Your mediation on legacy, being a woman in the world silenced by coeval men, and the analogous feelings brought forth whilst being in nature: sublime. Thank you, Freya. Every essay I read of yours, I dig deeper, contemplate to further depths, and feel more connected to my Alaska home.
The rage I felt whilst reading "and that one book, of course, was the biography of her husband." 😡 But, Freya, this piece was marvelous, oh my goodness. What a beautiful sentiment re: legacy. Thank you for writing this. Thank you for sharing these women, their words, their names, their legacies with us.
Absolutely beautiful. I feel like I have so much to think about after reading this. Decolonising the way we think of legacy, and giving ourselves space to simply be enough in being appreciated is something beautiful.
This is beautiful, the last line made my heart skip a beat. My idea of a legacy is centred in love, only marking the world through the touch of our kindness on others and the natural world. Those are the footsteps I want to leave behind
"Because a legacy can also be as small and as beautiful as being missed by someone when you leave the room." It's hard to choose a favorite line in here among so many beauties.
I know I've written often of the strength and inspiration my Russian grandmother gave me, though I only met her twice before she died. A Jewish woman in the Russian empire and then under Stalin, a woman who'd once believed she was helping to create a new world where people like her could be free, only to be disillusioned as so many are through the generations, she never saw glimmers of hope that the kind of justice and ethics and values she believed in would ever become a social reality.
A mother and engineer, she never "made a name" for herself beyond her family. And yet it's her example I hang onto when our societies face impossible realities. I've often thought of her when thinking about what kind of ancestor I hope to be, that maybe some child in the far future will find heart from what I've tried to do with my life. I love the idea of good ancestry being a trace, like she is for me, rather than a legacy. ✨ This is an essay I'll be coming back to. Thank you for this!
I wrote about leaving traces in nature just last week. How people interact with the environment around them, what they take and what they leave. Something that is always of consideration here in NZ.
I have so much respect for all the research and uncovering you do. Freya. 🙏 Starting with your own blank page and then beautifully filling it in and delivering to us stories that need to be heard.
Freya, I have been your reader for so long that I have lost count of how many of your essays are my favourites, however this one is exceptionally well written. The connection between colonial conquest of wilderness, compulsion of leaving a mark and then traversing through the erasure of women’s legacy, your prose follows so fluidly in a prophetic self fulfilling loop.
I first discovered Cavendish in Woolf’s work, don’t see the world reclaiming her legacy but the world now knows that her eccentricity never shadowed her genius. Thank you for talking about women like her, women like us. 💜
I've lived long enough now to see how writers important to one era fade away. So many of those I once thought would always be read and regarded as important no longer are. Working as a librarian, where one important part of collection development is weeding, cemented for me that there is much value in being of value in your time, and also that it is OK to fade away after your time (as snow does). I have found great freedom and peace in letting go of ideas about legacy. It helps keep me grounded in living and loving fully in my now. This piece was so rich, thoughtful, and beautifully written. Thank you.
I’ve been reading a lot about “untouched” wilderness as colonial construct - thanks for this addition! And I will be hunting down more writing by Austin and cavendish immediately 💖 I love fresh snow and we have had so very little of it this year 💔
I savor every mesmerizing exquisite word you write.
Below is an excerpt from your essay, "At the back of the north wind" 5/9/2023.
I have it saved in my commonplace notebook.
I boldly and humbly borrow these words that so fittingly describe your legacy.
"Behold the work which once thou didst impose,
Great sister of the Muses' glorious star,
Of female worth, who didst at first disclose
Unto our times, what noble powers there are
In women's hearts, and sent example far
To call up others to like studious thoughts."
"(Mary) Sidney became one of the most well-known writers of the day, and her patronage of other writers and theater groups helped to create many plays, such as Samuel Daniel’s Cleopatra in 1611, written at her request. His dedication to her reflects the adoration that so many held for her work."
Somewhat related - there is a movie coming out in the UK soon about how the women football world cup in 1971 made FIFA (and men) lose their minds and ban women from football. the documentary gives voice to those women with interviews - cannot wait to hear their stories (and feel rage)
"It’s an irony that while we’re warned to leave no trace in a wilderness that makes no room for human life, we’re also told to think about what kind of legacy we want to leave—as if we are, again, in control of a blank page. Find your calling, make your mark, leave your name, your heirs, your art."
It's a further irony that those who would bid us to leave no trace are those who left a legacy in the names of the wildernesses, peaks, and rivers. And that my matrilineal line left no trace in the family tree, their legacies assigned to the men.
There's more to unpack with each read. Bravo, Freya.
Thank you.
Your mediation on legacy, being a woman in the world silenced by coeval men, and the analogous feelings brought forth whilst being in nature: sublime. Thank you, Freya. Every essay I read of yours, I dig deeper, contemplate to further depths, and feel more connected to my Alaska home.
