meditation because she says that you feel a blade
on your throat which turns out to be carved from an antler. You look up
into the God's face. He is a man whose face turns into that of a stag
before your eyes. He raises you to your feet and you are to "feel how
the energy is vibrating out along the lines, healing the land and its
people." Then the Horned One takes you along the ley lines to a
particular place of power where you experience the connection with the
ley lines within yourself. The raven also accompanies you. Because
Scully is Egyptian oriented, she wants you to discuss your journey with
Thoth on your return, but you might want to talk to the raven about it.
Re: places of power - when I was reading my story, The Successor, to my
housemate, he criticized my naming of Sherwood as a place of power on
the level of Stonehenge or Glastonbury. He said that I only did that
because Robin Hood headquartered himself in Sherwood. I answered that
Herne did too. His cave and His sacred lake were also in Sherwood, and
if that didn't make Sherwood an important place of power, I don't know
what would!
Comments on #7:
To Todd re: Marion finding a lover in the convent - You and other fans
may be up in arms at this suggestion, but why would Marion's lover
necessarily be a man? How about a nun? There have always been lesbians
in convents, you know. I can even find a plausible motivation for
Marion being more comfortable with a lesbian relationship. Marion may
have told herself that she'd never love another man after Robin, but if
her lover was a woman she'd be far less likely to feel unfaithful to
Robin's memory. It would also be logistically easier to have a
relationship with a nun in a convent. There are far more opportunities
for meetings. Yes, but is it out of character? Well, there are
numerous cases of women who were married and seemed to be completely
heterosexual taking female sexual partners. It is possible that these
women were bisexual and simply hadn't been aware of it. Who's to say
that Marion isn't such a woman? Who's to say that any of the characters
in RoS couldn't be bisexual?
To Todd re: referring to Robert as Jason and Robin as Michael - I would
never use the actors' names unless I'm discussing their performance.
Calling the characters by the names of the actors could lead to
confusion. Perhaps I feel that it's so important to clearly separate
the characters from the actors because I write slash. Yet whether or
not we are writing slash, we really should remember that neither Michael
Praed nor Jason Connery are really Robin Hood. Robin Hood is a
fictional character. Whatever we say in our discussions here, or
whatever we write in our stories about either Robin or Robert, none of
it has anything to do with the actual men who played these roles. We
all know that intellectually, of course, but fans sometimes get swept
away emotionally in the illusion of the actor's performance and forget
the distinction between the characters and the actors. Apparently, some
of the RoS actors also have difficulty making this separation, since
they think slash fiction reflects on them. I am sorry for them, but
slash has no more to do with them than any other idea that we might have
about their characters. I think that as the years pass and they play
other roles, their identification with those particular characters will
lessen. If it doesn't, this unwillingness to separate themselves from a
particular role could hamper their careers. Calling the characters by
the names of the actors will not help them with such an identity
problem.
To Morgana re: Lilith coven - I am sorry to disappoint you, but there
has never been any equivalent to Christian Satanism in the Jewish
community. If there had been, I'm sure I would have heard about it from
my teachers in Yeshiva (Jewish parochial school) as a notorious example
of something to be avoided. In more recent times, I'm afraid that
Lilith has been treated as a superstition. My maternal grandmother
believed in Lilith, and gave us charms to protect us against her. She
also did divination with chick peas and tea leaves. My grandfather
looked down on her folk magic practices with the superior air of a
scholar who knew better. The only worshippers of Lilith that I know
about are modern day feminists who have adopted Lilith as a rebel
against patriarchy. Instead of looking for Lilith covens, you might
want to focus on a real phenomenon that was loosely contemporary with
RoS. During that period, Jewish mysticism in the Kabala was being
combined with Sufism, which is Islamic mysticism, along with a strong
component of Christian mysticism and a healthy dash of the Pythagorean
mysticism of the Greeks. This mixing together of different cultures was
happening in Spain and during the Crusades. It was the Saracens and
Jews who were making these inter-cultural connections, and passing on
the knowledge they gained to open-minded Christians. Some of them were
Norman Templars! The result of this syncretic project was what became
known as Hermeticism. Hermeticism is the basis of modern ceremonial
magic, and the Craft wouldn't be what it is today without it. I would
like to emphasize that our knowledge of the Sufi element in the Craft is
in its infancy, but I have been amazed to find out how many of our basic
concepts come from Sufism.
To Hilda re: Earl David's ethnic identity - This is the Scottish royal
family we're talking about, so we needn't speculate about who and what
they were. David of Huntingdon's background can be ferreted out with
only a small amount of research. When I began writing The Successor, I
started with the assumption that Robert's family was Scottish Celt.
They couldn't be Saxon. The Saxons didn't settle in Scotland. My
research confirmed that the Scottish royal line was originally Celt, but
that was not the case later on. I stumbled on a book called The Normans
in Scotland by Robert Lindsay Graeme Ritchie. There are several
chapters on the life of the first David of Huntingdon in that book.
(Robert's father is the second David of Huntingdon.) He acquired
Huntingdon as the marriage portion of his Norman wife. He loved Norman
culture, and was known for being more Norman than the Normans. It
wasn't difficult to find scattered references to his son, Henry of
Huntingdon, in books about the early Plantagenet period. He was equally
Norman in his lifestyle, and he also married a Norman. So the second
David of Huntingdon was primarily Norman by blood, thoroughly Norman in
his outlook, and he would have been Norman-identified. You might as
well call him a Norman.
To Hilda re: Robert's practical, down to earth, worldly nature - Where
do people get this impression? What causes anyone to think that a
sheltered nobleman's son would have a good concept of what's going on in
the world, particularly what's going on with peasants? Think about the
romantic chivalry philosophy that Eleanor of Aquitaine perpetuated.
Think about an impressionable young man with knightly training afire
with the idea of righting all wrongs. Then look at what Robert did.
It's practical and down to earth for a peasant like Robin to become
Herne's Son. He knew the forest and what it took to live there. The
people he dedicated himself to helping were his own. He understood them
and their problems. He could tell you how many draft animals a village
might need to plow, or when particular crops were best planted. Robert
came into the situation blind. He didn't know the forest, and would
have been unaccustomed to living that way. An ascetic tendency would
help him in becoming accustomed to it, however. He could then tell
himself that sleeping outdoors and doing without hot baths was good for
his soul. He couldn't have very much knowledge of the peasants or their
lifestyle either. A practical man would have evaluated these facts, and
decided he'd be better off staying at Huntingdon, since very little of
what he knew could possibly be useful in Sherwood. Instead he listened
to a God's voice, rescued a damsel in distress, and left his heritage
behind. None of this sounds very practical or down to earth to me.
Robert is clearly an idealist devoted to lofty principles. In fact, I
think that the adjectives "worldly" and "practical" suit Robin far
better. Robin did have some far-sighted utopian ideals, but he was also
fairly pragmatic about what was possible. Robert went well beyond what
anyone would have thought was possible for a man of his background.
Christianity would have been the religion of Robert's upbringing, and a
desire to become like Christ would explain how he came to sacrifice so
much. Another thing I remember is the enthusiasm that he priest at St.
Ciricus' Church had for Robert. I got the impression that he might have
had many more interactions with Robert than we saw in that episode.
