TARDIS

Avalon High is my first foray into the genre of teen romance.  I have read young adult fiction, but never “YA-romance.”  Avalon High is a fun, light read—but I would not cast a modern Arthur in Annapolis, MD.  Neither would I have Arthur running for mayor in New York City.  Last Monday, Dr. MB told the class to think about a modern Arthur story we might like to see.  How would I like to see a modern Arthur? 

 I have several story lines I would like to see developed.  First, I think it might be an interesting bit of time travel for Dr. Who.  Perhaps King Arthur and his Camelot could have some alien circumstances—and Avalon and Excalibur could be anything in the Dr. Who universe.

Another Arthur I might like to see would be more of an espionage- action/thriller novel or mini- series set in the British SIS (MI6) or MI5 agency. “Merlin” might be a data collection/artificial intelligence. Excalibur could be some high tech weapon system.  Arthur and his knights become a special task force of agents in secret intelligence or in national security—I am not thinking of kings and reincarnation.

 The UK does have an interesting radio-telescope array used for astronomical observations called e-Merlin—With the right treatment, this might be the opening of a science fiction story.  

What kind of Arthur story would you like to see?

Happy blogging! 

Knight LIfe: Yet Another Gwen

I’m curious what other people think of Knight Life’s Gwen.  Of all of our readings this semester, Peter David’s Gwen is my least favorite version of her.  David’s Gwen is a sneaky, not too bright, liar. "Adultery Gwen" is not nearly as annoying as duplicitous, in league with the enemy, Gwen.   Gwen’s dialog  makes her sound a little dim with “you guys” and “y’knows.”  Morgana dupes Gwen into being a distraction and knowing participant in yet another act of betrayal.

“Aging backwards” Merlin is okay but scaly monsters magically disguised as waiters?  This book reminds me of a Kinky Friedman novel.  Or better yet, Art Penn running for mayor is sort of like the real life Kinky Friedman running for governor of Texas in 2006. Now, Friedman is running for the Agriculture Commissioner of Texas. If you add together Will Rogers, Raymond Chandler, pot smoking, cigars, an acoustic guitar, and a shot of tequila  you'd get something that sounds and looks like Kinky Friedman.  Friedman is a novelist, a musician (Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys), and a politician.  Kinky Friedman has a  line of merchandise and is a master of self-promotion.  Many of Friedman's You Tube clips contain offensive language. 

Looking In the Mirror: Allegory and the Lady of Shalott

A woman and her loom: weaving for economic independence

The “Lady of Shalott” looks into the mirror as she weaves,why?  Kathryn Sullivan Kruger tells us that weavers using certain types of looms face the back of their tapestries and gaze at the front side of the tapestry in the mirror  (Weaving the Word: The Metaphorics of Weaving and Female Textual Production).  Weaving on that  type of loom, the weavers see only a reflected image of the art that they are creating. They do not have a direct experience of the image.  Tennyson’s mirror metaphor is a cleaver spin, in this case weave, on the ancient “Allegory of the Cave” in Plato’s Republic. 

The weaver's focus is on the work in front of her.  Most of us are like the weaver.  We pay attention to what is  before us and call it real.

Plato’s metaphor likens people’s perception of reality to that of prisoners in a dark cave, chained tightly with their back to a low wall, and unable to turn around.  Their field of vision, their perceived reality, is limited to the reflected images that appear on the back wall of the cave or what is in front of them. This cartoon clip is a bit long but does a nice job of explaining the allegory of the cave.  .

What do we stare at? What is in front of our face, or the Lady’s face, that we call reality?  The Lady is staring at her life’s tapestry.  What do we focus on?  Like the Lady, we weave threads of thoughts and ideas into the fabric of our consciousness and daily lives.  What cave or tower are we trapped in?  Are we aware of our chains?  Are the images that we stare at so engaging that we have trouble taking our eyes away from them to turn around and look at the sun?  Do we find comfort and security in what is familiar?                                                    

Backs to the wall 

We might think that we are different from the Lady and perhaps we are. I suggest that we are unwilling to turn ourselves away from the projected and reflected images that capture our attention.  The Lady of Shalott was brave.  She dared to leave her tower and turn toward the unfamiliar. Venturing outside brought death.