The rage I felt whilst reading "and that one book, of course, was the biography of her husband." 😡 But, Freya, this piece was marvelous, oh my goodness. What a beautiful sentiment re: legacy. Thank you for writing this. Thank you for sharing these women, their words, their names, their legacies with us.
Absolutely beautiful. I feel like I have so much to think about after reading this. Decolonising the way we think of legacy, and giving ourselves space to simply be enough in being appreciated is something beautiful.
Note to self: read more women authors…Lovely piece, Freya. The last two paragraphs — absolutely beautiful… Thank you…!
This is beautiful, the last line made my heart skip a beat. My idea of a legacy is centred in love, only marking the world through the touch of our kindness on others and the natural world. Those are the footsteps I want to leave behind
"Because a legacy can also be as small and as beautiful as being missed by someone when you leave the room." It's hard to choose a favorite line in here among so many beauties.
I know I've written often of the strength and inspiration my Russian grandmother gave me, though I only met her twice before she died. A Jewish woman in the Russian empire and then under Stalin, a woman who'd once believed she was helping to create a new world where people like her could be free, only to be disillusioned as so many are through the generations, she never saw glimmers of hope that the kind of justice and ethics and values she believed in would ever become a social reality.
A mother and engineer, she never "made a name" for herself beyond her family. And yet it's her example I hang onto when our societies face impossible realities. I've often thought of her when thinking about what kind of ancestor I hope to be, that maybe some child in the far future will find heart from what I've tried to do with my life. I love the idea of good ancestry being a trace, like she is for me, rather than a legacy. ✨ This is an essay I'll be coming back to. Thank you for this!
Beautiful, thank you.
Love the fresh snow images Freya.
I wrote about leaving traces in nature just last week. How people interact with the environment around them, what they take and what they leave. Something that is always of consideration here in NZ.
I have so much respect for all the research and uncovering you do. Freya. 🙏 Starting with your own blank page and then beautifully filling it in and delivering to us stories that need to be heard.
Important work. Legacy work. 😊
Freya, I have been your reader for so long that I have lost count of how many of your essays are my favourites, however this one is exceptionally well written. The connection between colonial conquest of wilderness, compulsion of leaving a mark and then traversing through the erasure of women’s legacy, your prose follows so fluidly in a prophetic self fulfilling loop.
I first discovered Cavendish in Woolf’s work, don’t see the world reclaiming her legacy but the world now knows that her eccentricity never shadowed her genius. Thank you for talking about women like her, women like us. 💜
I've lived long enough now to see how writers important to one era fade away. So many of those I once thought would always be read and regarded as important no longer are. Working as a librarian, where one important part of collection development is weeding, cemented for me that there is much value in being of value in your time, and also that it is OK to fade away after your time (as snow does). I have found great freedom and peace in letting go of ideas about legacy. It helps keep me grounded in living and loving fully in my now. This piece was so rich, thoughtful, and beautifully written. Thank you.
I’ve been reading a lot about “untouched” wilderness as colonial construct - thanks for this addition! And I will be hunting down more writing by Austin and cavendish immediately 💖 I love fresh snow and we have had so very little of it this year 💔
So much to think about here. Beautifully expressed. But my favourite thing is the last sentence. Thank you.
I savor every mesmerizing exquisite word you write.
Below is an excerpt from your essay, "At the back of the north wind" 5/9/2023.
I have it saved in my commonplace notebook.
I boldly and humbly borrow these words that so fittingly describe your legacy.
"Behold the work which once thou didst impose,
Great sister of the Muses' glorious star,
Of female worth, who didst at first disclose
Unto our times, what noble powers there are
In women's hearts, and sent example far
To call up others to like studious thoughts."
"(Mary) Sidney became one of the most well-known writers of the day, and her patronage of other writers and theater groups helped to create many plays, such as Samuel Daniel’s Cleopatra in 1611, written at her request. His dedication to her reflects the adoration that so many held for her work."
From <https://freyarohn.substack.com/p/at-the-back-of-the-north-wind>
Favourite post! 🪩 thank you
Somewhat related - there is a movie coming out in the UK soon about how the women football world cup in 1971 made FIFA (and men) lose their minds and ban women from football. the documentary gives voice to those women with interviews - cannot wait to hear their stories (and feel rage)
https://variety.com/2023/film/global/womens-world-cup-football-1971-mexico-documentary-1235680834/amp/
"It’s an irony that while we’re warned to leave no trace in a wilderness that makes no room for human life, we’re also told to think about what kind of legacy we want to leave—as if we are, again, in control of a blank page. Find your calling, make your mark, leave your name, your heirs, your art."
It's a further irony that those who would bid us to leave no trace are those who left a legacy in the names of the wildernesses, peaks, and rivers. And that my matrilineal line left no trace in the family tree, their legacies assigned to the men.
There's more to unpack with each read. Bravo, Freya.