I have thought very seriously about writing RoS professionally. In
order to make it original enough to sell, I'd have to write about a
totally different Robin Hood in another historical period and drop
Herne. Yet the stories I feel the need to write are about the
characters in Richard Carpenter's series and about Herne. So far
they're slash, but after I'm done with The Shadow Twin I have a few non-
slash story ideas that will be making their way into the zines Cousins
read. I guess you're stuck with me until I write Richard Carpenter's
RoS out of my system. I don't think that's likely to happen for some
time.
To Hilda re: spiritual rigor in Neo-Paganism - I'm not talking about
pain and sacrifice for its own sake. The idea of giving back to a deity
when you ask for something is strange for many Neo-Pagans that I know.
They've internalized the Christian idea of divine grace offered freely.
The Pagan idea that everything is part of an interdependent web doesn't
seem to be fully understood. They know they should re-cycle their cans
for the purposes of ecological balance, but the idea of making an
offering that's commensurate with what you want from the Gods is totally
alien. I think that wanting our lives too pleasant and easy is what has
gotten our planet into such a terrible state. We've all got to learn
how to give, how to sacrifice before it's too late. It's RoS that has
taught me this.
To Hilda re: villains "giving life to a story" - Since I'm fond of
complexity, whenever an author gives me a character who has no more
motivation for his or her actions than that s/he's "evil," I'm bored
silly. Please spare me any more stories about the evil de Rainault and
evil Gisburne who never grow or change. Please spare me any more
stories about de Belleme, Gulnar, the Abbess of Ravenscar, or any of
their ilk. Surely someone can think of less predictable conflicts. To
me, what gives life to a story are well-realized characters, vivid
background details, and thought-provoking ideas.
To Hilda re: religious sceptics hearing the voices of Gods - You can
speak to someone who is deaf in sign language, but you can't make them
hear. They live in a universe where there is no sound. A God could
move someone who is a sceptic to act in a certain way, but it would be
as if the sceptic had been shoved by an invisible force. If being a
sceptic is important enough to him, he'll find a way to explain the
invisible force that shoved him as something physical that has nothing
to do with Gods. De Rainault is this sort of individual. Guy can see
Herne shoving him, but never de Rainault. To him, the man who is Herne
is an ordinary peasant. Judging from The Greatest Enemy, Robert
accepted Herne's authority very quickly. A sceptic couldn't do that.
Indeed, Robert seemed to me far more accepting about Herne than Robin
was in the beginning of the series.
To Hilda re: Robert going back to Huntingdon - I don't think you grasp
the magnitude of what Robert had to do, and exactly how hard it had to
be. The amazing thing is that he ever managed to get to Sherwood at
all, and that bespeaks tremendous dedication. He loves his father
despite the conflicts they've had, and he's leaving him in the lurch
without an heir. Anyone brought up noble takes such a responsibility
very seriously. He is his father's only son so far as he knows.
Leaving him like this means the end of the House of Huntingdon. He's
been brought up to believe that his family and heritage are very
important. Knowing that he's destroying his house has to be torture to
Robert. Not only this, but he's taking up the defense of his father's
class enemies and rejecting everything that his father stands for. It's
not just his class that Robert is betraying, but his people. When he
becomes the Hooded Man he is essentially no longer a Norman - not in his
heart and spirit. Someone who goes so far as to deny his own people in
order to identify with another people has to be powerfully motivated.
In order to do this he had to re-make his attitudes - uproot all the
prejudices that he ever held about Saxons or peasants, then train
himself to have the same values and priorities as Saxons and peasants.
If he doesn't do this, then he could never serve them properly. Herne
would never permit him to become Hooded Man if he's limited to the
viewpoint of a Norman nobleman. And then, when Robert's finished doing
all this - giving up everything he was and changing himself to become
what Herne needs, he has to deal with the identity struggle over who he
is now. When the band failed to accept him, Robert had to prove
himself, and the only way he could prove himself is through service and
further self-denial. I have thought deeply about Robert. He's my
favorite RoS character. I say what I do about him not because I think
it sounds good, but because it makes better sense to me than any other
interpretation.
Looking at RoS fan fiction, I think that the "Celtic twilight" theme
explains many of the notions that fans seem to have about Robert.
"Celtic twilight" is an idea that used to dominate in fantasy. It's the
belief that magic is fading from the world. I doubt it ever did. What
we call magic is the glue that holds the web of life together. So the
"Celtic twilight" template doesn't work for me. If you don't believe in
"Celtic twilight" you're free to look at Robert in a new way. I wish
RoS fan fiction would dump its baggage. "Celtic twilight" is such a
limiting perspective.
Another long letter, and this is the self-edited version. You can
certainly put part of it in Cousins #9. [Thank you, but continuity is
turning into Job #1! -H] May Herne protect you and yours.
***
Nancy Hutchins
Dear Cousins, Hello, hello! Greetings from the Arctic Outpost of the
Universe, aka Syracuse, NY.
Well, fall is definitely here, football season is under way (rah rah
rah), and I am swamped with work.
I just wanted to commend Chris and Denise for doing such a fine job with
Weekend in Sherwood. I truly enjoyed myself, although I got very little
sleep (a measure of how much fun I'm having in and of itself!)
It was great meeting old friends once again and getting to know new
faces. During the "room party," I struck up an interesting conversation
with someone about Michael Crichton's books, and now I can't even
remember who it was (a memory lapse which I'm sure has something to do
with not getting to sleep until 3 or 4 AM). If you're in these pages,
please let me know who you are. I'd love to finish the conversation!
For those of you Cousins who haven't yet seen the film The Wicker Man, I
recommend it strongly. It's an excellent, thought-provoking movie.
Well, I have to run and do some homework (*sigh*). Blessings to all.
***
Janet Reedman
Hello, Cousins!
Chris: Isn't Charles de Lint good? He's one of a rare breed, too: a
published fantasy writer living in Canada! His other works are worth
reading, if you can find them.
Your trip sounded lovely; your midnight foray reminded me of my own
visit to Bamburgh. However, I got scared nearly witless when I saw
something white and flimsy fluttering in the window of one of the towers
one dark and misty eve... (It was the housekeeper's laundry!)
Todd: Comparing actors is such a difficult thing, as everyone has their
own style and preference, just as the viewers do. I think, though, that
Michael may have had more personal feeling for the character he played;
in conversation he actually said, "How would you resurrect me?" (Not
Robin.) I get the impression he quite liked Loxley...
There is a double standard where Marion is concerned. As Hilda stated
later, this probably comes from the medieval idea of love-unto-death. I
can understand how Marion's experiences might not make her want to get
seriously (or even not so seriously) involved in another relationship.
And I don't believe this would necessarily make her an emotional
cripple, either. As for Robert's rompings - heck, he seems to have the
most fun of anyone. What about Robin? Did anyone ever figure in his
life before Marion? Of course, we don't want a bunch of dreaded Mary
Sues tromping around...
I also agree with you about Little John. He's a wonderful, warm
character - so different from other screen interpretations that make him
naught more than a mighty-thewed dunderhead. There needs to be more
fanfic on this neglected character. (May have to write it myself...)