Growing up, growing old, and death are all rites of passage.  Eventually we all die.  Turning away from what she was told to do and thinking  for herself might have been Tennyson's response to Kant's essay "Enlightenment."    Allegories provide multiple possibilities.

What would happen if we put aside our technology for a day or two, ventured outside, and  turned toward the sun?  

Chasing Ghosts: Leaving Behind White Harts, Hounds, and Hunting

Imagine hearing tales of a rare white creature coursing through the forest.  Might the ghostly animal seem magical or like some rare omen?  We've been given a glimpse of this in our readings this semester

So far, the stories up through Malory contain tales of knights on horseback hunting deer, fox, and boar with their hounds. The move past Malory and into the picturesque poetry of Tennyson appears to be a long ride away from the visceral images of battle 
fields and hunting. The first half of the Arthurian semester was blood splattered and littered with body parts.  There was one hunting term I needed to look up.  One of them was "hart." In this part of the country we tend to call male deer (OED) bucks. Harts tend to be over five years old so they are larger and have bigger racks or antlers.



It is the white hart of Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur that captured my attention.  Do white deer exist?  I have seen white-tailed deer, I like to call them Maryland’s “suburban lawn rats,” but never an albino deer.  

White hart- a buck

On rare occasions, I have seen a piebald deer.  Piebald deer are white tailed deer that have  brown and white patches of hair.  They are not part albino but have a genetic anomaly  that may present with other physical defects.  Albino deer, white deer herds, and piebald deer are unusual for good reason.

Piebald deer

Piebald fox--genetically domesticated.  You can get one for about $8000!

Unless living in an area covered in snow most of the year, a white deer and piebald deer would be at an extreme disadvantage.  White coloration, or absence of color, makes animals easier to see—good for the predators, human or otherwise. Some animals become piebald when they become genetically domesticated. When foxes become domesticated, in as little as 20 generations, they become piebald.  

The knights in Arthurian legend, and in history, did indeed hunt on horseback and with hounds or “stag” hounds.  In the United Kingdom, hunting means hunting on horseback accompanied by dogs. Americans often think of this as simply fox hunting.  Hunting became illegal in  most of the UK around  2005.  It is still practiced in Northern Ireland.  People are still allowed to “stalk” game on foot and shoot game—there are regulations, restrictions, and seasons.  In the United States each state has their own hunting and licensing regulations.

 In my neighborhood, people still foxhunt. 

What Knights Carry: Symbols, Talisman, and Tattoos

Gawain's Shield- front 

Somewhere in a students’ academic career, like Dr. Reichard’s Phil 200 ”Courage and Violence,” he or she might encounter Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried.  I have frequently been reminded of essays of O’Brien’s essays and stories as I read about tales of valor and of violence in Arthurian legend.  Soldiers, ancient or modern, bear particular truths greater than their actual stories. Humans often carry “good-luck” artifacts like: religious symbols and articles or relics, the cliché rabbit’s foot, a treasured love letter, a beloved’s trinket or item of clothing.  Sir Gawain gives us several symbols.  

The shield Gawain carries into battle has a pentangle on the outward facing side and the image of the Virgin Mary on the interior facing side.  While fighting, Gawain could draw strength and courage from the Blessed Virgin’s image.  The pentangle is a symbol with pagan and Christian meanings.  It is often associated with the five joys of Mary, the five knightly virtues, and the five wounds of Christ.  For protection, Gawain wears the sash into battle with the Green Knight.  Later the fellow “Knights of the Round Table” adopt the green sash too.  Looking at the box of Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies in my cupboard, I am reminded of a gang of young girls that proudly wear a green sash. According to one of my classmates girls “can be knights too.”

"Thin Mint"--yumm!

Sir Galahad

Malory’s Galahad carries a shield with significant symbolism too.  Malory tells us that Galahad’s shield is white with a red cross. The shield descends from his ancestor Joseph of Arimathea. Legend tells us that Joseph of Arimathea was the soldier that removed Jesus from the cross. It is blood pouring from Joseph’s nose that forms the red cross of Galahad’s shield (Le Morte d'Arthur).

What do people wear as they face modern challenges? What symbols do they weave into the quests and campaigns of their lives? Are we so different or more sophisticated than our forbearers?  Our lives are filled with symbols and images. Look at the ubiquitous tattoos!  Gawain’s religious symbolism pales by today’s religious tattoos.   Arthur wore an aegis of the Virgin Mary across his shoulders. What might Gawain’s or Arthur’s Mary look like today?  Many tattoo artists have inked the Virgin Mary.  

