370
A mythical figure (media.piefed.zip)
submitted 7 months ago by to c/tumblr@lemmy.world
26 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
Triggered by another post I didn't want to hijack: Excalibur. In the legends, Excalibur comes out of a lake (although some versions have Excalibur as the sword in the stone, those are later...the sword Arthur pulls from the stone breaks and he goes to get a better one). From the "Lady of the Lake." Here's the thing. In northern Europe in the Iron Age all the way through to the early Medieval period, most iron came from bog iron. It was hard to smelt, because it was a rather low grade ore, but you didn't have to mine it and it was a renewable resource (in about twenty years you could just come back and get more, because it formed constantly). Meaning that the iron used to make a sword came... out of water. In most fairy stories, fairies don't like iron. So the vision of the Lady as some kind of fairy or elf? Not likely. The idea of her as a druid? Maybe. But what's far more likely is this: The Lady of the Lake was a smith. But.... but... The Celtic deity in charge of smiths and ironworking was Bridget, a goddess. The mystical associations with the Lady would fit with her being a priestess of Bridget...and thus, a smith. IOW, Arthurian people, maybe we should not be visualizing the Lady of the Lake as a slender, graceful woman in a gown... ...but as a jacked smith in an apron.
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 2 points 7 months ago (1 child)

Thanks :) my hunt is specifically for respected female leadership at the center of the narrative. It's hard to find, especially done very well. I like Joan of Arc stories, for example.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago

    Then you might like mists of Avalon :) it’s about powerful women and their role in common lore, though it’s fiction :) it was written by a woman if that helps, Marion zimmer Bradley (why I remember that is unknown, but I do. I misplaced my copy many many moves ago)

    Either way I wish you luck on your hunt! That’s the only thing I know of that might work, sorry I can’t suggest further!

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent