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Cousins Issue 13
Cousins ISSUE #13 - August 1993
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.
for more information about Cousins, contact Susan Gavula,
sjgavula@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu
This Issue's Fun Word: SARCASM
A form of humor utilizing exaggerated imitation to satirize vice or
folly. (So when people start talking crazy - look for the Smiley-
face!)
LETTERS
Frances Quinn
Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa... sorry you could not understand my scrawl
last time, I'll try harder with my erratic calligraphy & graduate my
style from hieroglyphic to half-uncial or somesuch... by the way, the
word was "towery": "They know all wonders for they pass/The towery
gates of Murias..."
Anyway, having (I hope) cleared that up, on to other thngs; have you
heard the latest Clannad tape, Banba? There's one track in particular,
Sweet Dreams, that could have been written to fit in right after The
Greatest Enemy. Great music, as usual.
Watching a programme the other night on BBC Northern Ireland, I was
fascinated to see them show Cromm Cruach - apparently still standing
intact i@ Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh, N.I. According to a local historian,
it was moved to Ulster when Christianity was first introduced into
Ireland & threatened to swamp the cult. The grooves cut into the top
of the stone (to enable liquid offerings to run down its length) are
still quite visible. I don't know if the locals regard it with
suspicion or affection, but it appears to be left alone & untouched in
the midst of a clump of hawthorns.
Those Cousins whose interests lie in Celtic mythology might be
interested in a book called Keltic Folk & Faerie Tales by Kaledon
Naddair. It goes through just about every correspondence & attribute
possible: birds, beasts, seasons, directions... you name it, it's
mentioned. The book is published by Rider, ISBN 0-7126-1679-9, Century
Paperbacks, Century Hutchinson Ltd., Brookmaint House, 62-65 Chardos
Place, Covent Garden, London WC2N 4NW. The author tends to be rather
opinionated, but it's a fascinating read!
The 'Chippendale (Pre-Raphaelite) on the grey (not white, please!)
horse?' Well, if the fate of some other characters played by Michael
is anything to go by, the horse probably sat on him...
Back to music for a moment; a friend of mine reminded me of a
marvellous album, 'Granvaile' by Shaun Davey & Rita Connolly. It's
based on the story of the Irish chieftain & (sometimes) pirate, Grace
O'Malley.
[Second letter begins here. -H]
Hi! As you can see I've dug up the type-writer, so you can now tiptoe
through my typos... easier than reading my scrawl, anyhow. I really
should have written sooner, but things kept cropping up. My poor dog
did something to her near-hind and is on medication, which she objects
to strenuously. The poor oul' divil is limping like Jake Lovell on a
bad day...
On to Issue 12: Ruth Dempsey - a portrait of Vlad Tepes? Do you have,
or know where I could get a copy? The only pic. of Tepes I've ever
seen was a diabolical woodcut...
Tara O'Shea - on the subject of love-and-death songs, it seems to be a
Celtic trait! G.K. Chesterton put it very well:
...And the great Gaels of Ireland are the men
that God made mad.
For all their wars are merry, and all their songs
are sad...
If you're looking for a few more for your collection, try "The woods of
Gortnamona," "She moved thro' the fair," "The fields of Shanagolden..."
The list is endless. If you're interested, I could tape some for you.
And you might want to listen to a tape by a group called 'AnJ'una.'
Rather like Clannad, but not so ethereal.
Laura Woodswalker Todd: I can't see any harm in ethnic identification.
What causes the problems are extremists and those who hide their real
motives behind the mask of so-called 'Nationalism.' Just take a look
at Northern Ireland... I'm Irish, and proud of it, but I don't go
around doing damage to people just because they happen to be a
different nationality to me... most of my friends are English, anyway
(and they're bigger than me! Mind you, most people are bigger than
me...) The problem with a homogeneous assimilation of ethnic groups is
that you end up with a bland mess. As in all things, a balance has to
be found.
Louise Bath - I agree with what you said about the way in which
'mainstreamers' regard fanfic writers - and artists! Unfortunately,
the only thing I can ever think of to say to those people is, to quote
Blackadder, "Sod off..." O.K., so it's rude... To tell the truth, I
can't say that I've noticed an emphasis on Celtic magic in RoS, unless
it was the bonfire bit, but a lot of cultures held that rite in common.
Didn't Gulnar use Nordic/Saxon runes? And Robin and the merries don't
look very Celtic - they don't wear half enough jewellery, for a start!
Have you aver read Robert Graves' King Jesus? It's a fascinating if
rather heavy book, with Jesus as the Sacred King figure, but with a
twist in the tail. It's a wonder it hasn't been reprinted recently; I
got my copy about 10 years ago.
Another book well worth reading is John Romer's Testament. Channel 4
did the programme this book is based on. It traces the development of
the bible, and it's horrifying to see just what was left out for flimsy
reasons. I love your vision of God proof-reading... have you been
reading Good Omens? Hang on... black cats unlucky? It's white ones
that are bad luck in Ireland.
('Crann Ull' means apple tree, Hilda. It's Gaelic.)
Georgia Flaming - the proper way to hang a St. Brigid's cross is so it
looks like a +. By the way, it's a solar symbol... St. Brigid is
actually Brid, the fire-goddess, but the monks got their quills to work
on her.
Would someone please tell met the joke about "the knights who say
ni???" Is this something to do with the Edgeware song? (Remind me to
tell you about the time a friend and I ruined a film shoot with that
song...)
Well, that's all I have to say for the time being. I'll screw the lid
back on my Tipp-ex bottle and hope you can make out my typoing. In
here you'll find $5.00, sorry it's not more. DV I'll meet you at
Greenwood, if I don't lose my way getting to Northants...
SlJ'an agus beannacht. [Aha! That's "health and blessings," eh? Maybe
you can teach me to say it at Greenwood, but some spells are simply
beyond me... -H]
Francie (Frances Selkirk)
About the value of FanFic: I usually explain to people that working
with other people's worlds is relaxing, while working with other
people's characters is a form of mental exercise. It is very easy for
the novice writer to slip into shoddy characterization, have characters
do whatever is expedient for the plot, and end up with none who are
really believable people. Working with another author's characters
provides a known framework, and makes it easier to concentrate on how
character is expressed. There's that stretch, too, of working with
character types you would never have created. Of course, like
anything, it's only good exercise if you do it right. :-)
If they don't get that, try the following analogy. Two people without
much culinary experience aspire to be chefs and create great new
dishes. They go to different schools. The first is taken, everyday,
to a beautifully equipped kitchen and told, "make something." The
second is brought to a similar kitchen, where an experienced cook helps
him through making a known recipe, explaining the preparation of the
ingredients ("The meat is pounded to make it tender and thin...") and
the proportions used. At the end of every week, the second student is
told to invent a dish that uses the techniques he has just learned.
Which student do you think will produce good recipes first?
Ancestry: I was in Ireland, last fall, visiting a Viking site, and it
occurred to me that my mother's ancestors (the Scandinavian half,
anyway) had harried all of my father's (Irish and French). I thought
that was kind of neat, in that it makes me the union of enemies. I
like that. I am a personalized European peace!
I don't hold much by nationalist stereotypes - my Swedish relatives are
bright, friendly, and appreciate the humor of everyday things, but my
older Irish-American relatives (the ones with Irish parents) were
reticent and hung up on image. I find the idea that psychic ability
would be significantly more common in particular ethnic subgroups to be
a bit odd. On the other hand, I'm quite sure that psychic ability
would more frequently be recognized in cultures with a psychic
tradition. (Sort of like out gay men are mostly college-educated
whites; the tendency is probably equal across race and class lines, but
the more socially and financially secure the individual, the more
likely they are to be open about it.)
I was brought up on Norse myths and "History of the Vikings" and all
that. When I started to read Greek myths, I became impressed with how
much more admirable than the Greek gods the Germanic gods are. I can't
imagine Zeus giving up an eye to learn how to make the world last
beyond his own destruction! Odin even considers himself bound by his
own law - and in that whole mess about the dead shapechanger he
concedes disastrously to the mortal over-valuing of money. The
Germanic gods have a sense of honor, a valuation of hospitality, and a
sense of mutability that is entirely missing from Classical divinities.
They also have a god who goes from being a good guy to being the major
bad guy, and I've always found that fascinating.
My knowledge of Celtic folklore is considerably more recent and weak.
I confess - I'm intimidated by the names! I don't think I'm even up to
the general conceptual level I have for Sumerian/ Babylonian stuff. I
will keep trying, though.
About the glories of nature: I live across from a State Forest, and
walk my dog there every day. It is lovely to have all this green space
to ramble in, but we are currently in the thick of tick and mosquito
season, and my appreciation for the annoyance of living with bugs
(without Deep Woods OFF (TM), yet) is at an all-time high. Walking is
okay on sunny days, but stopping? Ai!
About Loxley vs. Huntingdon: How limiting! Though listing each one's
good points can be fun... :-) (For Michael and Jason, too - yum!) I
find Huntingdon a bit more interesting to write about, usually, because
he has vying emotional entanglements. It provides wonderful
motivational complications! I think if I ever did DS9 stuff I'd write
about Kira. Lest people think I am just sadistic as an author, I
should point out that I empathize more with a character who is pulled
in different directions than with one who always knows what he or she
wants and should do.
Anyway, despite having restricted myself to just a few threads, this
got rather long. Merry meet, y'all! If I become a regular
contributor, maybe I'll be less verbose. (Naa... Couldn't happen.)
Cheers...
Kris Clark
In issue 12 I had a paragraph on M.P.N.N. & S.O.S. not replying to
people who had orders that they were taking awhile to ship. I do feel
strongly on this issue, because I think it is only fair to your
members. But, I do want to say that I do appreciate the job done with
the clubs & I do love the newsletters they send out. And, as I'm sure
if anyone who does not believe me they can check with the people who
run these clubs can back me up, but I have written letters to both
clubs saying how much I enjoyed their newsletters.
Georgia - you got me... what is Bullwer-Lytton? Means nothing to me.
Hilda - Thanks for telling me about the "joke." It would have helped
to know this beforehand.
And, if we are right that everyone loves the Star Wars trilogy, let's
acknowledge it. I see a lot of Star Trek listed in the "Who We Are"
section. Let all of us Star Wars fans acknowledge it!
Siannan: Hey buddy! No one could ever accuse you of being shy!
Now... you know that was a joke.
Wyvern: it's Anakin Skywalker. One "n."
Anyone with a Star Wars trilogy question or reference you want checked
should ask me since I seem to be the only "listed" fan & collector.
I've been collecting for 13 years so I should be able to answer anyone.
Oh, since we all know now that I'm in Cousins because I'm a fan of
Michael's, we know who gets my vote for "best buns."
Janet R.: I do agree with you on being attracted by eyes or the whole
face. (I hope that makes sense.)
Also, as it says in Who We Are section, I'm looking for videos on
Michael. I am buying some from Bill Hupe, but if anyone else has
anything that I may be interested in please write. I have no problem
with shipping blank tapes or paying for postage.
Tara O'Shea
Hallo everyone. it's a lovely thing to come home and find a great big
envelope in the mail. Always brightens up my day, getting a new issue
to give me things to think about.
Chris: 1) I think Robin didn't think that Meg was exactly outlaw
material, and therefore wasn't suited to life in the forest. Besides,
it was useful to have her in Wickham, with Edward I suppose. I suppose
Kip would be the person to ask...
2) Yes, I believe in reincarnation, and yes, I have deja vu. It drives
me nuts I have it so often, but I think that has more to do with
precognition. No past lives that I know about, though my friend Lissa
insists I was a cat. Go figure.
3) I haven't interacted with any ghosts myself, but my friend Frank had
one in his family's home in New York. Apparently the ghost had a thing
for Frank's wife, Rose. And Frank's not the type to make anything up,
so I'm inclined to believe him. More things in heaven and earth, as
they say.
As for Wild Frontier, I bought the CD in Poland, and have to agree with
you. I especially like the ballad Johnny Boy in addition to Over the
Hills, and placed it on a cassette with Big Country's The Seer right
after it, so I can have them in some kind of order. Enter Sandman by
Metallica is also very nice.
Linda: Speaking of other countries having Robin Hood type legends, a
friend was telling me a while back about the Japanese versions of Robin
Hood and Little John. I wish I had been taking notes, because now I'm
blanking on the names, but I think one of them was named Benkai. Any
Cousins out there have any outlaw stories from someplace besides the
UK? This could be a neat topic...
I don't think Robert was a knight. No one ever says so in the series.
At least, I don't remember it being brought up.
As for fanfic and copyrights, I believe Misty Lackey had some legal
difficulties regarding a fanzine and one author that caused her to have
to abandon a book she was working on, and there were all sorts of legal
headaches, and in that case I side with Misty. I can't blame her for
becoming wary.
MZB [That's Marion Zimmer Bradley to the uninitiated - be careful of
jargon! Glad I knew that one... -H] has of course solved this to a
certain extent by running her own zines and the anthologies (which to
me seem to be merely pro zines. Wouldn't that be nice... to get paid
to write fanfic?)
Louise: Well, if they are inclined, tell them about comic books.
Almost every title out today is no longer written by the author who
started it, and everyone takes turns at writing other writers'
characters. Are these professionals real authors? Hell, they get
paid, so I guess so. Besides, some of them have won awards, so it must
be a valid art form. [$ee, it'$ ea$y to $ee what count$ in thi$
$ociety. :-( -H]
Me, I'd love to work in comics or television, and it's almost always a
collaborative effort, so I'm considering it good practise writing
fanfic, to see if I can keep everyone in character while introducing
new experiences, thoughts, and adventures. I find that as much of a
challenge as working on my own worlds and people.
I think Cousin Spur might be Cousin Sparrow, but I don't have that
Cousins issue in front of me, so don't take that to the bank. In any
case, if it is him, Sparrow was the inept head of the watch in
Lichfield.
The English are all headblind? Okay. Whatever. Mind you, I don't
believe that. But a flame war would be pointless.
Can you suggest any good books on the Alfar? It's about time I started
looking at the other kinds of fay running about, and it bothers me when
writers mix the Alfar and the Sidhe up, thinking they are the same.
Crann J'Ull means Apple Tree, near as I can tell.
Wyvern: There are Maid Marion and Her Merry Men books? Tell me more.
I always though haggis sounded rather tasty. But then, I love black
pudding, which many people believe to be utterly disgusting, so maybe
I'm not a good judge of this sort of food.
Janet: Would Aine count as a sort of Celtic love goddess? I don't
know much about her, so I thought I'd ask. From what I've head, she
was a Sovereignty Goddess, called one of the fairy queens, and is
somehow connected with the cult of St. Ann (isn't that supposed to be
Mary's mother, according to Christian lore? I'm blanking.) [Yes. -H]
Irena: I have been looking for Banba (the new Clannad album) in the US
for months now, and haven't had any luck. Besides that gorgeous song
from Last of the Mohicans, what else is on it? Is it all new material?
In the vein of Sirius (i.e. pop/ synth etc.) or more like the
traditional stuff that they've done recently on Anam? That Aisling,
track 7, just kills me. Gorgeous.
Stan: Welcome. Don't worry, I didn't discover RoS until recently
(well, 4 years or so), and never saw the original run, but caught up on
video. And I've never taken any mythology courses (tho I have suffered
through 3 years of Latin), I just read lots. And you'd be surprised
just where you pick up info. It can come from the oddest places.
Anyhow, I met Hilda at a convention, my first having any RoS fen
attending, and a year later she gave me the first Cousins issue to look
at, and here I am today.
And I too tend to avoid daylight. The sun hurts my eyes, and wide open
spaces make me jumpy, so I prefer to see things at night, when
everything seems closer. At least, it seems that way to me. But then
I'm an odd sort. However grey weather, whether it be hot or cold,
depresses me to no end. That's why I'm moving from Chicago to
Albuquerque this fall.
Linda: See Tara drag out her Scottish history books in an attempt to
find out just how Scottish David of Huntingdon was: (long pause, some
swearing as she wonders why they only list the fathers and not both
parents) Okay. David's great-great-grandfather was Malcolm III, son
of Duncan (who was MacBeth's successor), called Malcolm Canmore (Ceann-
mor). He married St. Margaret (who was obviously not a saint yet when
he married her, and was the sister of Edgar Aelthing), who was the last
of a long line of Saxons it would seem. They had the half Scot/half
Saxon David I, who then married Matilda of Huntingdon (daughter of
Waltherof). From this pair issued Earl Henry (1/4 Scot, 3/4 Saxon),
who wed Ada de Warenne.
Ada is a problem, because all the books say is that she is English,
which does not tell me if she is Saxon or Norman. So, if we assume the
worst (giggle) and she was Norman, that means dear Earl David was 1/8
Scot, 3/8 Saxon, and the remaining half could be Norman, or Saxon, or
any mix. In any case, according to the bloodline, he wasn't much of a
Celt. However, he was born and raised in Scotland, so he was a Scot
(if we're going to play at semantics), and depending on who you think
Robert's unspecified mother was, Robert could end up being almost
anything. Well, that was fun. Someone please check my maths, it's not
my strongest point. Anyhow, from what I can tell, it wasn't just a bit
of Saxon thrown in. But genealogy isn't my strong point either, and I
don't have a comprehensive library here.
I'd love to read your epic. I had an epic. Then a bad sector on my
hard drive ate 400-odd manuscript pages (which included 1 year's worth
of edits), and now since I can see but not touch the files, I will have
to retype the novel's first and fourth parts from an old hard copy, and
then type in the changes from the messed file. So, if this doesn't
take me, say, another two years, you may see it in print. I'm ever so
thrilled, as I'm sure you can tell.
Aunt Umbra: eep.
Steven: neat.
Georgia: You know, I always got the biggest kick out of Yoda, as he
sounded just like Fozzie Bear, just with inverted word order. "Throw
tomatoes you will not."
Only 16 Celtic nouns in Saxon speech? Lemme guess what two of them
were: iron (iarann) and whiskey (fuisce).
Hmmm... doesn't the f-word come from some old word for plow? I don't
know where I read that, whether it came from Scots Gaelic, Irish, or if
it was even Gaelic in origin, but that's what I seem to remember.
Still, I think I'll live without the knowledge. :)
As for Lucifer, I prefer to believe that if there really is such a
person, that hopefully he really is taking sun on a beach in Perth, and
far away from me. :) Good thing I'm only a Constantine when I want to
be. (To any and all whom I may be confusing, this is Tara
contemplating a Neil Gaiman-like universe). Thor I can do without,
alas. He's never been my type of deity.
Evil puns. I wish I could do things like that. I'm surrounded by
punmasters.
Hilda: You know, I don't know where I picked up Hecatae. When in
doubt, blame Neil. Half the time, if it weren't for the annotations, I
wouldn't know what he's looked up and what he's made up that's found
its way into Sandman.
I'm glad my generic faith makes sense to you, because it's hell to
explain to most everyone else I've met. I like your addition. Maybe I
should start archiving these common sense goals in life. You never
know, maybe someday I'll end up passing them out in airports with silk
poppies. [giggle! -H]
As for Julian, I live for tangents. My dear friend Lissa insists that
being with me is like playing name that segue. If it's any
consolation, I missed the grail/orb connection myself. Thanks for the
reminder about Miach. I always blank on the poor fellow's name.
The wacko from Waco really shook me up, especially when all those
children died in the fire. The things that some people will do...
(shudder).
Walking is another great rhythmic motion, and it does wonders for
writer's block. Try it, everyone. I used to walk everywhere in
Champaign, and now I'm walking instead of taking the 'L' now that I'm
home. It's very calming, assuming you do it in a relatively safe
neighbourhood.
To clarify something from my letter: yes, I did indeed jump from
talking to Frances to mentioning Duran Duran, to then going back and
telling Frances she's brilliant. Yes, boys and girls, it's time to
play "name that segue."
[Movie spoiler ahead! Skip this paragraph if you haven't seen The
Wicker Man yet. -H]
You know, I finally saw The Wicker Man. My friend Elizabeth was
cheering for the pagans, but I felt kinda uncomfortable. I mean, if
the village was convinced they needed a sacrifice to ensure the
harvest, from what I understand they should have gone for the fellow
from the manor house, not the poor trapped bobbie (who I will admit had
a rod up his, you know, but it was all semantics). It only bothered me
because I had this vision of people seeing it and becoming sure all
pagans are like those in the film, and not understanding some of the
background. It was very fun for the first 2/3, though, especially when
the schoolteacher was explaining the phallus symbol of the Maypole with
Edward Woodward doing his best Devout Protestant shocked to the core
bit outside the window. Amazing how often this film pops up in
Cousins...
[End of movie spoiler. -H]
As for Roman reports of fair-haired Celts, this might have something to
do with the Celts stiffening their hair with lime to look fierce in
battle, so it may have seemed fair to the confused Romans.
As for Celt versus Saxon, there's always the Welsh. I'd like to think
they were something of an influence, even if it wouldn't really extend
that far into central England. But it wasn't as if the Saxons never
came in contact with any Celts, what with the Cornish, Welsh, Scots,
even the Bretons, and so on hard by. Who knows? The Romans came to
Celtic Britain, and as the saying goes, turned their swords to
ploughshares. Then the Saxons came and in a few generations likewise
went from soldier to farmer. It's the way to things, to assimilate and
change your habits. Medieval England is more of a melting pot to my
mind than the United States ever seems to be.
If "weird" doesn't sound right as an equivalent for "fey," try spelling
it with a "y" [wyrd - H]. It still sounds the same, but visually, it
calls up entirely different images. I always think spelling influences
the way I think of things. "Fairy" makes me think of Tinkerbell, while
"Faerie" calls forth visions of Titania, and the slightly different
"Faery" makes me think of pucas, bogeymen, brownies, and nixies. All
very subtle, but concrete in my head. Anyone else find themselves
fascinated by the subtleties of language, or am I just being anal?
According to my encyclopaedia (thing weighs a stone at least) Hereward
the Wake was thane of Lincolnshire in the time of William the
Conqueror, fought against the Normans as a resistance leader, and was
outlawed but kept on fighting from the Isle of Ely even after it was
captured, until he gained an honourable peace, and became an Anglo-
Saxon folk hero.
I have one thing I'd like to ask before I go. Right now I'm working on
a novel/story idea that involves the Faery tiend to Hell. All I can
tell is that lots of people have heard of it before, but no one knows
where it came from. Best guess I've heard is that in trying to
reconcile the fay in a world where if you're that kind of spirit,
you're either an angel or a daemon, or in the very least, a ghost, the
fay didn't quite fit so this tithe thing was cooked up to show that
while the fay folk aren't angels, they do have ties to hell. But is
there an in story explanation that anyone knows of? I mean, surely
someone, if they were going to bring the tithe up, would have thought
of a good reason why Faerie would owe a tithe to hell. Anyone have any
facts, ideas, or speculation?
I'm outta here.
Laura Woodswalker Todd
Dear Cousins, Greetings! I read through everyone's comments and
scribbled little disjointed notes. So I hope you don't mind disjointed
replies. Hey, I notice these discussions are getting farther and
farther from RoS. Which is fine with me, because RoS is only a very
small part of what's magical in the universe! So, on to the incoherent
ramblings.
Amber: Re: Robin & Marion as a 'super couple.' Yes, all the fanfic
portrays them this way. Which is why unless one is into stories about
great sex... they're kind of boring to me! I hate to say it, but
happiness is boring in fiction. Robert & Marion's stormy & uncertain
relationship is much more interesting to me. Perhaps that's why
there's relatively little Robin & Marion fiction as compared with
"post-Halstead."
Louise B: "Robin Hood as a vampire?" Of course! Didn't you see Son
of Darkness? We know Robin didn't really die on that tor...
Linda F. - I applaud your remarks about Robert's inner conflicts and
his sheltered life and his courage to become Herne's Son. Excuse the
personal plug, but I do have a story in Albion 7, all about Robert's
tormented year of indecision and the ordeals he had to go through that
enabled him to empathize with the oppressed. I just can't see Robert
as someone who moped in the castle all year and then answered Herne's
call out of some abstract sense of "justice" (or a crush on Marion).
I came up with this story concept that "something traumatic must have
happened to Robert" to make him feel and think so differently from the
other nobles. My idea was that when he was a boy and his father was
away at the wars, maybe he was raised by a cruel guardian, perhaps a
priest, who molested him. I got this idea after reading one too many
stories about priests implicated in child molestation cases. It could
happen to any child, rich or poor, who was too young to fight back or
speak out. I figured that of course Robert "repressed" the experience
but there was always that core of rebellion inside him which made him
want to defy "the powers that be." The fact that his father did
nothing made his father's class seem like part of "the enemy."
This is not to down all priests, or Christianity in general. It's just
that any time someone is given such power "in the name of God" there is
the potential for abuse. I have special contempt for people who claim
to be speaking for God, or the Gods, and then abuse their power. I
can't fit into any coven or spiritual circle because I refuse to accept
anyone else's "spiritual authority." I learned my lesson back in the
70's when, believe it or not, I was a born-again Christian for a short
while. I saw firsthand how something that started out really spiritual
could become an exercise in mind-control. Not to down all Christians,
but to give you my personal example, we had this preacher who was
dynamic, inspiring, etc. After a while he began calling himself an
"apostle" and preaching that everything he said came straight out of
God's mouth. For instance, he took St. Paul's woman-hating literally
and preached that all the women in the congregation had to live under
the authority of some man. Women who lived on their own had to move
back home, live with some Christian family, etc. I had stopped going
by this time, but I heard rumors that the teaching devolved to the
point where he was preaching that "women should obey Men, any men, any
time." Bleah! And then there was the time in 1980 when I went to a
Messianic Jewish (read: Jewish Christian) meeting and they prayed
"thank you Lord for the miracle which occurred yesterday" (the election
of Reagan.) That's when I decided, hey, - God gave us brains, so s/he
must have wanted us to think for ourselves instead of joining a
religion that required us to "leave our brains at the door" when we
entered church.
Getting off the soapbox: Someone asked why Celtic culture is more
popular than Saxon? Well, I became attracted to Celtic culture not
because I have Celtic ancestors, but because I loved their art and
music. Whereas (until I became a RoS fan) "Saxons" smacked of
politically incorrect WASPS & such.
On to Silly Topics: Bull Gods! Hey, there's a song by the band Green
Jelly ("the worst band in the world") called Obey the Cow God! My
husband asked if it referred to the Golden Calf.
Okay, now it's time to talk about music. I don't know a lot of the
music you folks mention, because I'm a very new fan. I didn't really
latch onto it until last year! I don't know if anyone here likes Black
Sabbath or if everyone thinks they're Satanic, but I did give them a
try and I found I liked their somewhat dark, fantasy-oriented music.
