Hi all,
I have a favour to ask. In my (absolutely splendiferously awesome) course on Children's Fantasy mentioned in my previous post, we have started studying the Chronicles of Earthsea. It turns out that my attitude to this particular course is to encourage my lecturers to run in fear from my opinions, basically because I know the set texts pretty well so I'm trying to wring the last drop of meaning out of them. So far my lecturers seem to know the books even better than I do, so I probably won't win, but I'm going to have fun trying. ;-)
Anyway, on to the favour. The Earthsea books are absolutely reeking with plant references, particularly in the wood that the wizards' staffs are made of. For some of them (yew, rowan, oak etc) I'm passably familiar with the pagan symbolism associated with them, but, while I have some reference texts, they're buried at the bottom of seven boxes of books. Can anyone out there suggest some good internet resources and books that the public and university libraries are likely to have?
Thanks,
Steph
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What I can pull out of memory so far (I'm treating this as a scratchpad, sorry for any errors):
Yew: Ged, the second Master Summoner, planted in graveyards, used for bows, protection from the dead, immortality
Rowan: Lebannen, protection from magic, the berries make a pentagram and I know there's heaps more
Oak: Ogion
Olive: Master Healer
Aspen: the evil wizard in Tehanu
Alder: Tenar
Hazel: Therru
The Immanent Grove is comprised of oaks, willows, chestnuts, ashes and tall evergreens, (Dragonfly, p237) plus the Tree of the Grove which is a bit like an oak and a bit like a chestnut and only grows there.
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3 comments:
Wish you'd asked me this morning, hon' - I have the perfect book for you on my bookshelf!
It's called 'Tree Wisdom, the definitive guidebook to the myth, folklore and healing power of trees'. ISBN no is 0-7225-3408-6. It are all good (and stuff ;-P) The author is Jacqueline Memory Paterson - if the library down there doesn't have a copy, I'd suggest trying a new age or witchcraft type shop...
Failing that, I'm not sure when the assignment's due, but if it's a way off yet, I could send it down with Donald when he goes down for the LARP?
Hugs
TANJA
Ah, well, I didn't think of it this morning. Also, it (um) isn't for any specific assignment, I'm interested for my own understanding. Although having a good thorough knowledge of that aspect will doubtless do me good when it comes to assignments and exams and what not.
"It are all good (and stuff ;-P)"
Picture a hand gesture involving two figures. No, not the Vulcan one. ;-)
Will definitely send the book down with donald then :-)
And the hand gesture? Maybe the two fingers doing the walking like on the yellow pages ad?
:bats eyes innocently:
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