Tattoos and body scarification have been around for thousands of years.  Several times, on assorted tattoo websites, I have read that knights during the Crusades would have the Jerusalem cross/Crusader’s cross tattooed on a hand or forearm to identify them for Christian burial. I’m not sure if it is factual but branding and tattoos have been used for ages for identification purposes--think animal identification, American slavery, and Nazi concentration camps. Mrs. Malcome, my fourth grade elementary school teacher, had a concentration camp tattoo.  Full of quiet strength and courage, Mrs. Malcome was my childhood hero.  

"Pastrix" Rev. Nadia Boltz-Weber
Pastor of ELCA mission church
House of All Sinners and Saints

From gang members to Protestant ministers, tattoos are everywhere.  Rev. Nadia Boltz-Weber is one of those tattooed pastors.  What symbols or tattoos do you carry?

The Harrowing of Hell: When Demons Chat

Harrowing of Hell

Prose of Merlin opens with Merlin’s genealogy and a piece of early Christian theology. The narrative tells us his father was a demon, born of an unwilling maiden.  Then the author uses renders a narrative describing a portion of a Christian creed, or confession of faith called “The Apostle’s Creed.” The creed is one of the earliest Christian confessions of faith. The author’s intended audience would be familiar with the doctrine of the creed. 

Originally the “Apostle’s Creed” was used for teaching and to preparation for baptism.  The creed briefly outlines basic beliefs that various factions Christians could agree to in the 4^th century.  This particular confession of faith continues to be used by Catholic and assorted Protestant denominations.  One section of the creed addresses Jesus death stating, “He was crucified, dead, and buried.  He descended into hell.” Sometimes it is worded as “He descended to the dead.”  In iconography and other religious art this particular scene is often called the “Harrowing of Hell” or the “Harrowing of Hades.”  This You Tube video from Smarhistory of the Kahn Academy describing an alabaster relief of the "Harrowing of Hell.".

Our anonymous author of The Prose of Merlin does a creative, concise, and nicely unpacked exposition of the Christian doctrine of redemption, salvation, and grace.  We hear a demon lament “we have lost them all!” (The Romance of Arthur).  Using dialog, our author explains what happened between Jesus death and his resurrection.  Lord over all time and space, Christ’s descends to Hell and offers salvation to all who are captive, or who will be captive. The Prose of Merlin’s author has done a quick exposition of doctrine that theologians continue to wrestle with today.

One example theological wrangling happened within the past few years. Former Mars Hill mega church pastor Rob Bell wrote a book titled Love Wins. Coming from an evangelical tradition Bell’s book caused a theological firestorm in evangelical Christian circles—some called him a heretic for not completely rejecting universal salvation. The controversy played out in book reviews, interviews, and magazine articles.  People do not want to see blanket forgiveness and salvation; they want winners and losers.  A demon in The Prose of Merlin tells us that since the “harrowing” things aren't like the good old days.  The demon indicates the idea of free will.  People have redemption “unless they choose to come back to us” (Romance of Arthur).   The Prose of Merlin demon conversation reminded me another piece of fiction that features demons chatting as a literary device.

The book is by novelist and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis.  Lewis wrote a piece of “satirical Christian apologetics” called The Screwtape Letters.  It features a conversation between the senior demon, Screwtape and his nephew the demon Wormwood.  In both The Prose of Merlin and The Screwtape Letters demons are concerned with improving recruitment strategies.  Readers of Lewis often forget that Lewis was an Oxford University don of medieval literature and eventually became the chair of Medieval and Renaissance literature at Cambridge.  I've provided a clip of a dramatic rendition of a short section of The Screwtape Letters. If viewing the video, remember it is a conversation between two demons about their enlistment tactics.

Any Hood College students that are fans of CS Lewis might consider Dr. David Hein’s class “CS Lewis and Friends.”  I took the class as a small seminar that was held before the publication of his book by the same title.  It’s a great class, lots of thought provoking topics, but only offered every two or three years.  

