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+--- Thread: Of gods and men (/thread-79.html)
- Spectra Lin - 09-06-2013
There is one primary fairy tale from which my character's soul was derived, and from it there are three main versions. You may know it best as "Sleeping Beauty."
Briefly, the fairy tale is about a lovely infant princess who endures a curse imposed by an evil sorceress to die at her sixteenth year of age, but the intervention of a good fairy alters the curse to one of one hundred years of sleep rather than death, and at the end she will be awoken by true love's kiss.
The next known version of the tale came from Giambattista Basile's "Sun, Moon, and Talia" (1636). This is the tale which is thought to have influenced Perrault's Sleeping Beauty, who was the first to use the title as it remains known today. After Perrault, the Grimms wrote "Briar Rose" for their own collection of tales. This version is the tamest (barring Disney's animated version) and does not involve any of the cannibalism, adultery or rape that is found in some of the earlier renditions.
In Perrault's version of "Sun, Moon, and Talia", the princess' sleep did not stem from a curse but rather from a prophecy. Her handsome prince did not wake her with a kiss but rather by appealing to the gods to Heal her. With every reincarnation of the tale, the earlier version upon which it is based becomes darker and darker.
In Basile's "Sun, Moon, and Talia," the evil woman who attempted to kill the princess did so out of jealousy - as she was the handsome prince's wife! [Prince don't cheat on your woman with a comatose broad!] If that isn't bad enough, when the handsome prince first saw the sleeping princess, instead of finding out what's wrong with her, her carried her to bed and had sex with her! [Necrophilia, much?] Nine months later she gives birth (while unconscious) to twins. It was the suckling of one twin on her finger which removed the poisonous flax from her finger that kept her asleep. She awakes.
The handsome prince returns and finds the princess Talia with his two children: Sun and Moon. Unfortunately, like all cheating bastards, he talks about his second family in his sleep, muttering "Talia, Sun and Moon," where his wife can hear him. The evil [pissed off] wife tricks Talia to bring her children to their castle, and has Talia imprisoned and the two children killed and turned into a meal which she has serves to her unfaithful husband. She smugly tells him to "Eat! Eat! You are eating of your own!" every time he compliments the food. [Overreaction? Nah! He deserved it!]
Her plan for Talia was to burn the bitch alive, but the prince finds out about the plot and instead has his wife burned at the stake so he can run off with his new bride. He and the bitch live happily ever after. What injustice!!
There are numerous tales of a woman wronged by the one she trusted and in these she is often depicted as the evil mistress while her adversary is the heroine. Maleficent was not her true name, but undoubtedly this early, early figure from the end of the 4th Age/beginning of the 5th Age was wronged. I have no doubt that if there had been a Dark One during her lifetime, she would have gone to his side.
So what was the real story behind these fairy tales? We can't know for sure. In the context of Wheel of Time, Maleficent was a channeler who was clearly betrayed whether by the pantheon of her time or by an individual man. She either prophesied or conspired (probably conspired) to kill her rival. The tales reveal the manner of weapon to be used as one of a poisoned spindle, splinter or flax. Therefore, I anticipate this weapon Maleficent utilized was a clandestine sort, she was not a warrioress, but rather relied on subtle, hidden measures. Obviously, she failed (her rival Healed?) and Maleficent met a terrible end (all the stories link her death as one by fire).
- Thalia - 09-06-2013
Total tangent, but I love fairy tales (barring the sanitised Grimms =P). What you've done with Spectra-Maleficent is awesome. Have you read Robert Coover's Briar Rose?
- Spectra Lin - 09-07-2013
Thank-you, Thalia!
![[Image: 9.png]](http://b3.ifrm.com/static/emo/9.png)
I have not read that version, but I will look for it when next I roam through a bookstore!
- Jaxen Marveet - 09-07-2013
Asgard? Now where did that place fit into the pantheon?
Either it was a place or a title. (Asgardians); probably not another world. *grin.
You know how time and the Ages twist words around? America became Merk and Moscow became Mosk? Doesn't Asgard, or specifically, Asgardian, sound familiar?
Asha'man (3rd/4th Age) in the Old Tongue translates to 'Guardian'. Asha-guardian--As-guard. Asgard (5th Age). See where I'm going with this? Kind of cool to think about.
- Nick Trano - 09-07-2013
I don't see where you're going with this. Please elaborate.
- Jaxen Marveet - 09-08-2013
I'll let someone else explain it. *pat pat
- Seth Marx - 09-08-2013
Doesn't Asha'man turning into Asgardian imply that they spoke English in the fifth age?
- Jon Little Bird - 09-08-2013
Lol Jaxen. Nick if you aren't just being facetious Jaxen ia saying the Black Tower of the 4th Age eventually becomes Asgard of the Age of Gods, or something along those lines. At least the memory of the Asha'man is reflected in the name.
Edit: You ninja posted me there Seth
![[Image: 18.png]](http://b3.ifrm.com/static/emo/18.png)
. I would point out that RJ wasn't above making a play on words that only made sense if English was being spoken: see Winter's Heart for "toes" and ji'e'toh for an example. Edited by Jon Little Bird, Sep 8 2013, 05:18 AM.
- Jaxen Marveet - 09-08-2013
Apparently they also spoke English in the 3rd Age too. *grin. *sarcasm
No matter what language you speak, Asgard sounds the same. It sounds like the Old Tongue 'guardian' - and I'd throw out that the Old Tongue is English. *waits for the mob to crucify him.
Yeah. The norse pantheon associated the word for Asha'man as for all Channelers even though they clearly forgot its original meaning. Only the sound of the word itself. Asha'man Guardian-As Gard.
Edited by Jaxen Marveet, Sep 8 2013, 06:40 AM.
- Jaxen Marveet - 09-08-2013
JLB. As I blocked the long horrible pit of despair that was Winters Heart out of my mind, what's the toes reference?