Linda: Yes, I know about the Interdict. Actually, you've given me some
fodder for a possible story... Mind you, I had a bit of trouble with
the timeline In the Shadow... gave us. Wasn't Loxley supposed to die in
1202 in that? Well, that would mean Robert became the Hooded Man in
1203. Well, The Pretender episode just got killed then, as John married
Isabella in 1200. (Mind you, The Pretender doesn't hold water anyway,
as poor unfortunate Prince Arthur was only 12 when he disappeared, and
that bloke definitely could not pass for 12!) I like to think Loxley
died in 1199 or 1200, the turn of the century (auspicious): a change of
kings, a change of forest kings... I realize that the whole timeline in
RoS is a wee bit skewed (i.e. the Lionheart episode, which would have
had to take place in 1194, but doesn't seem to) and always will be, but
with a bit of juggling you can get it fairly close.
I also have heard about the longbow being banned. It's a very ancient
weapon in Britain; 6 foot bows have been discovered along the neolithic
Sweet Track in Somerset.
Back to William Rufus: he would seem to be an unworthy sacred king and
a bad king in general. But when one relies on historians who were
mainly churchmen it's hard to say for absolute certain. I mean, King
Richard was not much better than John, but he was painted gold in some
circles because of his 'valour.' And, in a much later time, look at
Richard III. Till this century he was regarded as a child-murdering,
hunchbacked monster, mainly due to Shakespeare's writings (made to
please his Tudor patrons).
I can't understand why tourists would be told that the Wakefield Robin
is the 'real' Robin Hood. The names Hode, Hood, and even Robinhood were
hardly uncommon in the Middle Ages, making identification of any one
person nigh impossible. Recently I was kind of amused to read of two
later medieval rebels called Robin of Holderness and Robin of Redesdale.
In the case of Robin of Redesdale, the name was NOT his own; he was
probably John Conyers, which certainly gives one the idea that Robin was
a traditional name for outlaws and assumed by many over the years.
Linda - I loved your proposed meeting of Tuck and the Dagda!
Julie: HI. (I'll see you before this is printed, haha.) Don't worry
about Michael's height making you feel like a dwarf. He makes even me,
at nearly 5'6, feel like a semi-dwarf! And you're not the shortest
person in fandom; one of my Dublin gang is your height!
Ah, the Evil Express... how could I ever forget being stranded in
Stratford by a nonexistent bus, fighting with a nonexistent emergency
number, fighting with thick bus company employees, then riding (expense-
free!) in a taxi for 1 1/2 hours!
I like your Arrow/Grail comparison - are you going to write it?
Wyvern: Re: stillborns. I'm not sure what happened to the bodies, but
I'd surmise that these children are the 'unbaptised babes' whose spirits
are said to wander earth for eternity as will o' the wisps or piskies.
Back to my favorite :-) episode, Cromm Cruac, AGAIN: Cromm was described
as a golden idol surrounded by a ring of standing stones. (I think I'd
have liked the episode more if this were what we'd seen!) Anyway,
children were said to be sacrificed to him, which would tally well with
some of the rather grisly discoveries at sites of probable similar date
which I mentioned last newsletter. Perhaps it is a surviving folk
memory.
Speaking of folk memory, there was a hill called Bryn Yr Ellylon, Mound
of the Goblins, in Wales. Legend spoke of a knight in golden armour who
circled the hill by night. Last century, the cairn was opened, and the
skeleton of a late bronze age chieftain was found - clad in a beautiful
cape of sheet gold. A similar story exists regarding a barrow on Bodmin
Moor, where a ghostly old man was said to hand a cup to travelers. A
golden rivetted beaker was found in a cist in the mount. (Both of these
items actually do exist, and can be viewed in the British museum.)
The Hood - you're right, you're right! Did you know that in one old
English ritual there is a figure known as the Hoodener? Also the Hooden
Horse, which is a kind of hobby horse. (And what does the word 'Hob'
derive from? Guess.) Then there's the Haxey Hood game, where the
participants fight over a Hood...
Judi: I'm fairly convinced that Derbyshire's Nine Ladies must be RoS'
Nine Maidens. It's geographically the closest stone circle. In fact,
there are NO stone circles in Nottinghamshire at all; it was not a
populous area in ancient times due to being heavily forested. I also
wish they hadn't made Rhiannon's Wheel look like Stonehenge, which is a
real oddity among stone circles... The nearest 'major' stone ring is
Arbor Low in Derbyshire, a henge (ditched) complex sited near a
neolithic tumulus known as Gib Hill. A later bronze age mound was
inserted into the bank - maybe as a desecration of the earlier site. In
the centre an extended (rather than the usual crouched) man's skeleton
was found, possibly wearing the remains of a wooden mask. However, all
of Arbor Low's stones have fallen today, and we have no way of knowing
how long they've been recumbent.
Julianne: You seem to be a good source of book info. Do you know
anything about an old RH novel (50's-60's) in which there's an evil
Baron Belesme of Belleme? Someone in Australia mentioned this to me.
Catherine: I thought 'fionn' was Gaelic for 'white,' as in Fionn or
Finn (white), Fionuala (white shoulders), Findabhair (white phantom),
Finnbhennach (white horn). Mind you, I do vaguely remember some
connection to wine, too, but not exactly what it was...
Ariel: I like K. Branagh too! Henry V was fabulous. He was good when
I saw him in Birmingham two years ago also.
It seems like a lot of people thought that was Herne's voice at the end
of The Enchantment. Umm... didn't he sound just a wee bit sinister? It
might have made more SENSE if it was Herne (since we never saw Belleme
again), but no, it was indeed the sorcerer...
Laura: Buns? What's this about buns? I'm shocked!! No... ye Gods,
don't let me get started on this subject! How about toes next, huh?
Please? Please? (Inside joke)
Hilda: As with Little John, I feel that Tuck is often misinterpreted
and underutilized. Phil's portrayal is indeed the definitive one for
me!
I read the tale of the walled-up nun in a gazetteer of British ghosts.
Can't remember where the convent was, though. I remember bits of the
story (none very nice) in which the monk-lover is castrated, and she is
tortured until she miscarries - then is walled up. Stories like this
may have actually been invented to SCARE unruly novices, though!
Am I the only person who DIDN'T like Persia Woolley's books? Guinevere
was decently drawn, but I found the books too 'modern' for my taste. I
realize that the author was trying for a tone acceptable to modern
readers, but I couldn't swallow (pardon the pun) having 'tea' with the
'Queen Mother.' (I imagined having lunch in Buckingham Palace with the
Queen Mum!) and when Guinevere took a tumble and Arthur asked if she
was 'okay,' I thought I might actually fling the book across the room!
(The editor should have caught that one, even if the author didn't.)
Also, this stuff about 'we Celts' didn't ring true tome, as the Celts
thought of themselves, first and foremost, as Briganti, Dumnonii,
Atrabates, Iceni, etc. Their very divisiveness was their biggest
downfall.
Anyway, I must cease to rant and start to pack. England, here I come!
Will the poor little island survive?
