It’s easy to forget you live near a coastline in Anchorage. Inland channels fill to shallow depths by centuries-ground glacial silt, so fine it’s called glacial flour. Made from slow deep time, tops of mountains drained into the sea over eons. As a result, these inlets experience extreme tides, the push and pull of the Moon magnified by a narrow channel and shallow depth.
Omg this is so nuanced and beautiful. Thank you Freya for introducing me to Morgan le Fay and world of arthurian legends. I am going to be so obsessed with this in my free time!
I used to live in Alaska. Your writing brings back that land, sea, and sky so clearly. It connects me to a place in my past. I love the way you tie the environment surrounding you to your larger message.
Oh, this is sweet soul medicine on a Friday morning. Thank you for weaving the threads and taking us on this journey. I'm so intrigued by this newly discovered Arthurian text (though 2008 is not all that new!) and Morgan's litany of praise.
I was so interested in that text too--and yes, 2008! not so new. I'm working on another essay about the note, because it also came from one of the largest libraries in 16th c. England--which was the Lumley library/collection. The reason it is so large is because more than half was inherited when Lumley married his wife, Jane, whose father had built the library. She grew up with learning, and was the first woman to translate Euripides Iphegenia into English. She was also the first cousin to Lady Jane Grey, who was known for her learning as well. Telling that Jane Lumley translated a work about a woman being sacrificed at the hands of men. I like to imagine she returned to that Morgan le Fay note to feel the power of a woman's voice on the page. ;)
Thanks again for those words and worlds of poetry and magic at the (late) hours when I begin to consider to start my night .. and always something to learn ;)
(I dont really understand the beautiful photo ... )
I think I saw something similar on sea last summer, I was in a boat and the skipper said it was "false" coast with false forests on the horizon line, next to the real ones..
I bet that you were seeing a fata morgana--it is a weird thing to see, it never looks exactly how it's described. That image is of the Tetlin Hills which are rather unique in themselves, so it might be hard to discern. But thank you for reading and your kind words. 💜
Wow, Freya. This gave me chills throughout. What an incredible history. Now thinking of all the Arthurian legends I've ever read and how Morgan was portrayed in them ...
Ah, thanks Nia. Yeah--I read Mists of Avalon as a teen and never got over reading the Arthurian tales through the lens of a powerful woman with agency who was otherwise portrayed as a witch. Thrilling to think that a vernacular note was doing the same thing as Bradley--she starts the book with "Morgaine speaks...." ;)
Fellow former devotee here (I sadly put it aside many years ago because the part where Guenivere persuades Arthur to carry her Christian flag into battle made me too sad and angry, and of course the revelations from Zimmer's daughter made me glad/sad I'd let it go). I love reading this because it feels like it starts to restore Morgaine's existence as a true power.
Omg this is so nuanced and beautiful. Thank you Freya for introducing me to Morgan le Fay and world of arthurian legends. I am going to be so obsessed with this in my free time!
Hooray--you will love exploring Morgan le Fay lore! Thank you as always for your kind words my sister. 💜🧚🏼
Thank you for bringing back so many light into this world by invoking these powerful feminine archetypes 💜
This was incredible, just wow. May we continue to break the chains of these anchors. Incredible writing, Freya!
thank you so much—and yes!! 🙌 ❤️🔥
I used to live in Alaska. Your writing brings back that land, sea, and sky so clearly. It connects me to a place in my past. I love the way you tie the environment surrounding you to your larger message.
thank you so much, that means a lot. 💜
Oh, this is sweet soul medicine on a Friday morning. Thank you for weaving the threads and taking us on this journey. I'm so intrigued by this newly discovered Arthurian text (though 2008 is not all that new!) and Morgan's litany of praise.
I was so interested in that text too--and yes, 2008! not so new. I'm working on another essay about the note, because it also came from one of the largest libraries in 16th c. England--which was the Lumley library/collection. The reason it is so large is because more than half was inherited when Lumley married his wife, Jane, whose father had built the library. She grew up with learning, and was the first woman to translate Euripides Iphegenia into English. She was also the first cousin to Lady Jane Grey, who was known for her learning as well. Telling that Jane Lumley translated a work about a woman being sacrificed at the hands of men. I like to imagine she returned to that Morgan le Fay note to feel the power of a woman's voice on the page. ;)
Thanks for this, Freya. Beautifully wrought
thank you so much. 💜
Fascinating stories of far off lands, including your own.
I always find your writing quite the escape Freya. Thank you.
thanks so much Jo, that's so nice to hear. 💜
Thanks again for those words and worlds of poetry and magic at the (late) hours when I begin to consider to start my night .. and always something to learn ;)
(I dont really understand the beautiful photo ... )
I think I saw something similar on sea last summer, I was in a boat and the skipper said it was "false" coast with false forests on the horizon line, next to the real ones..
I bet that you were seeing a fata morgana--it is a weird thing to see, it never looks exactly how it's described. That image is of the Tetlin Hills which are rather unique in themselves, so it might be hard to discern. But thank you for reading and your kind words. 💜
Wow, Freya. This gave me chills throughout. What an incredible history. Now thinking of all the Arthurian legends I've ever read and how Morgan was portrayed in them ...
Ah, thanks Nia. Yeah--I read Mists of Avalon as a teen and never got over reading the Arthurian tales through the lens of a powerful woman with agency who was otherwise portrayed as a witch. Thrilling to think that a vernacular note was doing the same thing as Bradley--she starts the book with "Morgaine speaks...." ;)
Fellow former devotee here (I sadly put it aside many years ago because the part where Guenivere persuades Arthur to carry her Christian flag into battle made me too sad and angry, and of course the revelations from Zimmer's daughter made me glad/sad I'd let it go). I love reading this because it feels like it starts to restore Morgaine's existence as a true power.