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A Theme I Hadn't Thought Of
Feb. 22nd, 2015 01:39 pmI'm … amused? surprised? … that a number of early comments on Hoywverch are focusing on how "consent" is a strong theme of the story. It wasn't a deliberate, self-conscious theme. I'm not saying that I'd be just as likely to write a story where supposedly sympathetic characters are coercing and tricking each other into things -- I wouldn't. (There's a definite thread running through the Alpennia stories about how bad things tend to happen when you try to do things For Someone's Own Good without their knowledge and consent.) But in the context of Hoywverch, the theme of consent derives more from the source material than from my own attitudes.
The Mabinogi has a good sprinkling of prominent female characters with agency, and episodes where consent (and its absence) are key factor, for for male and female characters. The motif of requiring someone to give verbal assent to a (carefully disguised) bargain is a major plot driver in the tale of Pwyll, as is the motif of a woman arranging for her own rescue from an undesired marriage. (This is a bit attenuated in Hoywverch -- there's an implication that Morvyth has in some way sent the gulls to summon Elin, but it's not as direct as Rhiannon showing up to ride past the gorsedd of Arberth.)
And when you're talking about consent issues, it's hard to find a medieval story more progressive than that of Goewin, King Math's virgin footholder who, when she is raped by the king's nephew, stands up, speaks out, and is given justice. (A rather poetic justice that includes, "So you think it's ok to go around forcing your will on women? How about you spend a couple years in a female body and find out what it's like.")
One of the reasons I love the medieval Welsh mythos is because the power of language and the consequences of its misuse are such powerful themes. Intelligence, quick wits, clever conversation -- these are all overtly valued, with martial solutions being the fall-back consequence of their failure or of misusing them.
So, yes, I certainly incorporated motifs of the importance of consent into Hoywverch, but I didn't add them -- they were already there in the literature that inspired me.
The Mabinogi has a good sprinkling of prominent female characters with agency, and episodes where consent (and its absence) are key factor, for for male and female characters. The motif of requiring someone to give verbal assent to a (carefully disguised) bargain is a major plot driver in the tale of Pwyll, as is the motif of a woman arranging for her own rescue from an undesired marriage. (This is a bit attenuated in Hoywverch -- there's an implication that Morvyth has in some way sent the gulls to summon Elin, but it's not as direct as Rhiannon showing up to ride past the gorsedd of Arberth.)
And when you're talking about consent issues, it's hard to find a medieval story more progressive than that of Goewin, King Math's virgin footholder who, when she is raped by the king's nephew, stands up, speaks out, and is given justice. (A rather poetic justice that includes, "So you think it's ok to go around forcing your will on women? How about you spend a couple years in a female body and find out what it's like.")
One of the reasons I love the medieval Welsh mythos is because the power of language and the consequences of its misuse are such powerful themes. Intelligence, quick wits, clever conversation -- these are all overtly valued, with martial solutions being the fall-back consequence of their failure or of misusing them.
So, yes, I certainly incorporated motifs of the importance of consent into Hoywverch, but I didn't add them -- they were already there in the literature that inspired me.