Guinevere's Comb

Valentine's day weekend and courtly love--isn't that like a perfectly exaggerated "Hallmark" greeting card? Reds and pinks, ribbons and lace, hearts and cupids, decorating sentiments of "I'll always love you," or better yet "forever true."  A love like Lancelot's love will suffer, bleed, sigh, and swoon for his true love.  Our recent reading of Chretien de Troyes' Lancelot or The Knight of the Cart arrived with the Mylar balloons,  aisles of chocolates, and fresh cut flowers of Valentine's day.  People still long for romance.

After reading Kellen's  blog, especially her comments on Lancelot's obsession with his beloved's hair,  I couldn't resist posting some pictures of Victorian hair and mourning jewelry.  Hair of a loved one has captured romantic fancies for centuries. The first time  I saw a piece of hair jewelry it looked very much like the plain necklace pictured here.  It was owned by a family member. Imagine wearing a hair necklace, someone else's hair, next to the skin.  How close would you have to be to a person to wear his or her hair--intimate?






Narratives and myths featuring hair have captured the imagination of audiences for thousands of years.  Samson lost his strength when his hair was cut. Rapunzel  had trailing tresses.  Finding Guinevere's comb, Lancelot delights in touching pieces of her hair.   For Lancelot, there is power in her hair.

 Hair from St. Therese of Lisieux 

Saving a lock of a loved one's hair might be considered a sentimental gesture.  A mother might save a lock of her child's hair along with baby teeth the "Tooth Fairy" overlooked.  Celebrity hair clippings sell for high prices at auction.  According to the NY Times, a lock of Abraham Lincoln's hair sold for over $38,000.  In ancient Christianity, the hair from a saint would be considered a  relic--imbued with powers to heal or protect. In recent history a large clump of St Therese of Lisieux hair was saved for posterity (died 1897).  What better way to keep a treasure than in a picture frame or crafted into jewelry?  

Abraham Lincoln's Lock

Some of pieces of hair jewelry are very elaborate others are simple. Keep a piece of your dearly departed close; have jewelry made from a loved one's hair.  Wouldn't Lancelot have taken the hair from his queen's comb and tucked it in a safe place?  Romantic love wouldn't allow Lancelot  to leave Guinevere's comb or  golden hairs behind.

Kennedy's Camelot




A Modern Camelot: The Kennedy Brothers

When I hear or think about the word "Camelot" I immediately think "Kennedy."  The Kennedy family has often been associated with the  legendary Camelot.  The men were attractive, young, influential, and charismatic. The women and children were beautiful.   President Kennedy and the first family were certainly photogenic. Did the Kennedy's hold the keys to the kingdom for a while--a modern Camelot?  Some people would say "yes."  Others might call the Kennedy Camelot a piece of Madison Avenue myth making.  Christopher Snyder's statement "Like all myths it contains truths, though not usually literal ones" (The World of King Arthur) might be applied to Kennedy's Camelot, the  presidency and the political activism of his brothers.   

"Creating Camelot," is an exhibit at the Newseum, on display until March 16, 2014.  The show features the photography of Jacques Lowe, personal photographer of President John F. Kennedy.  How are legends made?  Photographs are one way to create visual narratives and lasting impressions that shape history.  

Jacques Lowe's photographs helped construct a romanticized portrait of a president and his family.  In contemporary society there are many ways to create, reproduce, and spread stories, images, and  impressions. Archiving information, documenting history or creating myths, has never been easier with modern technology.   When people hear the phrase "going viral," they do not associate it with influenza epidemics.  In King Arthur's day, it was the bard or storyteller that carried news or fashioned a captivating tale.  Stories traveled by foot, horse, and ships--a slower pace then today's news. 

Where is the truth in a story if it is not literal?  Whether it is a 20th century president or a 6th century king, the pictures, emotions, and embellishments of the storyteller might actually be closer to the truth then a dry listing of facts. Here is an example of literal truth and truth.  Looking at the itemized, paper receipt of groceries bought with food stamps is a true record of poverty.  However, the grocery receipt is not as powerful a picture as my friend Gary's story.  He once told me he didn't like coffee because "As a kid I was left alone for the weekend.  The only thing in the house to eat was a jar of instant coffee crystals." Gary's family had bouts of underemployment.  It is true that instant coffee will not feed a child's hungry belly.  Both the receipt and Gary's instant coffee indicate true things; but only one truth is an indelible story from over thirty years ago. 

