I wrote a story that begins where the Arthurian legend ends

When the goddess became human

I wrote a story that begins where the Arthurian legend ends and doesn’t stop until it reaches us, today.

I studied Arthurian tales during my German literature degree and graduated with a thesis on Hartmann von Aue’s Erec, a knight’s lovestory and adventure leading from Arthur’s court to the Otherworld.
Did you know that one of the famous medieval Arthurian authors was German? Von Aue lived 1160-1210 and took up what French Chrétien de Troyes (who wrote down the Quest for the Grail between 1181-90) left.

These are all very christianised versions of the tales about Arthur, and as much as I am grateful that the stories survived in written form I am cautious about their shared message. Because truly, when you look deeper into the texts and the historical context, you find that in their essence they speak of the relationship between human and the earth, spiritual realms of Faery, personal development and mystery traditions. However throughout time matriarchy gave way to patriarchy, matrilineage¹ and goddess cult were taken over by suppression of women and a dogmatic faith in an almighty god. Cross-culturally crucial female deities were morphed with one sided christian characters while war heroes became kings and christian knights ascended to heaven.

We find the pure, innocent and unconditional mother Mary Queen as template for Guinevere, well, before Lancelot showed up and adultery left her to blame for the falling of Arthur’s kingdom. Lancelot’s character was added to create some spice and drama for entertainment.
And Morgain Le Fay, seductress and nemesis of Arthur, yet also always his psychopomp and healer, got merged with the shamed, flawed and powerful Mary Magdalene who was responsible for Jesus wounds and his rite of passage through anointing him for his death.

Both Guinevere and Morgain however were goddess-like figures who existed long before Jesus’ mother and lover.

Guinevere, Gwenhwyfar in Welsh accounts has origins as a Goddess of Sovereignty, she who is the embodiment of the land and therefore the rightful appointing power to the one who has the right to rule. And she can equally make any king redundant should he not uphold the sacred responsibilities towards her, the land, and its people.²
Morgain’s origin is equally powerful as it is obscure³, but alone the fact that her title is Le Fey = The Faery/Fairy is a clear sign of her divine presence. Because Faeries are not the tiny pixie creatures of Victorian times but originally divine beings, also known as the Shining Ones and The Sídhe.

I personally believe that they root back to a time that predates Greek Mythology, a time in which goddesses and mother deities were revered as the true live giving force of nature. The Great Mother of all.
Those mighty women over time got pushed from the altars of priestesses and soon priestesses were a pushed out of the temples and to this date the catholic church won’t allow women in roles of sacred leadership.

But the goddesses didn’t die.

They found their way through secret passages, carried forth through whispers in the wind and survived in altered shapes. The writers of history couldn’t fully erase the goddess in the books and instead rewrote their stories, moulded them into human form or wicked witches. And I am delighted to rewrite their stories yet again. But this time not to dust off an old statue to put on a pedestal of worship. My aim is to relate to their current of change and find meaning in becoming. As the stories of the goddesses are our stories.

And it is time we start telling them.

A Nymph’s Tale

Nymphs are, similar to Faeries, supernatural beings yet specifically female. The word means anything from maiden as in young woman to bride and refers to beautiful figures often found inhabiting bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes and more so known as naiads also oceans - like sirens, selkies or the more popular mermaids. Nymphs can also live in trees and are referred to as dryad, from tree or oak, sometimes confused (or rightfully connected?) with the word druid. I have always resonated deeply with the dancing women that smoothly swayed with the branches of birch trees and effortlessly flowed with the river’s stream.

Once they were spirits of place, land wights and local goddesses of springs and wells.

The silly menchanting (I made this up but I think it could become a word for the motif of women seducing/enchanting men) maidens that run away from a horny faun in Greek Mythology are yet another example of how a former highly revered and important deity became a mere anecdote⁴.

It is as if the Great Goddess, the Mother of all, embarked on a journey.

One quite contrary to the linear (and male) ideal of ascension and transcendence from (sinful) human existence. Hers is a story of descension from the unattainable and intangible (but mighty) immortal to materialisation and relatability. And it is this journey that I captured - in a way that hopes to awaken the divine spark in you.

In order to embody the spiritual, ecological and magical lessons we receive in the Arthurian legends we are required to bring the stories alive. And I believe for that we need to make meaning through myth and create contemporary context. The story I wrote is not about specific characters of the Arthurian tale but one central figure who is rooted in the Avalonian Tradition yet undefined and neglected in mainstream literature. Which is why she is the perfect mirror for my own experience and for those of many of you. It is our joined journey of despair, recognition, rebirth and ultimately: belonging.

It is a mythic fairytale and story of remembrance. A tale that offers a bridge to cross from past resonance to building our present. And it is being published alongside other empowering stories of women sharing their vulnerable truths. I’m inviting you to support this beautiful movement by getting your virtual copy for only $1.99 on July 12th. All proceeds go to the Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance (MECA). 
As a personal thank you for supporting this project and making the purchase on release day I will send you an audio version of the story to listen as a vision journey or whilst on a summer walk. Simply reply to this email or comment on the post and I will send you the link and a reminder to purchase on the day of release!

If this stirs a longing in you to step on the priestess path alongside me please know that the doors to my Avalon Retreat in Glastonbury are open. We gather on the Holy Isle as sisters in devotion, joy and magic to alchemise our pain into power:

1. the heir and rightful ruler being determined by the mother’s side of the family, not the father’s

2. The reason why we don’t have clear record of a goddess with that name most likely results in Geoffrey of Monmouth confusing male names with female ones, this research certainly makes for an interesting read and theory: https://medievalscotland.org/problem/names/morgan.shtml

In the later legends Guinevere is always being abducted by aspiring lords or even Otherworldly kin (her name points out her faery origin, meaning white shadow/ghost) which essentially are trials to prove worthy of her. Since Lancelot came along she chose a new lover, similar to Blodeuwedd and Creiddylad who similarly are earth goddesses that change their lover according to the season (summer and winter become men, also known as the Oak and the Holly Kings). These are just some of the Welsh sovereignty figures, Irish myths tell us of many more, it is by no means a rare motif but clearly one that wasn’t supposed to be upheld in a men’s world or at the very least got humanised to a point where it almost lost the symbolic connection to its original context.

3. many draw connections to Irish battle goddess The Morrígan, others are more careful in their interpretation, maybe allowing for a link between her and Modron/Motron, divine mother of the divine child Mabon. Certainly everyone points out the etymology of her name, breaking it down to mor/môr or maur, meaning sea or great

4. Although nymphs do make it to main characters but are not seen as gods or goddesses. In Metamorphoses by Ovid we encounter characters such as Daphne, who runs from mighty Apollo and prefers to be transformed into a tree rather than reciprocating his desire. Or Echo, slightly more tragic, dies of rejection from Narcissus who only has eyes for himself, only her voice remains to echo those of others.