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 some 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... 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 this 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!