Phoebe Halliwell (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomhigh2006-02-14 08:58 am
sensethevisions) wrote in fandomhigh2006-02-14 08:58 am
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Period 4 Arthurian Traditions || Tuesday, February 14, 2006
When the students come into their Arthurian Traditions Class for Tuesday, they are greeted by 
. Niether Camulus, nor Phoebe are anywhere to be seen.
On the board behind the desk is written:
"... there must be a reason why the typical textbook overlooks the woman warrior ninety-nine percent of the time, and creates instead a corrupt history, whether of samurai society or castle life in medieval Europe, that is grotesquely false in its portrait of absent or subservient women."
- Jessica Amanda Salmonson, The Encyclopedia of Amazons
After all of the studentsand groupies are inside the classroom, the strange woman locks the door and pushes something in front of it to barricade it.
"What you have just witnessed is referred to as a non-confrontational coup d'etat. Niether your professor or his assistant were in here. I breezed in under their radar, and set myself up as leader of the class. There was no combat and no bloodshed. I just simply took advantage of an opportunity wherein there was no one is a postion to stop me. Would it have stopped me if someone were here? If the Professor was here, yes, I would have found a different way to make my point. If it were just the assistant... well I simply would have bested her and taken over any way... sort of like you just witnessed. Or did I?"
The stranger runs a hand over her face as she recites something. By the time her hand has passed completely over her face, Phoebe is standing there, looking quite pleased with herself. She is, however, still wearing the leather outfit.
"Thus, you have the second example of how women in Arthurian Times were able to claim power of their very own. In several revisionist histories, women were portrayed as being powerless and always dependent on the men of the time, but they weren't.
One Roman historian wrote that Celtic women's conditions were quite miserable because when the men were seized with the passion of war, they abandoned the cultivation of the land and left it to the women. This was not always the case. We know Celtic women went to war from such historians as Polybus who said that Celtic women followed their husbands to the battlefield in wagons. Ammeanus Marcellinus said that Celtic women also took an energetic part in melee. It was said that a Celtic man with his wife could hold off an entire troop of Roman soldiers. It was not recorded if women went naked into battle as the men did nor if they wore armor and helmet or carried shields. However, within the Celtic world, women had equal rights with men. They could inherit wealth with full rights of ownership and could be elected to any office. Tribal queens, such as Boudicca and Cartimandua, show prominately in the historical records. Women were admitted to war councils and were clearly influential.
In Irish mythology and later Arthurian tales, women warriors teach the famous heroes chivalry, mystical wisdom (possibly Druidic lore), and feats of arms. The wooing of Emer is one such tale. Scáthach nUanaind taught the great Irish hero Cúchulainn, on the Isle of Skye, how to fight. Skye was one of many schools or academies of martial arts run by women. The myths say it takes these women a year and a day to train a hero.
These women warriors are called banaisgedaig, ban feinnidi, and bantuathaig and they are credited as having the magical power of transformation, somewhat like berserker rage, where the face is flush red and the neck and arms swell. On the whole, these female champions are described as both beautiful and courageous. These heroines were not all muscle and no brains; they were also accomplished in the arts and sciences. Sometimes referred to as Ban-faith or "prophetess" they were experts in divination and supernatural wisdom.
If these female heroines were indeed Ban-faiths, then it these warrior women were also a subclass of the Druids, just as the Faiths and Ovates were a subclass of the Druids. If this is true, then it doesn't explain why they were not exempt from military service as the male Druids were. We are not sure, but then they could have been holy warriors such as the goddess Brigid's known as "Brigand" and such were a special case. Anything is possible.
While the Amazons of Greek legend may not appear in the central story of the history of King Arthur, Celtic Britain was not lacking for warrior women, and later works composed around characters from the Arthurian cycle are rife with references to the ancient tribes of fighting women.
The Amazons of Arthurian romances appear in many varied representations, some of which are true to their historical nature and others of which are far from it. The Morte Arthure labels the Amazons as subjects of Arthur's foe, Lucius. While they may appear as fierce warriors in this story, it is a corruption of their mythos to place them as "subjects" of a male, Roman ruler.