Maybe, as suggested by Christopher Snyder,  the truth  of the Arthur's Camelot is about what makes a virtuous king,  or the beginnings of a national identity, or the romantic vision of an ideal place and time.  Perhaps  the same could be said for Kennedy's Camelot captured in the photographs by Jacques Lowe on display at the Newseum.

Heroes, Boar Hunting, and Hog Dogging

 As soon as I read about Arthur’s dog and boar hunting in Romance of Arthur, I realized that Arthur’s narrative is placed in the company of Odysseus and Hercules. Heroes, like Arthur, are often presented with seemingly impossible challenges. Boar hunting goes along with bravery and other extraordinary feats associated with heroes. Hercules’s fourth labor was to capture alive an enchanted, and especially nasty, boar (Classical Mythology, 9th ed., Morford et el). According to Homer’s story, The Odyssey, Odysseus was wounded by a boar as a boy. Arthur’s dog Cabal was needed to capture the boar Troynt. Of course I wondered what kind of dog Cabal might be.

Modern boar hunting dogs would give me an idea about qualities needed for the sport. An internet search provided ample information about wild boar hunting past and present. Why do people, or heroes, boar hunt? One answer might be to prove their strength, their skills, and their bravery in the    face of danger. Both in the past and in the present, boar hunting requires at least a pair of dogs   (Wikipedia). One dog is the “bay” dog. The bay dog tracks, alerts (barks), and controls the wild boar’s movement. There may be more than one bay dog. The second dog is the “catch” dog. Catch dogs take the boar down and hold the boar by the ear until a human hunter can come in for the kill. Both dogs and human handlers risk the danger of being gored by a boar tusk. Bay dogs are hounds or specialty breed dogs—like the Louisiana Catahoula. Catch dogs are understandably the larger bully breeds like the American Bulldog. So perhaps Arthur’s favorite dog, Cabal, was a muscular bully breed or hound.

 There are many dog sport trials and events that provide opportunities for humans and their dogs to compete for titles or prizes, testing their skills against the skills of others. Some of these sports are:  agility, canine free-style, rally-obedience, obedience, dock diving, herding, gun dog, tracking, scent detection, lure coursing, earth dog, barn dog, and hog dog—hog dogging. I gathered a good bit of information on boar hunting and hog dog events from a short video titled “Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog   Trial.” Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trial is a four day bay dog competition. To get an idea of how bay dogs     work boar in a controlled environment check out this short video            

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MezcPKXOgcE

 This year Uncle Earl’s Hog Dog Trial will be held on March 19 -23 in Winnfield, Louisiana. Now wouldn’t that be a different sort of spring break? For more information on this year’s event  http://fullboarproductions.org/ 

Wild boar hunting with dogs is extremely dangerous for the dogs. Though dog owners can equip their dogs with protective Kevlar vests and collar, there are plenty of opportunities for dogs to become injured in training and hunting. Bay dogs are at less risk. Their primary task is tracking and  controlling the wild boars through movement and barking. I couldn’t bring myself to look at any catch dog work, or training. Is using dogs for wild boar hunting like dog fighting? In Arthur’s time, the task of killing a boar was achieved by a skillfully placed blade or pointed object. Boar hunting   heroes faced the danger and risked the chance of goring and death.


 One thing that sets Arthur apart from the hero Odysseus is the care and loyalty Arthur shows toward his men. After the Trojan War ended, Odysseus and his men set sail for their homes in Ithaca. After ten years and many detours, only Odysseus made it back to Ithaca! All of his men had perished. I am guessing that Arthur may be more like the hero, and founder of Rome, Aeneas. In Virgil’s Aeneid, Trojan Aeneas left his defeated homeland with a ship load of countrymen. Traveling similar seas as  Odysseus, Aeneas arrives at his final destiny with all of his shipmates except his elderly father (who died along the way). Care for his countrymen’s welfare came first for Aeneas as it did for King Arthur.

 Part of what makes a hero, like King Arthur, are the qualities of character he exhibits in all circumstances. In Romancing Arthur we have seen a glimpse of him as a general, as a host, and as a ruler. We already know that he was large like the half-human and the half-god heroes Hercules and Achilles. He also killed hundreds in battle like Odysseus and Achilles. Like Hercules, Arthur hunts an enchanted boar. It will be interesting to see how he continues to measures up against the other legendary heroes.