***
Laura Woodswalker Todd
Dear Cousins, not to be trite and mawkish, but I just want to say thanks
to everyone for a great time at Weekend - it was wonderful seeing you
all! Aside from that, I'm afraid I've run out of original pagan lore
and witty things to discuss. So I'll just meander for a little while
and shut up.
About this "light and darkness" thing. Isn't it the "dark" stuff that
really provides the power? It's those nasties like Baron Belleme and
Phillip Mark that provide the grist for really "powerful" stories. It's
those scenes of murder, mayhem, and torture that keep your
readers/viewers riveted. Of course, this stuff is often overdone...
when writers forget about balance. But... these are the stories we
remember, aren't they?
Also... my kids have gotten me into heavy metal/hard rock music.
(That's right, blame the kids.) I'm kind of surprised myself; it's not
what you'd expect from a "respectable Pagan." But after I looked past
the negative "stereo"-types (groan) I found I responded to the power in
it. It's the same feeling you'd get from standing in Circle and
drumming until the power almost made your hair stand on end. My hard
rock tapes are the only things that can raise enough power to get me off
to work at 11 PM and keep me awake to drive home at 7 AM the next day.
It's harsh, raw, and "nasty." But... heavy metal wouldn't have that
power if it was "easy" and "relaxing." And what about the labels of
being "satanic" and "evil?" Well, these groups have scary names and
sing about hell and death a lot. Okay, maybe it's a refreshing change
from a diet of syrupy love songs. How'd we get onto music criticism?
Just an illustration of how Darkness is a necessary part of the Balance.
On to another divergence: have any of you noticed the way some
"literary" SF fans look down on fan fiction and especially media
fanfiction? I started out as a lit fan and aspiring pro writer. Now
whenever friends from my SF Writer's Workshop ask me "what are you
writing these days?" and I tell them I'm writing RoS fanfiction... I
have to brace myself for the inevitable condescending statement of "you
can do better than that!" So I wrote a big letter to my general SF
letterzine defending fanfiction: "Aren't we doing the same thing as
those who write stories based on King Arthur, Greek myths or the folk
legends of any culture? So what if a writer invents an 'original'
universe... which is usually similar to a hundred other SF 'original'
universes featuring spaceships, interstellar wars, or clich magical
objects. What makes that writer any better than us?" I've seen some
RoS fanfiction that's far superior to some of the "pro" fiction I've
read. So there!
Todd: Okay, we're back to comparing Robin and Robert. You mention
Robert's "stilted" lines. Yes, that was a problem for me at first, but
then I decided that maybe Robert's demeanor was "thoughtful" or
"measured." Plus there was the fact that as one of the nobility he was
probably schooled to impeccable diction and the habitual "poker face."
Which made it interesting for me as a writer to try and figure out what
was going on behind that perfect mask! And, to put him in situations
where the mask slipped. I put Robert through a lot of suffering in my
first few fan stories, mostly in an effort to break through that reserve
and discover the humanity underneath. (These stories haven't seen print
yet, but just you wait.)
I don't quite see Robert as either a "saintly" ascetic or "worldly" as
Hilda calls him. Perhaps he's idealistic, harboring an "Arthur complex"
('the ideal of the Noble Knight is to sacrifice himself to protect the
weak': an ideal which the rest of the nobility have cynically consigned
to fairy tales.) Plus I bet he is pretty confused, too, which accounts
for what Todd calls his stilted delivery. Of course he doesn't have the
conviction that Loxley has! He's been more or less yanked into the role
of "Herne's son," and it's a pretty big break from what he was used to.
I think that's what makes Robert appealing, he reacts just as I would:
"what the hell am I doing here?"
There, that was pretty short (?)! See you all later!
***
Tara O'Shea
Yay! My mom forwarded Cousins! I loveJgetting mail. For all of you
what all don't know, I'm not only back in the States, but I'm in college
in Illinois, and would welcome any and all correspondence. See Who We
Are. For everyone who I promised my address to at Weekend, it's not
that I didn't mean to get back to you, but Sunday happened before I was
ready for it (Sundays seem to sneak up on me all the time) and if you
know anyone who is looking for me, please pass me on. I think I
promised everyone and his brother art for zines this year. I'm gonna
have a real busy pencil. As it is I'm doing Todd's front and back
covers, Mary Ann's covers for the next two years (I have never learnt to
say no, because she would ask me in between compliments, and my head was
so turned that I didn't notice the calendar screaming, "School!
Remember school? Homework?" I ignored it. Homework is evil anyhow),
Guardian of the Arrow's front and back...
Which reminds me. Hilda, Bindings will come out whenever Paula Sanders
and Amy Hull get enough submissions to fill up Guardian of the Arrow.
Which, we are desperately hoping, will be sometime this decade. Todd,
Janet, and I all have things in it, but if we print as is, we'll have a
40-page zine. This is a plug, in case no one noticed. Hilda, you left
yourself wide open for that one, so I don't feel a bit bad about it.
Hi, Julie. I wrote you a letter, but forgot to mail it. I swear it's
coming, though. I bought Beginnings, read it, read it again, lost it,
DESPERATELY WANT TO FIND IT so I can read it again.
Wyvern: Yes, I have heard of Elfquest. I have not read it yet, because
I cannot afford to pick up a new comic series, especially graphic
novels, because I am fast approaching dead broke. I saw Wendy Pini's
Beauty and the Beast one shot though, and the art was stunning. I can't
remember if it was published by Donning, who are really scary abut
things (just ask Coleen Doran).
Morgana: Hi. I just remembered something about Lillith that I meant to
mention, as the letter I wrote about last issue disappeared and thus
never saw print. Neil Gaiman retold the Adam/Lillith/Eve story in
Sandman Issue 40, "The Parliament of Rooks." Also, I heard about Jesus
coming to England as part of the Joseph of Arimathea story in Arthurian
legend/ Christian tradition concerning the founding of Glastonbury.
Joseph was a merchant kinsman of Joseph the carpenter in Nazareth who
took the child Jesus on trading trips to Roman Britain, and after his
death, returned to England to plant a thorn from Christ's crown which
grew into a tree on the site of Glastonbury abbey.
I recognised the passage on Crom Crich from page 15 of Celtic
Mysteries: The Ancient Religion by John Sharkey, a book I heartily
recommend. I can't find an ISBN, but it was published by Thames and
Hudson, 30 Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3QP. I did know about St.
Patrick getting rid of him. Busy lad, that Patrick. Have I ever
mentioned that scholars were reporting that there were no snakes in
Ireland before Paddy even arrived on Erin's shores?
Janet V: In Guy Gavriel Kay's book Tigana, there is a group of warriors
marked by the caul they were born in, bits of which they wear in a pouch
about their neck to mark them. They fought the death that was
overtaking the land in dreams, and this is a really cool book. I'd give
an ISBN, but I don't have my copy on me a the moment. Plus I think I
lent it to someone.
In RoS, what if it's not Robert who gets poisoned in 1247, but whoever
becomes Hood after him? Neat.
Hi, Blythe! I'm so glad I met you. I think I may just write you now.
I love your name.