It had the feeling of a slightly creepy gothic horror movie, and I
liked its ominous intensity. I picked up a tape of theirs called Tyr,
built around the Odin/ Valhalla theme. The cover had runes and Celtic
borders and I just couldn't resist! It may be a bit heavy for those
who like Clannad, but I like it!
I think heavy metal fits right in with the "blood & thunder" sort of
fantasy. Surely Owen of Clun's men would look right at home on the
stage at a Metal concert. By the way, do those Standing Stones have
anything to do with Rock Music? (groan.) [Only in the right
circles... -H]
Seriously, though. Siannan says that "ritual is based on the dramatic"
and "rock concerts are a perfect example of energy exchange." For
sure! When I go to listen to a rock band, I feel as if we (the band
and the audience) are drawing up a kind of "Dionysian energy" from
Earth and the rocks below. I call it "orgiastic," but it really
doesn't have anything to do with sex; it's the raw power of "life
itself"... a concentrated form of the power that causes trees to grow,
etc.
I guess I felt that same power at Pagan rituals when we'd drum and
dance. That was probably the same energy that early peoples raised by
dancing around their "idols" or whatever. (The Golden Calf?) And
believe it or not, it was that same energy I originally felt at
Pentecostal or "spirit-filled" Christian meetings where everyone would
clap and shout and sing. That was what attracted me to that brand of
religion in the first place. Well, now you could say I went full
circle and switched to "the other side" (that Satanic Rock stuff. :-) )
I believe Hilda alluded to that when she said that "rhythmic motion can
become prayer."
Hilda: Yes, you're right, Satanism is full of "crashing bores." Like
Baron Belleme, and that Morgwyn character. They were the most boring
characters in RoS! I can't figure out why anyone would think Satanism
was cool. As to Satanic Rick bands... I think most of it is just a
show, but there is a band called Deicide who say that they are "real
Satanists" and one guy branded an upside down cross on his forehead.
This guy talks about his "hatred for God," and I really wish he would
explain himself. Perhaps he was raised at some repressive religious
school. They say that Satanism and Black Masses and such were just a
way of rebelling against the all-powerful church in the Middle Ages.
Sometimes there's not all that much difference between the two sides.
After all, it was the Church who was responsible for the Inquisition,
witch burnings, etc.
I am afraid I am destined to be a total iconoclast who will never fit
into any movement and will constantly be taking swings at what others
hold sacred. I don't even fit into SCA... I once made the mistake of
confiding to someone that I don't give a hoot about bowing to the King
& Queen, getting a title, etc. My SCA persona is a Sherwood outlaw,
after all. I think this pisses some SCA people off. Well, perhaps my
rebelliousness must be a result of "past lives" or "racial memory."
Being Jewish, all I "remember" about the Middle Ages were the bad parts
like the Inquisition and the pogroms & suchlike. I don't identify with
the nice stuff like knighthood, courtliness, etc.
And now that I've offended everyone, it's time to shut up! I'll close
with a wish that everyone has a great time at Weekend in Sherwood.
Sorry to miss you all! (P.S. If any of you Rock fans wants to write
to me, exchange/copy tapes, etc., please feel free!)
Wyvern
Greetings, Cousins; first things first, I guess.
Christine Haire: Rope barrier? I thought they had built a fence
around Stonehenge. I may have heard wrong.
On Meg joining the band: Robert did tell John in one episode that she
couldn't join them. Frankly, I don't think she could have survived in
that environment. She didn't strike me as the type who could lead the
outlaw life.
Yes, I believe in reincarnation. What I want to know is, how can you
tell how old a soul you are? I think I'm a young one relatively
speaking. I can't prove it, but I think I've only had two lives before
this one. I experience deja vu all the time. Most of that is from my
dreams. I have psychic dreams, then forget them until they are
happening. I only seem to have these dreams about myself.
I have to believe in ghosts. Too many people I know (including myself)
have seen them. My grandmother knows when someone in the family has
died because their spirit appears before her for a moment. One of my
brothers has a friend whose house has a ghost in the attic. I saw a
ghost in the sanctuary of my parents' church.
Can we please get off the buns/bum issue? I think we've run it into
the ground, covered it with dirt and tamped it down. Personally, I
like voices and smiles.
Tara O'Shea: No, the Pinis' tour isn't over yet, and no, I haven't
seen them. The tour hasn't come to Washington. I'm not sure I want to
meet them. From what I have heard, Richard Pini has become an arrogant
jerk. I hope that that is not true. You're in for a real treat when
you do read EQ. One piece of advice, read the original outsize comic
if you can. The DC version doesn't have the same magic.
Yay! Someone besides me liked Outlaws of Sherwood. I loved it. Of
course, Robin McKinley is one of my favorite authors.
The production company that put out Highlander: The Quickening also
says that the movie doesn't exist. For that matter, everyone involved
with it says it doesn't exist. Here's hoping that all copies of the
thing meet a timely demise.
The ISBN on War for the Oaks is 0-441-87073-2.
Woodswalker: Just because we have all the modern "conveniences"
doesn't mean we can't follow old spirit paths. I think we do follow
them, just in a different way. Besides, who says our way isn't a
"true" way just because it's modern?
I totally agree with you about being a "child of the Earth." Perhaps
the world would be in better shape if we all thought that way. Next
time someone asks you if you are (insert nationality) say "No, I'm a
Terran" and see what happens.
Kris Clark: If everybody in Who We Are listed everything they were
interested in, that part of the zine would take up 20 pages all by
itself. I could fill 2 or 3 pages myself.
Stan Gurlewski: Put me in the Winter Lovers' Minority too. I love the
quiet peacefulness of a snow-drenched (can snow drench?) night. I also
find windy days invigorating. There is so much power in the wind.
Just ask Pen about that. Sorry, Pen, I couldn't resist. By the way,
if you really love that kind of weather, you should move to Western
Washington. We're the rain capital of the Continental U.S.
I would answer your questions, but the places I shop are local and
wouldn't do you any good.
Aunt Umbra: I don't care if your letter is a joke, rape is never
funny! Nor is it a "sexual response." Rape has absolutely nothing to
do with sex! It is violence, pure and simple. For shame!
By the way, did you pick the name because you knew people would take
"umbra"ge to parts of your letter? Just thought I'd ask.
On a personal note: Pen and I keep finding birthday cards that would
be perfect for people, but we don't know when their birthdays are.
Help us out, please. Could you send your birth dates to Cousins?
Purely optional, of course. Thanks.
On cross culturing deities: I see nothing wrong with it. According to
Greek mythos, the Greek and Egyptian pantheons are one and the same.
The story goes that Zeus and the rest were running from a battle with
the Cyclops they knew they could not win. They reached Egypt and
disguised themselves as animals.
The Romans just walked in and stole the religious beliefs of the
Ancient Greeks. So who's to say that all of the multi-deity cultures
aren't worshipping the same deities?
Well, this has been a long one. I'll close now. Blessed Be.
Ariel
Dear Cousins, Hello one and all. Sorry I've been quiet for so long,
but I got swallowed up by a big black hole of Mundania sometime last
year and it's taken me this long just to get back to fandom.
Issue #9:
Chris Haire: I agree with you totally about the usefulness of Tarot
cards. Sometimes doing a reading can just help clarify how I feel
about a confusing situation. It can't tell you what to do, but
sometimes it makes your choices more apparent.
Actually, I had a great time at Weekend in Sherwood, and am looking
forward to Weekend 2 immensely.
Linda Frankel: I like your point about re-mythologizing stories. It's
great to have that little bit of wonder and romance rather than "just
the facts."
I don't necessarily believe that Marion "adopted a pagan lifestyle"
when she married Robin. I think that having been raised as a
Christian, she might actually have been upset if Robin had been
involved with fertility rites with another woman. It's equally as
feasible that he was monogamous to honor her wishes, rather than the
other way around.
I disliked your implying that Kip is somehow a hypocrite for writing a
series about characters who fight oppression, then requests fans not to
portray certain of those characters as homosexual. As a writer, the
characters' sexual preferences (like everything else about them) is his
prerogative.
To the best of my historical knowledge, Earl David was survived by his
son John. It's possible, given the vague timeframe of the series, that
Robert was already in Sherwood when John was born.
Georgia: Wow. I'm not going to take you up on the pros and cons of
the Teutonic path (tho' I was fascinated to read what you had to say
about it). However, the idea of sacrifice still does nothing for me,
because so often it goes hopelessly awry (look at Waco). Giving of
yourself is something entirely different - helping to combat AIDS,
homelessness, hunger, human rights violations, racism and intolerance,
ignorance, poverty, the destruction of the environment - all those
things require self-sacrifice on a much smaller scale. And let's face
it, once you're dead, you're not much help to anyone, except as
fertilizer.
Was the object of your riddle an onion, by any chance?
Issue #10:
Kitty: Rache's Casualties (Albion 6) has an excellent explanation of
1) why Albion originally looked different from the rest of Wayland's
swords, and 2) the reason behind the sword's metamorphosis between the
first and second seasons.
Wyvern: I wouldn't dismiss Freud as "totally nuts." It's important to
remember the era and the circumstances in which he was working. I
don't think his theories are all 100% right, but neither is any other
type of psychology. My opinion is that people gravitate towards
whatever school of thought personally suits their beliefs or their
needs.
Georgia: Regarding Marion's behavior at the Ring of the Nine Maidens -
perhaps she was fevered, weak, incoherent? Beyond vengeance? Beyond
rational thought? I've read fanfic pieces that have argued all of the
above and more. You be the judge.
Julianne: Thanks for your colorful, detailed summary of the Matthews'
presentation. For those of us unable to attend, it was a real treat.
Linda Frankel: I disagree with you regarding King John's willingness
to pardon Robert. No matter how much money Earl David offered John, I
don't think that Lackland would have pardoned a man who had 1) insulted
and later killed a man whose favor John was trying to win (Owen of
Clun), 2) ran off with a bunch of outlaws, robbing the nobility and
stealing the King's taxes, 3) held King John at arrowpoint and insulted
him further, and 4) was involved with the killing of the man John had
chosen as DeRainault's successor (Philip Mark). By this point, I
simply cannot imagine John pardoning Robert, especially given the
historically caustic relationship between the English and the Scots,
and the precarious position David often had between them.
Regarding "gay characters deserving to die": plenty of characters get
killed in RoS, and to the best of my knowledge, none of them except
Philip Mark are gay. In fact, their sexual preferences are irrelevant.
It would be nice if our leaders were so committed to their ideals that
they would be willing to die for them, but as I said earlier, once
you're dead, you're not much good to anyone!
Issue #11:
Georgia Fleming: Maybe Herne's admonition to your son to keep his
pants up in the woods is a warning against getting poison ivy?
Woodswalker: I also read Shadow of the Wheel and had a hard time with
what you aptly described as the "shoehorning" of the characters. I had
a lot of problems with how Robert's character was portrayed in this
universe. I really felt like he was second-best to Robin a lot of the
time.
Louise Bath: Diane Stein, who writes books on feminist Wicca, strongly
encourages visualizing the Goddess as of any age and of many different
races, as a way of reminding yourself that all women are part of Her,
as well as embracing all the Earth's cultures. Stein doesn't seem to
regard this as cultural piracy at all. And what are you supposed to do
if you're a mix of cultures? Which traditions do you use then?
I do agree with you, however, about letting members of a culture speak
out on their own behalf, especially when it comes to defining "what
they are." But letting these people know you support them is also
important.
Grace M.: Thanks for the translation of Nasir's name - "helper of men
and ally of the righteous" might well have been an accident, since Nas
was an "accidental" Merry to begin with.
I loved the "Scarrowfell" Lord's Prayer!
Your discussion of slash and literature is right-on.
Frances Quinn: I always thought Albion's inscription said something
like, "Hasta la vista, Norman scum!"
Georgia F: Being very familiar with Masonic orders, I'll agree with
you that there's a lot of mysticism involved... ostensibly Christian,
but quite Pagan if you think about it. The initiation is a symbolic
journey, there's a high degree of secrecy, you even have officers in
the four quarters that are "called" at each meeting! It's all rather
interesting.
Donna: Nice thoughts about finding meaning in the present. Keep us
updated on the oak grove. Herne bless!
Hilda: I agree with your musings on the Earl 100%.
I also enjoyed your thoughts on Infinite Diversity in Infinite
Combinations and fanatics.
The Ancient Way of Mongrels - yes! Or, "The Path of the Generic
Bostonians." For those of us hybrids (aka "healthy genetic mixes")
whose heritage is such a jumble that if we tried to follow the path of
our "blood," we'd end up with one weird pantheon! I agree with you
about working with a tradition you personally feel comfortable with, or
what seems appropriate under the circumstances.
Loved your musings on "white guilt." Also your thoughts on
"civilization." Hilda, you're just too durned funny! Ditto your
comments on hunters "being what they eat."
Issue #12:
Christine Haire: I agree with everything you said.
Aunt Umbra: I moo at you. A lot of people will think that your
opinions are pure bull, but they're udderly clear to me.
So many interesting letters, so little time. Oh, no! The Big Black
Hole of Mundania returns. ARRRGGHH!
Gotta run! See y'all at Weekend 2 (hopefully)!
Georgia Fleming
Hael & Howdy to All!
Christine: It's nice to have some fresh ideas to kick around. (1) I
think Meg couldn't join the outlaw band cuz she just didn't have that
Sherwood spirit, know what I mean? The clearest example is in
Rutterkin, when she wanted to leave Mab to her fate. She seemed a bit
peeved that John "bothered" to help, and said something like "we'll
never get to Hathersage at this rate!" I can't imagine Marion telling
Robin something like that! Meg wants John, but not his cause. I don't
think they'd have been happy for long. (2) I know I remember things
from the past, but like I said in #11, I don't know if it's
reincarnation or genetic memory. To date, I have recollections of four
lives (or ancestral lives), from approximately the 1st, 6th, 11th, and
15th centuries. Apparently, somewhat like Halley's comet, I appear at
regular intervals and should be due back around 2400 AD. (-: I remember
how I died in only two of them, and my spouse's name in only two. The
first recollection occurred when I was eight years old, the most
recent, a few years ago. Out of curiosity, I bought one of those "past
life regression" tapes, and found it to be of no value to me. All my
memories have been rather spontaneous - sometimes events acted as a
trigger, but I've never used hypnosis or meditation. Hilda offered two
purposes for this continuity of consciousness in the last issue - one,
to define us and give us things to remember, and two, to offer lessons
we can learn from. In my case, I'd have to say they serve both
purposes. I can truthfully say that the greatest feelings of happiness
come not from the lives when I had the greatest wealth or the greatest
power - but from the two in which I found the greatest love, namely the
last one and the current one. Both Christians, too - which explains
why I often take up the gauntlet in defence of Jesus and His people if
I think they're being put down. I owe them. I've only come across one
person I "remembered" from the past. Would you believe, I got dumped
by the same person twice in one, er, millennium? Sure enough. (3) I
don't have any problem accepting the existence of ghosts (in the sense
of "the spirits of the departed") but I'd rather not run into any. The
departed are supposed to end up, well, somewhere else. Heaven, Hell,
Valhalla, the Elysian Fields ... WHEREVER. It would kind of bother me
to think they missed the 11:00 train. Most of the sightings I've read
about involve the spirits of those who died tragically, usually by
violence. Occasionally one sees the odd "friendly ghost" story, but
I'd rather not chance it. Unlike the fools in the movies, if some
disembodied voice tells me to "get out of there" - this baby is GONE.
I'm not gonna say there's some logical, scientific explanation for the
fact that the books just flew out of the shelves and all the lights
went out. (Ever notice, the guy who says that is the first one who
gets his head chewed off?)
I was more than "a bit out of line" if anyone interpreted my remarks as
a slam on Goddess-worshippers. I herewith tender my sincere apology.
I may not understand the satisfaction derived from "peace, love, and
empowerment through the Goddess" - but if it helps certain people as
much as you say it does, well, more empowerment to y'all! Regarding
Christians, I probably didn't make my point clearly enough. I'm not
saying that the blood and suffering of martyrs "buys their way into
God's favor" - but that their acceptance of such a fate is evidence of
their faith. "Rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that
you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. " (1
Peter 4:13) "Praise the Lord if you are punished for doing right! ...
This suffering is all part of the work God has given you. Christ, who
suffered for you, is your example. Follow in his steps." (1 Peter
2:20-21) My objections were expressed primarily with televangelists in
mind, and I probably should have said so to avoid confusion. They are
the ones I hear most frequently espousing the views that I was
referring to. I heard one televangelist (in an enormous church, no,
cathedral!) say something like, "If you want a big car, just ask God
for it. If you want a raise, or a better job, or a bigger house, pray
for it! God wants you to be HAPPY." I don't doubt God wants them to
be happy, but apparently, all you have to do to get these goodies is
"believe." Well, that ain't what Jesus said. He said if you had lots
of goodies, you should give them to the poor, and even more commendable
is to give the last goodie you have in the world away (cf. The Widow's
Mite). The only thing he told folks to pray for was their daily bread.
He laid down quite a list of things he expected his followers to DO,
mentioning in passing that doing so was likely to cause them to be
persecuted - yes, even GET KILLED. (Does this remind anybody of a
certain antlered forest being?) I think we can take the "higher evolved
form" only so far - and if the televangelical philosophy is evolved
Christianity, then I reckon I'm an evolved amoeba. At some point, the
thing, or the philosophy, ceases being what it was and becomes
something entirely different. It may be descended from the original,
but its form and content have changed so substantially that calling it
by its original name would be a misnomer. At the risk of igniting a
Reformation debate, my o-p-i-n-i-o-n is that "faith without works is
dead" - whether the faith is Odinism or Christianity.
I don't think the killing of innocent people is exciting, either - and
frankly, I don't remember anybody saying that it was. I'm assuming it
was Linda's comments that you were referring to, since she did use the
word "exciting" - but in reference to the state of mind achieved
through SELF-sacrifice which we call "ecstasy." (cf. "The Agony and
the...") If I may quote dear, gentle William Penn, "No pain, no palm;
no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown." Woden
sacrificed himself to himself by hanging for nine days, which I imagine
was damn painful. In return, he got the knowledge of the runes (which
he shares with us). He also sacrificed one of his eyes for wisdom.
Jesus of Nazareth allowed himself to be crucified, which was probably
even more painful, though of shorter duration, and in return, he
conquered death, atoned for the sins of his followers, and bought for
all his faithful ones eternal life. I find both these examples to be
noble gestures of great love. Maybe I'm still misinterpreting what
you're saying - but it seems you are still holding to the point that
your way is "more intellectual" and "a higher form." If I'm wrong about
this, please tell me what you DO mean. I think a lot of harsh words
could be avoided if everybody would be a little more careful to say
what they mean - and make sure the "offending party" actually said what
you think they said before you go ballistic. Hey, I'm probably one of
the worst offenders - but I'll try to reform if everybody else will.
Blessed Be to you, too!
Have I read anything other than Linda Frankel's RoS? (I'm gonna ignore
that "pseudo," OK?) Yes. I have a fairly large stack of zines, and the
novelizations as well. I've read and thoroughly enjoyed stories and
poems by many Cousins - Julie, Jacquie, Janet, Tara, Kitty, Todd, Pen,
Julianne, Grace, Laura, Sharon ... (did I leave anybody out? Oh yeah,
the Pseudonymous One) It's just that I happen to like Linda's best,
because I can relate to her work in a more personal way, by projecting
myself into the stories in a way that I find impossible with the above-
mentioned excellently-written and exciting stuff. I enjoy almost all
the fanfic I've come across - but Linda's work brings a different level
of enjoyment. That's the best description I can give of it. Please
don't take my personal fandom for one author as rejection of the
others. It's kind of like my saying that I love Michelangelo but I
adore Raphael. You guys are all terrific - and hopefully you may see
one of my stories in print. There's no sex in it - not even any
romance! (Do I hear a collective sigh of relief?)
Linda Frankel: I think Robin would have gravitated to Freyr myself.
The wildwood just isn't Tyr's milieu... and Robin's roots are in the
Vanir framework. If he hadn't been forced into outlawry, he'd be a
farmer, right? Perhaps when he had to take up the sword and bow, he
would have opened himself more to Woden.
I enjoyed the Sweet Medicine story and found the symbolism very
thought-provoking. (I also launched a fantasy career as chief
clinician of Dr. Sweet Medicine's Herbal Emporium. I'm bad.)
There is a cave-art depiction of a stag/shaman that I've been in love
with since I first saw it. It's commonly called "The Sorcerer" and
comes from, I think, Les Trois Freres. Have you seen Derek Jarman's
Edward II? I was thinking of the symbolism of having the queen use the
stag's carcass as a target. What did you make of that? (If you
haven't seen it - everyone - do! It's beautifully filmed.)
Can I steal your answer to Janet Reedman's question about what
attracted us to RoS? I tried to formulate an answer myself, but it had
babies. Sometimes I just can't BE succinct. But that was it - the
combination of relationships, religion and politics.
One of the many attractions your Robert holds for me is that he has
distinct relationships with both Herne and Robin, and doesn't arrive in
Sherwood riding, as it were, Marion's kirtle-tails. I like the Marion-
as-catalyst idea, and Herne's hand behind it.
Ruth Dempsey: John is my favorite Gospel, and my favorite Apostle.
(What's an Odinist doing with a favorite Apostle? Lord knows.) There
was something special about John - he was referred to as "the one Jesus
loved" and at the Last Supper is described as "leaning on Jesus bosom"
(a literal translation which some editions choose to render "sitting
next to him at the table." !!!) Perhaps it was the special love that
Jesus had for him that exempted him from the violent deaths meted out
to the others. I have no trouble believing he wrote the Apocalypse as
well. What a poet!
Tara: I got a big kick out of your bookstore's classification system.
The one here doesn't have a mythology section. There's one book on
Greek mythology (it's on the high school reading list) - nothing
Arthurian, nothing Wiccan, and the few astrology titles are on the
bottom shelf of the psychology section. Needless to say, I mail order
most of what I read. From catalogs. A previous effort at getting my
local store to order Edred Thorsson's Book of Troth brought instead,
Aleister Crowley's Book of Thoth (which the clerk handed me, looking a
bit ashen-faced).
Laura W. Todd: Re: Guitar Gods Who Make Pacts With Demons (What a
topic, eh?) The obvious candidate would be Jimmy Page, don't you
agree? He bought Aleister Crowley's house back in the '70s, collects
Crowley memorabilia, and even had a bookshop at one time devoted to his
works. Led Zeppelin shot to the top pretty quickly, had about a decade
of superstardom, then stuff started to happen. Page's groundskeeper at
the Crowley house committed suicide, and a teenager was found dead at
another of his houses. Robert Plant was almost killed in a car crash,
and his son died. John Bonham died. Maybe there's nothing to it, but
if I were David Coverdale, I'd be looking over my shoulder! William
Burroughs compares rock to the trance music of Morocco, which is
magical in purpose. In Morocco, musicians are magicians, and the
product is called Gnaoua - it's used to drive out evil spirits.
Burroughs says "the origin of all the arts is magical and evocative;
and that magic is always used to obtain some definite result." In a
rock concert (and Burroughs was specifically talking about the Zeps)
the goal would be the "creation of energy in the performers and in the
audience." He adds "this can be dangerous." Uh-huh! P.S.: If you
don't have a Vocal God, do hear Brett Anderson of Suede. His voice is
truly from another realm.
Christopher Robin: Thanks for pointing the way out of the box! Have
you read Jung's essay "Woden as Archetype?" Also - do you think some
authors take typology to the extreme?
Louise: An argument-stopping retort for those who gripe about your use
of someone else's ideas... You say, "Perhaps you could be so kind as
to offer me your suggestions." They'll probably just stand there with
their mouth open, but if they actually DO have an idea, you say "Isn't
that rather like something Eliot's already done?" and leave them
wondering if you meant George or T.S. The whole notion of criticizing
work because it's not "original" is absurd anyway. As Hilda pointed
out, West Side Story rips off Shakespeare - but let's point the finger
at the Bard as well, because he ripped it off - third or fourth hand,
at that! - from Luigi da Porto.
If anybody jumps on you for insisting on equal opportunity for Saxons,
I stand ready to defend you, battle axe in hand. We can be shield-
mates, hm? As far as Loxley's appearance/ethnic origin is concerned,
true! Not all Saxons were blue-eyed blonds. Loxley says he's a Saxon,
and his father had a Saxon name and was the guardian of a Saxon
artifact. That's good enough for me. Physical appearance isn't much
to go on anyway. First, there was a big Danish gene pool for Saxons to
mix with, and the Danes were dark. Second, the Normans were Teutonic,
too - descendants of Rollo the Viking. Aside from dress and hair
conventions, I'd think anyone would be hard pressed to tell a Saxon
from a Norman from a Celt. (Or even a Saxon from a Saracen, as Linda
once noted.)
I had to laugh when Hilda asked for a "more Saxon term" for "fey." Fey
IS a Saxon word! It's faege (fated); pronounce the ae like the a in
jazz, and the g like y. Technically, it is not interchangeable with
"fay," which comes from the Old French "feie," ultimately from Latin
fata, and used to mean "a fairy." "Fay" is a noun. ''Fey"' is an
adjective. A Saxon would have shuddered at being called "faege,"
however - the meaning was "doomed" or "accursed." Over time, it came
to connote types of puckish or eccentric behavior, not unusual in
someone who was "fated." If we want a more Saxon-sounding term, we
could say Robin was aelfsciene (beautiful as a fairy).
I have some theories on how we lost Robin to the Celts. For starters,
the background music is Celtic. I reckon it's not easy finding a Saxon
folk group. I have some tapes of Saxon liturgical music, but I don't
think Kip would have considered it. Also, to many people (including
other pagans), we're scary. Essentially, we have an image problem.
Some of our folk have tried to overcome this by advancing Freyr and
Freya (rather at the expense of Odin). These Vanic fertility deities
are perfect for the wiccan "Lord and Lady" roles. People are certainly
free to create their own paths, but those who want to follow the Vanir
should do it in the proper way and not mess around with the Runes and
weapon rituals (unless they plan to undertake a serious study of galdor
in the process.)
What we have to do, Louise, is to rekindle the Saxo-mania of the
Victorian Age. We've got to make it romantic, idealistic, and totally
alluring. Pass out copies of Ivanhoe. Resurrect the "Norman yoke"
theory of history. Talk about how the Celts and Saxons were getting
along swell til the dastardly Normans showed up and conquered Ireland.
Give your kids names like Ethelbald. And we've got to interest
Hollywood in that Hereward movie! Was I complaining about distortion?