Of course, the Arthurian romances largely focus upon glorifying the knights of the Round Table so, as with the Greek legends, it is the male knights who are the heroes in these stories, not the Amazons. As such, there are instances of knights "saving" Amazons, such as the story of Tristan the Younger rescuing an Amazon Queen from the king of the Idumeans, and many accounts of Amazons meeting gruesome deaths at the hands (swords, fangs, etc.) of some knight or beast. One Amazon Queen, during battle with Gawain, is slain by the "Crop-eared Dog" (an earless, tail-less, dog-like creature, which is actually an enchanted prince and an ally of Gawain's).
Spencer's Faerie Queene gives quite an extensive treatment of Amazons and Amazon-like figures, some of whom are identified as belonging to the side of "good" and others to the side of "evil". Spencer's Amazon Queene is Radigunde. She defeats many famous Arthurian knights, who are then sworn to subservience in her court, where they are forced to perform such "feminine" chores as the spinning and carding of wool. Of course, Radigunde is eventually defeated, but not by one of Arthur's valiant knights. Radigunde falls prey to no man but eventually meets her death at the hands of another Amazon-type figure, Britomart.
The difference in status between the "good" Britomart (the name "Britomart" means: good maiden) and the "evil" Radigunde is perhaps analogous to that between Athena, Greek goddess of war and wisdom, who is often depicted as a patron of male heroes and a foe of the Amazons, and Artemis, a wild (uncivilized) goddess of the hunt as well as women's mysteries such as midwifery. Athena and Britomart support the male hero and the patriarchal status quo. Artemis and Radigunde seek to usurp the power of the male hero and to overthrow the patriarchy and in this they are labelled "evil".
There is also an association between Spencer's Britomart and the goddess Artemis, however, through the very name "Britomart". Artemis had a companion known as Britomartis, who was the keeper of her hunting hounds. The Spartans knew Britomartis as "Artemis, the Lady of the Lake". This brings us to another figure in the Arthurian saga...
Can the Lady of the Lake and other women central to the legend of King Arthur be considered to be Amazons? None of these women are members of the historical tribes, but they do possess certain Amazon-like characteristics.
The Lady of the Lake's realm is one comprised exclusively of women. In some accounts, her land is even referred to as "Maidenland". It is here that Lancelot is raised, once the Lady takes him in, but he is only allowed to remain there as a child. Maidenland is not for adult males. The Lady and other goddess/priestess/fae characters do not normally appear in battle with sword or axe, as traditional Amazons, but they are strong females who operate independently from and outside of the male defined structure of Arthur and his knights, and they do hold power over many of the battles, through their divine powers/witchcraft/faerie magick.
It is with the female characters that the Arthurian legends (which follow Roman, patriarchal traditions in reference to Arthur and the knights) meet with the matriarchal power of ancient Celtic ties to the Great Goddess. While the "traditional" Amazons of Arthurian romance may be pale immitations of the Amazon ideal (although, here we are defining "Amazon ideal" from a modern perspective since, as we have seen in previous articles, the Amazons in the original Greek tales did not, ultimately, fare any better), the Lady of the Lake, in whatever guise she takes (Nimue, Viviane, and Morgan le Fay are all variously given throughout the Arthurian legends as incarnations of the Lady) is a very powerful character indeed.
There are reasons why the most powerful people during the Arthurian age were often women. Yes, men went to war a lot more than women, but women had to learn how to wage war in their own way in defense of themselves and their homes. Just because the men were the ones that talked war, it didn't mean the women of the time were just pampered and kept in the dark with everything that was going on in their time period."
. Niether Camulus, nor Phoebe are anywhere to be seen.On the board behind the desk is written:
"... there must be a reason why the typical textbook overlooks the woman warrior ninety-nine percent of the time, and creates instead a corrupt history, whether of samurai society or castle life in medieval Europe, that is grotesquely false in its portrait of absent or subservient women."
