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Date Posted: 13:02:44 07/17/01 Tue
Author: Nell
Subject: I watched both parts and while I thought it was well done and pretty faithful to the book (r)
In reply to: Susan W 's message, "OT/"The Mists of Avalon"" on 11:32:10 07/15/01 Sun

The same things irritated me in this version that irritated me in the book. I know that Avalon and the matriarchy have to lose (obviously, that is how it turned out!) but I wish they didn't lose the war with patriarchy/Christainity/the Saxes because of their own stupid behavior. I know it would be tricky to make their struggle turn on a valient defeat that didn't end up making their opponents look like they deserved to win...but Mel Gibson did it Braveheart...Instead in Bradley's version I've always thought it looked rather like Viviane, Morgaine, Aruther et al deserved to lose if they were always this stupid and obvious and highhanded and silly.

I mean, why does Morgaine la Fey - theoretically clever and strong enough to be the next lady of the lake, continually react like a petulant child? Just why is she so easy to manipulate? Why does she trust Morguase of all people with her son if she can't be bothered to raise him herself? Is she so dim that she hasn't figured out the Morgause is, if not completely evil, selfish and motivated by her quest for personal power, not even grounded in service of Avalon and the Goddess the way Viviane is? Lott obviously figured it out quickly enough... And why does Morgaine appear abandon the Goddess out of absence of mind while stuck up in Wales? Just because she's mad at Viviane she just walks away from everything?

I mean, Morgaine actually makes Nikita look like a quick study in terms of reacting to and resisting manipulation! And Nikita actually does make the sacrifice of self to duty -- which she has been cruelly manipulated into, much more cruelly really than Morgaine -- for the sake of others that Morgaine can't be bothered to.

I guess what I'm saying is that for all the "feminist" slant -- ie the female POV, I think Morgaine ends up being a classic female victim, passively observing the rising catasrophe and taking all the shit that's shoved at her without raising a finger to stop it.

And why is Guenivere always such an idiot anyway?

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Replies:

[> [> I hope this doesn't duplicate. I said that your points are well taken, but that your irritation would be lessened by realizing that Guinivere (guin=white) is a paternalistic corruption of Blodewedd. See reply. -- Zzoo, 16:09:04 07/17/01 Tue

Blodeuwedd, pronounced blod-oo-eeth, (aka Blodwin, Blancheflor ("White Flower") is the Welsh maiden form of the Triple Goddess. Blodeuwedd was created by Math & Gwydion from nine kinds of wildflowers, among them meadowsweet, oak, broom, primrose, and cockle to be a wife for Lleu. The magicians piled blossom upon blossom to create her. Blodeuwedd may be translated as either "flower face" or in the more ancient dialects, "owl." Also known as the ninefold goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise.

The Mabinogian concluded with Gwydion pursuing the faithless Blodeuwedd through the night sky, a path of white flowers springing up in the wake of her passing which we today know as the Milky Way. When caught, Blodeuwedd was transformed into an owl, to haunt the night in loneliness and sorrow, shunned by all other birds, a fitting symbol of autumn, just as her earlier association with flowers equated her with spring. Her supposed treachery created the very conditions to enable Llew to experience the ritual death and rebirth commonly required of the Druidic priesthood, thus ensuring his kingship. Blodeuwedd is seen as a part of his hard and difficult destiny. Thus Blodeuwedd represents both spring and fall, as patron goddess of flowers and owls, respectively. She can be viewed as a May Queen, bound in sacred marriage to sacrificial king who must eventually be sacrificed to her and through her to his people.


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[> [> [> And I'm sure poor SusanW is really sorry she ever brought this up, LOL -- Zzoo, 16:11:02 07/17/01 Tue


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[> [> [> [> ...not at all, Zzoo. I thought it might spark a good discussion. -- sw, 21:10:51 07/18/01 Wed


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[> [> What beautiful poetry... why do they call her the Triple Goddess? -- Shirleym, 12:21:17 07/18/01 Wed


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[> [> [> I think you probably shouldn't encourage me, LOL. Go to your email. -- Zzoo, 12:49:26 07/18/01 Wed


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