Woodswalker: I have seen The Venetian Woman. I spent the first hour
and fifteen minutes saying, "Okay, Jason, take off the pants." After
five minutes, "Okay, Jason, put them back on." Our Mr. Praed has better
buns. I know Janet will agree with me. Let us all hope Mark and Kip
never lend Michael or Jason their back issues. [Tara, you know I
absolutely hate censorship, but you and I have got to talk... -H]
Also, after Weekend, I came to the conclusion that so many people write
Huntingdon stories because, and please don't maul me, Robert can be
something of a blank slate, whereas Loxley has a definite defined
character. I liked Robert only after I had written Robert, and I have
come to the conclusion that I like my version of him, and this colours
all thinking when I actually watch his episodes. I am no longer
impartial.
Welcome, Donna. I can't wait to hear more from you.
Judi: yes! Another person who might understand what I'm talking about
when I try to explain what moving to and from Madrid was like. The term
"hell" does not begin to describe my experience, but how was your
experience?
Cool snake stuff. I have always believed that Paddy driving out the
snakes was a metaphor. I never knew about the glyph; that's so neat!
I wrote a story about de Rainault and magic, the aforementioned
Bindings. Want to read a copy? I love feedback. Drop me a line.
Congratulations on your wedding! How exciting!
Catherine (I adore your name): I got "muin" as "vine" from A Dictionary
of Irish Mythology by Peter Berresford Ellis, and I think D.J. Conway
says the same, but I don't remember if it's mentioned in that book. I
have a list of ogham that I keep in my computer, and I add to it
whenever I find anything of interest. If anyone out there has a copy of
The White Goddess, I have heard that there is an entire chapter on the
tree alphabet, and I would die to read it. My cousin, Tara O'Shea from
Bray (as opposed to the American Tara O'Shea, read: me) teaches Irish
in Dublin, and I took the opportunity during her visit to Madrid to
grill her as to why "tinne" is given in some books as meaning "fire" and
"holly," and she said that the Irish for "fire" and "holly" are
pronounced differently. I will have to scour through my books to see if
I missed an accent, as that would effectively screw up the
pronunciation. But as you studied, I do have a question to ask. While
I have heard the name Caitlin pronounced "Kate-lynn," if it is Caitln,
would it be pronounced "Kathleen?" I thought of this after seeing the
accent (the name for which I can say, as Tara told me, but have no hope
of spelling) on Caitln Matthews' books, and thought the "" would be
long, like in "potn," but Mark pronounced it "Kate-lynn," so now I'm
confused. I asked Janet R. over the phone, but if you, or any other
Gaelic speakers (I should have thought to ask Blythe too at Weekend.
Forgive, I have no brain) I would know for certain.
Please don't be confused by this above paragraph. I have a third cousin
who has the same first and surname. We are not one and the same.
Julianne: I might just give an alternate Cromm Cruach a shot. It
couldn't be any worse than what got aired.
I came to Weekend. We met. I did not have a copy of my thus far epic
thingie with me, as it is in the process of major rewrites, but once I
finish some of the retooling, do you want a diskette of what I have so
far? I could really use some constructive criticism. And to think I
thought it was finished a year ago. Ha.
About the Morningstar. It is then conceivable that Lucifer and God are
halves of the same being, because Good and Evil cannot exist without
each other, as they define each other, and therefore both would make up
the whole, like a Great Ultimate symbol. Somehow I doubt this
philosophy would go over well in the bible belt.
Ah, witchburnings. Has everyone out there seen Monty Python and the
Holy Grail? If she's made of wood, she's a witch.
Hi, Janet. Findbhair means "fair eyebrows" (!??!) and she fell in love
with Froach, recruited by her mother to fight Cuchulainn, and helped him
kill a water daemon. Maybe she flung some holy water at him. That
trick seems to work well on BBC cheesy latex sock puppets.
I only have an excerpt from The Foresters in my Rhymes of Robin Hood
book. Can I borrow yours one of these days? No, wait. I know how evil
the Post Offal is to you. Maybe if we ever get to a con in the same
state... scratch that, I might just have better chances with the mail...
WHEN AM I EVER GOING TO GET TO MEET YOU? Okay, that was subtle. But I
can't call Canada any more. Which reminds me, are you aware that Legend
is listed in the 1991 Novel and Short Story Writers' Market under
"Literary and Small Circulation Magazines?" I was looking for
publishers who publish fantasy and don't pay in tribber copies (did I
mention I need money?) and damn near had a heart attack. I wonder if
Laura and Helen and Sandy Williams are listed. Must go back and check.
A Welsh name for the Maiden. I have to think about this. Do you know
that every time I get a Cousins issue I drag out all of my research
books and keep them next to me while I read and type my replies? Also, I
think that between the two of us, we must have every bit of Celtic myth
ever published.
Okay, Welsh Maidens. Rhiannon, to an extent, before she became a
Mother. Creiddlylad, for certain. She was the prize in Winter and
Summer's feud: Spring. King Lear's daughter, Cordelia, was known in an
older myth as Creuddylad, daughter of Llyr (Lir in Irish), and can be
seen as similar to Branwen (Bronwyn), daughter of Llyr in the
Mabinogion, who could have been a Maid. No one knows about Fflur, whose
name means "flower." Most likely she's a local Sovereignty.
Looking through my Welsh mythology stuff, I just found a completely
unrelated note, but one worthy of passing on: Goleuddydd, the mother of
Culhwych, gave birth to him after running mad in the forest and being
frightened by pigs.
Ariel: I only counted six crossbows. I'd love to lend you Fortune Made
His Sword, but I have no idea of where my copy is. I may have lent it
to someone. I have a lousy memory (Does this mean I have a memory full
of lice? Ick!) The last time I wrote about rape was Peace in Tree 3.
I have no idea how people think I handled it, as I haven't seen any
LoC's yet. I'm not going to tackle another story until I get a
reaction.
Before I got this issue, this morning in fact, I remarked to someone
that The Inheritance would make perfect sense if the Agrivaine family
was doing penance because of the wrong of the first Agrivaine.
Synchronicity is a wondrous thing.
I never realised that it might have been Herne who said that line in the
end of The Enchantment. Gods, how cool...
Hilda, Earl David was a Scot. We sorta know this. His brother was the
king of Scotland. Also, we should ask Emma if Kenneth B. ever sleeps.
I don't know if she'd answer us, of course...
Okay, I've seen cows, horses, and dogs white with red ears in myths, but
all the mention of Cats involve giant cats roaming Wales and Eire so
heroes could fight them (instead of dragons). Also, there is a Scots
group of some sort called the Catti, the cat people, who apparently have
something to do with Caithness.
I heard that "Patrick," as in the saint, came from a corruption of
"patrician," as in the class of Romano-Britons to which Patrick belonged
afore his kidnapping by pirates.
The puns are evil.
If Cailleach sounds like Kali, it means they probably came from the same
thing. The Celts were Indo-Europeans that migrated westward, until they
got to Ireland where most of them stopped except for Maddoc of Wales,
who some say had some Sidhe hiding aboard...
Please, by all means delete my little list if it will help. I think
most of us here know who I am by now, as I am scary and tend to stick in
people's memory. And if not, just ask around, anyone can tell you what
I did to Mark Ryan at Weekend. Who woulda thought a piece of tin foil
woulda gone for five bucks?
Yes, I want a copy of D.J. Conway's book. [On the way! -H] I borrowed
Tracy's and she's going to want it back one of these days, I'm sure.