Shut my mouth!
Seriously, folks... there is a sad lack of materials, both ancient and
modern, on Saxon paganism. Christianity did a pretty thorough job of
wiping out manuscripts, etc., that would have given us more information
on Saxon pagan worship. We're dependent to a large extent on Viking
and Icelandic material. I've often been asked why there aren't more
books on Saxon paganism - and it's simply because there isn't much to
work with that's specifically Saxon. It takes effort for the
practitioner to isolate and define what a purely "Saxon" view of the
Teutonic path might be. As I've pointed out before, I was not AT ALL
impressed with Raymond Buckland's efforts.
I continue to recommend the works of Edred Thorsson, although there are
so
me who are turned off by his "volk" approach. My problem with him is
that he's a Dumezilian, and I'm not - but that's one of those
intrafaith theological disputes (it has to do with tripartition) that
no one else would be interested in. Kveldulf Gundarsson's Teutonic
Magic is more my cup of tea, but Thorsson is still the rune-master
supreme.
Back to Saxon elements in RoS, and the brilliant question (thanks,
Louise!) as to whether it's the series or the fanfic. My opinion: the
series opens the door in a lot of ways (the music, the presence of the
Round Table, etc.) BUT fanfic goes way beyond... probably because a
lot of fanfic writers seem to be themselves British Wiccans. And from
what I've read of this faith, it's overwhelmingly Celtic. There's a
wealth of books for them to draw on, even if they're not practitioners
- whereas, you have to dig to come up with Saxon elements.
One of the things that first attracted me to RoS was what I perceived
as the "Saxon" roots - and I recall being mildly disappointed, once I
grasped the "pagan" orientation of the show, that Woden didn't put in
an appearance. I would've settled for Freya, Thunor, or Tiw. Once the
show gets started with references to Aelric's rebellion, the word Saxon
isn't used much. The Battle of Hastings is mentioned once, but the
ancient "defender of the realm" is obviously, from Kip's point of view,
Arthur - not Hengist or Hereward or Harold (any of which I, personally,
would have preferred). So... what do we do, seriously, about this
state of affairs? We write our own stories!! And thanks to you, we
have a zine. My story, hopefully finished soon, replaces Arthur with
one of the above three Saxon heroes, but I ain't telling which one.
Y'all will have to buy your own copy. (-:
On to other topics... yes, Greenpeace would be on my list as well.
Militant resistance does not have to mean violent resistance. Violence
should be the last option. (I'm sure many of you believe it should
never be an option, but my faith does not preclude it).
Satan as God's employee: See Book of Job, chapter 1.
Reality vs. Fantasy, random thoughts: I don't read gritty, realistic
novels. I live in the gritty, real world and by the end of the day,
I've had my fill of it. I sure don't want to turn on the TV and
attempt to "entertain" myself with a movie about David Koresh or
anybody named Buttafuoco. I like to enjoy my writing as well - that's
why I do it. I wouldn't want the onus of having to write with
"sellability" in mind, or have to worry about my characters or plots
being "realistic." They are creatures of my imagination. They live in
an unreal world, located, I suppose, somewhere over the rainbow, where
their wildest dreams CAN come true - and in my novels, they do. (If
anybody wants to meet the "real" version of my literary heroes, well,
y'all know where I live.) The mind is its own place, and can make a
heaven of hell, or a hell of heaven (paraphrasing Satan, or perhaps
Milton).
Wyvern: Maid Marian and her Merry Men is on Playhouse Video,
distributed by Fox Video, Inc. You can probably get your local video
store to order it for you - at any rate, next time I get a mail order
catalog from whoever I got it from, I'll send it to you. There's at
least two videos out, each with 3 episodes. Personally, I think the
Merries could use Robin of Kensington's touch - what a bunch of rag-
bags! Living in the wild is no excuse for not dressing well.(-:
Janet Reedman: On Nuada and Tyr - I think they may, in fact, have a
common Indo-European origin. Tyr (Tiw) is also a ruler and lawgiver.
Tyr doesn't get a replacement hand - but since Nuada does, might this
have something to do with Celtic kings being unacceptable if they were
disfigured in any way?
Irena Armstrong: Welcome! I can see that you're going to add so much
to the circle - can't wait to read more of your thoughts. The exact
quote is: "He who bends to himself a Joy/ Doth the winged life
destroy;/But he who kisses the Joy as it flies/Lives in Eternity's
sunrise." From one of my favorite poets, William Blake. Try admitting
in a college seminar that you like Browning and Blake - kind of like
saying your favorite artist is Raphael. In school I was considered a
bit of a dinosaur, but I tried to be T-Rex about it.
OK, the Norman heritage wasn't all bad. I'm trying to think of
something they built, or wrote, or did, that I like. Honest to god,
I'm trying.
Stan: Welcome to you, too! I'm always happy to hear about the success
of a ritual (your stolen truck) because it reinforces my own view that
magic is not just a "feeling" thing - it's also a "control" thing. I
like fall and winter and rainstorms, too. Of course "winter" as
practiced in L.A. (Lower Alabama) is in the 40-60 degree range. The
"freezing point" of southerners is around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Summers here are as hot as Musspelheim, which is one reason I'm not
eager for May to arrive (that's about when Summer starts here).
When I read what happened to your friend, I was angry. No one should
be made to feel that they must give up something that adds meaning to
their lives because of someone else's bigoted stupidity. Maybe some
folks don't care for my "in your face" reaction to such stuff, but I
think someone ought to ask the priest if he thinks Pope Julius III
should, by his own logic, be stricken from the official list of Supreme
Pontiffs. Julius III founded the Jesuit college in Rome and was quite
conscientious in performing the duties of his office. He also made his
teenaged lover a cardinal. Nice, romantic gesture.
To answer a few of your questions - I get almost everything via mail
order. Barnes & Noble is a terrific source for books on a wide variety
of topics, including lots of Arthurian titles. (Phone 1-201-767-7079)
I don't buy much in the way of supplies, I prefer making my own. I
grow my own herbs and tend them myself, because somebody told me a long
time ago (about 1400 years ago, it was) something like 'tilled by your
own hand, healed by your own hand.' It's one of those fragmentary
past-life memories that I've never found quoted anywhere, but it works
for me. I think one of my mamas said it. I made my runes, my ritual
robes, my incense, even my spear. Well, I didn't make the head, but
Brian won't let me have a forge. I was raised to believe that anything
you make is better than anything you buy. As a Jack of all trades,
you're ideal for this sort of thing!
Linda Goodall: You asked for our verdicts on your writing of a 'Mary
Sue' - Technically, I'd say 'guilty as charged' - but it shouldn't be
a crime to begin with! Personally, I like sentiment, and hope you and
Naz live slushily ever after.
Cousin Shadow (-: : I do not take seriously your claim to be a joke.
Hiding behind your smiley-face does not relieve you of the
responsibility of answering my questions.
Aunt Umbra: I suppose you think we'll just laugh you off as well?
Hmph. As I'm sure you already concluded yourself, the Saxons are one
of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Obviously, as the Hebrews don't write
vowels, the tribal name comes from Isaac's Sons. (Saac's Sons). The
Hebrew word for covenant is "beriyth," and for man, "iysh." You see
where I'm going, don't you? Covenant Man = British. Dan means "judge"
in Hebrew and "Dunn" means "judge" in Irish, ipso, the Tuatha De Danaan
are the lost tribe of Dan, and the founders of Donegal, not to mention
Denmark*. What is the connection between Nuada, Tyr, and Captain Hook
(nemesis of Peter PAN), and do poachers figure into it?
*I stole the Hebrew stuff from Herbert W. Armstrong, but I, Uncle Lux
Benigna, invented Mythmath on my own. Polyphemus + Woden + Balor = the
Dalai Lama.
Hilda: Re: The Antichrist: One excellent book on the subject is The
Antichrist by English theologian Arthur W. Pink. The concept of the
Antichrist is found in the Psalms and Prophets, but finds its fullest
expression in the Apocalypse. Tradition says he will come from the
tribe of Dan, but Pink doesn't take sides in that controversy. He does
believe that he will figure in both religious and political realms, and
will, as Christ predicted, work miracles. He also believes the
Antichrist will be the physical son of Satan. I think the first use of
the specific term "Antichrist" is in 1 John 2:22. He has many other
"titles," such as The Beast, The Lawless One, and The Violent Man. I
chose one Antichrist title, "The Adversary," to describe a character in
one of my novels who is the physical son of Loki and opposes Woden's
son.
Divine Dance: I do this, although it cannot be said that I dance
divinely. My literary self is much better at it - kind of a Nijinsky-
cum-runic yoga experience that ends with casting a spear into the heart
of the sun.
Animal archetypes and dream sendings: Funny you should pick boar and
salmon. Is that a Celtic set-up? A Saxon dreaming of a boar would
consider it a sign from Freya; dreaming of a salmon would mean "it's
time for breakfast." I had a hard time coming up with an archetypical
animal. Frankly, if I'm going into the wild, I want to go with my
opposing thumbs and full cranial capacity.
Thanks for saying we live in a tolerant age. That's what I want to
believe, myself. Every now and then, I have to ask my friends to
convince me that the sky isn't falling (usually after watching the
news). I feel better.
Who is Hereward? Glad you asked! I'll try not to get carried away,
but I just freak when somebody shows an interest in dead Saxons.
Hereward was the son of a thegn who lived on the fringes of the fenland
in south Lincolnshire. Charles Kingsley wrote a novel making Lady
Godiva his mother, but 'twasn't so. There are many stories (probably
legendary) of his youthful exploits, but he earned his reputation by
his post-Conquest deeds. He returned from abroad to find his home in
the hands of the Normans, and one night during a drunken revel, he
slays them all and impales their heads over his gate. Eventually,
other disaffected Englishmen come to join him, and soon he's got a
full-scale revolt going in the fenlands. Finding many of noble kin
among his ranks, Hereward feels he must receive knighthood in order to
command them, so he went to Abbot Brand of Peterborough for the honor.
(I mention this purely to point out that while Normans received
knighthood from the King or an overlord, the English equivalent was
obtained by laying one's sword on the altar to be blessed during Mass.
The priest then laid it on the honoree's neck, the idea being that true
knighthood came only from God. The Normans considered these knights to
be somewhat in the category of "fakes.") At any rate, Hereward first
gathered his band of followers in the forest - quite a crew, with
colorful names, and very evocative of the Merries! My favorites are
Wulric the Heron and the twins Duti and Outi. Meanwhile, another band
of rebels had gathered in the Isle of Ely, and invited Hereward and his
gang to join them. The first thing they did was sack the Abbey of
Peterborough with the help of some Danes and carry off all the
treasure. I hasten to add that Hereward was merely keeping this vast
treasure out of the hands of the Normans! The Danes took it home with
them, and for all I know it's scattered over Scandinavia. The English
bishop did not understand the patriotic sentiment behind this bold
stroke and promptly excommunicated the lot of them. Since Ely was a
great stronghold, it took William a while to get around to bothering
with Hereward. He was persuaded to hire the services of a witch to
"drain away the courage of the rebels." Hereward, disguised as a
potter, overhears all this. The Normans build a causeway out to the
stronghold and set the witch up on a tower. When she does her
incantation "for the third time," Hereward and his men, hidden in the
rushes, set fire to the whole structure, down comes the witch and
breaks her neck, and the Normans flee in terror. William is said to
have placed the blame for the failure on, who else, the "Pythonissa" -
"her spells have rebounded on us, we deserve all that we've suffered."
So he said. Accounts differ on the outcome of subsequent encounters
between the rebels and King. Some say the monks of Peterborough were
persuaded to turn traitor. At any rate, the Normans end up occupying
Ely, but Hereward got away. He then becomes a forest outlaw, taking
his band into Bruneswald. He does things like kidnap wealthy clerics
and hold them for enormous ransoms (sound familiar?) One night (the
Chronicle says - no foolin' -"it was a dark and stormy night"),
Hereward and the band are lost among the woodland tracks. A huge wolf
appears to guide them, and lights like glowing candles appeared on the
tips of their spears (faerie candles, or St. Elmo's fire?) The white
wolf is the symbol of St. Edmund of East Anglia, protector of his
people. No one is quite sure how Hereward ended his days. One story
has it that he marries a woman of noble rank who secures his pardon.
Others say he was finally slain by a group of Norman knights who had
long wanted revenge. One thing for sure, he was not "the Wake" in his
own day. The thoroughly Norman family called Wake owned some land that
had once been Hereward's - and either through confusion or by
purposeful adoption, he was made one of them. In the many tales we
have of Hereward, there are striking resemblances to the Robin Hood of
the ballads - comic mischief, duels with fellow Englishmen, and of
course the notion that the bad guys (one of whom is named "Guy") can't
find him in the forest no matter how many men they send out.
Everyone: Parke Godwin has a sequel out to Sherwood called Robin and
the King. I didn't like it nearly so much as the first book.
Most of you have used the phrase "Do as ye will, an it harm none."
I've often wondered if this was an extension of Rabelais' "They had
only one rule: do what you will" from Gargantua, or does it have
ancient roots in wiccan tradition?
Siannan, Hilda, and other authorities of the subject of "Drawing Down
the Moon": I have only a vague idea of what this refers to, but it
sounds perfect for something I have in mind for a story. Can you tell
me when, where, why, how, and by whom it's done? (With my luck, it's
probably a trade secret).
HERNE PROTECT.
Nancy Hutchins
Dear Cousins: Hi! I know it's been a while, but I'm still here and
alive. Just finished my master's degree at Syracuse and am working on
becoming a "real" person again. I have a lot of catching up, so I'll
jump right in (feet first) without much further ado.
Issue #8:
Congratulations, Hilda, on having done such a wonderful job with
Cousins for the last year, and I hope the letterzine continues. (Of
course, by the time you get this, you'll probably be working on your
second birthday!) I think Cousins has provided the fandom with a forum
for all sorts of nifty discussions. Also, I loved your story: Who do
You Think You are, Adam Bell? I particularly enjoyed the line, "If
he's so fond of feeling persecuted, why should I give him the
satisfaction?" Well-put.
Hilda: Re: music. Yes! Thanks for mentioning three terrific artists.
If I may get up on my soapbox here. Those Cousins who have not
discovered Peter Gabriel, get thee to a music store and buy one of his
records - any one, it doesn't matter (I recommend Shaking the Tree for
newcomers). Then be prepared for a listening experience that will
leave you laughing, crying, dancing madly, or wandering around in a
daze, running into walls and muttering "Yes! Yes!" Better yet: if
you're lucky enough to get tickets, see him live!!! I made it to one
of his shows in 1986 . . . went in a casual listener, came out a total
convert! There is no experience I can compare to being in an arena
chanting Biko with a several thousand other people. Incredible!
Woodswalker: I strongly recommend PG's fourth album, Security. It's
my favorite, and I think you would really enjoy the use of drums and
percussion on The Rhythm of the Heat and Lay Your Hands on Me. Since
you enjoyed The Last Temptation of Christ, you might want to also check
out Passion, PG's soundtrack for the film. This is an excellent piece
of music.
Kate Bush is also amazing, but Jan Fennick knows more about her than I
do, so I'll leave this soap box alone [take it away, Jan . . . :-)].
However, The Whole Story is as good a place to start as any. I'm sure
there's someone out there who could give us the lowdown on Laurie
Anderson. Another great act for the "thinking rock fan" is REM. I'm
partial to their 1989 album, Green. Their latest, Automatic for the
People is also a great listen.
What other types of music do Cousins like? C'mon, get up on your soap
boxes and extol the virtues (and vices!) of your favorite acts! Maybe
we'll get a chance to discover someone we never knew existed.
Issue #9:
Blythe: Check out Laura Todd's cartoon "I hate you because you're such
a Motley Crue." (I believe this was in Albion 6).
Chris Haire: Regarding St. Helena, is this where Mt. St. Helens, the
volcano, gets its name?
I agree with you about a "good" villain being a good foil for the hero.
Somebody did an excellent humorous piece in Albion 4, where the Sheriff
tells Loxley's ghost, "without me, you guys would all be just a bunch
of back-to-nature freaks running around the forest." In other words,
without a villain, they'd basically have no reason to be outlaws!
Janet R.: Lucky lucky you. England is on my list of places to visit
when I become a "real" person, working at a "real" job and making
"real" money.
The value of writing fanfic - or indeed anything - is remarkable.
Whether it's academic papers, or original fiction, I've found so many
times that writing fanfic (and having other writers offer constructive
feedback) has improved my style immeasurably. Fanfic is an excellent
"writer's workshop."
Linda Frankel: There's two fine stories dealing with homosexual
relationships in Forbidden Forest 2, "Raptors" by Rache and "The
Queen's Fool" by Ruth Dempsey. Both are excellent historical pieces,
as well as delving into the psychology of the characters, and the
politics and social systems of the medieval period.
Woodswalker: Most memorable RoS stories. Yikes! I could run on at
the pen for pages on this topic. Hmm. The following pieces are the
first to spring to mind: Resurrection by Cindy Fairbanks in Longbow
IV, The Saracen's Tale by Jennifer Woodson in Longbow V, Laura
Chevening's Enchantment in Albion Special 2, Loss by Rache in Albion 5,
Julianne Toomey's Mixed Blessing and Jan Fennick's Visions of Love,
both in Forbidden Forest 1, and Circle of Fire by Linda Furey in
Huntingdon.
I would put funny pieces in a separate category: the Robin in
Bunnyland series in Albion, Rache's "graphic stupidity" parodies, Laura
Chevening's The Earl's Fool, and High Hopes and Bad Dreams, from
Apocryphal Albion 1 and 2, respectively. One of my favorite parodies
is Robert in the Hood, a wicked little vignette from Apocryphal 3. For
an excellent take on Costner's Prince of Thieves, check out Sheila
Foley's Dances with Wolfsheads in Apocryphal 4.
Shameless plug time: anyone looking for an excellent read, check out
Forbidden Forest 2. There's a nice mix of story types - romance,
historicals, mystical pieces, adventures - plus great artwork and
poetry. There's material dealing with just about all of the main
characters, so there's something for just about everyone.
What makes a story memorable to me? The first is plot logic: does the
story make sense? The second is action: does the piece keep moving?
Third is originality. This is a personal prejudice. I realize there's
a lot of themes that more than one writer have explored, but I always
enjoy reading something different. Fourth is accuracy with the series
itself: do the characters act and "sound" like their television
counterparts? Fifth, I look for historical accuracy (or some semblance
thereof - I realize not everyone has access to extensive resources):
have the writers done their homework? Miscellaneous: use of language,
texture, small details, etc.
While one of the joys of fanfic is being able to explore the characters
in more depth than the televised series allowed, I have to agree with
Kip's letter that the best stories are those in which the characters
are true to what was shown on-screen. I don't mind when an author
expands a bit on a character or a situation, but there are limits as to
what I'm willing to believe.
Issue #10
:
Kitty Laust-Gamarra: Good points about Robert's upbringing. He
strikes me as being fairly world-wise.
Morgana: I second The Warriors of Arthur! Great book!
Ruth D.: Ha! I experienced a similar experience with a character
demanding to be written. After watching the videotape of Henry V,
Kenneth Branagh jumped out of the ether and yelled, "I'm Arthur!" The
apocryphal idea I'd been tinkering with for a couple of years (what if
Arthur of Brittany hadn't died?) suddenly hit me with a huge "pow!"
[Why does this always seem to happen when you have a zillion other
things to do, like graduate school?]
Issue #11:
Anda: Methinks that Marion would have gone for anyone after drinking
Gulnar's love potion. (If I may be so vain as to plug one of my own
pieces, I did a story along these lines, "Just a Little is Enough" for
Forbidden Forest 2).
I agree with you about sacrifice every day. I was acutely aware of
this when my brother was in the Navy during the Gulf war.
Woodswalker: There is amazing power in creativity. Maybe that's one
reason I never became an English major. You spend more time tearing
things apart than creating them. I loved your comments about the
strength of music (check out my comments on Issue #8).
Cousin Shadow: You've confirmed what I've known all along: Robert of
Huntingdon is God! :-) :-) :-)
Kip: You're having a lot of fun "slashing," aren't you? I loved the
bit about Dorothy, the Tin Woodsman, and the monkey wrench. OUCH!
Louise Bath: For an excellent John and Meg story, check out Love
Conquers All Things, by Cindy Fairbanks in Albion 6.
Grace M.: I loved your comments on science and mysticism. Random
thought I can't fit in anywhere else: anybody who hasn't already read
Jurassic Park, I strongly recommend reading it before seeing the film.
Not that the film isn't amazing, but the novel gives you a better
handle on the characters. Both the movie and the novel will keep you
nailed to your seat! In addition to a lot of neato dinosaur stuff,
Jurassic Park works in a warning about what happens when people try to
meddle excessively with Mother Nature.
Siannan: I was also a "musical truant" - I spent every spare second
drooling over David Bowie for five years. I drove my family bonkers.
However, I made a lot of friends in college when people stopped in my
room just to admire my posters! I got a lot out of my infatuation,
even if my infatuation took a lot out of my wallet!
I wouldn't make a good Merry either. I'm too addicted to clean sheets
and flush toilets. [Somewhere, Jan is laughing madly...]
Julianne: Wasn't the blizzard just a joy?! I ended up stranded in
Haverhill, my sister's wedding shower had to be postponed... if you
think it was fun in the Boston area, Syracuse got another snowstorm on
top of the Big One - something like five feet of snow altogether! At
one point, we had like 45" of snow in one hour. We got 191" total for
the entire winter, which broke the previous year's record of around
186". Yeesh! I sure picked two great years to attend S.U.!
Georgia: Jagger as shaman for a fertility god: actually, Brian Jones
came closer. Check out Philip Norman's excellent biography of the
Stones, Symphony for the Devil, for more details.
I agree with you about hunting. If people want to hunt, I think they
should have to do it with longbow and arrows! No fancy technology. I
think it would give people more respect for what they're going after -
and more respect for carnivores that have to hunt for a living.
Hilda: I loved your thoughts on creativity and "escapism." When I was
a kid, anybody creative was called a "faggot." Lovely, huh?
RE Little John: As Rache pointed out at last year's Weekend in
Sherwood, when you're his size, nobody's going to tell you, "men don't
cry!"
RE wordy Bostonians: You've been hanging out around Hahvahd too long,
Hilda!
You "dig" archeology?! GROAN!
Speaking of graffiti on stone circles and roads running through them,
check out "America's Stonehenge," in Salem, NH. The area was actually
turned into a quarry, and much of the stone is now curbing in Lawrence.
Argh! But it's still a neato place to visit.
The "Not Wheel of the Year" was good for a few giggles.
Issue #12:
Chris Haire: 1) Why couldn't Meg join the outlaws? I think for a
variety of reasons. First, she doesn't strike me as being either
mentally or physically suited to a life of outlawry. Second, she would
have to accept being childless, since having babies in Sherwood would
only have put the band in peril. Third, she might have had family ties
that could ultimately be used against the merries. Kip pointed out at
Herne's Con 2 that the outlaws are basically loners: none of them have
really immediate family members. Robert and Marion's fathers have
basically disowned them, Will's brother probably couldn't care less
what happens to him. I'm kind of surprised that Gisburne didn't try to
use Much's mother as a hostage, but look what happened to Much in Adam
Bell for trying to visit his sick grandfather.
2) Reincarnation. I haven't had any personal inkling that I might
have lived before, but I'm not writing it off as totally implausible.
It's a fascinating idea. Have you seen the movie Dead Again? It's out
on videotape. It makes reincarnation seem frighteningly possible!
I've experienced deja vu from time to time, but usually with mundane
activities I know I've done before!
3) I definitely believe in ghosts. I've never seen one myself, but a
lot of people I know have. My own mother always experienced a creepy
sensation in the attic of our old apartment in Somerville, the feeling
that there was someone up there. One day, she turned around fast and
thought she saw a man standing there. After we'd moved out of that
building, she ran into the landlady while visiting Somerville, and the
landlady complained about not being able to keep a tenant in the third
floor apartment. Jokingly, my mother asked "Did the spook scare them
away?" The landlady responded that she'd seriously begun to wonder,
and had looked up the history of the house. Turned out the original
owner had committed suicide by hanging himself in the attic. Weird. I
was too young myself to remember this, and I'm just as glad. I think
it would have been scary for a little kid. Anyone else have ghost
stories? Kip told a couple of good ones at Weekend last year.
Ruth: Fascinating Biblical notes. I also liked your explanations of
the various types of crosses.
Louise Bath: RE: The people who ask "why write fanfic to begin with?
Why sponge off someone else's material?" A fan raised this question a
couple of years ago in Herne's Stepchildren, and someone (I believe it
was Rache) wrote back with something to the effect that "it's the same
impulse that causes you to sing along with a song on the radio rather
than just listen passively or go away and compose something completely
new." And as Kip has pointed out, in writing fanfic, we've taken
something that's essentially a passive activity (watching TV) and
turned it into a creative process.
The Hollow Hills is another piece by Ruth Dempsey, in Albion 4. I only
remember it vaguely, and don't have my copy of the 'zine at hand.
Ruth...? Can you maybe enlighten Louise on what she called "the mixing
of traditions?"
I've never heard of either Alone of All Her Sex, or The King is a
Witch. They sound fascinating, though.
I love your notes to Julianne on Christianity, books missing from the
Bible, etc. Well-put!
Siannan: I think the reason that rock singers often throw themselves
into the crowd has a lot to do with the exchange of energy you
described. Nobody does this better than Peter Gabriel... but I've
talked enough about him already!
Your story about the Fundie at the Scandinavian fair was hilarious.
The bit about the doves was awful. That's not hunting, that's a
massacre.
Aunt Umbra: I'm still laughing!
General random comment: here's a poem I found in Syracuse and liked.
The Canticle of the Sun
St. Francis of Assisi, 1224
Praised, O my Lord, with all your creatures be,
most especially master brother sun,
who dawns for us, and You through him give
light: and fair is he and shining with mighty
luminescence, and carries, O most High, a
glimpse of what You are.
Praised be my Lord, for sister Moon and every
star in heaven You have made them precious
and clear and fair.
Praised be, my Lord, for brother wind,
for the air and clouds and every kind
of weather by which You give your creatures
nourishment.
Praised be, my Lord, for sister water,
which is so very useful, humble and precious
and pure.
Praised be, my Lord, for our sister, mother
earth, which does sustain and govern us, and
brings forth diverse fruits with colored buds
and grass,
So praise and bless and
be subject to Him with great humility.