- Jessica Amanda Salmonson, The Encyclopedia of Amazons
After all of the students
"What you have just witnessed is referred to as a non-confrontational coup d'etat. Niether your professor or his assistant were in here. I breezed in under their radar, and set myself up as leader of the class. There was no combat and no bloodshed. I just simply took advantage of an opportunity wherein there was no one is a postion to stop me. Would it have stopped me if someone were here? If the Professor was here, yes, I would have found a different way to make my point. If it were just the assistant... well I simply would have bested her and taken over any way... sort of like you just witnessed. Or did I?"
The stranger runs a hand over her face as she recites something. By the time her hand has passed completely over her face, Phoebe is standing there, looking quite pleased with herself. She is, however, still wearing the leather outfit.
"Thus, you have the second example of how women in Arthurian Times were able to claim power of their very own. In several revisionist histories, women were portrayed as being powerless and always dependent on the men of the time, but they weren't.
One Roman historian wrote that Celtic women's conditions were quite miserable because when the men were seized with the passion of war, they abandoned the cultivation of the land and left it to the women. This was not always the case. We know Celtic women went to war from such historians as Polybus who said that Celtic women followed their husbands to the battlefield in wagons. Ammeanus Marcellinus said that Celtic women also took an energetic part in melee. It was said that a Celtic man with his wife could hold off an entire troop of Roman soldiers. It was not recorded if women went naked into battle as the men did nor if they wore armor and helmet or carried shields. However, within the Celtic world, women had equal rights with men. They could inherit wealth with full rights of ownership and could be elected to any office. Tribal queens, such as Boudicca and Cartimandua, show prominately in the historical records. Women were admitted to war councils and were clearly influential.
In Irish mythology and later Arthurian tales, women warriors teach the famous heroes chivalry, mystical wisdom (possibly Druidic lore), and feats of arms. The wooing of Emer is one such tale. Scáthach nUanaind taught the great Irish hero Cúchulainn, on the Isle of Skye, how to fight. Skye was one of many schools or academies of martial arts run by women. The myths say it takes these women a year and a day to train a hero.
These women warriors are called banaisgedaig, ban feinnidi, and bantuathaig and they are credited as having the magical power of transformation, somewhat like berserker rage, where the face is flush red and the neck and arms swell. On the whole, these female champions are described as both beautiful and courageous. These heroines were not all muscle and no brains; they were also accomplished in the arts and sciences. Sometimes referred to as Ban-faith or "prophetess" they were experts in divination and supernatural wisdom.
If these female heroines were indeed Ban-faiths, then it these warrior women were also a subclass of the Druids, just as the Faiths and Ovates were a subclass of the Druids. If this is true, then it doesn't explain why they were not exempt from military service as the male Druids were. We are not sure, but then they could have been holy warriors such as the goddess Brigid's known as "Brigand" and such were a special case. Anything is possible.
While the Amazons of Greek legend may not appear in the central story of the history of King Arthur, Celtic Britain was not lacking for warrior women, and later works composed around characters from the Arthurian cycle are rife with references to the ancient tribes of fighting women.
The Amazons of Arthurian romances appear in many varied representations, some of which are true to their historical nature and others of which are far from it. The Morte Arthure labels the Amazons as subjects of Arthur's foe, Lucius. While they may appear as fierce warriors in this story, it is a corruption of their mythos to place them as "subjects" of a male, Roman ruler.
Of course, the Arthurian romances largely focus upon glorifying the knights of the Round Table so, as with the Greek legends, it is the male knights who are the heroes in these stories, not the Amazons. As such, there are instances of knights "saving" Amazons, such as the story of Tristan the Younger rescuing an Amazon Queen from the king of the Idumeans, and many accounts of Amazons meeting gruesome deaths at the hands (swords, fangs, etc.) of some knight or beast. One Amazon Queen, during battle with Gawain, is slain by the "Crop-eared Dog" (an earless, tail-less, dog-like creature, which is actually an enchanted prince and an ally of Gawain's).
