The faces of the Goddess :: English Literature

The faces of the GoddessThroughout history women confirm empowered themselves by ta queen regnant on manydifferent titles and roles. This house be seen in the two allegoricalfantasy novels The Mists of Avalon and Forest house, both written byMarion Zimmer Bradley. In both novels we see the female protagoniststake on many different roles as they move end-to-end the differentstages of their lives. In the novels it is believed that the Goddess put downs herself in every woman. The stages and roles held by the twopriestesses, Morgaine and Eilan, symbolise the different forms theGoddess takes. Morgaine shows the Goddess in spite of appearance her when she acts asthe Maiden or Virgin huntress, the buzz off of all men and as the ancientDeath-crone. These forms of the Goddess show themselves in Eilan asthe Maiden, the loving Mother and the Lady of Ravens or Death-crone.Both Morgaines and Eilans actions throughout the novels show thatthey represent the three faces of the Goddess the V irgin Maiden, thelover of men and gods the Mother, life-giver and caretaker of menand the Old Death-crone, killer of men.To begin, Morgaine represents the Virgin Maiden, the lover of the Godand Summer-king. This is shown when Morgaine is thinking to herselfabout her one-time(prenominal) eyepatch weaving a spell to kill Avalloch. She is planningto piece her lover Accolon on the toilet in the place of Avalloch afterthe king Uriens dies. Morgaine speaks in her mindYears ago she had been the Virgin Huntress, blessing the tusk Oneand sending him forth to run with the deer and to conquer or die as theGoddess might decree. He had come back to her... like a shot she was no longerthat Virgin, holding all the power of the Huntress. (The Mists ofAvalon 671)These lines show that Morgaine had at a time taken the form of the VirginGoddess who gives herself to the King Stag. She did the duty of theMaiden Goddess while she was young and a physical maiden by settingArthur the Stag-God on his t hrone. This is important because she feelsnow that she must set the God on his throne again but this time in theform of Accolon. Morgaine worries though because she feels she nolonger has the power of the Maiden Huntress to do so. This shows thatMorgaine doubts that the Goddess and all her selves are within her.This occurs despite the fact that she had assumed the position ofMaiden before. Morgaine is still inborn in the ways of the Goddessand like the Maiden, she must set out on a spiritual journey toward