COUSINS ISSUE #6 - June 1992

A place for the Witches, pagans, nature spirits, fey-folk, and assorted 
elder kin of Sherwood to share ideas, challenges, dreams, and projects, 
and to stir up a little magic of our own.

for more information about Cousins, contact Susan Gavula, 
sjgavula@terminator.rs.itd.umich.edu


This Issue's Fun Word: GNOSIS

Knowledge of spiritual truth and of the deeper wisdom that is concealed 
from those without the necessary faith or insight.

(Thanks to: Sharon Wells)

Gnosis: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions is also the name of a 
wonderful magazine, centered on Gnosticism but touching on all kinds of 
themes from psychology to religious history.  And talk about a source of 
Fun Words! If you can wring any meaning out of my run-on sentences, 
you'll probably enjoy Gnosis (P.O. Box 14217, San Francisco, CA 94114). 

LETTERS 

Sharon Wells

 ...I won't go back to all the earlier issues, but try to contain my 
comments to those of the March 1992 issue. First off, I don't agree with 
Janet V. about some of her comments on Loxley. I do not believe that in 
The Greatest Enemy he was "truly and sincerely dead." Sorry, but there's 
magic in Robin, magic woven through the light and shadows of Sherwood 
(the Goddess), too much magic to believe that the totally earth-bound 
Sheriff could do him in. I also believe that the red garter, while maybe 
done unconsciously by Robin (and/or Carpenter and the costumer), was 
meant to represent his role as leader in the (coven?) semi-occult doings 
of the men of Sherwood (in service to the Goddess and Herne). Perhaps, 
compared to Herne, he was still a neophyte, but according to Much, Robin 
had always been fey. 

In Christine H's letter, she addresses the problem fan-writers have 
balancing magic with too much magic. I agree, I don't want to read about 
super heroes, but I do enjoy it when that special inner power of Herne, 
the Hooded Man, or Marion comes to the fore, and what would de Belleme 
be without his bad-guy magic? And she also talks about Loxley being 
vulnerable.  That's one of his endearing traits. He can make mistakes. 
He's not some coddled prince who has only to wave his hand and everyone 
will listen to him and change their ways. No, he has to fight for every 
step, and there seems no end in sight to the greed and evil of the 
powerful rich who so thoughtlessly trample the helpless poor. I also 
disagree with the Sacrificial King business. That is Mithras, not Robin 
Hood. 

To totally change the subject, in the "Classics Illustrated" version of 
Ivanhoe, published by Berkley/First Publishing, you will find that the 
Robin Hood character dresses exactly like the RoS Loxley, and if you 
turn to page 32, you will see him drawn to look exactly like Michael!  
The artist seems a little timid about this, because in other 
illustrations the same character has a different face. 

Being what you might call a "Michael-ite," I find most of my ruminations 
revolving around the first two seasons of RoS; however, as you pointed 
out over and over again in the first four issues of Cousins, what about 
Robert? Why is he here? Does he even have any idea about things fey? 
And, what does he do after Marion leaves? I had to handle all those 
questions for a RoS novel I was writing, and I began to be more 
sympathetic to Robert and his motivations. I came up with my own 
theories, which I won't spell out here, but needless to say, Kip left us 
plenty of room to speculate there. Someone as down to earth as 
Huntingdon had to have solid reasons (at least to himself) for doing 
what he did. And I don't think someone that strong, that well able to 
fend for himself, would just throw up his hands and die when Marion 
left. No, he's too much the leader for that. He had visions (if not the 
psychic kind Loxley had), and I think Robert would continue to be a 
driving force for good in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. 

For those of you who would like a general overview of magic and religion 
throughout history, there is the Manly P. Hall tome entitled: Masonic, 
Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy. Long enough 
title? He does not go into anything Celtic, but does mention familiar 
things like Woden, Fenris, fairies (which he claims comes from the 
Persian word "peri") and a whole lot more. 

I know it's been answered ad nauseam, but there is a big difference 
between the "wee people" (who are more like leprechauns) and elves (or 
Sidhe - pronounced "shay"). It was believed for some time that the 
Tuatha De Danann were the taller sort of elves. The High King of the 
Tuatha De Danann was the bearer of many titles and the source of many 
legends. His chief title, Dagda, meant the "Good God." I prefer 
Tolkien's description of the elves. (Who said it's fiction? I believe 
every word.) 

In most of the elven legends, there is always a price to pay when the 
elf leaves his or her world to love a human. The price is usually death 
to one or both. As mentioned in prior issues of Cousins, many fan 
writers tend to cast Loxley as having some elven blood. Perhaps that is 
due, in large part, to Michael Praed's face. Who knows? Perhaps Ailric's 
death (and the absence of his wife) is the price Ailric had to pay for 
loving someone with less (or more) than human blood in her veins. 

