Awkward hussies, crazy blockheads and wretches

And today I am a little late, last time to early now late. We are preparing our way to moot in the Poconos so it has been more hectic than normal. I have read that this is a little known tale, but it was my favorite growing up. I would read and retell the story over and over. I remember playing pretend to this fairy tale also. So I will share my gem with you today. It is Snow White & Rose Red.

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rosered/index.html#THIRTY9RET

As we can see from the tale we are challenged with the same themes I have talked about before; duality of the sacred feminine, beast husbands, and transformation.

There are some very interesting other gems within this tale, that puzzled me as a child. The first aspect of the tale is the naming of the girls. The girls are named after 2 beautiful rose bushes on the land. It was the custom to plant roses on someone’s grave, so I can’t help be reminded of our Heathen custom of naming our children after our ancestors. If the tale just said Sara & Jane we would not have known that they took the names of ancestors, but snow white & rose red we are given a clue of ancestral reverence. I have raised a horn to my “little ancestors” our future children. Maybe the child is the reincarnation of the ancestor whose name it bears, or maybe its cellular memory causes the child to resemble the ancestor. Either way it is a beautiful blessing to have a “little ancestor”.

There are so many Rose myths about the creation of the red rose. But always the rose started out white and then was transformed into red. I have read the dog rose rosa canina was dedicated to the goddess Frigg. And to me this makes sense as most of the fairy tales are about making one suitable for marriage. So the goddess of marriage and motherhood would be a beautiful symbol in a tale. Our goddess representations are all around us we need to have a watchful eye.

The red rose is our modern symbol of love. Our lovers day is almost upon us. I have heard women say they do not like roses. Maybe they really feel that way I don’t know, but being presented with a bouquet of red roses, to me, is the essence of the divine feminine. Some say cut flowers are a waste of money. And being ever so vigilant of my families pocket book I can see how it would appear as a waste of money. Flowers cut or in a garden represent the cycle of life. And like I said, the divine feminine cycle of life. Budding, Blooming, Dying.

Roses were used as a protection for milk and butter. When I first read that I thought hmmm…most women are far removed from the farm. The milk most drink is pasteurized, as is the butter. I drink whole raw milk from a local farm. When I tell people I drink this milk they always tell me of so and so who caught some illness from raw milk. And it is very true raw milk can carry disease. But instead of caring for the cows/farms and making them clean the government has banned raw milk and pasteurized it. If you are interested in raw milk here is a very good resource to learn about it’s benefits. http://www.realmilk.com/

A note is made on surlalune which I found very interesting. The women sat around the hearth reading to each other. We may not think this is a big deal, but it really is. These ladies are educated. A very important lesson for Heathen women. Education is paramount. Our daughters must be educated. Not just in things domestic, but in maths, science, philosophy etc. This is what attracts the bear to his future mate.

Now we meet the evil dwarf. I have to say he is pretty evil. He says some really mean things to the girls. The bears approach to solving the dwarf problem and the girls approach are radically different. This is the difference between men and women. Sometimes women give and give and all they get in return is name calling. Why the girls kept helping this insolent dwarf mystified me as a child. And I am still a little perplexed, but when I look at the Women who love to much book on Amazon I see this is a big problem for women. When reading the story I get the impression the cycle would have continued forever. The dwarf is so ungrateful for them saving his life he even offers them up as sacrifice instead of himself.

As a society there are whole groups of people with this dwarf’s mentality. And I am sure there are many within your own families who act like this. In a wise woman seminar I went to once the whole lecture was how as women we can say no. By saying no we force others to stand on their own. The girls were constantly helping the dwarf out of his situations that he got himself into, until one day they could not help him anymore.

As a child I always thought it was so funny that out of nowhere the prince had a brother. Popped up “and rose red married the prince bears brother”. Where did he come from? Who is he? Why wasn’t he helping the bear hold on to his treasure in the first place? But it does not really matter in the end. If they are the same girl, or if they are separate girls they both found love in the end. And may you also find love!