Quick note to M if she's reading. I wrote you a letter, and I think I
mailed it, but if I didn't it's because I have no brain. Forgive
please.
Well, see you all two months from new. I love being a Cousin. It makes
me so happy. Let's face, it, I love getting mail more than anything.
And this is like getting twenty letters at once. I have sufficiently
scared my roommate for the day. Blessings.
***
Ariel
Greetings, fellow Cousins! Merry meet, and I hope this issue finds
everyone doing well. Hopefully I can get this letter to Hilda before
the next deadline.
Without further ado, I'll plunge right into the letters from Issue #7.
Chris Haire: Hi! Sounds like you and Denise had a marvelous trip to
England - lucky you!
Todd Parrish: Hello there. Too bad about your disk crashing. I've had
that happen before. Not fun.
Regarding your comments on Jason's acting - well, I think you have a
point to a certain extent. However, I'd like to add that Jason, like
Michael, was fairly young when he took the part, and acting is a craft
that takes years to develop. I also think that Jason's occasional
awkwardness with the role actually suits the character he's playing.
Robert, in a sense, is also stepping into a role that someone had held
before him.
As for Marion's sexual conduct - the way I see it, she is a married
woman who seems to be very much in love with her husband. Even if she
had the opportunity, would she really have wanted to be with anyone
else? You never see Robin going off with another woman on-screen, and I
don't think I've read any fanfic pieces about his being (willingly)
unfaithful. Robin and Marion are kind of an ideally romantic couple,
and casual infidelity would ruin that aspect of their relationship.
As for Robert's enjoying the pleasures of a Beltaine celebration: why
the heck shouldn't he? Unlike Robin and Marion, he is not married. I
think most of the pieces you're referring to are post-Halstead, in which
case Marion has left Robert, and he has no obligation to remain faithful
to her.
Just a nitpicking comment: could you please be more specific when
you're talking about Jason and Michael as actors, and when you're
talking about Robert and Robin the characters? During your letter, you
used the actors' and characters' names interchangeably, and it did get
confusing.
I don't know that I'd call Scarlet the "comic relief" of RoS (except
perhaps for the scene in Lichfield). Why do you despise him for being
comical?
Linda Frankel: Hello there. I think you may have unwittingly opened a
real can of worms with some of your comments, so I'll take your letter
one item at a time.
First, your visualization using Robin and Robert is fascinating. If
that imagery works for you, great. Some people, however, may feel
uncomfortable with it.
Your comments about Marion being in a convent under the jurisdiction of
Abbot Hugo raise an extremely valid and logical point. If he and the
sheriff did learn about Marion's taking sanctuary, I don't think they
would hesitate a moment in devising some scheme to kidnap her and use
her to blackmail the other outlaws. As for England being under
interdict - well, I don't think that would matter much to Marion, who
seems to have only gone into the convent seeking peace of mind. (Which
raises an interesting historical question: would an interdict render
church sanctuary null and void?)
The timeline presented in Shadow of the Wheel was devised specifically
for use in that story, and alternate timelines are equally feasible,
particularly considering the often patchy "history" in the series
itself.
I'm pleased that you enjoyed my comments on Robert. I think your points
about the longbow being banned, and Robert's being a rebel from early on
in his life are interesting and believable. Your assessment of the
Earl's character has a ring of truth about it, and it's very possible
that Robert's rebellion might have been a reaction to what he perceived
as his father's hypocrisy. However, I draw the line at the Earl's being
a patron of astrologers and sorcerers, and Robert's becoming a devout
Christian in response. Robert doesn't strike me as the type who would
even consider the monastic life. Of course, this is only my opinion. I
don't know enough about Hermetic magic to argue whether or not the Earl
would have had a Moorish astrologer in his household. I'll leave that
one to the experts.
By the way, I believe the Earl is a Scot, not a Norman.
Regarding the slash pieces you described: you may or may not be aware
that Richard Carpenter has requested that fan writers not create
homosexual situations using characters who are heterosexual in the TV
stories. I feel that we are fortunate to have the series creator so
actively involved in the fandom, and don't think it's unreasonable to
honor this one request he's made. He also mentioned that homosexual
relationships involving characters such as the sheriff, Philip Mark, Tom
and Dickon - or your own original gay and lesbian characters - are fine
by him.
Personally, I have no objections to slash as an alternate universe in
other types of fanfic. My only objection to it in RoS fanfic is, again,
that Kip has asked us not to. He hasn't put any restrictions on other
types of wildly out-of-character pieces (e.g., Guy turns good; the
sheriff converts to Judaism; Robert breaks into Halstead, rapes Marion,
then runs off to Scotland to become High Priest of the Loch Ness Monster
Coven), which is why there are so many, as you aptly described them,
lulus of stories out there.
Regarding your thoughts on sacrifice being central to Pagan religions:
I disagree with you utterly that this concept "has a great deal to teach
us today." The world is too damned bloody and messed up as it is
without complicating things with "ecstatic" sacrifices (and if we did, I
don't think you would see a terribly long line of volunteers)! I
personally subscribe to the Charge of the Goddess: "Nor do I demand
aught of sacrifice, for I am the Mother of all living and my love is
poured out upon the Earth." There are so many extremist religious
groups in the world now that a "safe and moderate" belief system is a
welcome relief. And I agree with Hilda that ecstasy can be achieved by
other means than those involving pain and suffering.
Regarding William Rufus and Thomas a Becket as sacred kings, see
Margaret Murray's God of the Witches for her thesis on why the deaths of
these two men might be considered sacrifices.
You make an excellent point about Robin-coming-back-as-Herne stories
needing to keep Robin's personality separate from the role of Herne.
I think it's possible for Robert to be a skeptic and still hear Herne's
calling. What I meant in my earlier letters is that Robert might have
been skeptical about Christianity, particularly where abuses of power in
the Church were concerned. He also might have had his doubts about the
legitimacy of the "astrologers and sorcerers" to which you made
reference. He accepts Herne's guidance, but Herne does appear to him in
human form - a physical reality that Robert knows how to deal with.
Perhaps Robert was willing to set aside whatever doubts he had about
Herne's function as a pagan priest in order to respond to Herne's call
to "defend the weak, protect the helpless, and fight against tyranny."
Perhaps Robert's inexperience with magic is why he seems so powerless
against Gulnar. But, on the other hand, Robin does not fight sorcery
with magic of his own. He uses - or attempts to use - physical means.
Robin's ostensibly Pagan upbringing scarcely seems to have prepared him
for dealing with sorcery any more than Robert's Christian background.
Loxley falls under Lilith's spell, he is attacked by Belleme in both The
Sorcerer and The Enchantment, and his response to Lucifer is to try to
run the devil through with Albion.
I would like to point out that we never actually see Robin and Marion
"fulfilling the Blessing" (as in a Great Rite or Great Marriage), nor is
Robin's death ever referred to as a Sacrifice. Like the red garter,
this might be something that fan writers have adopted from mythology,
Craft practices, and/or have borrowed from novels such as Mists of
Avalon and incorporated into the RoS universe. While I think this is a
very creative leap of imagination - and perhaps filling in the blanks
that couldn't be explicitly delineated on television - I don't think we
should accept as canon that being chosen as Herne's Son would
necessarily entail "presiding" over fertility rites at Beltaine and the
other holidays.