There's so many interesting discussions I wish I had the time to join
in, but I'm still enjoying reading other people's debates. The reading
list keeps growing - I hope I have time to someday check these books
out!
Hilda: keep up the good work! Your efforts at keeping the letterzine
going, as well as organizing various other fun things like mummer's
plays are appreciated more than you will ever know!
That's all for now, folks! Be sure to check out the new Mel Brooks
flick, Robin Hood: Men in Tights. As the posters say, the legend had
it coming.
Blessed be!
Judi Broeking
Hello Cousins - Thought it high time to get back into the lively
discussions of Cousins. I am taking advantage of the relative peace of
night duty to catch up on correspondence. (At least this particular
night is quiet! (-: ) Just one or two thoughts:
#11: Janet V re: Marion leaving Robert at the Ring of Nine Maidens.
Besides the fact that she was grief-stricken, I doubt she would have
been able to lift him up onto the horse! I also agree that Herne "was
rather thoughtful toward Robert" at the cave, but I'd had the morbid
impression he had foreseen Robert's death as the Wheel eventually
turned again.
#10: Morgana, Gerrie & Siannan: Hi! I've been reading Circle Network
News since 1989. Re: best buns? Every time I think I've made a
decision I see another episode and oh well... maybe next time - it's so
hard to choose. *sigh*
#12: Chris, Linda, Hilda: Meg not being able to join the band doesn't
make much sense. Especially since Robin let Mark join in The Prophecy
and Robert tolerated Arthur for a short time. They hardly knew those 2
characters and no questions were asked! Robin once blasted Little John
for having been seen in Wickham. He reminded him that "You can
disappear into Sherwood. The people of Wickham can't!" The Sheriff
knew that Wickham was in league with the outlaws but no one from the
village was actually in the band. Maybe Robert felt that having a
known villager such as Meg in the band would put either Wickham or the
outlaws in greater danger? Would Robin have let her join?
Re: Clannad - In response to a recent query regarding Clannad fan club
address (courtesy of Queen's Own newsletter):
CLANNAD c/o Muirrean ni Swinchatt
72c Upper Grosvenor Rd.
Tunbridge, Wells
Kent, TN1 2BT
ENGLAND
A SASE & IRC are kindly requested.
For those of you who haven't heard their newest release, Banba - it's
terrific. Ring of Gold is from a live concert back in the 80's. Has
anyone an address/source stateside that sells Atlantic Realm - it's the
only Clannad recording I can't find!
Herne Protect.
Blythe Esan
Greetings to Cousins one & all! Great to be with you again. Tardy
being my middle name lately (though in reality it's Marian - no joke!),
I've finally found time to put fingers to keyboard & begin this.
College is through & now I have time to sit & respond to some of you
wonderful people.
Regarding #11 - Woodswalker: I can fully relate to your soul hurting
when developers wreck local fields & woods. I had a Circle in a patch
of woods across from my deadend street, but due to the fact that
there's a bunch of folks who love concrete & siding but hate Nature,
there are now 3 homes where those lovely trees were. I keep praying to
Diana, Herne, deities all to protect the remaining greenness around me.
They pointed out a new Circle area for my use while there, & I'm
forever grateful (even though the nearest house is merely a few yards
away). Not to mention all the new subdivisions/condos going up around
my neighborhood as well. It's true, a part of you feels pain just as
Nature does. By the way, if we can't whine to each other, then who to?
Louise B.: I went to England in '86 & felt very much at home! I know
I experienced a connection to Stonehenge while visiting it; it's like
the stones said, "Welcome home!" I'm the first to state that the Henge
has been horribly commercialized, & at times it's hard to feel
spiritual while there. If one can get past that negative junk & open
themselves up to what the stones are saying, then the spirit of the
place can come through to those willing to listen. (Though Stonehenge
is so far the only megalithic/stone circle I've visited in England, the
city of Bath was pretty neat & Pagan in itself!)
Lisa M.: You may want to read Practical Celtic Magic by Murry Hope.
She says that the Book of Symbols puts fort that Annwn is half of 2
primary existences in Bardism, the other being God. Annwn is also
Pwyll's Mabinogion kingdom; one version has it that Annwn is more like
Summerland or Elysium than "a purgatorial abode for the suffering
dead." Also, there are two Celtic deities, the Lord of Light and the
Lord of Hades or Annwn. Also that Annwn magickal workings are best
done at night, for obvious reasons!
To all: it was great seeing family and new friends again at Weekend
II! Some things were rather "onyx"pected, and a big round table of
thanks to Mark, Kip, Chris, & Denise for making it as memorable as last
year. As long as we have more of that great mead, we gotta keep it up!
See you next rambling!
Julie Phipps
Dear Cousins... Hope you all had an enjoyable summer solstice. As I
write it's really hot over here for once and the sun is setting in a
clear blue sky, which makes a change from typical English weather!!
(Bet Janet R. agrees with me here!)
Chris Haire: Firstly I'll answer your questions.
1. Why couldn't Meg join the band?
Don't know, guess it would've been interesting to see how the
outlaws would react.
2. Do you believe in reincarnation?
I like to keep an open mind on the subject. Have you heard of a
woman called Jenny Cockell, she lives in Kettering which is just
outside Northampton. Jenny has just released a book on her
experiences. I might try and get it from our local library.
3. Do you believe in ghosts?
Again I like to keep an open mind, but I'd like to say yes! I had
an experience myself when I was nine years old. My family and I
were on holiday in the Isle of Wight, staying in a guest house. My
brother and I kept saying we saw an old man in our room. My Mum
thought it was just our vivid imagination. But then a few days
later she was talking to the landlady and she said it was haunted by
an old man. Has anyone else had experiences like that?
There are a number of places in Northampton that are supposed to be
haunted. Our local theatre (known to locals as the Rep) is
supposedly haunted by a 'Grey Lady' and several actors have told me
of their experiences. Also in our local shopping centre is a
section built I believe on the grounds of a monastery which is also
supposed to be haunted.
The place I would really like to go to is Pluckley, which is
supposed to be one of the most haunted places in England.
Thanks also for the info re: Robert Addie. It's a shame he probably
won't be at any of the up-and-coming cons in England. Hope to see you
and Denise at Greenwood. Best of luck for Weekend!!
Tara: How can I help bringing up the BUNS again. I have a hard job
watching The Cross of St. Ciricus, I mean there's Ray, literally BARING
all and Robert in those sexy black undies!! Oh, and Highlander II does
exist, I've seen it. It's nowhere near as good as the first one!
Christopher Robin: I'm also interested in the romantic angle of RoS.
And I believe that if Kip Carpenter had been given a later time slot he
would've aimed for an adult audience. I also get the impression that
Judi Trott was more attracted to Michael Praed, but then I can't say I
blame her. Although it would've been nice to see Marion and Robert
married.
Louise Bath: I was interested in your discussion on Vampires, dare I
say it, necks please. (Sorry, the awful pun was intended!!)
Oh, and I don't see what's wrong in writing fanfic. I just wish I had
more time to write. It's all done in fun after all.
Liked your saying from RoS. Think mine should be the King John one.
At least that's what he'd think of me!! Bet Hilda would agree on that
one. [To make a long story short... -H]
Irena Armstrong: What did you think of Riders??? I thought Michael
was very good, but I thought the script was awful. Did you know that
Jason Connery had been up for the part of Rupert Campbell-Black? It
would've been so funny. And I loved the scene between Michael and
Anthony Valentine. It was like Robin and Belleme all over again.
I thought the script was better for the recent adaptation of D. H.
Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. The actor who played the
gamekeeper Mellors (Sean Bean) would've made a very good Robin, don't
you think??
Jacquie Groom: Hello! Welcome to Cousins. I have that Video Gems
boxed set of season 3 also and noticed the mistake with Cromwell's
Crusades!! Did they cut anything from the episodes you taped in the
Netherlands??
Hilda: Hello! Thanks once again for putting up with Rob and I!! We
both miss you and Sam and Birdy!! Please give them a stroke from both
of us. We really enjoyed our stay, and I enjoyed meeting some of the
Cousins. Please find enclosed a set of Michael photos for you to keep.
Hope you like them.
Found a poem I thought you might like. It's from the book Robin Hood,
by J. C. Holt.
Gone, the merry morris din
Gone, the song of Gamelyn
Gone, the tough-belted outlaw
Idling in the 'grene shave';
All are gone away and past!
Sudden from his turfed grave,
And if Marian should have
Once again her forest days,
She would weep, and he would craze:
He would swear, for all his oaks
Fall'n beneath the dockyard strokes
Have rotted on the briny seas;
She would weep that her wild bees
Sang not to her - strange! That honey
Cannot be got without hard money!
It's one of Keats' poems. I thought it was quite nice. Janet and I
are in the process of reading poetry with our drama group.
Oh, did you know the Government over here were trying to do away with
May Day? Of course all our morris dancers are up in arms over it!!
Well, it is an old English tradition.
Well, it's getting late and I think I ought close, so take care until
next time. From your English Cousin... Julie.
Donna Meinking
Hello, Cousins! Cousins #12 was so chock full o' goodies, it has taken
me several weeks to read it all. But Louise Bath's delightful letter
has inspired me to sit down and share some things that have been
"brewing in my cauldron" for a while.
Louise: You said that you worried about writing and not living in the
"real" world. Lady, (all you lady-and gentleman-writers, fanfic or
pro) - please, oh, please, never stop writing! As of right now, I do
not write stories. I'm a social activist. I've marched in Washington,
D.C. and New York. I went on a delegation to El Salvador. While
there, we were fired on with a group of homeless refugees. When the
soldiers saw our North American faces, they quit firing. I belong to
Amnesty International. I've met and talked to Rigoberta Menchu, the
Nobel Prize winner from Guatemala. I have seen the face of untold
suffering - torture victims. I've seen the face of evil - the
torturers. The greatest frustration in all my days was dealing with
Washington nincompoops, who only start investigating something twelve
years after it has occurred.
But I've been in fandom for over fifteen years. Every fan group I've
met has a favorite charity or cause that they work on. I was just at a
con where they had a blood drive and we brought food to the local
shelter. There are many very active fans, and there are many who have
been through a lot in their own lives. What inspires us? And what
gives us courage? Many people and many ideas. People in the mental
health business say a rich fantasy life is essential to a healthy human
life. I'm no expert in that field. But I do know when I've called a
dozen folks and gotten two dozen excuses why they can't help with a
community rehab project, or when I've just received bad news from
Central America, I head for my private little retreat in the back
bedroom and pop in a video or grab a fanzine. I discovered fanzines
ten years ago. Since then they've been my remedy for the pains of the
"real" world! After a few hours of "escapism" I can tackle another
project. Bike hikes and nature walks help, too, but I think of what
I've read while I'm out exploring. The fandom community is the very
group that inspires and gives me strength - not a sociology or
psychology book!
Also, isn't it mentally healthy to confront, appreciate, and deal with
the gods of light and darkness living in our psyches? To do this, we
must develop our own stories; however, we can use other people's
stories, too. That's how all the myths and legends developed. The old
storytellers never worried about using someone else's ideas. They knew
that their audiences would tell them if they were straying too far from
the original characters. So take that, you elitists, who think you can
judge fanfic as a lower form of art! I'd rather sit around fandom's
campfire and listen to our tales.
Those of you interested in North and South American indigenous peoples'
myths and legends should read Eduardo Galerno's Memory of Fire. It's
not ponderous or pretentious. The stories are short and delightful.
They span pre-Columbian to modern times, from the Arctic Circle to
Tierra del Fuego. They are in three volumes, published by
Pantheon/Random House, ISBN #'s 0-394-74730-5, 0-394-75167-1, and
0-394-75726-2. I'm listed in Who We Are if you want to borrow.
Blessings upon all who write! You have blessed us who read! Bye-bye.
Morgana
Sweet Cousins, Greeting!
Chris H: Why couldn't Meg join the Outlaws? Beats the hell out of me!
Sure, I believe in ghosts. My grandmother's memory resided in my house
from when she died in '75 until only last year. I often felt her
presence. So yeah, I believe those who've crossed over are "alive &
kicking," so to speak.
Reincarnation... I recalled a bunch of my past lives. Most are not
very detailed at all, but some "inner knowing" makes them valid &
meaningful to me: I've been Pagan & Christian; lived in Atlantis,
Malta, the US, England 3 times, possibly Sirius, France; been rich &
poor; a Native American, a Stonehenge Druid who consorted with the Fey,
a French street urchin who grew into a wealthy consort for men, a
panacea hawker in the 1860's South, I think a stone carver (don't know
where), & an Englishman who stole bread for peasants but was captured &
hung before some of those peasants could warn me of the trap (sounds
like someone we know, huh? Mind you, this life was known before I ever
saw RoS.) I was also hung once for Witchcraft (it was a witch-hunt; I
was accused of "consorting with the devil"), & died once on the dunking
stool accused of the same offence (Germany? Anyone know?) I also
believe I lived in the time period of the 1100's to the early 1200's.
At least that's the period to which my SCA persona corresponds & the
period where I feel most comfortable. Society for Creative Anachronism
is a great outlet for living the past in the present. Hey, that's why
this is called "the current middle ages!"
Linda Frankel: Thanks so much for the Native American outlaw myth!
Since my two Pagan traditions are mainly Celtic & Native, this was very
much appreciated! Would you happen to know which tribe this comes
from?
Debbi: It's been told once, but deserves it again - many million
thanks for your gift of Lady of the Forest!!! Chapter 30 gives a neat
definition of wolfshead: "That there was as yet no price upon that
head did not matter; it would take but a moment for the sheriff to
learn the red-haired giant had aided Will Scarlet, and to declare his
capture worth the same as a wolf's bounty: he would become... another
Saxon 'wolf's-head,' a proscribed man without recourse to the
protection of English - or Norman - laws."
Julie Phipps: Nice to know of another comic collector! The only comic
I've ever and still only collect is the 1987 revised version of Wonder
Woman. With my leaning toward the Amazons & the Greek goddesses, this
was right up my alley. If anyone hasn't checked out the earlier issues
especially, do so. Nice bits of Paganism/Earth awareness in them.
Woodswalker: Are you as confused as I am about all this "Well, I
practice Norse Paganism because that's my ancestry, & I like the
Egyptian pantheon but I'm not Egyptian, so I can't worship Bast or
Isis"? In the last issue there was a lot of discussion about ancestry
vs. spirituality. I don't think anyone has to be of a certain cultural
background to worship the deities they feel drawn to. I don't have an
ounce of Egyptian blood in me, but I draw upon Isis energies for
healing myself & others, & pray to Bast for protection over my cat
Tiffany. I have a large percentage of Swedish & Romanian ancestry, but
don't feel very drawn to those pantheons at all, though I do
acknowledge them from time to time. I'm an Eclectic Pagan/Wiccan; you
might say I take a little of this, a little of that whenever I need or
want. Basically, whatever feels good at the time! The point is that
while other folks may feel unfaithful to their ancestry if they deviate
in their worship, others may want the mixture that diverse ethnicity
provides. If someone wants to stick with their particular spiritual
pantheon without "getting their feet wet" in another, more power to
them. If another wants to invoke Woden one day, Ix Chel the next, and
Epona all next week, they should be able to without feeling they're
breaking ancestry or whatever. If the Goddess' Cauldron helps us all
to find what we're looking for, be it one tradition of worship or
several, "that's all right, then."
By the way, I love your brand of Generic Paganism! Reminds me of the
acronym KISS, or "Keep it simple, stupid!" Blessed be to you!
Louise: Is Sean Manchester nutty as Gulnar or what? In reading his
description of the vampiric Robin, I got a vision of Jason wearing
those terrible teeth in Time of the Wolf ("I vant to drink your
blood!") Lordy Lordy... I mean, Herney Herney... I have no idea of
where this guy's coming from. Have you found out any more on his
theory?
I couldn't think of any kind of elegant, witty retort to those who
accuse others of ripping off RoS stories & myths for their own artistic
endeavor ("Bug off, you evil git!" wouldn't work, would it?) If a
writer wants to take a basic premise & embellish it with their own
personal mythologies, so be it. Every story or book has validity, be
it serious/comical, erotic or not, straight/slash, ancient/modern,
whatever. If the author's pleased with what s/he's written, fanfic or
mainstream, then why should anyone gripe? Maybe telling them to write
their own story is an idea.
No developments at all in my all-female Sherwood band. You're welcome
to try! (I'm into my NatAmer writing stage now.) I too see nothing
wrong with a bit of escapism once in a while. If I did, I never would
have seen Jurassic Park! Why not get into another type of reality for
a while? We get enough mundane reality in our everyday existence.
I'd love to have a copy of the Prediction article Winnaker or Woden?
Thanks! [I'll pass it on. - H]
Stan: Welcome, Brother! I'm reminding myself to send you some copies
of Wicca-related stuff that I think you'll like. In addition to
Cousins, I also receive Circle Network News (P.O. Box 219, Mt. Horeb,
WI 53572; sample copies are free & a year's subscription is $15), a
quarterly newspaper for Pagans/ Wiccans/Nature Spirituality. A good
source of Craft supplies can be religious supply stores & even flea
markets & yard sales! Books can be ordered from Borders Bookstore,
Waldenbooks, Circle above (same with music & meditation tapes).
Ladyslipper, Inc. (P.O. Box 3124-R, Durham, NC 27715) is a valuable
source for any kind of music you want! Don't be put off by the title;
though it mainly carries women recording artists, some men are included
& there are large selections of New Age/Goddess Spirituality
recordings, Native Amer., Drumming, Folk, Celtic, etc. It's well worth
getting.
Actually, my community college offers a course called "New World Magic
& Religion." It's not where I first connected with the Craft, that's
been 13 years in the making! I did give lectures on Wicca for that
class (mine at the time) & for my instructor's night class. The
positivity was overwhelming for my "coming out of the broom closet!"
Being involved in different groups comes mainly by word of mouth,
though my introduction to Circle came from a local coven who sent me a
flyer in 1980. Please don't ever feel you're being nosy! As a good
friend of mine once said, "The only stupid question is the one that
goes unasked!"
So you also love cloudy, windy days? I knew I liked you...
Georgia: I don't know if Isis would be too jealous if I or anther
follower called on Athena once or twice. Aren't all Goddesses One, as
are all Gods? It's just the different aspects to which we all attune
that make us connect with that particular God/dess form. Like I told
Woodswalker, I call on Isis for healing, and I may call on Athena to
guide my aim. Not necessarily in archery (which I must relearn very
soon) but for my own goals for living. True, Isis has been called the
"everything" Goddess, but there are certain life aspects that I feel
comfortable only in ascribing to certain deities. Athena & Artemis for
Amazonian strength when patriarchy gets me down is an example.
Besides, an Isis altar was found Thames-side in London, so you know
those Celts/Saxons were sneaking in a little ol' different worship!
Hilda: The first bear/deer culture that came to mind was (yes, again!)
the Native American. Bear stands for introspection, the sweetness of
truth. To enter the Western womb-cave to hibernate & reflect on the
year's experiences. Bear contains receptive female energy to reside in
the Dream Lodge, or inner-knowing. It's here we are presented with
alternate pathways to our goals. Bear is intuitive, right-brained &
West-oriented. It's the medicine of seeking answers once the internal
chatter is quieted.
Deer is gentleness, mostly the gentleness of spirit that heals all
wounds. Light & shadow may be loved to create gentleness & safety for
those who need peace. Deer medicine advises us to love those as they
are, & to use this medicine to connect with Sacred Mountain (centering
place of serenity) & the Great Spirit will guide us all.
Hope that helps!!
Wasn't Weekend II a trip? Another worthwhile, full o' fun memory that
I won't soon forget. Hilda, the ritual was much more meaningful for me
this time around. Cousin Jennet heartily agrees with me!
Let my arrogant verbosity end here. Remember: Trust in God/dess, but
lock your car!
Ruth Dempsey
CALLING ALL COUSINS! My daughter, Marirose, claims that when "scary
monsters and bad people" enter her dreams, a "beautiful lion with big
golden wings" comes, roars and scares them away. This is not the
problem, as I feel she obviously has some heavy duty protection from
God in her corner. The problem is, she wants a stuffy shaped like her
lion.
Anyone into soft sculpture who could suggest/provide a pattern and
assembly instructions? I can get the material and do the sewing
myself, but I can't seem to find any patterns for winged lions...
Janet VanMeter
Merry Meet, Cousins! The Cousins Circle at Weekend this year was
terrific. It was good to see everyone there, including you, Kip; and I
want to send a special hello to my pavane partner Blythe! Hilda, I
thought the Sherwood visualization was tremendous. I haven't taken the
skiff across the lake yet, but I did see some comrades waiting there
for me when I do.
I'm glad that Kip explained for us at the guest panel as to why he
didn't want Meg to join the outlaw band. The reasons he gave are what
I expected. I also couldn't see Meg "duking it out" in one of the
forest battles, but her close ties to Wickham are the main reason that
Robert rightly forbade her to join. As Kip stated, realistically the
village would have been razed probably after the second time the
outlaws were connected with it! The village of Loxley should have
served as the precedent. I also feel that Hathersage would have been a
poor choice for John and Meg. He was too closely associated with that
place as well. I was surprised that he and Much were found there in
Herne's Son. It seems a bit daft that if the sheriff knew you as John
Little of Hathersage, you'd go back there to hide.
Marion had a similar problem in going back to Leaford Grange. Of
course, a king's pardon, even bought, would afford some protection.
Plus, the sheriff felt she was no longer a threat. But when his
suspicions were aroused again, he wasted no time in putting Oliver to
spy on her! We didn't see much of Sir Richard after Marion returned to
Sherwood. I'd be curious to know what Kip would have wanted to do
about him in the third season.
Once Marion made the decision to stay in Halstead, I think she was a
bit better off. Yes, I know that the Church could be corrupt, but it
would have made things a little more difficult for the Sheriff, in my
opinion. Of course, the fanzines have really explored this issue
almost to death, but that's what they're there for, right?
As an update to one of my previous letters - at a local antiques and
collectibles show here in Columbus, I bought an old children's book
that included both the "Wooing and Marriage of Robin Redbreast and
Jenny Wren" and the "Death of Cock Robin." I'd always wondered why in
the latter Sparrow shot him with his bow and arrow. In the former, it
was because Sparrow meant to shoot Cuckoo and hit Robin by mistake! On
Robin and Jenny's wedding day, no less! What a story!
Until next time - Herne protect.
COUSINS ISSUE #13 - August 1993 pt2
Susan Gross Gavula
Merry Meet Cousins all! I've just been reading all the back issues of
this wonderful letterzine. I had the best time at Weekend in Sherwood;
coming to the party and finding out about Cousins. So many neat ideas
come from sharing thoughts with other friendly folks :)
Interesting ideas that I wouldn't have thought of without talking to
folks at the Weekend in Sherwood...
Robin didn't die on the Tor, but that someone came and found him and
healed him. Now, I love Robin (and Michael) but my thought was always
that the way to save him was to make sure that he wasn't trapped on the
Tor. But hey, if they can raise Belleme, why not Robin?
I always felt that Herne wasn't fair to either Robert or Robin; I know,
gods don't have to be fair, but... I would have liked to see Robert
become a part of the band while Robin was still around so that he
wouldn't have to deal with the pressure of being the leader of the band
as well as having to earn their trust.
I really liked the idea of Robin and the bow, and Robert and the
sword... it really sparks off some thoughts...
Some thoughts on Marion and the Craft. It seems that she had an
extensive knowledge of herbology, which if I remember correctly would
have been a part her education along with learning how to manage a
household, etc. Marion is a smart woman and I would expect that she
would be curious and interested in learning the "old ways" as she has
seen more and more evidence of them. Perhaps someone in Wickham could
have taught her; maybe she learned how to incorporate their pagan
beliefs with Christian ones, just as most of the villagers do anyway.
Also, I never thought that Marion really held any strong Christian
beliefs. I'd guess that the Church was just a conveni
COUSINS ISSUE #13 - August 1993 pt2
Susan Gross Gavula
Merry Meet Cousins all! I've just been reading all the back issues of
this wonderful letterzine. I had the best time at Weekend in Sherwood;
coming to the party and finding out about Cousins. So many neat ideas
come from sharing thoughts with other friendly folks :)
Interesting ideas that I wouldn't have thought of without talking to
folks at the Weekend in Sherwood...
Robin didn't die on the Tor, but that someone came and found him and
healed him. Now, I love Robin (and Michael) but my thought was always
that the way to save him was to make sure that he wasn't trapped on the
Tor. But hey, if they can raise Belleme, why not Robin?
I always felt that Herne wasn't fair to either Robert or Robin; I know,
gods don't have to be fair, but... I would have liked to see Robert
become a part of the band while Robin was still around so that he
wouldn't have to deal with the pressure of being the leader of the band
as well as having to earn their trust.
I really liked the idea of Robin and the bow, and Robert and the
sword... it really sparks off some thoughts...
Some thoughts on Marion and the Craft. It seems that she had an
extensive knowledge of herbology, which if I remember correctly would
have been a part her education along with learning how to manage a
household, etc. Marion is a smart woman and I would expect that she
would be curious and interested in learning the "old ways" as she has
seen more and more evidence of them. Perhaps someone in Wickham could
have taught her; maybe she learned how to incorporate their pagan
beliefs with Christian ones, just as most of the villagers do anyway.
Also, I never thought that Marion really held any strong Christian
beliefs. I'd guess that the Church was just a convenient refuge for
her to avoid an unwanted marriage. Thoughts, anyone?
On to another subject: Tarot. I use the Robin Wood deck, the Hanson-
Roberts deck, and the Arthurian Tarot. I would dearly love an RoS
deck. Here are some ideas I've had for cards: Robin as the Magician,
Herne as the Hierophant, Much as the Sun, Robert and Marion as the
Lovers, Sherwood shrouded in the mists for the World, Robin and Marion
as the 2 of Cups, Lilith as the Moon, and Belleme as the Devil, or
perhaps Lucifer himself.
I'm working on a RoS ritual right now and I thought I'd share with you
my choices for the Quarters, and the Lord and Lady. I think its great
that we all can have such different ideas from being presented with the
same information.
Lord: Herne
Lady: Brigid, Lady of the Cauldron
Air: Will
Earth:John
Fire: Robin
Water:Marion
Miscellaneous questions: Is anyone keeping track of all the books that
people have mentioned here? They all sound interesting, unfortunately
for my wallet. :)
There are two lists that are posted to the Usenet newsgroup
rec.arts.books that people might find interesting. They have a list of
books on Robin Hood, and one of books about King Arthur.
Also, I remember hearing about a letterzine for RoS that deals with the
show specifically. Does anyone have a contact address for this zine?