Spencer's Faerie Queene gives quite an extensive treatment of Amazons and Amazon-like figures, some of whom are identified as belonging to the side of "good" and others to the side of "evil". Spencer's Amazon Queene is Radigunde. She defeats many famous Arthurian knights, who are then sworn to subservience in her court, where they are forced to perform such "feminine" chores as the spinning and carding of wool. Of course, Radigunde is eventually defeated, but not by one of Arthur's valiant knights. Radigunde falls prey to no man but eventually meets her death at the hands of another Amazon-type figure, Britomart.
The difference in status between the "good" Britomart (the name "Britomart" means: good maiden) and the "evil" Radigunde is perhaps analogous to that between Athena, Greek goddess of war and wisdom, who is often depicted as a patron of male heroes and a foe of the Amazons, and Artemis, a wild (uncivilized) goddess of the hunt as well as women's mysteries such as midwifery. Athena and Britomart support the male hero and the patriarchal status quo. Artemis and Radigunde seek to usurp the power of the male hero and to overthrow the patriarchy and in this they are labelled "evil".
There is also an association between Spencer's Britomart and the goddess Artemis, however, through the very name "Britomart". Artemis had a companion known as Britomartis, who was the keeper of her hunting hounds. The Spartans knew Britomartis as "Artemis, the Lady of the Lake". This brings us to another figure in the Arthurian saga...
Can the Lady of the Lake and other women central to the legend of King Arthur be considered to be Amazons? None of these women are members of the historical tribes, but they do possess certain Amazon-like characteristics.
The Lady of the Lake's realm is one comprised exclusively of women. In some accounts, her land is even referred to as "Maidenland". It is here that Lancelot is raised, once the Lady takes him in, but he is only allowed to remain there as a child. Maidenland is not for adult males. The Lady and other goddess/priestess/fae characters do not normally appear in battle with sword or axe, as traditional Amazons, but they are strong females who operate independently from and outside of the male defined structure of Arthur and his knights, and they do hold power over many of the battles, through their divine powers/witchcraft/faerie magick.
It is with the female characters that the Arthurian legends (which follow Roman, patriarchal traditions in reference to Arthur and the knights) meet with the matriarchal power of ancient Celtic ties to the Great Goddess. While the "traditional" Amazons of Arthurian romance may be pale immitations of the Amazon ideal (although, here we are defining "Amazon ideal" from a modern perspective since, as we have seen in previous articles, the Amazons in the original Greek tales did not, ultimately, fare any better), the Lady of the Lake, in whatever guise she takes (Nimue, Viviane, and Morgan le Fay are all variously given throughout the Arthurian legends as incarnations of the Lady) is a very powerful character indeed.
There are reasons why the most powerful people during the Arthurian age were often women. Yes, men went to war a lot more than women, but women had to learn how to wage war in their own way in defense of themselves and their homes. Just because the men were the ones that talked war, it didn't mean the women of the time were just pampered and kept in the dark with everything that was going on in their time period."
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He wondered if he could get her to put the glamour back up after dinner tonight.Re: Sign In Here
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Questions On The Lecture
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And even asks for clarification every now and then.
Mun is sick. Best I can do today, sorry!Bribe the TA
OOC
Re: OOC
Re: OOC
"What you have just witnessed is referred to as a non-confrontational coup d'etat. Niether your professor or his assistant were in here. I breezed in under their radar, and set myself up as leader of the class. There was no combat and no bloodshed. I just simply took advantage of an opportunity wherein there was no one is a postion to stop me. Would it have stopped me if someone were here? If the Professor was here, yes, I would have found a different way to make my point. If it were just the assistant... well I simply would have bested her and taken over any way... sort of like you just witnessed. Or did I?"
The stranger runs a hand over her face as she recites something. By the time her hand has passed completely over her face, Phoebe is standing there, looking quite pleased with herself. She is, however, still wearing the leather outfit.
Re: OOC
And boy do I feel dumb as I just remembered who you are. :)
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Re: OOC
She's gonna be wearing it for the Sociology stuff today, so Newspaper editor better get pics. :)
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watchinghaving classes with Cam way too much.