I think you misunderstood Raven's comments. She was referring to
stories which make Robert look weak
or indecisive (many of these pieces,
I might add, have Robert repressing his feelings to a ludicrous
extreme). I don't think she either stated or implied that repressing
feelings makes a man more masculine.
You speak of Robert's desire to "prove himself though sacrifice." Could
you please expand on this idea a bit more, perhaps with specific
examples?
I loved your theory as to why the heirs of Agrivaine ended up with the
Round Table. Over the centuries, perhaps what started out as a
punishment came to be thought of as an honor. Excellent reasoning.
Regarding your proposed outline in which Robert wishes to have a son
with Marion to present to his father as an heir: while this is your
story and you're free to write it as you wish, I'd like to point
something out. I don't think that David of Huntingdon - a man who was
also a potential successor to the Scottish throne - would accept as his
heir the offspring of his disinherited wolfshead son and the disgraced
daughter of a minor Saxon knight (who doubtless would have been regarded
amongst the nobility as little better than a whore)! I'm sure Robert
would realize this. I can see him planning to father children with
Marion for some other reason, but I can't see him doing it only to
present David (who, historically, already had an heir by Maud of
Chester, his wife) with a grandson.
As an aside, I can't see Marion as a Priestess of the Goddess, but this
is just an opinion. I personally feel that Marion's death in The King's
Fool was intended to punish Robin for following King Richard (and
abandoning Herne, even after Herne sent him the warning arrow). Other
interpretations, though, are equally valid.
Julie Phipps: You got to stand next to Michael, Robert Addie, and
Kenneth Branagh?? How did you manage that, you lucky devil, you?
Morgana: Your thoughts about a bunch of rabbis getting together to
worship Lilith in her primal state sounds like incredible fodder for a
fan story. Wow! I hope someone takes this one and really does
something nifty with it.
Janet V.: Yes! Yes! The true symbol of Herne's Son is the Hood!
Thanks for pointing that out so emphatically. The rest of the points
you bring up in your letter are also excellent. I agree with you that
white cats are creepier than black ones. I used to have a black cat,
and he was the biggest mush on four paws. Most white cats I've known
have had nasty dispositions.
Laura W. Todd: Hello! Your letter was thoroughly amusing. You have a
great sense of humor (I've noticed that in some of your pieces). Thanks
for helping me clarify my thoughts on why so many Robin stories have him
dealing with an external enemy, whereas Robert so often has to contend
with "the demons within." It may be for precisely this reason that
there are slightly more Robert stories. There are a lot of loose ends
with the Robert half of the series. Some 'zines - issues #2 and #3 of
Longbow come to mind - are almost 100% Huntingdon pieces.
Now, on to the important question of who has the cutest tush. Hmm.
Well, I'm biased, but if you happen to catch La Veneziana, I think
you'll agree that Jason is quite pleasing in the posterior department.
(And 100 times better than whoever stood in as Kevin Costner's "stunt
tush" in Prince of Thieves!")
Donna: Wow, a real nun (or former nun, as the case may be). I enjoyed
reading your insights on whether Marion would have stayed in the
convent.
Judi K.: I loved your train of thought regarding the sheriff. He's one
of my favorite characters. I'd love to read or write a piece dealing
with his interest and/or fear of magic and the occult.
Your musings on Marion's visions are right along what I'd been thinking.
Also, thanks for the background on standing stone legends.
Julianne: Hello, hello! Your mini-thesis on Lucifer's origins is
fascinating. "Does Evil exist?" Welcome to Philosophy 101, folks!
Personally, I think Evil is an abstract concept we've given to the
rotten things people do.
Yes, I can see why Owen might have raped Marion, then drugged her to
make her "presentable" for the wedding. But on the other hand, he seems
like the kind of creep who would enjoy showing off his unwilling
"bride." Also, I think that if Marion had been raped on top of
everything else she'd suffered following Robin's death, she would have
cracked. She's a tough woman, but not that tough! I agree with you
that rape as a "legal" form of marriage is absolutely sickening.
Hilda: I loved reading your comments which were, as usual, funny,
insightful, and informative. I'd like to comment on them in more depth,
but it's midnight, and I'm incoherent and can barely keep my fingers on
the right keys. I agreed with practically everything you said. "Dawn
breaks on Marblehead." I've heard that one before - directed at me,
sometimes!
Well, I have to run. Hope I can put more time and thought into my next
letter. Blessed be.
***
Janet VanMeter
Blessed Be! It was so great to see everyone at Weekend this year, even
if we were all jammed together in a room for the circle! I thought it
rather impressive the number of folk who came - it would have been rough
to fit any more people in there. Too bad we had to lose Kip to a
previous "official" engagement.
Since we all are interested in finding the Paganish stuff in RoS and
everywhere else, I want to mention a book I found recently that fits in
rather nicely. It is Earth, Air, Fire, Water by Robin Skelton and
Margaret Blackwood. The 'sub-title' is Pre-Christian and Pagan Elements
in British Songs, Rhymes, and Ballads. This collection also includes
notes at the end for explanation of certain elements in the songs.
Mother Goose, Shakespeare, Keats, Jonson, and a host of others are given
with topics ranging from the God and Goddess, Witches and Witchcraft,
the Craft of Magic, Country Folk and Feasts, the World of Faery, and
Visions and Transformations. Pretty nifty book. There is even a poem
called In Sherwood by Robert Jones.
I've also been raving about a set of cards called The Celtic Oracle by
Nigel Pennick and Nigel Jackson. This is not just another tarot deck
with new artwork. This is a nice combination of ogham and Celtic
archetypes using a different system similar to runes. But whereas the
runes usually seem to deal with a 'spiritual warrior' bent, this new set
seems to add an artistic or inspirational side that I find appealing.
So, has anyone else, besides the folks who heard me go on about this,
seen or used this deck yet? I will be impressed if the Wildwood Tarot
can improve upon it.
Once again, it was terrific to meet the Cousins whom I only had a
printed name for! Thanks, Hilda, for working so hard to make it happen.
Herne Protect.
***
Georgia Fleming
Thank you SO MUCH for the back issues of Cousins - which prompted an
immediate Fun Word... White Rabbit: Someone who comes on board so late
that it's all but impossible to deal with, or even follow (-: (I'm a
leftist Saxon scum) all the questions, issues, and streams of
consciousness that flow through. (Also the title of my favorite
Jefferson Airplane number). [Georgia also offered another Fun Word
which was just too much fun to unwrap now - it's in the file for later.
Ha ha! -H]
I did indeed make this stationery. [My advice to those who haven't seen
it: write to Georgia and beg. -H] My husband and I own a medium-sized
commercial print shop. I am the (guffaw) graphic artist. I can't draw
anything except swords. I do a LOT of cut and paste, tracing, and other
forms of cheating. Printing is what he wanted to do, and when we first
opened, about 9 years ago, we couldn't afford a real graphic artist, so
I had to learn "on the job" what little I know. If I'd known, I'd have
taken more than just Art Appreciation in college! B.A. in History and
German, M.A. in History is what I have, with a concentration in ancient
Britain.