Lastly, I'm starting a letterzine myself. This one is going to be
called What Can We Do?, and it's going to be about political, positive,
practical, magical and fun things we can do to help make the world a
better place. What I'm hoping to get from people is everything from
recycling tips, addresses for Greenpeace and Amnesty International,
etc., to fun escapes from reality, such as SCA events, or good movies,
or whatever. There are things we can do to make the world a better
place, and I'm tired of feeling only despair. If interested, please
send me a letter, or e-mail.
Goodness, I've rambled on long enough. Lady Bless and Herne protect
until next time. Nothing's forgotten, nothing is ever forgotten.
Louise Bath
I must start by saying that if any comments in my last letter seemed
anti-Celt, this was unintentional. After all, I'm part Celt, & I'm
lucky - considering my Gaelic leanings! - in that several people who've
been particularly important & dear to me have been either Scottish or
Irish. As I've said to Hilda, there are times when you realize that
the written word is often no substitute for the spoken; certain
comments I made should've had a lot of smileys in them, rather than
exclamation marks! :-) But as I said at the time, no offence was
intended, & I hope none was taken.
In May I spent a week in Brent Knoll in Somerset - & would advise
anyone prepared to brave our Summer weather to head for the county.
The countryside is fabulous (I'm biased!), with an atmosphere that's
out of this world - especially in the Sedgemore area when the mists
come rolling in over the Levels. This land of legends has seen Celts,
Danes, Saxons... & sometimes you feel that you've stepped straight into
an old story-book.
A general question: what do other Cousins feel is the truth concerning
"Satanic Ritual Abuse?"
Anyway. Many of the following comments refer back again to previous
issues: this is what re-reading them does to you... :-D
Debbi H (6): Apparently Herne was seen in Windsor Great Park as
recently as the early 60s. Legend has it that he appeared to some
youths who blew on an old hunting horn that they'd found.
Ariel - re: making political equations through RoS (4): one non-
political one that always struck me was that the fear of leprosy in The
Cross of St. Ciricus was like modern reactions to & ignorance about
AIDS - or is that going too far? (Hilda, you lost
me with that one
about being "slaves to the Welsh!")
5: I agree with your comment to Kathy; yes, a discussion of the magic
in RoS does move on to other things, & it's nice to break up the
magical stuff with more general chat to give us pause for breath.
6: Re: Beverly Byrne's book A Matter of Time re: the "Alexandrian
Testament." Could you tell me more, please?
7: I like the idea of having a Norman "Marion" (Marianne?) - it would
at least provoke some interesting responses from the outlaws! It's
also plausible - there are many examples of people from an "oppressing"
group joining the ranks of the "oppressed" e.g. Robert of Huntingdon.
:-)
Chris H (9): Re: your objections to "Owen raping Marion" stories.
True, fandom is supposed to be fun; but people should also be free to
write about whatever inspires them, even if the results are disturbing.
As you say, you don't have to read what doesn't appeal to you. :-)
Re: your questions (12): 1) Personally I'd prefer Meg not to join
John in the forest - it just wouldn't feel right to me.
2) I'd like to believe in reincarnation, but I wonder how many
"memories" of past lives might simply be ancestral memories, tapping
into the Akashic records, or a kind of "possession," as I think someone
said several issues ago. But assuming that there is an afterlife,
reincarnation makes far more sense to me than any other theory. I
don't see why you can't have both ancestral memories & past life
memories, though; I've not been regressed, but I've been to places that
seem uncommonly familiar - I think I might've lived in 19th Century
Yorkshire, in Ireland, & the Outer Hebrides. But I also feel
suffocated if I spray water on my face, & have a fear of being
submerged in dark waters, & apparently I had a relative who died on the
Titanic. I don't know if the two things are connected, though! Is it
possible to have been one of your own ancestors? Can you choose your
next incarnation? And, if time as we know it doesn't exist in the next
dimension, is it possible - as a witch friend of mine believes - to be
reborn not in the future, but in the past, according to the lessons one
has to learn? I rather like that last idea!
3) I believe in ghosts, but I've never seen one & I'm not sure what
they are! Some may be "tape-recordings," others might be sentient,
others might be thought-projections of the living, & some might be
entities that need the right "sensitive" to make them appear.
I was saddened by your info on Robert Addie; I'm sure I'm not alone in
hoping that the tide will turn for him & that better times will soon be
on their way.
Linda F (12): It's all very well saying that history teaches us that
if an oppressed group's being kicked around then they have to kick back
or no one will ever respect them, but I'm not convinced that this is
always the best way to react in any given "oppressive" circumstances,
or that this theory is even true. Surely in some ways it's not so much
a question of "offending" people as alienating them? A lot of people's
reaction to "rabble-rousing" is negative because, quite frankly, having
abuse chanted at you is not exactly guaranteed to make the majority of
people wish to engage in either meaningful dialogue or further study of
the issues to hand. I must admit that my reaction to someone bellowing
at me aggressively is not a positive one. I'm sure that rabble-rousing
has its place in raising awareness of issues, but the use of emotive
language & sloganeering isn't necessarily the only way forward. I can
understand you wanting to kick back in print if you & your issues get
"kicked around in print" - but how do you differentiate between being
"kicked around" & someone merely begging to differ?
"Yng-land" as the origin of "England" sounds reasonably; I always felt
that the "Angleland" transition was a bit forced! :-)
Julie Phipps (12): Yes, you didJtell me that Janet'd conned you into
doing a Casualty story for Merry Men, but that's all you told me!
Making Michael's character related to Rob Khalefa is very interesting -
though I can imagine the two of them squabbling a lot, for some reason.
Raven (5): why do you find making Loxley a sidhe offensive?
Re: Gospel authorship: Your comment that Mark was a friend of St.
Paul's reminded me that there's a belief about the "naked young man in
the garden" in Mark's gospel, which is that Jesus was initiating the
young man (Mark himself) into a "mystery" religion when the soldiers
arrived. And if John is the earliest Gospel, that suggests interesting
implications.
Christopher Robin (12): I enjoy reading all the other elements that
folk draw into discussions of RoS, but I agree that it's a shame to
spend so much time in looking for what isn't there that what is there
gets lost in the crush.
As for the historical Robin being gay/having had sexual contact with
another man - well, you have a point. If as an outlaw he'd spent his
time living outside the "normal" social & moral boundaries, his
thinking might therefore not be the same as that of someone who had - &
it's possible that a homosexual relationship might not have been
untenable to him.
Grace - re: the book data-base: Has that idea got any further?
Janet VanMeter - re: the mummers' play in The Lord of the Trees (4):
Isn't it possible though that mummers' plays were of meaning to the
villagers, but that this particular one wasn't because it was needed as
a diversion? As an added bit of useless info, the Post Office once
issued a Christmas stamp showing medieval mummers.
By the way, the English band XTC released an album called Mummer in
1983. The inner sleeve depicted Swindon's finest dressed in suits made
from strips of paper, much like the costumes of the Marshfield Mummers.
Their single Senses Working Overtime & their album English Settlement
(its green & white cover depicts the Uffington White Horse) somehow sum
up in music the magical spirit of old England & my own mystical
feelings. There were also "pagan" songs on their album Skylarking
(Season Cycle & Sacrificial Bonfire, which aren't as blatant as they
sound!). Another one is Deliver Us From the Elements on Mummer which,
for reasons I can't explain, conjures up vivid pictures of neolithic
peoples; rituals; vast, empty Wiltshire land- & skyscapes & spiral
dances amongst the avenues & circles of standing stones at Avebury.
For me, XTC's post-English SettlementJalbums (you can tell I'm a fan!
:-D) have had an edge which I find as pagan as any number of songs about
Green Men. I doubt if Andy Partridge & Colin Moulding would agree with
me on this, but I suspect that they'd find the idea of being labelled
"pagan in spirit" quite fun.
Janet - re: the Oak & Holly Kings (4): Maybe they don't fight, but
merely "hand the baton on" to each other?
Tara (6): Which bits of the Arthurian stuff do you have problems with
- & why?
12: You're in the middle of a cornfield, eh? So it's you we have to
blame for the crop circles, then, not Doug & Dave or the Wessex
Sceptics. :-D
Irena Armstrong: Hello & welcome to Cousins! Re: Celtic music - what
do you think of Runrig? Have you (or anyone else, come to that!) ever
encountered an Irish group called Lick the Tins? They produced some
singles & an excellent album called Blind Man On A Flying Horse, but
no-one else seems to have heard of them. :-(
Stan Gurlewski: Welcome to the Clan! Though I suffer from SAD, I
agree with you about your favourite weather. I don't like the
decreasing amount of sunlight, but the cold doesn't bother me; cold
snowy days suit me, too - & windy days are incredibly full of energy.
I love the Autumn & Winter months & find Spring a bit unsettling.
Summer is okay, but while I enjoy the warmth & sunshine I loathe
baking-hot days when the slightest effort makes the sweat pour & the
brain go into reverse.
Linda Goodall: Re: Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre as possible Mary
Sues. I agree, but I don't think that either Catherine or Jane is
anything like as perfect as the blatant Mary Sues of modern times! I
think this illustrates the point that if the "MS" story stands in its
own right/writes as a damn good yarn, the "MS" element recedes; it's
only when the story is poor that it's impossible to ignore & make
allowances for the MS character. (What did you think of the recent
Ralph Fiennes/ Juliet Binoche version of WH?)
If you can get a copy of Forbidden Forest 2, I seem to recall that it
has an interesting Nasir story... :-)
Re: Brigantia - I echo your recommendation if this! I found some of
the material wonderfully eerie and evocative. And from what I've read
about Cartimandua, I'd love to see some fiction about her! George
Shipway's Imperial Governor has her as a central character, but I've
not read it yet. Funnily enough, I have Shipway's book The Wolf Time
(!) from 1973: the front cover illustration is that of a young knight
who looks surprisingly like Robert Addie.
Re: The Cranborne Chase: I loved Burnett's version of Little John. :-
D Have you read The Priestess of Henge? Another Robin very different
to the ones we know is in Pamela Kaufman's The Shield of Three Lions.
Janet Reedman (7): Re: "casting" Firelord. Give us some examples - I
dare you! :-D
Re: the pottiness of Margaret Murray, the Watkins' "Straight Track"
theory, & Lethbridge's hill figures - tread carefully, dear! :-) You
reminded me of the Glastonbury Zodiac, which gets dismissed for similar
reasons as the Straight Track theory (i.e., the features making up the
figures come from very different eras). Perhaps you could argue that
there was always power in the landscape & that over the centuries
people have been "guided" to build the canals & other things that make
up the figures/lines - & because our era is in need of proof of
spiritual things, it's only now that we can really see & appreciate
them. But it's only a theory! And what's wacky about Janet & Colin
Bord, then, eh? :-D
Why do you think kids' books are frequently far more powerful than
"adult" fantasy novels? It's true, but I'm not sure why. Perhaps the
authors of children's books pull fewer punches & use the old
tales/symbols/mythical ideas "undiluted" without pulling in explanatory
bits/extraneous material. It could also be that fantasy doesn't have
quite the same "grounding," which is why it lacks this power. Who
knows? :-)
Ta for the info on the Avebury ox-cult. The stone phalli reminded me
of visiting Hadrian's Wall & discovering from the guide book that the
Romans were very fond of carving phalli everywhere & wearing carved
ones as charms because they were regarded as symbols of good luck. Of
course, other cultures have been equally fond of drawing the old willie
- they certainly seemed to have a robust attitude towards genitalia &
the amusement to be gained therefrom, although this may just be an
idealization of our forebears! But I can't help wondering how these
"erotic" artworks compare with the graphic depictions of male & female
genitalia that modern vandals enjoy scrawling on our local multi-storey
car-parks so as to be "shocking."
I've read Sword at Sunset, but it was years ago - I must dig it out &
re-read it.
Re: The Proud Villeins: So you thought it was Jason, too - it is like
him, isn't it? :-D
Your description of your experiences when visiting stones describes
their evocative nature perfectly. I think this is the reason for one
of my main complaints about (some) NATs - that they don't seem able to
comprehend that "ordinary" people can pick up resonances at the stones
just as well as they can. We may not all get the same messages, but we
get messages...
Re: Arbor Low: Pity about the cow-pat! Do you think that the stones
were ever upright, or might its "architect" have had a particular
reason for wanting them laid out flat?
I'm sure that you also sympathised with Chris about Stonehenge - that
you can't get as close as you can at Avebury, which makes for a
frustrating visit. I don't think anyone knows what to do about
Stonehenge - least of all English Heritage boss Jocelyn Stevens, if
recent comments of his are anything to go by. Did you see One Foot in
the Past the other week? The "latest" plan to completely re-route the
road past the stones is good news. Not so good for the less athletic
is that the new visitors' centre will be sited a mile or so from the
stones so that anyone unable to walk very far won't get to see the
stones at all, unless there's some provision made re: wheel-
chairs/electric carts. Stevens was interviewed & I was appalled at his
condescending & patronizing attitude towards the disabled/elderly who
he obviously thought would be quite happy to sit in the visitors'
centre whilst their more able relatives went to see the stones; it
didn't seem to have occurred to him that these "grannies" (his wording,
if I remember rightly) might actually want to see the stones up close
for themselves & not be content with mock-ups in a visitors' centre.
When we went to Stonehenge in '84 the army were doing helicopter
manoeuvres; I hope so, anyway - because one thing I remember is a lot
of smoke/mist & some bright lights in the sky in that field with the
barrows in it across the other side of the road. But I doubt if it was
anything mystical, although I don't remember hearing any helicopter
noises... I agree that the surrounding plains are as interesting as
the monument. I'm sure you're familiar with the terms "sacred/ritual
landscapes" - the feeling that's evoked when travelling through this
part of Wiltshire as a whole is very strong, isn't it?
"There's a truth beyond reality" - oh, absolutely! It's like Plato's
idea that the world as we know it is no more substantial than the
shadows thrown on the wall of a cave by firelight; perhaps "reality" is
the "fantasy," & "fantasy" is the true "reality."
Jacquie Groom: Where didJthe "RoS" episode Cromwell's Crusade come
from?!
The idea of a German Morse (sorry, my machine doesn't do umlauts!) is
fun - & fits in well with the quest for place-names with "legendary"
connections, e.g. Robin Hood's Bay, etc! :-D I wonder if the motto of
the Isle of Lewis is an aggrieved "Aww, Sir..."? :-D And one of the
prominent points on Lewis (the island, as opposed to Kevin Whately) is
The Butt of Lewis. Are we back to buns again?
I know that with Julie & Hilda's additional comments we must be
annoying the bejabbers out of anyone who either doesn't like/hasn't
seen Casualty, but I still liked your suggestions for new Holby General
porters! :-) We could also have Belleme, Lilith, & Jennet in the
Pharmacy Dept. :-D
What was life on the Falklands like? I've always thought that you must
have a strong feeling of being on the edge of the world. I was
fascinated by your comments on my cultural piracy ramblings. We're
back to the question of why one can feel so at home/have a sense of
"belonging" in places where - as you said of the Falklands - something
just "clicks" & which has more to it than meeting relatives/being aware
of a family link to a place. Just what is it that can engender such a
response? The attitude of your tutor (apart from being bloody
insensitive) when you were finding things difficult at the time of the
Falklands War raises other questions. Do you have to be born in a
place before you're a "real" member of the community? A lot of people
might say "yes," but maybe there's as strong a case to be made for
those who choose to be "adopted." How long do you have to live
somewhere before you really "belong?" How many generations do your
family have to live in a place before people stop referring to them as
"newcomers?" Does anyone actually have a right to judge someone else's
"worthiness" to belong to a particular community? Is it wrong to want
to live in another country/community if the way of life & the land make
you feel that you've finally "come home?" It really does seem that
there's a lot of truth in the old saying about home being where the
heart is.
Re: Arabic phrases in RoS: The one that's always worried me is
Sarak's aggressive snarl to Nasir which sounds horribly like "up yer
back" - as though he's just seen a spider the size of the one in the
Carling Black Label advert crawling up Nasir's obverse (?) side.
Siannan (12): Re: New Age Travellers. I must admit that I don't know
anything about their "influence" on Sedona - what happened, then?
I really have no wish to come over as some raving bigoted fascist on
the subject of NATs, but everyone, I think, has a limit to what they
can happily tolerate & I'm afraid this is one of mine. I can
understand why people become NATs, & I think that they should be
allowed to live that way if they so choose; it's by no means an easy
life, but there's something very appealing about the idea of simply
taking to the road & moving from place to place. Also, in an economic
climate like Britain's' where a lot of people are jobless &/or homeless
& see no hope for themselves in society then joining an alternative
society where they don't feel so alienated makes perfect sense.
Unfortunately, not all NATs are peaceful or seem content to "live & let
live;" some seem to thrive on the confrontations that result from their
mass trespass on farm-land & public open spaces - thereby preventing
"normals" from enjoying these tracts of land. A lot of the reports we
get of their exploits over the summer are no doubt media hype &
victimization, but I can understand why many people object to
supporting NATs through taxation which goes to pay for their Income
Support, etc. After all, most NATs claim to be anarchists - & as
someone commented recently, "True racists don't go limbo-dancing - &
true anarchists don't sign on the dole."
How are things with the fundies these days? I enjoyed your tale of
your trip to the Scandinavian Faire! I hate it when Fundies do that
kind of thing across you - I always feel deeply conned. :-)
Laura Woodswalker Todd re: "bogs, boggarts, etc." (12): If that's
mind-boggling, what worries me is in England "bog off" is an offensive
expression closely akin to 2 more obscene ones (concerning sex + travel
& urination + travel). :-)
I enjoyed your comments on ethnic piracy - certainly there's truth in
every culture's myths. I also can't help feeling that inevitably those
cultures springing from a particular branch (e.g. Indo-European) will
have a great deal more in common than the individual races concerned
might realize. Maybe this is the time to start looking at what unites,
rather than divides. You're right - the difference between our modern
lives & those of our ancestors makes following old spirit paths with
the same depth & degree of understanding of what they were on about
nigh-on impossible. By taking the aspects that have meaning for us,
however, maybe we're helping the old traditions to evolve. But as you
say, we can't begin to comprehend (or at most we can get a vague
understanding) of what life was like & how people felt 10,000 years
ago. And following only the path of one's particular ethnic group is
fine if you feel happy doing so!
As for how many hundred years ago the Saxons conquered the Celts &
isn't it time that was forgotten - erm - well you may be on tricky
ground there, Laura! :-) But one can go too far; taking the Celt/Saxon
thing to an extreme, one could argue that the "English" should all go
back to Germany & Scandinavia & wherever the hell else they come from -
but after 1500+ years it's simply unrealistic. :-D Mind you, I'm told
there's a group called "The Northumbrian Nationalists" who want the
English out of Northumbria - this is like wanting the Welsh out of
Anglesey - since Northumbria is one of the earliest English kingdoms.
And I still haven't discovered exactly what nationality the NN are!! :-)
I'm not sure that I agree with you about the watering down/
assimilation of ethnic groups, although your example of Yugoslavia is
as strong a vindication of your case as I can imagine. Where I think
that "strong ethnic identification" goes wrong is when it leads to "my
ethnic group is better than your ethnic group."
You say that you're a Jew who's ashamed of what's happening in Israel;
I can identify with that since I'm English & ashamed of what successive
leaders of my country have done down the centuries to our Celtic
neighbours. But at the same time, rightly or wrongly, I'm not sure
that this makes my race worse than any other. In C12, Hilda, said:
"I... think that the first step towards eliminating oppression is to
acknowledge the gains already made & to live in the present, so as to
avoid inaccurate accusations & despair." But for the English, Celts &
Gaels (or in fairness, some, at least), I think this is a difficult
area. There are still racist English idiots who view the Scots as
tight-fisted, drunken boors; the Welsh as dim-witted rugby fans who
sing hymns while molesting sheep; & the Irish as either thick,
Guinness-sodden hicks or terrorists. Thankfully, such remarks &
attitudes are now considered unacceptable! But English visitors to
Celtic countries are often subjected to "racial" abuse; Welsh &
Scottish nationalists favour using IRA-style tactics to "free" their
nations; some Welsh nationalists are making threats of physical
violence towards English "incomers" for "destroying their culture," &
threatening to burn them out of their homes if they don't leave Wales.
The English are expected to take all this as "just deserts," & if we
don't like it, then tough - but the snag is that anyone assuming we'll
meekly put up with this as a kind of masochistic score-settling is
asking for trouble. :-) Yes, Goddess knows the English have merrily
crapped on people in the past & it would be idiotic to deny it - but
then so have a lot of other nations. As the Sex Pistols said, No-one
is Innocent. There's nothing wrong with racial pride, & there's a lot
in Celtic nationalism that I understand. But I'm fed up of hearing
"serves you right" from certain quarters, very un-pc of me to admit -
but these attitudes don't get us any further forward, do they? We
really need to be building bridges & trying to settle our differences
rather than continually raking up the past & the mistakes of successive
English governments.
There's a new political group called "The Movement for Middle England"
who want more power given to the English regions, devolved governments
for Cornwall, Wales, & Scotland, & is generally in favour of small,
autonomous nations with plenty of opportunity for government of local
areas by people who actually live there. One aim is to establish some
kind of English national identity which is quite separate from what
they call the Anglo-Norman "British" mentality which has been
responsible for imperialism, etc.: "It's not the blood of the Normans
in our veins that we object to, it's the cultural damage that their
arrogant ideas of controlling inferiors continue to do to English,
Celtic, & other cultures." MFME is aiming for better relations between
the English & our Celtic neighbours, which is fine by me - it's no fun
being disliked! :-D And blessed be if I've put any backs up with these
comments - I'm sorry! But not everything English British is
oppressive/evil: there's good & bad in all things. :-)
Anyway, I didn't mean to rant on quite so much about this, as I suspect
I'm setting myself up for some replies equally as heated as the ones
that you're dreading, Laura! Talk about digging your own grave.
Folks, please be gentle with us... :-D
The Llewellyn New Times article sounded pretty cool! Following a
Celtic/Saxon path seems okay for me because they do have something to
do with my ancestors - but your Generic Nature worship sounds (pardon
the pun) far more earthy & in many ways more viable than a strictly
cultural approach to religion because it sounds like the sort of thing
our very earliest brothers & sisters would've done. No magic words, no
trappings, just heart-felt connections.
Re: feeling uncomfortable with usurping the myths of a race that your
own culture has oppressed. Your example of the behaviour of Medieval
Xns really made me stop & think because it was something that had never
occurred to me before! Back to your point: agreed, tread with care.
I think your idea of backing up the spirituality with some kind of
compensatory acts is excellent - though I must admit that the nearest I
get to that is supporting Celtic economies by buying loads of stuff &
donating to local charities when I'm on holiday in Scotland/ Ireland.
Hope that doesn't sound patronizing. :-)
Your description of your feelings when driving through central
Pennsylvania was amazing, & extremely powerful. I wish moreJpeople
could hear the stones, the mountains, & the trees speaking to them -
but at the same time, I can't help thinking of Spike Milligan's parody
of a Paint Your Wagon song: "I talk to the trees - /That's why they
put me away..."
Re: Hilda's comment to Georgia about worshipping a guitar god by
learning to play. Okay, this is tortuous, but perhaps we can extend
the idea - that by making use of any given talent/ learning some new
skill is a way of worshipping whatever deity is "in charge" of that
particular skill.
Georgia (8): Yes, but would a Norman "Marion" be unable to speak
English? I get very confused about who spoke what in the 13th C.
You don't have a spare photocopy of How Mary Magdalene Became a Whore,
do you? Grovel grovel... [Make that two spare copies and four
grovels... -H]
I wish St. Hilda hadn't caved in to the Romanists - the Celtic Church
had so much wisdom to offer that it's a pity we lost it.
12: I've just been skimming through my copy of Gundarsson's Teutonic
Magic - someone's probably already mentioned this, but do you think we
could equate Nasir with Odin & Grid's son Vidarr? After all, not only
is he credited with ripping open the jaws of the Fenris-Wolf, but he's
also "the silent god" who is associated with the depths of the forest.
:-)
Your letter made enlightening reading - Georgia, you could never be
boring. I was fascinated by your comments on pagan views of
homosexuality. When you say that this is the only period in history in
which organizations are being set up specifically targeting gays,
lesbians, & bi's - by that did you mean anti or support groups? I know
it's naive, but I can't help feeling that the old adage of "It doesn't
matter who you love, as long as you give love to somebody" should be
taken up more strongly.
Re: a black Jesus - this isn't strictly in the spirit of the point you
were making to Kip, but I was reminded that a few years back a group of
Odinists complained vociferously when a black actor was cast as Woden
in a production of the Ring Cycle because they felt that a black Woden
was inappropriate. (And "one man's Mede is another man's Persian"
indeed! :-O)
Thanks for your comments on Nick Higham's theory! I still haven't got
round to contacting Mike Howard re: the original article, but I will,
I promise. Maybe Arthur's the man associated with Britain because
whilst Alfred & Edmund were good kings & achieved a great deal, perhaps
at heart everyone (Saxon, Celt, Dane, Martian) loves colourful tales of
derring-do. [And what does "derring-do" mean?! :-) ]
I find the idea of E.T. intervention in human history & advancement
interesting, & I wouldn't be surprised if extraterrestrials had visited
us in the past. But like you I can't accept that our earlier brothers
& sisters were much less intelligent than weJare today. I think this
is why I have such a problem with Erich von Daniken, in that his books
depict early peoples as having the intellectual & imaginative
capabilities of a boiled carrot.
Hilda (4): I never saw Loxley as a Celt because for me there never
seemed to be anything in the series to suggest it - & would a Celt
speak out so strongly against the sufferings of the English? Though I
can accept the idea of "blood will out" - the Welsh side of my family
are at least 4th generation "English" but are still "dark Celts." :-D
5: Abbot Martin deserved more episodes! Martin & Herne - what a
combination...
Re: Loxley's death & druids using bows & arrows to kill sacrificial
victims (6): With such things in mind, should we view the martyrdom of
St. Sebastian in a new light?
I was miaowing up the wrong tree about black cats! They areJlucky. If
one runs across your path it's considered very fortunate - unless, of
course, you trip over the bloody thing.
Re: your comment "Xianity as currently practiced is a religion aimed
at emotional toddlers" (7): I think that's a bit cruel, but it's
probably true of at least some churches. But isn't it a dreadful
indictment of the attitudes of a number of Xns? Unless you're into
spiritual & emotional masochism & prefer to ignore the loving,
forgiving God in favour of the blood & thunder one, I don't understand
the appeal of this. Anda, how prevalent is this attitude amongst Xns?
