| Interesting question from the mouth of a babe...
DH just came out from reading a bedtime story to tell me that DS asked him: Why is it that you are bewitched, but never bewizarded? This instantly got my mind rolling on what it means to be a witch (and therefore, a woman); fear of witches; witch hunts; a whole string of associations popped up in my mind. Before i could even say anything, DH told me that his response was, if it was a wizard, then you are simply cursed. I guess that was a good enough answer for a 5 year old, but it really made me think about the difference between a witch and a wizard in the popular imagination, and it definitely strikes some kind of feminist hot button. At the same time, I am interested in the archetypal quality of these popular images, and I wonder why we have so rarely referenced the good quality of the powerful sorceress in our cultural mythology. I think the general idea of a witch is a hideous, old and ugly creature (except when very young or using magic to disguise herself) who casts spells to control others. She can lay a curse as good as any old wizard, and she's not afraid to use both her wickedness and her charms to get her way. A wizard, on the other hand, is generally portrayed as a dignified, if eccentric old gentleman. I think these are ideas that date back to the early days of Christianity. Rarely in our culture do we see the other side of the magical coin for either gender. Where, in American mythology, do we find the powerful sorceress? Our magical women, when not downright evil, are usually essentially playthings. Think, Tinkerbell. Then, I am remembering the good witch from Wizard of Oz (our first true American fairy tale) and how she was originally a wrinkled old lady; it was Hollywood that changed her into a doll-like figurine.
just rambling stream-of consciousness here. Any thoughts? |