[More personal-letter type stuff here - it's been taken care of. If you
haven't received what you requested, please holler. -H]
I love the way you plug environmental issues and other good works in
some issues. My current battle is me and one county commissioner vs.
the city's herbicide truck. The very word "herbicide" sends shivers
down my spine, and I don't shiver easily. This monstrosity sprays
killer chemicals down the sides of streets and highways, supposedly to
kill the "weeds." It also sprays all the cars behind it, your front
lawn, your children, and anything else that gets in its way. Next comes
the electric company, which sends a truck around to lop off any tree
limbs that get near its precious power lines, without asking. (The
property owner OR the tree!)
One question - who out there, do you think would be willing to share (as
in copy, or loan) the series tapes to poor me? RoS has never been shown
here on any channel I could get. How annoying! any suggestion? I have
the 4 movie-length videos, but so many things are mentioned in Cousins
from shows I haven't seen. HELP!!
What do you call us folk from Alabama? I very much prefer "Albion,"
thanks! Know any others in my area? Even close?
How I got interested in RoS: My husband and I were in the video store
one night and he picked up Swords of Wayland and said, "Babe, this is
your kind of thing." It was. I'm a long time fan of Robinic things
anyway... I even have the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks silent version, and
quite a few of the old Richard Green TV shows - what a trip! [Sounds
like some heavy trading leverage to me! -H] My kids love RoS best, and
so do I. The kids show varying degrees of fandom - the most interest my
almost-14-year-old has expressed is, "Michael Praed is fine. He is
so-o-o fine." I am told this is a compliment. Her name is Victoria
(the Princess Royal), she whose hands do no housework. Roxanne, who is
10, is "into it," but it's the very devil to watch the movies with
her... "Why is he doing that?" "Why did she say that??" "Where did
that come from?" - sounds almost like... YOU GUYS!! Then come my twin-
fen, three-year-olds Joe and Virginia. Joe becomes Robin very easily.
Actually, he becomes Robert. Joe is a perfect 10 on the Blond-O-Meter,
and he wears his hair That Way. He has a stockpile of plastic swords,
bows, etc. - he freaked his day care teacher by knowing the word
"scabbard" - and proper period clothing. And I don't mean the Halloween
costume variety. He informed me that the pattern for a child's Robin
Hood outfit "looks like Peter Pan." Which it did. So now he has attire
for both forest and earl's hall, even if Mom here did have to learn how
to sew to produce them. His twin, Virginia, assumes she was born into
the world just to be Marion. But I suspect she has something more up
her sleeve. She's very fey.
Ahh, paganism! If someone asked me my faith, I don't think I'd say,
"I'm a pagan, Teutonic family, Saxon branch." As the Princess Royal
puts it, "My father is a Presbyterian, and my mother is... something
else." My husband is a devout Christian, in fact a theonomist
Presbyterian (they uphold many laws of the Old Testament which other
branches of Christianity say were eliminated by the New Covenant).
You'd think we'd lock horns (guffaw) quite often, but I am constantly
amazed at how our faiths blend. I've never known a Christian other than
Brian (High King image!) whose mind was so open to different "faces of
the divine," as he calls them. He refers to Yahweh and Herne/Woden as
"our universal god." Amazing, isn't it? We are planning some rituals
incorporating elements that appeal to both of us. Some of the kids are
"combos" - Joe's table blessing is often "God is great, God is good...
May Herne protect us!"
So I can't really label what I am, other than to say it is of the Saxon
persuasion. Well, somebody has to BALANCE (yes!) all you Celtophiles!
Herne and Woden are one and the same to me, I forget who mentioned this
parallel before. Woden actually led me to Herne, whom I call "Master"
(as in, "of the Hunt"), to be my guide in this (my fifth) lifetime.
Woden awakened me when I was 8 or 9 years old, and I took a very
circuitous route (over a 30-year period) to get to where I am now,
wherever that is. I have occasionally used both Robin and Robert as
images in worship, because they seem to fit so well: Robin as Frei, who
will die at Ragnarok because he gave up his magic sword for love of a
woman... and Robert as Balder, who will survive and rule over the new
world of peace. Keep going? How about Will as Thunar, and Nasir as
Honir, the silent god? John is a good candidate for Tiw.
My current obsession (and it is, ask Kate Raymond!) concerns the runic
inscription on Albion. The one you can't get a real good look at,
because it's always being whipped around somebody's head, or the
sunlight decides to glint off it and obscure the runes, or you buy a
poster of Robert holding it (just to copy the runes, I swear!) [You can
swear here, but I'd prefer it to be a bit more convincing... -H] and
find that some Norman decided to crop the photo close to the sword's
hilt, then there's the 20 different versions I've seen in the zines...
some of which are squigglies rather than runes (-: and so on and so on.
Kate says it's supposed to say something like "I cannot slay Herne's
son." In Swords of Wayland, somebody (Herne?) says that what is written
on the swords are "words of power unspoken since Wayland made them," or
something to that effect. How come there's been so little chatter about
Wayland/Weland? I feel close to him because my mother was a Smith.
Biologically, not professionally. My son thinks Wayland Smith is an
uncle (why not? He has an Uncle Raymond Smith and an Uncle William
Smith - which reminds me, in my mother's family, "Albia" is a
traditional male first name. Coincidence? NOT! Albia Smith was my
great-great-grandfather.) What was I on about? Albion. The runes. "I
cannot slay Herne's son" in Anglo-Saxon would be something like "Ne maeg
ic cwellan Hernes sunu." And in the Saxon rune system:
(saxon runes can't be translated into ascii, sorry, Susan)
But the inscription obviously isn't that long. Is it esoteric? Is it
in some other language? Wayland, as Volund Waddason, would have written
in Old Norse I reckon. Maybe it's in Gothic, or Indo-European (smile).
Or Atlantean. Or Mu-an. Maybe it says "PROPS DEPARTMENT" in Etruscan!
Help me, someone with quick eyes, before I go mad.
Another Albion-related gripe. Maybe it's not really a gripe, just a
"point" (laugh). It has a disc-shaped pommel, which really wasn't
common until the 12th century. Before that, the shapes known as "tea-
cosy" and "walnut" were used, and most early and late Saxon swords are
one of those two. Maybe Herne accidentally hit it on the cave wall,
knocking off the properly shaped pommel, and he had to put a new one on.
What did he use, and what did he do with the old one? AND... is anyone
curious as to where the names of the other swords came from? I haven't
found Collins' The Seventh Sword. Those of you who have, how does he
deal with the names? None of the ones in RoS rang any bells for me:
Urias, Morax, etc. All great swords have names, like Beowulf's Naegling
(made by Wayland) and Siegfried's Nothung. God, I luv swords!
I personally think Gulnar was a renegade Saxon wicca. (Wicca is a
masculine noun, meaning "wizard." The feminine counterpart would be
"wicce.") Why? Because he uses the Saxon rune system in his
divination. You can see them best on his circle, and he calls some of
them out, e.g. lagu and daeg. If Gulnar were a Viking, wouldn't he use
the Younger Futhorc? In which lagu is l