Do you know? Are we getting this out of proportion?
By the way, there was an interesting point raised in a pagan magazine
some time ago about evangelical churches - that with all their
concentration on cataloguing the strength, power, cunning, &
intelligence of Satan during meetings (this, I assume, was a
generalization), it might lead one to wonder just who it was they were
worshipping.
Re: Lilith the Child-Strangler who destroyed imperfect children (7).
If you assumed that the nomenclature was a bit of a patriarchal name-
calling, maybe she merely destroyed the imperfections and not the
child; you see, I have this image of her taking a child to one side
(into another dimension?) & then teaching him/her how to relate more
effectively to others. This shows how little I know of this aspect of
Lilith (i.e. nowt), but I can see this strong woman leading the errant
child through ever-more challenging confrontations until he reaches
"enlightenment" - it could ultimately be quite an exhilarating learning
experience (imagine it filmed by Spielberg! :-D ). I'm sure there are
some old tales along these lines, but can think of none off-hand. I
find it a stimulating idea (I'd love to see it as a book), but I'm
aware that I know nothing about this tradition, so please understand
that if this idea gives great offence, it wasn't meant to. (Black
Peter could do similar things, of course!) And thanks for telling me
about The Book of Lilith, which sounds really inspiring; hopefully I
can get it through the library or a local bookshop. Failing that,
could I borrow it, please? [Any time! -H]
9: Just who is Mercedes Lackey? [Queen's Own folks - how to answer
this one succinctly? -H]
Re: "welk" = "twist"/"bend." Doesn't "welkin" mean "sky?" If so,
does this help or not? Not, probably. But if it does, I mean - what
does it mean? (Fnar fnar :-D )
12: I liked your comments to Laura on cultural identity etc. -
particularly the idea of a warrior of modern times finding new battles
in the war on crime, pollution, etc.
Re: Waco - the scenes of the blazing compound really scared me, too.
What we Brits couldn't make out is exactly who the Branch Davidians
were & what their beliefs were.
I like the idea of constructing a "writers' group" specially for fan
writers! Another piece of ammunition in the "originality" debate might
be that borrowing other people's ideas is fine so long as you do
something interesting with them.
Re: the polarized relationship between the descendants of oppressors &
the spirituality of their forebears' victims - no, neither approach
does the original culture justice. But perhaps by taking on that
spirituality & travelling the "middle" path is a kind of acknowledgment
of the validity of that culture's beliefs which your ancestors ignored
& somehow trying to heal the wounds. I know that sounds incredibly
nauseating, but that's the best way I could find to explain what I
meant. :-)
Re: the preponderance of Celtic magic in RoS. It doesn't bother me
that much. And each to their own - it's been said many times that this
universe is one in which we're all free (up to a point! :-D) to indulge
particular fantasies & explore particular theories, ideas, & pet
obsessions. And long may it be so! It's just that occasionally I feel
that by having too many Celtic elements in RoS fanfic the fiction
starts to take on shades of an alternative universe. This is just a
pet peeve, because while I love all that glorious stuff, for me the
Celtic threads don't always sit too well with the RoS universe. Most
of the material in this vein is excellent; but occasionally there's
some over-egging of the pudding which just feels all wrong to me -
especially if the author is heavy-handed. :-) But ultimately people will
- & should - write what they enjoy & explore the avenues that interest
them; after all, that's what makes fanfic fun.
I find it hard to believe that the Saxons did concentrate on military
matters to the exclusion of all else - as you say, this is probably a
complaint that must be laid at the feet of those who wrote the first
books on the matter. :-D I mean, just to lay myself open to further
castigation here, were there really so many differences between the
Celts & Saxons (or any other groups from the same basic "branch?")
They may not have agreed on the finer details, bt on the broader
scale...? I think Frank Delaney's' said something along these lines,
but I'm blowed if I can find the reference! :-)
I like the sound of Artos - do you have any further info? [Kip? Any
news? -H]
I should've put in more :-Ds & :-)s when I was having my "lack of Saxon
input" whinge. It was meant to be good-humoured, not a vicious rant. :-)
As I've said to you before, this is where the spoken word scores over
the written; exclamation marks can signal "I am very angry about this!"
& not just "I want to have a moan about this, but it's not meant
unkindly" - which is something that only occurred to me when it was far
too late. :-)
I agree with your comments on those who pit nature against jobs in the
public mind. In addition, with the current recession, many unemployed
people are themselves willing to sacrifice the future for the sake of
earning a living & supporting their families - which I can understand,
but which also seems to indicate a kind of spiritual poverty in modern
times.
Lord knows what'll happen as a result of Kevin Carlyon's actions! But
I suppose this also begs the question of whether or not the pre-
existent energies at these sites are sentient & are thinking "Hang on a
minute - who is this Kevin Carlyon anyway?" :-)
Hereward the Wake led the Fenland (i.e. Eastern counties of England)
revolt against William the Conqueror.
A final bit of useless info: don't stay in cliff-top hotels in
Scarborough with the man of your dreams or else you'll find that the
earth really does move for you...
Siannan
Greetings Cousins! I hope the Lady is blessing your summer! I know I
am having fun! Did everyone have a good time at Weekend In Sherwood?
I want to hear all about it!
I appreciate several of you naming good Celtic music to buy. Please
continue the recommendations! Ceoltoiri is another excellent Celtic
group. I recommend their tapes, Silver Apples Of The Moon and Celtic
Lace. For those of you interested in rock music related to the Native
American path try Songs From The Lost World by Requiem For The
Americas. This tape includes music by Yes, Toni Childs, John Waite,
Duran Duran, Grace Jones, poetry readings by Jim Morrison and much
more. It is superb!
Christine Haire. There is a rope barrier around Stonehenge? That's
too bad. Aren't there certain times when people are allowed to walk
among the monoliths? As for jumping the barrier - go for it! I am one
of those rebellious types who tends to disobey those kinds of rules!
This is getting off the topic a bit, but don't you think rope barriers,
and signs that say "Do not touch" or "Keep off the grass" defeat their
purpose? They often call someone's attention to an object or behavior
they otherwise would not have thought of. I remember going to a
theatre several years ago and seeing a Do not touch" sign of something
(I can't remember what it was now - that's how insignificant the object
was). The sign drew everyone's attention to this object that they
would never have noticed! Of course I ran right over and touched it -
nothing happened. Hmmmm... sounds like a good research idea for a
psychology class! :-)
On to your questions. The fact that Meg did not join the band in the
forest is a loose end. Perhaps she did not wish to. After all she did
want John to leave the forest with her.
I strongly believe in reincarnation. My mom teaches classes on the
topic and does do past life therapy (regressions). I have been
regressed twice in private sessions and several times in a group.
Every time was an enlightening experience. It helps to go into the
session with certain questions about people you know in this life or
experiences you have had. The therapist will have you focus on these
questions so that you will be likely to recall a past life that can
explain your present relationships or events. Past life therapy can be
very helpful. Just make sure you go to a hypnotherapist experienced in
doing past life regressions.
I have experienced deja vu when looking a pictures of the Cotswolds in
England. But the strongest incidence of deja vu I have seen happened
was to my mom. While we were visiting the Rosicrucian Egyptian museum,
she walked up to a replica of the breast plate on the Sphinx and this
intense feeling of homesickness gripped her. She started crying
uncontrollably. She could not take her eyes off the breast plate. She
had never felt like that before nor has since.
Question for all Cousins. Do you feel that a belief in reincarnation
affects how intensely an individual lives her/his life? For example,
do people who believe this lifetime is the only one live their lives
more fully than those of us who know we will be coming back again to
live other lives? Hmm... that's another good research idea!
I do believe in ghosts, but I used to think all ghost stories were
bullshit until I had a real one of my own. Several years ago we had a
"visitor" and very odd things went on that were completely
unexplainable. But the climax for me was the night I was up late and
heard someone trying to break in the house (the dog was barking too)
and then heard someone walking through the dining room. I ran in
there, but no one was there and no one had been trying to get in the
house. To have such obviously real sounds with nothing tangible making
them was all the proof I needed that ghosts do exist! We have not had
any spooks visit us like that since and I am glad!
have also had experiences with what my mom and I call '"borrowers" (I'm
not sure if they are fairies or playful spirits) - when I cannot find
something I know I put in a certain spot and I look there several
times, not finding it. Then, later, it is there or in a completely odd
place I know I never would have put it! Grrr... something must be
getting a good laugh over that!
The origin of the gypsies is India. They are a migratory people who
have intermarried with European cultures thus eventually getting
lighter skin color. Some gypsies believe they are descendants of the
Line of Cain who were exiled and cursed to wander the lands without a
home.
Linda Frankel. The story of Robert leaving the comforts of nobility to
join the band in the forest is a classic archetypal theme (choice):
comfortable ignorance or spiritual awakening. The spiritual path is
not always easy for it demands that we grow. Often along the wag we
can be seduced by the comforts of our old ways much like Robert had a
time of questioning whether he wanted to choose the adventurous
(spiritual) path or the comforts of the castle. Each of us come to a
point(s) in our lives when we must face that choice.
The magical/pagan aspect of RoS is what initially drew me to the
series. I was impressed that Robin was portrayed as a Pagan rather
than a Christian which just seems more realistic of the times. I do
agree with your attraction to shows that center on chosen families.
Often in real life people are stuck with biological families in which
they do not really fit so they like to seek out surrogate families.
That is why shows which have that chosen family atmosphere appeal to
us. It is that desire to find a place where we belong, to find our
"people." Doctor Who has often had that vibe with the right
combination of companions, especially in the early years of the series.
Having sex with individuals other than Marion would have been out of
character for Robin as Richard Carpenter created him. By the way, I
was not cheapening the Great Rite with crass judgments. Please do not
read more into what I am saying than I am! It is also possible that
Robin and Marion would act as Goddess and God in all the rites. The
magic from their Divine union would affect other's consummating their
love on that night.
I agree with your sentiments about oppressed groups needing to fight
back. No one should have to take a kicking. You have a right to your
anger. What I am saying is that there is a point where it can be taken
too far and it defeats its purpose causing the opposite reaction than
what it was intended to produce. Beating someone over the head with an
issue does not make them support you. It just makes them angry toward
you. I took an intercultural communications class one semester in
order to learn about other cultures and increase my empathy toward
them. I had an East Indian teacher who spent all the class time
complaining about white people and rarely talking about anything else.
I left that class feeling angry and less tolerant of other cultures.
That man had an opportunity to bring cultures closer together in
understanding. Instead he took things too far and cause nothing but
resentment and more hostility among the various cultures in his
classes.
Ruth Dempsey. You brought up a very important point regarding Bible
interpretation. It baffles me why so many people take the Bible so
literally, especially since it was written centuries ago by people who
were very different than we are today and could not fathom what society
would be like a couple thousand years later. Not only were the stories
in the Bible recorded long after the fact, they were written in bardic
form which involves exaggeration.
On top of that, the religious leaders of the Middle Ages did their own
meddling with the Bible passages, cutting out and pasting in what
suited them. As you said; everyone truth is their own and we must, as
individuals, seek our own meanings from religious texts.
Laura Woodswalker Todd. re. animals we represent. I have always
idolized tigers. They are graceful animals whose appearance is
impressive. They are fierce when they need to be and independent -
they do not run in packs and are able to stand on their own.
Are we merely children of the Earth?! Don't be surprised if we have
other world blood in us as well. No I won't get started on the ancient
astronaut theory... not yet, those comments are saved for Georgia.
You are correct, figures from the media do become archetypal
representations for our inner selves. I do, however, cringe at the
idea of John F. Kennedy as a Divine King or Sacrificed God. I am not a
Kennedy clan fan so admit by bias forthright. He had a lot of charisma
but when we get down to analyzing his capabilities in office, they are
sadly lacking. Because he died in office, he is seen as a martyr, but
had he lived, many scholars believe he would have been considered one
of our worst presidents.
Jim Morrison was a genius and an enlightened individual who got caught
on the path of self-destruction. That is not a Sacred King myth, but a
sad waste of potential.
Kris: on feeling left out: All fans are important and should be made
to feel that way whether they are from Japan or Kalamazoo! That is why
I love what Hilda is doing with Cousins. She includes our letters and
makes everyone feel like they matter! :-)
So - I am not the only one eagerly and impatiently checking the mailbox
every day! Hey, if the zines and merchandise weren't any good, we
would not care when they came, right? The clubs should take our
impatience as compliments and not just gripes. :-P
Christopher Robin: I have read numerous books on the Celts and have
never read about same-sex love among their warriors. The only place I
have read about shield-mates is in fantasy novels. I do not dispute
your claims, but I would like to know your source for this information.
Amber Foxfire. I always felt that the "will they or won't they" aspect
to Robert and Marion's relationship was used to titillate the viewers.
This technique is used frequently in TV series to create sexual tension
and keep the viewers interested - i.e. Maggie and Joel in Northern
Exposure, Dr. Quinn and Sully on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, Sam and
Diane on Cheers.
Louise Bath. I also have a difficult time understanding how people can
destroy beautiful places and not feel something! At one corner of our
ranch along a dirt canal we used to have three beautiful weeping
willows. Amongst them were large areas of tules. I used to walk down
to that spot every evening, sit on the pipe that went across the canal
and watch the sunset. The magic in that place was incredible! One day
the irrigation district decided to clean out this particular canal.
The man operating the backhoe dumped mud on top of the two small
willows, set fire to the larger one and basically uprooted everything
else. I was shocked that anyone would wreak that kind of mindless
destruction on such an obviously beautiful spot. We complained about
this, but to no avail. However - karma works! The irrigation district
is now being sued by a lot of their former employees. This is going to
cost them big money! That magical spot won't be replaced by this, but
it is wonderful to see karmic justice at work!
The sign of the moon with the waxing and waning crescents on either
side is also a horned symbol of the Goddess.
Interesting musing on Satan. Hilda has written a great article
entitled "Evil Among Us" which clearly pinpoints the metaphysical
notion of Satan, negative thinking like "I can't." Satan is basically
that part of our egos which keeps us from believing our true identities
- that we are Divine Beings capable of magnificent feats! I promised I
would not mention this yet, but I cannot resist. According to Zecharia
Sitchen, the Sumerian god, Enki (Ea) whose symbol was the serpent, was
the Biblical Satan. He was actually an ally to humans and wanted to
bring them out of ignorance and give them the knowledge of the
celestial gods. His brother, Enlil, who desired to keep humankind
slaves tilling the fields of the gods (called the Eden), was angered by
this and set out to twist the reputation of Enki and his family into an
evil or dark force. Quite far out... but certainly an interesting
notion, don't you think?
"Nothing is good or evil only the thinking that makes it so!"
Janet Reedman. re: war goddesses. Interestingly, many of the love
goddesses of the old pantheons were also known as war goddesses like
Maeve, Inanna, Ishtar, and Freya. Were they love goddesses in time of
peace and war goddesses in time of battle? Or were there deeper
reasons for this duality? like the balance these goddesses represent,
the power of the feminine as the lover and life giver as well as the
warrior and slayer. This duality exists in all women only the warrior
half has been repressed. Or, perhaps the message is that there really
is a thin line between love and hate. Hmm...
Stan Gurlewski. It's not only OK to question one's faith, but
necessary. Doing so is a sign you are growing spiritually, thinking
for yourself, and finding your Truth that will set you free. Following
the crowd gets you no further than the crowd. By thinking for yourself
you will pioneer new ground.
My first ritual experience also convinced me there is a lot more going
on than we fully comprehend. When I was in high school this girl named
Joanne (name has not been changed to protect privacy!), who was
supposed to be my friend, stayed at my house one weekend. I taught her
how to meditate since it was something she had not been exposed to and
wanted to learn. On Monday she came to school and told all the girls
in our PE class that I was praying to the devil. At first I could not
figure out why everyone was treating me so oddly. With the help of
another friend (a true one!) I discovered what Joanne had said and my
friend and I confronted her. She denied everything.
Later that evening I went to a meeting of teenagers into New Age
religions and we did a burning ritual. We wrote something on a paper
we wanted removed or corrected in our lives (for everyone's highest
good, of course) and burned them, saying a blessing as we did. I wrote
"The lies Joanne told about me." Within a half an hour of arriving
home I received a telephone call from Joanne. She cried and apologized
for what she had done. The next day she went to school and told
everyone she had lied about me. Ritual definitely works!!
Even though I have been a professional student I have not taken classes
on the cultures of my interest. Celts, Gypsies, Ancient Egypt. There
have never been classes offered on them at the colleges I have
attended. I would love to take a course on the history of Britain or
Gypsiology, but because that is not possible here 1 have studied and
read numerous books on my own. I also discovered something else,
studying is so much more enjoyable when we do not have to worry about
writing reports or being exammed. We study for the pleasure of
learning and not to earn a grade. I actually believe we learn more
when we study for pleasure than being coerced by grades! :-)
As for other zines, I get MPNN, On Target, The Quickening, and
Milennial Star (a UFOlogy zine). I am also editor of Faces Of The
Goddess. I got involved in the RoS community by writing Starlog and
asking for the names of RoS clubs and zines. They gave me Janet
Reedman's address and she gave me the rest of my connections. Thanks
Janet!!
I guess I am in the minority along with you! I prefer Autumn and
Winter with their cold, brisk air and stormy days. There is a lot of
magic available in storms. I always have lots of energy in Autumn, but
Spring makes me lethargic so I do not get much done. I also prefer
vacations in cool climates. Tropical locales excite me none at all!
Georgia Fleming. Becoming as gods is the realization that we already
are gods. I believe we just forgot somewhere along the way and we are
here to remember. God/dess is the Divine Force that is ALL. The terms
"god" or "goddess" also stand for archetypes in the psyche. I rarely
use the term "demigods" because it implies that there are beings who
are not fully Divine. The God/dess is ALL.
The ancients' knowledge of the outer planets of our solar system went
far beyond the gravitational activities of the heavenly bodies. There
are ancient Sumerian descriptions of the features and colors of the
outer planets of our solar system - information just recently retrieved
by Voyager 2! No - the ancients' knowledge was not the result of a
Eureka experience. Either they had the technology to see these planets
or "someone else" who had seen them imparted that information to the
Sumerians. If you prefer not to consider "cosmic instructors," that's
cool, but, for me, the evidence is just too great to dismiss the
probability that ancient cultures had contact with extraterrestrials.
I believe the Second Coming of Christ (Divine Self) will be when we
come into full realization of our godhood. It will happen to different
people at different times.
Hilda. I absolutely agree with you on not talking about spells. It is
tempting to tell someone, but that is a mistake. I have found my
personal magic to work best when no one else knows. If we tell people
about our spells, they only doubt the power and that negative thinking
can dissipate the energy. I do not even tell others when I have job
interviews or exams. I don't want any doubt energy focused my way.
I am also with you on dancing as prayer. I find it difficult to sit
still for very long and meditate so I changed my prayer/ meditation to
a form more suited to my personality. I spend at least a half an hour
a day just dancing to my favorite Celtic music and connecting with the
Goddess. Walking in nature is also an excellent form of prayer! By
the way, did you see the PBS series on dancing?
I have studied transcendent philosophy and it is only the extremists
who deny this world completely as an illusion. Most on the
transcendent path work at altering their perceptions of the world
around them so that they come to see it as Divine, regarding any other
perceptions (that anything is not of God/dess) as illusory. We must
work at seeing beyond the illusion of separateness from God/dess and
each other and recognize the Oneness of All Life.
I do believe our past lives define who we are now and the experiences
we have in this life time. Preferences, desires, vows, bonds of love,
and ties of hate can be carried across lifetimes. I also believe we
come into each life in order to untie what my mom refers to as a
''karmic knot" that we tied ourselves to in other lives. For example,
if a soul in one life is a person who beats his wife - that is creating
a karmic knot - and in the next life that soul many have the chance to
be a beaten wife. Or, a soul who was a person who killed people in one
life may have a chance to untie the karma by being a doctor or other
type of healer in the next life.
Finally... I love your idea for duck magic! You have such cool ideas!
Thanks for sharing them! :-) [Than ks for appreciating them! By all
means, send your own special rituals our way! -H]
Blessed Be Cousins!
Linda Goodall
Greetings, sweet cousins. I've just finished reading #12, and as
always am amazed at the extent of everyone's knowledge; it's really
thought provoking stuff.
Christine: I too have wondered why Meg couldn't live in the forest
with John. I suppose from the show's point of view it might have been
considered too domestic and cosy. But from various accounts that I
have read with regard to Robin Hood, the families of the outlaws also
had to hide out in Sherwood. The very fact that Meg had a connection
with the Merries must have placed her in danger of being taken to use
as a hostage, so I think that it would have been safer for her to live
with John, than stay in her village.
Reincarnation is a fascinating idea and I don't know what to believe.
For myself, I have no 'other life' memories; but that doesn't mean to
say that I haven't lived before. While on this subject, have you read
Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine (ISBN 0-7221-3359-6)? It was so good I
just couldn't put it down!
I would like to believe in ghosts as my mother promised that she would
make contact with me after her death. In the twenty years since then,
I have only had one possibly supernatural experience, which left me
with a feeling of contentment and a sense of well-being. A few months
after my mother's death I was in my father's bedroom, in a house in
which my mother had never lived. Suddenly I smelt her perfume, it was
as if she had just walked past me. She always wore Chanel no. 5 and
the scent was immediately recognisable as that. I tried to discover
what could have been the cause of the smell, yet found nothing. The
house I live in now is supposed to be haunted by a lady dressed in
white who appears on the stairs. I haven't seen her and I haven't
heard anything strange, although my youngest son claims to have heard
tapping sounds, light bulbs have exploded in his presence, and the TV
changed channels all by itself. However all that happened when we
first moved in here, over a year ago and it's been quiet ever since,
thank goodness! I spend a lot of time on my own as my husband works in
Belgium, and on nights when my son sleeps over at a friend's house,
devoid of human company, I face the terrors of the night alone!
Fortunately I never feel afraid, even when it's wild and windy, for the
house has a very restful ambience which makes me feel safe and
protected. Perhaps the spirit of the 'white lady' is watching over me.
Woodswalker: I heartily agree with your comments on the dangers of
adhering too strongly to one's ethnic origins. 'Ethnic cleansing' is a
horror which, in these supposedly enlightened times, should not exist;
but alas, our barbaric tendencies are only hidden beneath a thin veneer
of civilisation.
Amber Foxfire: Re: Loxley or Huntingdon. Have you ever wondered how
the show would have progressed if Michael had not left it. Obviously
the character of Robert of Huntingdon would never have been created -
sorry, Jason fans. I presume that the episodes featuring Jason would
have been written for Michael, and The Greatest Enemy would have been
shown as the very last episode. OK, I know, this is really a question
for Kip.
Kip: Are you out there?
Paula Sanders: Could be that your sister's theory re: what took place
between Owen and Marion is correct. Although I tend to think that, as
his Champion (Nasir) was about to fight and Owen had money on the
outcome, he would probably have kept Marion until later. My only
surprise is that he didn't have his wicked way with her as soon as he
got her back to his castle. I wouldn't have thought that he would mind
if she was willing or not; to a miscreant like him, Marion's fear and
revulsion would have only added to his enjoyment.
Louise Bath: Re: concentration on the Celts. I've also wondered why
the Merries were assumed to be Celts. I always thought of them as
Saxon freedom fighters, struggling against Norman oppression. In Kip's
novel Robin of Sherwood, he describes Robin's father, Ailric, as Thane
of Loxley. A Thane was an Anglo-Saxon term for one who held land of
the king and was a freeman, in other words he was of Saxon heredity.
The fact that Kip used Herne in his stories rather than a Saxon deity
doesn't automatically make his followers Celts. As has already been
mentioned, Herne the Hunter was not associated with Sherwood, so I
presume that Kip was using poetic licence and simply chose Herne
because he appealed to him. In the case of Herne's appearance in RoS,
one could imagine that perhaps he went with the territory and the local
people just adopted him. But on the whole, I agree with Hilda's
remarks on this subject; the Celtic history and legends do seem more
romantic than those of the warlike Saxons. One of my favourite stories
is about the sad fate of Lir's four children. The following is the
last part of a poem recounting their tragic tale:
Silent, O Moyle, be the roar of thy water:
Break not, ye breezes, your chain of repose,
While, murmuring mournfully, Lir's only daughter
Tells to the night-star her tale of woes.
When shall the swan, her death-note singing,
Sleep, with wings in darkness furl'd?
When will my heaven, its sweet bells ringing,
Call my spirit from this stormy world?
Hilda: Going back to the question of Herne's appearance in Sherwood,
in the course of my browsings I have read that the various cults were
comparatively localised and it was rare to find deities worshipped over
wide areas. The cult of Lug appears to be the exception, and the
mother-goddesses enjoyed a wider distribution than male deities. It
seems that the mythology itself can't be taken as evidence that there
was normally a widespread belief in specific gods. This is not to say
that similar gods weren't worshipped under different names among
different tribal groups, as with Herne/Cernunnos. It's interesting to
note that there is much evidence in Northern Britain of dedications to
Celtic gods by Roman soldiers. Several deities, Cernunnos amongst
them, were linked with Roman gods such as Mercury and Mars.
Re: Religious music. I particularly like Plainsong, because I love
the simple purity of unaccompanied voices. I can recommend: Allegri's
most wonderful Miserere on an album entitled Allegri Miserere
performed, along with other pieces, by Kings College Choir, Cambridge.
Anything by Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), William Byrd (1543-1623) and
Robert Carver (1484-1568). I also find Gregorian Chant extremely
soothing and there's lots of this available; but I prefer it sung by
male voices. I don't consider myself to be religious and I don't
attend any formal gathering. My mother used to say that we were as
near to Heaven whilst out walking on the moors as we were in a church,
and we didn't need pomp and circumstance to gain God's attention. But
I never fail to be moved when I listen to the beautiful music that I
have mentioned, and at such times can truly believe in a sublime and
glorious after-life.
Re: Hereward the Wake. He was a famous Fenland hero and outlaw who,
in 1067, rallied the English resistance against William the Conqueror.
Hereward converted Ely Abbey into a fortress and held it against the
Norman invaders until 1071. When the Abbey fell, he is reputed to have
escaped and fled to Winchester where he swore allegiance to William and
gained the king's favour. What eventually became of Hereward is
uncertain. It is said that he came to a sticky end, when a band of
envious Normans set upon him and stabbed him in the back; but not
before he had managed to kill 15 of them with his famous sword
Brainbiter.
Well, I think I've taken up more than enough space! I hope I shall
meet many of you at Greenwood IV. Until next time, Herne's blessings
be with you and yours.
