The White Council

Re: Tolkien, the WWW, and gender

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : : [snip, snip] : : : It's apparent to me that women have been cast in the "witch" role so often because women of power have been and still are highly threatening to men in general. I've met men who are okay with it, to their credit, but they've been exceptional. A really, truly, incredibly beautiful rendition of woman's magic, in its incredibly feminine power, including the fear it inspires in men who cry "witch", is Rudolfo Anaya's "Bless Me, Ultima", the story of a boy mentored by a Curandera (Mexican Folk Healer). Also excellent is "Tales of Goletha": a group of true stories of rememberence about a stuttering boy who is mentored by a highly unusual and wise Goat Lady.

: : If you haven't already, you may want to check out George MacDonald's fantasy/faerie tales. He was one of the inspirations for C.S. Lewis & JRRT. Your comments above remind me of MacDonald's 'Wise Woman' who shows up in many of his fantasy stories. She has magic skills, is both ancient and young, speaks often in riddles. MacDonald had some radical ideas for his time that got him into trouble. He believed women should be educated & held them in more esteem than his contemporaries.

: He was the one who authored Phantastes??? I believe I read that book looooong ago. What else did he write that you recommend?

: Lady G.

Yes, he wrote Phantastes: a wild story - I felt like I only understood the surface, but much was hidden below which eluded me. My favorite of his faerie tales is "The Princess and the Goblin". It is geared toward children (which is part of why I like it). It does contain the wise woman character. (I have read a lot of his stuff in the past couple years & found he recycles characters quite a bit with alterations here & there.) The sequel is good too; "The Princess and Curdie". "The Light Princess" is a fun short faerie story. "The Back of the North Wind" was delightful. "Lilithe" was another one I felt I missed most of. It was based on the legend of Adam's "first wife" Lilithe. He also has some stories that would be better described as ghost stories (though not really 'horror'). I loved "The Cruel Painter". I think all these can be found in e-text form on-line. Some can still be purchased. Check this web site below.

Happy, thoughtful reading! -Steve S.