Linda Frankel
I just wrote an article brought about by some exciting research that is
currently being done by gay scholars in the area of Norse and English
folklore that asks the provocative question "Was Robin Hood Gay?" It
will appear in the Lavender Pagan Network Newsletter. it is a response
to an earlier article in that publication which deals in greater detail
with the research regarding homosexuality in the Norse tradition that
Georgia was discussing in issue 12. If any Cousins are interested,
they should write to me and I'll gladly fill you in.
I found something in The Myth of the Goddess by Anne Baring and Jules
Cashford (Viking/Arkana, London, 1991 ISBN 0-670-835641) which might
be
of interest to Nasir fans. There was apparently an Islamic concept of
the Green Man. He is called Khadir, which means "the Verdant One" and
is also known as "the Hidden Imam." He appeared to Ibn Arabi and
represents the power of nature. Could Nasir be identifying Herne with
Khadir?
COMMENTS ON MAILING #11
To Richard Carpenter re: gay villains - Unfortunately, there is a
widespread belief in the general population that gay men are evil
people who are likely to be psychopathic murderers, child molesters or
transvestite bank robbers. This is consistent with the idea that
someone who would break the taboo against homosexuality would have no
moral code. When you or any other writer portrays homosexuals who are
violent and cruel, you are reaffirming this stereotype and
strengthening that negative concept of homosexuals in the public mind.
You have a right to do this, but is it a socially responsible thing to
do in view of all the discrimination that homosexuals have had to face?
RoS is fiction, but it's important to remember that fiction has power
to affect the way people think. This power should never be
underestimated.
To Richard Carpenter re: the nature of evil -I believe that there are
evil actions, but not evil people. Because change is the most constant
attribute of life, humans can always make the decision to stop
committing evil actions. Anyone can be redeemed.
To Kitty re: Earl David's relationship with Robert - Let's look at the
scene in Rutterkin. When Robert asks for Earl David's blessing, he is
asking for forgiveness. Robert knows that he has deserted and betrayed
his father. This is not some small faux pas. The Earl would feel
tremendous hurt and anger toward Robert. He doesn't furiously
castigate his son because Robert had just saved his life. Therefore he
owed Robert a measure of courtesy. He shows this courtesy in a stiff
and formal manner that conceals his emotions. Considering how deeply
wounded he must be, this is a major concession. Given how he felt, if
the Earl had frostily refused his blessing, told Robert that he asked
too much and walked away, Robert would have accepted this and
understood, yet that isn't what David of Huntington did. Robert
mattered enough to him that he couldn't leave his son with nothing but
cold courtesy between them. He needed to give Robert that sign of
forgiveness and that embrace. These gestures seem undemonstrative to
effusive Americans, but when you consider Earl David's background and
his history with Robert even a stiff awkward embrace is significant.
To Louise Bath re: adopting spiritual traditions from other cultures -
Although we may be born with a certain genetic heritage, none of us are
born with a religion. Ideas aren't innate. The claim that ethnic
origin and religion must coincide is actually an example of racist
ideology. Another point to consider that hasn't been brought up
previously in the discussion is that some people had ancestors whose
religion is lost in the mists of antiquity. They couldn't practice the
religion of their ethnic origins if they tried. Then there is the fact
that most ancient Pagan religions were syncretic. This means that they
adopted deities and practices from other religions. No tradition is
pure. If our ancestors could be syncretic, then why can't we? To
avoid cultural imperialism, let Robert of Huntington be your role
model. He was a member of the oppressor class and became the adopted
son of a God of the oppressed. By giving his life over to Herne and
Herne's people, he was doing his part to end oppression and making
reparations on behalf of the nobility. This is the exact opposite of
cultural imperialism.
To Siannan re: deities as "thought forms" - I have a different concept
of thought forms than you do. I take it that you believe that deities
don't exist independently of our own minds, and that is what you mean
by "thought forms." I have experienced and witnessed possession
trance, so I know that deities do exist independently of our own minds.
It seems to me that the ancient Gods were designed and built by our
ancestors to represent their highest ideals and aspirations and that
they continue to exist as astral entities which are fueled by worship.
The deities that have been worshipped most continuously over the
centuries are therefore the most powerful. On the other hand, we are
entirely capable of creating new deities ourselves based on our highest
ideals and aspirations and building them up into very powerful entities
through the focus of our worship.
To Georgia re: possession - Spirits generally come into our realm when
they are summoned, and generally don't seize someone's body
involuntarily unless the individual has offended them. For example, if
an individual was chosen by a spirit, and he denies that calling, as
Robert of Huntington did for a time, the spirit may force him to
recognize his vocation through an involuntary possession.
To Hilda re: David of Huntington, the reformer - Where does that
concept come from? I think that Earl David couldn't afford to be a
reformer. He had to consider the interests of Scotland first and
foremost. The reason why he became such a bitter enemy of John
Lackland was because that Plantagenet wanted to rule all of Great
Britain - just like his father, Henry II. The Lionheart didn't care a
fig for any part of Great Britain. His main territorial interest was
in maintaining the Norman power base in France. That would have been
fine with David of Huntington. While Richard was enmired in France,
he'd leave Scotland alone.
COMMENTS ON MAILING 12
To Christine re: my attitude - I do not disrespect any Cousin; least
of all Richard Carpenter. I do insist on having my own views and
relying on my own judgment, however. Do you consider people respectful
only if they agree with you?
To Christine re: whether I have read anyone else's RoS - Because my
income is limited, I haven't been able to order very many zines. I
have managed to read exactly seven RoS zines. This is a small sample
and it would be premature for me to draw any conclusions about the work
of individual writers on the basis of what I've read. The story that
I've liked best in the RoS zines I've read so far was "Mirror of Fire"
by Valerie Meachum in Turn of the Wheel because of the strong female
viewpoint character and her Goddess worship orientation. It was
refreshing to see this in the context of RoS. I think that writers
such as Laura Chevening and Janet Reedman write lovely poetic prose
even if I have problems with their interpretations of the characters.
It does seem to me that there is a great deal of diversity of character
interpretation in RoS fan fiction. The character who is most
consistently portrayed seems to be Will. I see a general consensus
about this character and the way he thinks. The character who varies
most wildly from story to story is definitely Much. There doesn't seem
to be any kind of consensus about him. I think this is all to the
good. As the youngest member of the band, Much has the most capacity
for growth and change. Therefore his character is the least defined.
He might mature in any number of directions and we should not close off
any of them. I would also like to say that I don't consider the
portrayal of Robin as an immortal creature from Faerie necessarily
invalid, but in most legendary depictions of the denizens of Faerie
they are rather indifferent about the fates of mortals. If Robin
becomes one of them after his supposed death, would he still care
enough about humankind to return to the mortal realm? Even supposing
he retains enough humanity to return, why would the Faerie folk permit
it? If a writer is going to use such a fantastical approach to this
character, he or she had better be very convincing, and put much more
thought into motivation. I would prefer to read stories where Robin
more closely resembles the all too human man I saw in the series, but I
haven't found them. I also wonder where the RoS stories that depict
magic as a tool for healing and positive change are located. The only
uses of magic I have so far seen in RoS zines have been destructive.
My concern is with balance. I am not suggesting that all cursing,
sorcery and magical violence be eliminated from RoS fan fiction, but I
would like to see equal time given to more benign magical practices.
Are such stories being written?
To Christine re: sensitive heterosexual men - I am delighted to know
that you and others have had good fortune and have met such wonderful
men, but the statistics of violence perpetrated by heterosexual men
against the women and children in their lives indicate that a large
proportion of these men have a very serious problem, and I can't help
but think that it relates to their attempts to live up to the
destructive macho stereotype and the related need to prove that they
aren't homosexual. Positive portrayals of homosexuals might help to
obviate the necessity for this intense struggle to establish
heterosexual male identity.
To Christopher Robin re: going outside the framework of the show-If
all fan writers took your advice, RoS fanzines would be out of
business. The purpose of fan fiction is to fill in the background and
events which are missing in the series and to delve into the more
esoteric aspects that are only mentioned or implied. This involves
going beyond what has actually been presented in the episodes which
only represent a few selected events in the lives of the characters.
For example, it is perfectly legitimate to take the references to
Rhiannon and develop them into a Goddess cult. I have never heard of
Pagans who worshipped a God without also worshipping a Goddess. Even
the most patriarchal Pagan cultures had at least one Goddess. I feel
that this is an entirely believable piece of extrapolation. To use the
concept of Rhiannon's Wheel for the creation of alternate universes,
such as one in which one or more RoS characters are gay, is definitely
a stretch. The reason why fans write alternate universe stories is not
because they are lazy. It is because they think that extrapolating
what might have happened to RoS characters if one factor were changed
is a challenging thing to do. A lazy writer would be satisfied with
producing formula tales that imitate the episodes with a few minor plot
variations. As far as professional Robin Hood is concerned, I have a
number of totally original concepts dealing with periods in English
history where Robin Hood has never been placed previously, but when I
think of the realities of professional publishing, I am always certain
that these efforts would end up being far less interesting than my fan
fiction. You see, there are marketing considerations for the
professional writer. The more unusual a novel intended for
professional publication is, the more difficult it is to market.
Writers may find it interesting and challenging to pursue new
directions, but publishers prefer what is safe and most readers prefer
familiar formula. You need only glance at any current bestseller list
to confirm this. I have a short story and a novelette written in
collaboration in mass market paperback anthologies. In order to sell
them I had to eliminate character development and background that was
fascinating to me, so they would be at a marketable length.
Fortunately, there is fan fiction. Fanzine editors are making a
relatively small investment because their print runs are low. They
don't need to find thousands of readers, but only a hundred or so. For
this reason, marketing isn't that much of consideration. So fan
writers have far more freedom to take risks, deal with the unusual and
create complex characters.
To Christopher Robin re: whether the RoS Robin might ever have had
sexual contact with another man - Actually, that's the situation I was
writing about in The Successor. My alternate Robin doesn't have a gay
sexual preference at all. He has occasional encounters with men - just
as many men throughout history who have defined themselves as
heterosexual have done.
To Louise Bath re: Celtic Herne's Sons - If Robin is some sort of
Welsh or Irish Celt and Robert is a Scottish Celt, then neither Hooded
Man has any personal stake in the Saxon vs. Norman struggle that I see
as one of the central themes of RoS. Like Ivanhoe, RoS is asking us to
suspend our historical knowledge and pretend that Saxons and Normans
were still completely separate peoples in the 12th century and still
very much at loggerheads. The cause of Robin Hood is essentially the
cause of the oppressed Saxon people. If this cause has no real urgency
for either Robin or Robert, then why are they in Sherwood? Why would
Herne choose Celts to fight a battle that isn't any concern of theirs?
This makes very little sense to me. Robin as a Saxon peasant makes a
great deal of sense. Robert as the disaffected member of a Normanized
noble house also makes a great deal of sense. Could it be that fannish
writers who make Celts of our heroes are trying to avoid the dimension
of Saxon vs. Norman political struggle? In fact, the stories I've
read in RoS fanzines seem very de-politicized, and this is extremely
disappointing to me. To me, the Hooded Man is a revolutionary. I
would like to see Robin being as revolutionary as he was in The King's
Fool when he lectured Richard Plantagenet on his responsibilities to
the peasants. I would like to see Robert being as revolutionary as he
was in The Cross of St. Ciricus when he allied himself with a
heretical Abbot who served the peasants. I don't mean that I want to
see fan stories that read like political tracts. I want to see
exciting fiction in which the revolutionary struggle of the Saxons
against the Normans is an integral part of the plot.
To Louise Bath re: relevant medieval romance novels - There's a Robin
Hood novel called Elaine the Fair by Timothy Taylor that's essentially
nothing but a "bodice ripper" - i.e. an alleged historical novel in
which the heroine longs to be ravished by the hero, and she eventually
gets her wish. To me, its only redeeming value was the bitterly
cynical attitude that the author took toward the Lionheart, but he also
seemed to be saying that the English have got to be the stupidest and
most gullible people in the world if they would worship a King whose
only accomplishment was to drain his kingdom of resources and fighting
men.
To Linda Goodall re: Picts and Scots - According to Ronald Hutton in
The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles, Picts and Scots were
Celtic tribes. On the other hand, according to Juliet Wood's essay on
the Celts in The Feminist Companion to Mythology (London: Pandora
Press, 1992 ISBN O 04 440850 1), the term Celt is very ill-defined and
the various tribes that were labelled Celtic had too many differences
to be considered members of one culture.
To Linda Goodall re: Waltheof of Huntington - There were many who
wondered whose side Waltheof was on. It seems likely that he was the
sort of man who didn't really care so long as his House ended up
surviving. Neither Saxons nor Normans really trusted him. He was
quick to swear loyalty to the Conqueror and became very Normanized.
All the Earls of Huntington from Waltheof to the second David seem
rather pragmatic to me. Since Normans were in power, they would try to
blend in and make the best of it. They were loyal to their own
interests rather than to principles. An idealist like Robert must have
seemed like an alien within his own family.
To Siannan re: fan writers excusing Gisburne - I can't speak for
anyone else, but I'm not doing that. I am portraying the slow process
of recovery whose goal is taking responsibility for one's actions. An
abused child who blames himself for his own victimization, may continue
to follow the same logic in later life. If his abuse was his own fault
then the people he victimizes must also be guilty. He must first
acknowledge that he wasn't responsible for his own abuse before he can
understand what he has done to others.
To Hilda re: "someone has stolen my rowboat"-
Over the sea came the Saracen Nasir
And lost his rowboat in an English pier
He followed thieves north and west
But they never confessed
So he's taken up poaching the deer.
Yes indeed, Hilda, you may delete my description and interests from WHO
WE ARE. My $5 is enclosed as usual. [Thank you! On both counts! -H]
Herne Protect You and Yours.
Anda Hall
Dear Cousins, Greetings. Thank you to those of the warm welcomes.
Warm welcome to our new cousins.
Christine Haire: Thank you for the info on obtaining episodes.
Finally got cable in mid-January (nagging pays sometimes) and saw some
Robin episodes and some Robert episodes before the station ended the
series last week.
Re: Questions: 1) I think Meg should have joined John in the forest.
Life couldn't have been much rougher anyway. One book version of Robin
Hood has him with a regular community hidden in Sherwood. 2) I believe
in resurrection - which is the raising of the body of flesh and
bringing it to its perfected form and reuniting it with its spirit
body. I don't understand how this is accomplished, but I think it
remarkable that we are here in bodies of flesh in the first place. 3)
I believe in ghosts. We all have one - that's the spirit/life force
part of us.
Questions 1 and 2 lead me to ask, "What would be the problem(s) with
resurrecting (or even raising from the dead) Robin of Loxley, forty
arrows in the back, shredded to pieces, decayed and fallen to dust or
burned to ash and scattered X (as in variable, not Christ) number of
years and all? What a mess! (If Mr. Carpenter doesn't wanna, he
doesn't wanna. Good enough reason.)
Linda Frankel: Re: God(s) in one person. I myself always wondered
how God, or Jesus, threw his voice from heaven after Jesus came out of
the water to claim him as his son, and then there is that dove form...
Re: institutionalized Christian Church spewing filth on all human
intimacy except in marriage. I thought it respected human intimacy,
especially among family and friends. Intimacy doesn't include just
that of a sexual relationship. We are encouraged to "love one
another," but not necessarily sexually. Marriage makes a statement
that you care or love or respect a person well enough to make it known
to the community at large (really the extension of the family) that you
are willing to put your main efforts into building a better life for
the person you care about and yourself. I think the filth is in some
jealous little minds, not the church as such. And there's yet another
example of "the twain shall be one" thing.
Julie Phipps: Re: Beat that? Which way? Uphill? I'm 5'O."
Downhill? My mother is 4'9" and that was the max before shrinkage,
which reminds me. Rule #1: Never pick on an adult smaller than you -
you'll get slaughtered! Rule #2: Never pick on an adult larger than
you - you could get hurt. Rule #3: Never pick on Siannan - you could
get turned into a toad! Ribbit! ;-) I'm willing to bet you have a
terrible time finding clothes, huh?
Laura Woodswalker Todd: Re: Agree on ethnic group "purity." Some of
us are "Heinz 57's," not even close to "Ivory's" 99.9% pureness. In
the place of my origin, the people are reputed to speak "pure
Elizabethan English" (ha!), but there are many French names mixed in
with the English. Maybe that's one way the Normans and the Saxons got
back at each other - nobody's either. There are so many interesting
cultures in the world that it would be a pity for people to cut
themselves off from all the rest.
Kris Clark: Be patient - we're all not there yet; or is it not all
there? :-)
Christopher Robin: Beautiful comments on the television program being
just that. It is fun and leads to a lot of deep thinking, but for many
people, it is just a surface thing. I just like to poke around in all
the little nooks and crannies.
Louise Bath: Re: Sacred kings, human sacrifice. Cain began human
sacrifice when he slew Abel for gain. I think the same thing does
occur today on a larger scale and there are a great number of people
who would not hesitate to kill or cause the death of another person if
it would benefit themselves.
Re: Cousin Spur. He was the delightful swiller in The Son of Herne
who gave Gisburne a difficult time before rendering "aid" to catch the
outlaws by bellowing, "Make way for the Watch!" loud enough for the
dead to hear, let alone any outlaws lurking about. Scatlock and
Ambrose were fun, too. All the episodes I've seen are chock full of
goodies in the form of characters, customs, sets, whatever. Thank you,
thank you, Mr. Carpenter and company!
Re: Gulnar wanting Marion for himself. My young daughter said, "No
wonder all the men want her [Marion], she's as pretty as a rose in
bloom!" Gulnar was a man of sorts, wasn't he?
Re: to Lynn on Robin having a female mentor and could viewers handle
it? In The Veiled Sultan by March Cost (The Vanguard Press, Inc., New
York, 1969), it is interesting how much influence a woman (mother) can
wield concerning her son and, in this case, supposedly as a "slave."
I think a woman can be a mentor to a man without a sexual relationship,
and it could be done in Robin's case also without it necessarily being
his mother either.
Re: Books in the New Testament. They're there because of a lot of
finagling, politics, and luck. Like potatoes - you can fix them up in
a lot of different ways and they're still potatoes. Truth gets fixed
up just about the same ways.
Siannan: Re: Brothers and half-sisters. Eew! But, in the Old
Testament, Sarah was the half-sister and wife of Abraham and through
her came the covenant child or rightful heir, Isaac.
Re: We are saviors of this world. Amen and verses: "For they [the
Lord's people] were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the
saviors of men; And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they
are as salt that has lost its savor, and is thenceforth good for
nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men." (Doctrine
and Covenants, Section 103:9-10).
Jacquie Groom: Re: Cousin Spur and Ambrose as porters in a hospital.
A person could die laughing!
Georgia Fleming: Loved definition of my name you sent in: "Anda"
means "vexation" in Anglo-Saxon. Thanks. My husband agreed, saying,
"They got that just about right!" He meant "humongous vexation" would
be more accurate. Have I got it or what?
Re: Jesus' combined humanity and godhood. Yes, I see a difference
between saying part god and part human as opposed to fully god and
fully human. Fully god would mean not having the ability to die in the
flesh. Fully human would mean not having the ability to live forever
in the flesh. Partly human would mean having the ability to lay down
his life. Partly god would mean having the ability to take it back up
for eternity. (I thought a long time on this one and am still
thinking.)
Re: Godhood. Isis would be really ticked off if I were to say, "Isis,
honey, I'd like to use that pedestal awhile now, okay?" She'd have
every right to zap me into wherever. Neither of us would want to share
pedestal nor form with the other. Why should we have to? Besides, I
really like me the greater part of the time. If I become a goddess, I
will be myself - me, me, me! Isis would be - Isis, Isis, Isis. You
would be - you, you, you!
Re: "Real" gods. Are our gods real enough to create us, or are we
real enough to create them? Real is what?
"Before" could be said "most high" or "highest." I am continuing to
search for the correct documentation, but it is my understanding that
Elohim is the name of God the Father.
When I say become gods, I mean that as children of our earthly mothers
and fathers, we have the capabilities to mature to be like them as
children of or parents in heaven (gods), we also have the capabilities
to mature like them. As to definition of "god," personal experiences
color our ideas of that. Immortality? Yes. Omniscience? Most
likely. (Mind-boggling.) Power to create? Certainly. To what
extent? Who knows? "As man is, God was; as God is, man may become."
(Answers to Gospel Questions, Vol, II, Joseph Fielding Smith, p. 127.)
To call God Woden, or Woden God, decide for yourself. That's what
you're supposed to do. "A rose by any other name..."
The King James Version of the Holy Bible, which I use, says in Amos
5:23-24 "Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not
hear the melody of thy viols. But let judgment run down as waters, and
righteousness as a mighty stream."
And, just before that, in verse 18, "Woe unto you that desire the day
of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is
darkness, and not light." Plainly put, a lot of those who look forward
to the last day for the Lord to come in triumph are not going to be
standing on ground as high as they thought it was.
Questions for anybody: Did Nasir carry a metal/steel bow? Did it keep
its spring or did it need to be replaced if it was metal?
Hilda: Hello, most patient person in the world (as I know it). Sorry
this has run on past "The Page of Insanity." (Miss Manners says anyone
who writes letters four pages long is crazy and according to my
figures, I'm on page/column five, sooo...) There was a lot of great
subjects and comments and thoughts from everyone, but I don't want to
be a complete swine - Rutterkin might start bullying me around and I'd
have to cook his bacon.
About the Bible verses for defense against harassment - I've copied so
many I feel like a monk! Where is Tuck when you need him? Anyone
interested can drop me a legal-sized SASE and I'll be happy to help any
way I can, but keep in mind: some people are pretty THICK and don't
really THINK. Good luck anyway. (I would prefer turning them into
toads, but it's not really nice and I haven't been able to do it yet.)
[Why be redundant? :-) Thanks for the joke, Starhawk; and my
apologies, honest members of the genus Bufo. -H]
As always, please cut my duplications and less interesting observations
and be happy. I'm looking forward to next time. Best wishes and
Blessed Be.
Jacquie Groom
Dear Cousins, the school holidays have just started, so in between
children running everywhere and trying to get ready for our holiday in
a few days' time, I thought I'd try to reply to issue #12.
Christine: Your new topics of discussion remind me of my daughter
Emily, who is 5 and currently coming up with questions of that type for
me nearly every day. I sometimes find it difficult to answer,
especially when it touches on matters of belief. It's so hard to know
what to tell her when I'm still trying to work out what I believe in
myself. The other day it was, "Witches don't exist, do they?" I tried
to tell her that witches and witchcraft do exist, but old ladies in
black with warts on their noses who put little boys in cages to fatten
up, don't. (I know what she's been reading, and don't want any more
nightmares!) Anyway, here goes:
(1) I always had the vague impression that Meg couldn't join the
Outlaws in Sherwood because of the repercussions it would have for
Wickham. But whether that is something I actually heard, made up, or
read in a zine, I don't know. And although I'd love to sit down and
watch the whole series through to find out, unfortunately I don't
really have the time.
(2) I do believe in reincarnation, although I've no proof, or
experiences, or anything like that.
(3) I believe in ghosts. I saw one once, when I was four, in the
hallway of our house. My parents insisted it was a dream, but I can
still see, and hear, the man so clearly, even now. And I can't
remember any other dreams from my childhood. The house where we lived
has now been knocked down, and there is a car park there instead. I've
been past there a few times, and often wonder what happened to him.
Julie Phipps: the bog man... that brings back some horrible memories
of history classes - it's strange, I love reading history books, but
hated it at school. Looking forward to your Casualty story sometime.
Louise Bath: I really enjoy your 'Saxons v. Celts' discussion. Out of
curiosity, I looked up "fey" in the dictionary - although it is noted
as Scottish, it comes from the Old English faege, and the Old Saxon fePgi
as well as other etymological roots - so to me, that seems to prove
that Saxons can be fey!
Janet Reedman: I'll have to try and find Rosemary Sutcliffe's
Arthurian novels - I've only read her Roman ones (Eagle of the Ninth,
the Lantern Bearers, etc.) And talking of Romans, has anyone else
read Lindsey Davis' Falco novels?
About Stonehenge and its info centre - there was an article in the
latest English Heritage magazine outlining the six different
possibilities for the new centre. Apparently there are questionnaires
so people can choose which they would prefer. If anyone is interested,
I'll photocopy it.
Irena Armstrong: I also enjoyed Riders. The video arrived in the
post, and I sat down, meaning to watch five minutes to check it had
recorded correctly... and four hours later, I was still there! Not
sure if it was because of the wondrous presence of Michael Praed,
curiosity as to how they had altered the book, or simply because it was
very watchable - but I really enjoyed it.
On music: I've given up defending my taste in music - or lack of it,
as most people would (and have) put it. I like what I like, and if
that includes Jason Donovan, Andy Gibb, Clannad, Chris Rea and the
theme music from The Heroes - well, that's what I like. However, has
anyone else heard Alan Stivell's The Mist of Avalon, which was inspired
by Marion Zimmer Bradley's book? He's a French musician - or perhaps I
should say Breton. [Yes! Say "Breton." It's more precise, and far
more accurate! -H] It's a real mixture, but uses a lot of Breton folk
tunes as well as Gaelic, Welsh, and other influences - in fact, he
seems to have 'hijacked' the theme for the Breton cause. The quotation
at the beginning, roughly translated, says, "The sword from the Golden
Age, rediscovered, will reunite at last the two souls broken by the
same blade, and the Breton people will join the unity of Keltia,
Arthur's great dream at last come true, the city of peace." Still,
it's interesting.
On Loxley vs. Huntingdon. One for Robert. Although I like Loxley, and
really enjoyed the first two series, I was not totally hooked until I
met Huntingdon... and that was when I started to write RoS stories. I
find Loxley stories almost impossible to write.
As a final note, a newspaper headline caught my eye the other day - it
said "Sheriff denies fiddle." I read further, and sure enough, it was
the Sheriff of Nottingham, but circa 1990, not 1190. Nice to know some
things don't change.
Hope to meet some of you at Greenwood... Blessed be.
Hilda
Frances Q. - OVU... I mean, Thank you for your patience with my limited
decryption abilities, and please excuse my wild guesses on people's and
places' names.
I saw Clannad in concert right here in Somerville on June 11. They
were touring with a lot of fantastic musicians, including a great
flute/sax/clarinet player, an awesome guitarist, and two backing
vocalists (one of whom is yet another Brennan sister). They did an
impressive medley of RoS tunes, including a couple that (as far as I
know) never made it onto vinyl; but as of this writing I don't have
Banba yet.
I hope your dog is feeling better and no longer has a flat tire, and
that whatever happened to her doesn't happen again! See you at
Greenwood.
Francie: Welcome! I agree, characters who are pulled in conflicting
directions are the most fun to read about. I think that the reason we
need characters like Loxley too is to make fantasy fantasy. Also,
characters who have clear direction and know exactly what they want to
do ring an important bell for the reader, reminding us of our times of
strength and surety and keeping us from forgetting our own part in the
pattern of things. Everyone's got a setting in which they know their
way and can be the one to make the difference - remember Crocodile
Dundee, the ultimate City Mouse/Country Mouse story? Me at a keyboard
and me on a cliff face are two different characters...
Kris - If anyone has anything to say that they intend as a joke, they
can put a Smiley :-) next to it to let us know. Every time you see a
Smiley, that means that someone's joking. Remember this, folks - you
lose facial and vocal expression in a printed newsletter, so let us see
you laughing! Or :..( crying, or :-P sticking your tongue out, or :-[
sprouting fangs...
Re: Michael's buns - I just saw an adorable picture of Michael doing
some sort of charity cooking show in England, tray of biscuits in hand.
They looked nice and hot!
Tara - I'm really rusty on the subject of knighthood :-) but wouldn't
Robert, having been so highly born, look a bit odd in a bestowed title?
I tend to think of knights as having been hired by strong houses and
granted lands and titles on the basis of meritorious service, which
would make knighting Robert a bit of a demotion unless he were in the
direct employ of either William the Lion or King John. Is this
anything like accurate?
I kind of get grumpy with people who cheer for the "pagans" in The
Wicker Man too. The latter are an awkward attempt at reconstructing
paleo-Paganism without the cultural context that would give it meaning.
Plus, I have a hard time trusting any deity who'd accept an unwilling
sacrifice (especially one who isn't even a criminal or prisoner of
war). The Wicker Man does sort of fall into the "defamation" category,
doesn't it? But still, it's a good movie just as entertainment, and
it's got some fabulous songs.
The Faery "tiend to Hell" was probably invented by Christian
invaders/evangelists, perhaps as an explanation of human sacrifice. To
reconcile the two disparate mythologies, you'd probably have to concoct
a sort of treaty situation, with JHVH refusing all offers to deal with
anyone else metaphysical because "Thou shalt have no other god before
me," leaving the Faery to try and cut a deal with the Man Downstairs.
I expect that the latter would accept a paltry single mortal soul per
year just to keep the unpredictable Sidhe out of his hair.
Woodswalker - I think of Robin and Marion as a 'super couple' precisely
because Robin could say stupid things about how Marion shouldn't go on
raids and Marion could whack Robin with tree branches and dump water on
his head when he was hung over. I can't see Marion even hollering at
Robert, or Robert underestimating Marion's competence. It's almost as
though Marion reverted to the noble reserve of her upbringing when
dealing with Robert, maybe as a shield against the vulnerability of an
open, honest, and sometimes explosive partnership like she had with
Robin. I personally tend to prefer Marion/Robin stories to
Marion/Robert stories, at least among the ones I've seen so far,
because Marion and Robin can play tricks on each other, be more
playful, and take risks.
Happiness isn't necessarily boring in fiction, but to write interesting
happiness is a real challenge. Angst gives a writer something to keep
things moving. Getting a reader to share characters' happiness is much
harder, since then all you've got is your own plot idea, language
skills, and understanding of the characters to carry the story.
Without the familiarity of emotional pain, your characters really have
to speak for themselves.
Interesting idea about Robert having been molested as a child. Usually
that sort of thing tends to result in a sense of powerlessness, a
"victim" mentality, and random lashings-out... but it's clear that
Robert is an exceptional person, and besides, that's what fiction is
for!
Your comments about using the Gods as an excuse for abuse must ring a
bell for everyone. One of my best friends was nearly raped by a man
claiming to be "possessed by Herne." Once she recovered from her
astonishment, she did the most logical thing - gave the man to Herne to
do with as He chose. That's as far as her story went. I didn't press
her for further details. I don't think they'd have been pleasant.
There are covens and spiritual circles without designated leaders. On
the whole they don't tend to last long, since with nobody to sort out
who writes the invocation for West, who rents the meeting space, who
makes the phone calls, and who brings the cookies, people tend to just
sort of "trust in the Goddess" :-( and hope Someone More Together Than Me
will take care of everything. Leaders needn't be evil exploiters -
they can be people who egg you on, remind you that you are basically
Together, and hold you to it - but folks like that are a rare breed,
and seldom popular. Likewise, leaderless groups do occasionally last a
while if they have some role definition (i.e. by election or common
agreement) - Jane maintains the phone list, Al handles inquiries about
the group, Susan keeps track of who's writing the next ritual, etc.
But even this can flop in a hurry if, by extension, Jane is assumed to
be responsible for making all phone calls, Al for dealing with all
harassment, and Susan for writing all the rituals if nobody else is up
to it.
It's possible to like both Clannad and Black Sabbath! Very easy, in
fact. I like Mozart and The Watersons too. As my old math teacher
used to say: "Never ASSUME. It just makes an ASS of U and ME." Let's
face it - if we fit into some neat little pigeonhole, we wouldn't be
here! Just as an example, when the Massachusetts Merries get together,
half the time we end up talking about Deep Space 9 or figure skating!
I jabber at length about the former, and when the latter comes up, I
stuff my face in respectful silence. It all works out. There's no
sense in trying to prove that you're an outlaw among outlaws. Unless
someone acts with genuine malice, there are no outcasts here. (Got
that, Arthur of Brittany?)
Wyvern: Yes, Who We Are is quite long enough already! Anyone else
willing to delete or shorten their self-description blurb this time
around? Please??? Thanks to all who said "yes!"
I actually really appreciated Aunt Umbra's metaphor for people who
twist other people's characters in the name of "art," just as a rapist
tortures other people and calls it "sex." I found it very apt. "Rape
has absolutely nothing to do with sex!" was precisely A.U.'s point.
My birth date is June 11 (1961, to be precise). Anyone else who sends
in their birth date - how about I just put it next to your name in Who
We Are?
Ariel - Re: leaders being willing to die for their people, I'd like to
see someone elected President who didn't care whether she
coincidentally found her aorta perforated the moment she attempted
something that might cut into some multinational's profit margin. It
wouldn't be her death per se that made the difference, but her courage
to do something that she knew the CIA wouldn't like and to heck with
the repercussions. Alas, such a candidate would probably never make it
as far as the ballot.
Georgia - I picked a boar and a salmon out of the blue. Maybe it means
I was bored and jumping to conclusions? Or hogging the chance to tell
a fish story?
"Drawing down the Moon" means inviting/invoking the Goddess to possess
either oneself or a covenmate. I've heard some people talk about
spending years trying (with or without success) to achieve the
necessary level of openness; and others constantly drop the casual
"...I'd had enough; so I drew down and told that jerk..." "When" is
usually the full moon. "Where" is either in a coven meeting or
wherever one happens to be if one is a solitary. "Why" - the Goddess
might want to answer questions or offer advice; or to warn someone
who's making a mistake. The individual Witch might want to offer the
Goddess a willing vessel before She drafts another sort! "How" -
dancing and/or chanting of the rest of the coven while the designated
vessel awaits possession; or dancing/chanting/ meditation if you're
solitary (I'm sure other methods are used, these are just the ones I
know about). By whom - someone with either a whole lot of guts, or a
whole lot of gall! My single experience in that department, of course,
followed none of the rules. I was dressed as the Crone, complete with
wig and make-up, waiting to turn up "late" for a Samhain ritual in a
bit of thespian reality-shifting. I stood quietly in a side room for
nearly an hour, just looking at myself in a mirror. I was very gently
nudged, and replied informally but politely, "If you want to do it,
it's fine with me." The rest is history - or at least I'm told it was
pretty interesting; I only remember bits and pieces in scrambled order.
Guard the Mysteries: reveal them constantly. :-)
So who can I play in the Hereward movie?
Nancy - Great to hear from you again! I'm glad you liked my Adam Bell
vignette. He's such an interesting character, teetering between his
original humanitarian ideals and a frantic need to prove himself by
being The Enemy at any cost. Makes you wonder a little about (sit
down) Adam's family...
Perhaps you know a good spell for getting access to Peter Gabriel
tickets? A nice strong one? I agree about Security. It's too good an
album to even begin to describe. I wouldn't recommend driving while
listening to it, though!
"America's Stonehenge" is indeed an interesting place. It consists of
a circle of stones aligned to the Solstices and Equinoxes, which in
turn contains a number of half-subterranean barrows, smaller circles,
and other bits of meso/ neolithic-style dry-stone masonry (including
one piece popularly known as the Sacrificial Table). It's been
"reconstructed" beyond recognition by everyone from an ambitious
shoemaker to Norse-culture buffs convinced that it's a Viking site, but
it's still very much worth a visit. The wooded setting is enjoyable in
any season, and the discorporate inhabitants seem to me to be easygoing
and pleasant, if somewhat shy. There's a little museum displaying
various artifacts, and informative site tours are available. I was
last there on August 1 a couple years ago, offering homemade bread and
snarfing fistfuls of blueberries. Full circle. (I even got stung by a
very authentic bee.)
Thank you for the appreciation! It's better than chocolate, postage
stamps, or even pictures of Loxley. Pass it on: aside from saving up
to buy a computer, I don't do anything anybody else couldn't do.
Everybody has a different style; but with people like you, anything is
possible!
Thank you, also, for the fantastic poem. I always liked St. Francis.
He was a low-key, teach-by-example kind of person - and now I learn he
was an excellent poet, too!
Judi - Great to hear from you! I agree that the band were hasty in
accepting Mark, but I thought that letting Arthur of Brittany join was
a trick on him all along just to see what he was up to.
Would Robin have let Meg join the band? You like to play with
explosives, don't you, Judi? :-) Seriously, I think it would depend on
exactly when you asked him. Certainly not before Marion went after him
with that branch! Maybe if Meg got them out of some kind of trouble,
and asked there and then... but that's really Apocryphal... <Sound of
keyboard rattling frantically into the night> I guess Janet V. and
company have a point in that any villager joining the band would be
signing their village's death warrant... provided, of course, that the
nobility knew (or cared) who lived in which village! Let's ask King
John: "And where's this 'Meg' from? Wickham, Lichfield, Elsdon, under
a hill, out of a convent, escaped from Castle Belleme... This one
insists she's a Saracen! A Saracen!"
Blythe - Ahh, Bath. One of very few places I stayed more than a day,
and lots of fun to explore, if you're not a total airhead. If you're a
total airhead and forget to bring a nice present to Sulis Minerva on
your visit to the baths, your favorite earring goes missing. (Still, I
suppose, if anyone's going to make off with my gold snake pentacle...)
Julie - I believe that the original intention for the fourth series was
for Marion to help the outlaws now and then, and to leave the convent
and marry Robert at the end of the series. Kip wasn't happy with
ending at "The Time of the Teeth" either!
Thank you for the gorgeous Caretaker photos! I guess I can forgive
Michael for looking like a high-school student...
Thank you, also, for the lovely poem! Good choice.
Do away with May Day? WHY? You may never know how exasperating it is
for someone without a coherent cultural heritage to watch England try
to abolish May Day! Well, I'll tell you this much: the government can
cut little squares out of all the calendars, outlaw bells, and declare
"Hal-An-Tow" a swear word, but nothing is going to wipe out that
rebellious green rejoicing in the renewal of life; and nothing is going
to deprive England of its uniquely English celebration of it. Some
anthropologist will hoard it in the basement of a Polish library. Some
Arizona schoolteacher will decide that teaching Morris dancing to
second-graders might be fun. Some obscure Kenyan flutist will record
the tunes in her basement. But it will survive, and it will come home!
All together, gang: So mote it be!
Donna - Maybe you don't write stories, but you tell the truth in such a
way that it dances and challenges and teases and makes itself
impossible to ignore. You're one amazing poet, as proven by your
letter. I'm honored to play a part in your life. Thank you.
Morgana - Here's a yummy can of worms on the theme of "ancestry vs.
spirituality." Can anyone name a tradition which is clearly oriented
towards people of its corresponding racial composition, and no one
else? There are plenty of stories of conquerors legislating adherence
to their imported religions. How about traditions which are
specifically (in their roots, not in modern politics) forbidden or at
best grudgingly tolerated in non-products of the originating gene pool?
Are there deities who actively dislike being honored by "foreigners?"
What can you tell me about Romanian spirituality? I have no idea of
what that might be like.
Some coven sent you a flyer? Was it mostly information about Circle
(the Wisconsin organization), or was it an invitation to check out the
coven itself? If the latter, how did that work out? I tend to be
really suspicious of groups who do any more to attract members than
quietly announce their existence and describe themselves in safe
circles. Matter of fact, I'd like to know how other people have fared
with groups you've contacted or been contacted by. What do y'all think
about outreach? When does it become proselytization? When does it
become outright dangerous?
Thank you for the Bear and Deer correspondences! Now I'll pretend I'm
a Native American looking at English history. I see Herne's people as
a sort of practical, accepting culture accustomed to the differences
between tribes and to differing attitudes toward intertribal strife.
It seems pretty logical that the Bear's vision of the individual quest
for inner knowing would appeal to both the upper-class warrior, who
wants to know exactly what she's fighting for; and the farmer, who
thinks that war only wrecks the crops and keeps people apart.
I'm glad the ritual worked out well for you, but I take exception to
your implication that you crank out more arrogant verbosity than I do!
Blessed be.
Susan - It would have been a much smoother transition if Robert had
joined the band while Robin was still the leader... but would he have
joined at all? Robert's sense of duty and honor would have been
goading him to return to Huntingdon, where he was already needed as the
sole heir. I think that it was the fact that he was unquestionably
needed as a leader that kept him with the band after Marion's rescue.
It took a lot to tear him away from the promise made in his name at his
birth; that he would take care of Huntingdon and its people because
nobody else would. I think it was the fact that nobody could replace
him in Sherwood either that tipped the balance in favor of the outlaw
life.
I would hesitate to call Marion's familiarity with herbology as
evidence that she had knowledge of the Craft. Although the Sheriff
might consider healing of the physical body "interfering with the will
of God" (at least to get his steward out of trouble!), the countryfolk
probably took Jesus' "heal the sick" advice quite literally and went
about it whatever way they knew would work. They probably thought
that, when someone was bitten by a snake, Jesus wanted them to take the
root of dwarf elder "...and ere thou carve it off hold it in thine hand
and say thrice nine times Omnes malas bestias canto, that is in our
language Enchant and overcome all evil wild deer; then carve it off
with a very sharp knife into three parts." The time required to cook
or pound or otherwise prepare herbal remedies was often measured in
paternosters and other Christian prayers, even when the application of
the medicine itself was accompanied by entreaties to mysterious
blacksmiths, mothers, the wind, or the very influence that was causing
the malady.
At any rate, I do agree that Marion never seemed to have experienced a
vocation to the life of a nun. Like many otherwise marriageable women
of her day, she just seemed to see Christ as a more tolerable husband
than any of the other available choices. Kip's letter in Issue 6 gave
a good idea of just how indulgent a husband Christ could be at the
time!
I use the Robin Wood deck too. It's clear but still leaves plenty to
the imagination, and she's not afraid of strong color. By the way,
Much as the Sun is perfect!
Grace Meisel offered long ago to compile a database of people's books -
I presume that she's still at it, if anyone's sent her their lists!
Re: What Can We Do? - Here's something to think about for Samhain, and
you can do it with Pagans or non-Pagans as you choose. Find a local
food bank or homeless shelter that accepts canned or nonperishable
food. Ask them for some flyers about their organization. Then get
some friends together, put on your costumes and backpacks, and go out
at your neighborhood's planned Trick-or-Treat time. When your neighbor
opens the door, say "Trick-or-treat for Somerville Homeless Coalition"
(or whatever), explain that you're asking for cans of food rather than
candy, and offer them a flyer. Many people will instead prefer to
write checks to your chosen charity, or even give you cash - and if it
rains like it rained here last Samhain, you'll be inundated with candy
too! This is actually based on an old Irish Samhain tradition, in
which people would dress up as the tribe's ancestors and collect food
and money for those members of the community whose crops had failed.
Any Mass. Merries who'd like to try this in Somerville this year,
please let me know! (We'll also need a car to bring all the food to
SHC.)
Louise: I think that "Satanic Ritual Abuse" exists, and will exist as
long as disturbed people abuse other people and believe in scapegoats.
Ritual abuse is committed in many names, not just Satan's. Remember
Charles Manson? Jim Jones? David Koresh? None of those sickos took
responsibility for their acts. They were all acting on "orders."
I pinched that "Do you want to be slaves to the Welsh?" comment from
the Sheriff because it sounds so much like the Cold War's red-baiting,
or the current "Do you want the United States to become a third-world
country?" I expect that Robert de Rainault, had he considered public
relations a worthwhile pursuit, might have explained to the peasants
that the King's acquisitiveness was simply "protecting English
interests."
I, too, agree with Ariel that RoS and magic aren't the only interesting
topics in the world. But for me, they're the ones worth editing a
newsletter about. Rather than foundering Cousins in a sea of random
chat, folks can feel free to pick a penpal or two. That's what penpals
are for, as you yourself well know! :-)
I agree with your comments on fighting oppression with what works, even
if it's not necessarily what feels satisfying. Reminds me of a cartoon
I saw of two white guys discussing Nelson Mandela: "He's educated,
soft-spoken, logical, polite..." The other agrees: "...Dangerous."
A book which I truly enjoyed, and which featured Cartimandua and an
illustrious host of others, was Pauline Gedge's The Eagle and the
Raven. The past tense is because my copy's gone missing. :-(
I'm still not sure why you're confusing us with the Anglophobes who
seem to surround you in droves. You may have to look elsewhere for
your "further castigation..." Anyway, thanks for the interesting info
on how the various peoples inhabiting England are relating to each
other nowadays.
If I remember right, St. Hilda was simply outvoted. I do agree re:
what a shame it is that Celtic (and one might even say Christian, as
opposed to Pauline/Augustinian) Christianity has become such a rarity.
Thanks for the loan of Anthony Duncan's book The Elements of Celtic
Christianity, Ruth! (Element Books Ltd., Longmead, Shaftesbury,
Dorset; 1992, ISBN 1-85230-360-3)
Would a Celt speak out against the sufferings of the English? Sure, if
he was Robin Hood! Robin, for me, is more connected with the Forest
and the very land of England than with any particular one of the races
who have populated Her. If England's children were tearing each other
apart, Her son might well have plenty to say about that!
My comment on Xianity as currently practiced being aimed at emotional
toddlers was a reference to its proffered motivations (Heaven and Hell)
and means of control (belittlement, guilt, threats). I didn't mean
that Jesus would approve, or that there aren't people who see and honor
Jesus in the living world. They're just sadly uncommon, statistically
speaking.
Your analysis of Lilith the Child-Strangler is very close to Dr.
Koltuv's: she sees Lilith's prey as the childish fear of independence
that is unhealthy in an adult.
"Welk" was a by-product of a poor choice of typeface. The word I typed
was "weik." Sounds sort of like "wicker" or "wick."
Best I could figure, the Branch Davidians were a personality cult
centered around the charismatic lunatic David Koresh and calling itself
Christian.
I know what you mean about the recession making people penny-wise and
pound-foolish. A good friend of mine is the only gainfully employed
parent of two children (his wife refuses to work outside the home), so
he accepted his father-in-law's offer of a well-paid job at a high-tech
weapons company. He appears to get through it with a stolid "It can't
really happen to my kids" paralogic, but I can see in his eyes that he
doesn't really believe it.
Siannan: I'm not surprised that nothing happened when you touched the
object labelled "do not touch." My guess as to the motivation of the
person who posted the sign is a desire to protect the object from the
effects of repeated touching. It's a shame that we've been exposed to
so many meaningless rules, backed up by only a might-makes-right
"because I say so" threat, that any rule whose utility isn't
immediately apparent looks like a challenge!
Re: Kris' comments on feeling left out. All fans do matter, no matter
where we live! But there's a difference between "mattering" and having
everything we want. RoS fandom is, by and large, a working-
class/student population. I wish with all my heart that we had what it
takes to have conventions everywhere and publish newsletters all day
instead of going to work. Nobody's purposely excluding anyone. We
simply can't afford to offer all the nice things that members of more
well-heeled fandoms can. We're just broke. Peasants, even.
Your comments on why the clubs should take complaints re: the speed of
their replies as compliments reminds me of a story my mother told me.
She and her sister washed the dishes one Mother's Day when they were
little girls. Grandma's reaction to that was: "I didn't know you were
old enough to do that! You can wash the dishes from now on." Not even
a "thank you." There's a big difference between appreciation and
taking people for granted. The club folks are already giving more than
most people would consider sane, all out of love. If their service
isn't up to for-profit snuff, it may have something to do with the fact
that they're taking a loss on their efforts and holding down paying
jobs.
What are tules?
When I wrote "Evil Among Us," I wasn't specifically thinking of
defeatism as a manifestation of Satan, or even the other way around.
The funny thing about Satan is that, back when he was the angel
Lucifer, he was an ardent opponent of mindlessness. An entertaining
angle on this enigmatic character is the hilarious movie Bedazzled.
Big laughs for sure!
I agree 100% on how learning for learning is a lot more fun than
learning for grades. The most tragic thing about the competition and
tedium of school is that it teaches so many people to hate learning,
and subsequently consider themselves slaves to a "short attention span"
or simply too stupid to understand, when really they're just
discouraged by pressure to perform under uninspiring circumstances.
For years after I dropped out of college, I wouldn't pick up a book and
felt uncomfortable in bookstores. Likewise, I'd bet money that people
who hate to write letters had childhood pen-pals forced on them in an
attempt to "broaden their horizons." Wagers, anyone?
Linda G. - Is Kip "out there?" Need you ask? :-) Thanks for the
musical pointers!
Anda - Thanks to the miracle of 10-point type, you are officially no
longer insane! It takes a real bite out of the page count. And I can
still afford to mail this rag, at least for the time being...
Jacquie - I don't have Stivell's The Mist of Avalon, but I do have his
Celtic Symphony: Tir Na nOg, which I enjoy but which can't really be
used as "background music." It wants to be listened to! He cribs a
fascinating bit of Irish verse for the piece "Universal Fete:"
Come, you people of Low Brittany and of all countries
To dance the universal dance, the dance of the people
of the Earth
Those who only believe in man, those who prayed God
Their words could not tell the Truth
Each held a part of truth, a share of error
Only one thing was completely false! Being beyond the
others
Let's respect them in their ways, their colours, their
languages, their customs
Let's love them, whoever it may be, for another three
hundred thousand years.
*************************************************************************
*Pen is homeless as of late September/mid-October 1993. She'll *
*probably have enough money to relocate within the continental U.S.; but*
*not much more than that.She needs a home and a job (she has an *
*Associate's Degree in Office Management.) Pen uses crutches, but can *
*handle a finite number of stairs - first or second floor preferred. *
*Allergy-wise, she can live with any creature but a cigarette smoker, *
*and has no pets herself. Any offers, leads, ideas, anything is welcome!*
*Please let me know via email. *
*************************************************************************
The latest reprint available from Cousins is AMER's (the Alliance for
Magical and Earth Religions) Guide to Dealing with Police Harassment.
A quick, well-organized read, this 5-page (3-sheet) flyer gives a good
solid foundation on what to expect, what to do and what not to do, and
such fine points as the difference between a public defender and your
own attorney. Send a SASE for this one. I recommend it very highly!
To contact AMER directly, write them at P.O. Box 16551, Clayton, MO
63105, call (314) 994-1026, or email them via their Net liaison Chris
Carlisle. She can be reached at:
C24884CC@wuvmd.bitnet
or
C24884CC@wuvmd.wustl.edu
Louise Bath has also kindly retyped and sent along a copy of The
Saracen Craft, an article by Lugh from the Spring 1992 edition of The
Cauldron. It's heavily polarized between the vision of an original
European polytheism and a very strict Saracen insistence on worshipping
no divinity outside the self. I found this article starkly black-and-
white, awkwardly pat, and frankly weird, but it offers one explanation
for the difference between northern and southern/central European
indigenous religion as it's come down to us. And at 4 pages, it's a
quick and utterly novel read. Send a SASE if you're intersted.
Thanks, Louise!
Last but not least is "Pagan and Spirituality Zines." This is a list,
current as of 4/3/93, of 25 available periodicals with a brief
description of each and subscription information. Although the issue-
for-issue facts are somewhat out of date, one hopes that the addresses
are still current and the subscription prices at least still in the
ballpark. This one's 2 double-sided pages long, and about as frank as
a hot-dog stand. The folks at Factsheet Five pull no punches, and are
thorough and concise. Who are they? I'm not sure! But you can reach
them at:
Factsheet Five
P.O. Box 170099
San Francisco CA 94117-0099
or: jerod23@well.sf.ca.us
Anyone who's studying traditional medicine and would like some
organically-grown comfrey leaf, please drop me a few stamps! I've got
plenty. If you'd like to try growing your own, I can send along a root
cutting as well.
I want to thank Patti Heyes for sending me R. Garc'ia y Robertson's
novel The Spiral Dance (ISBN 0-380-76518-7). I can't say enough about
how much I enjoyed this book! Set in a period of history about which I
know absolutely nothing, it still kept me riveted with its intricate
plot and well-defined characters. The story follows Countess Anne
Somerset Percy through the abortive Rising in the North (1569-1570)
against Queen Elizabeth and Tudor absolutism, and chronicles her flight
into Scotland and beyond. The descriptions are vivid, the dialogue
natural, the violence horrific but necessary for historic
verisimilitude, and the pace lively and even. But the best thing about
this book is Garc'ia y Robertson's approach to magic. His realistic
events and accurate explanations are completely consistent both within
the story and with magic as it moves in the world. And his portrayal
of the Goddess is unfailingly true, breathtakingly so in spots. Patti
generously GAVE me th
is wonderful book, so let me know if you want to
borrow it.
Computer genius Cousin Susan Gavula tells me that Cousins issues 1-6
are now available for anonymous FTP from etext.archive.umich.edu in
/pub/Zines/Cousins. And if you don't know what that means, please ask
Susan, not me! I'm still getting the hang of this Ethernet stuff.
Susan, thank you for your hard work and for sharing the fruits of your
formidable knowledge!
I think I'd like to close this issue with a bit of verse sent to me
months ago by Cousin Ruth Dempsey. Thank you, Ruth!
Outwitted
Edwin Markham
He drew a circle that shut me out -
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout,
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