No one has really mentioned de Rainault in here thus far, so I will. Why 
is he so terrified of magic (Robin Hood and the Sorcerer)? Was there an 
incident in his past? He seems very susceptible to it (Children of 
Israel). Could that be because he dared to dabble in it once? Or was he 
witness as a child to something so frightening that he reacts out of 
sheer terror as an adult? (Not that he didn't have reason to when 
confronted with de Belleme in The Enchantment).  I've read almost no 
fanfic, due to a lack of funds, but I wonder if there are any stories 
about this? 

Now that I've rattled on for so long, I wish to thank Hilda for this 
lovely letterzine. I really enjoy the stimulating conversations, the 
comments, information, and references. I did do some research into 
"witches" for college once, but my sources said that "wicca" came from 
the word "wise," not "to bend," as was reported in Issue #3. Anyone else 
come up with that one? 

Before I end, I must say that I do own one RoS fanzine, Forbidden 
Forest, which I did a "deal" for. My favorite stories are those by 
Jenni, Janet R. and the lovely moving poem by Julianne T. Wouldn't we 
all like to dance with Robin in Sherwood? 

Herne Protect Us All. 

P.S. Who I am? I've written and/or published 28 fanzines (mostly Beauty 
and the Beast). I'm an R.N., president of the B+B International Fan 
Club, and I've studied metaphysics for so long I'm embarrassed to say! 
I've played "Dungeons and Dragons" since 1976. Any others out there? 

[second letter]
 ...I have just a quick news flash from something I discovered, thanks 
to a friend. I play role- playing games. There's one called "GURPS" 
which is Generic Universe Role Playing System. It is very easy and 
detailed and there is an entire book dedicated to Robin Hood with 
incredible maps and detailed historical and geographical information. 
Several times the authors refer to the "Robin of Sherwood/Robin Hood" 
series (ours) when discussing things and there's even a special column 
about the Old Religion and Herne the Hunter. It's fantastic! I'm already 
beginning to learn the system so I can run people around in a RoS 
adventure. [Yoo hoo, Chris!  How's the Weekend schedule looking? -H] The 
book is available in any war-game/hobby shop, if you're interested. 
Here, in America, it costs $16.95 (plus our lovely state sales tax) so 
if you do want to explore this and you can't find one locally, I can 
arrange to get it for you. The only problem is, you really need the 
basic GURPS book in order to make full use of the Robin Hood one, if you 
intend to play the game. If you want it just as a reference book, it's 
fine like that, too. 

My friends are into the GENIE computer network and there's been just 
tons of RoS activity there lately. It seems there's a big upsurge in 
interest. Showtime no longer has rights to air episodes. I received a 
very nice letter from them recently. They said there was a great deal of 
interest in the show. Maybe we should try to organize an effort to 
encourage them to make more RoS episodes! Be well... 

Linda Furey

 Hi there! I told you I was going to write this, and I have done. We'll 
just have to see if there are fireworks or not. 

I'm writing in to give my two dollars worth (inflation, you know) on the 
proposal to hold a circle at Weekend in Sherwood using the various 
Merries to represent the different quarters/ elements etc. etc. (See 
Julianne Toomey's letter [in Issue 5] if you don't know what I'm on 
about.) In a way I like the idea of holding a very formal circle and 
incorporating all of the characters from the show. It could be fun. 
Frankly, though, after I got home from the gathering at Jan's at which 
we discussed the idea of performing this sort of ritual at Weekend, I 
started doing some serious thinking and soul-searching on the subject, 
as we had all agreed to do. Now maybe the rest of you will think I'm on 
fifth base, but I have reached the conclusion that Weekend is not the 
appropriate time and place for such a ceremony. Yup, I have reasons, and 
they are included here for your perusal. 

It's hard to know quite where to start so I'm just going to leap into 
the void and hope that there is something there to land on when I get to 
the landing part. 

I have had the good fortune over the years to include in my family of 
friends a number of people from backgrounds, spiritual and otherwise, 
very different from my own. I have good friends who are Hindu, Buddhist, 
Jewish, Protestant, Wiccan, Catholic, Pagan, Anglican, and Atheist.  
They are all good people who love and honor their families and friends, 
but beyond that what all of these people have in common is respect and 
tolerance for other people's beliefs. If asked, any of them are happy to 
talk about what it is they believe and why, but I have never known any 
of them to force their beliefs on anyone else. They believe, and taught 
me to believe, that each person must choose for him- or herself which 
god or gods to worship and what name(s) to call them by. What brings 
comfort and contentment to the heart and spirit of the individual can 
not be wrong and deserves respect. 

The members of our community (and I count everyone in RoS fandom, and 
not just the few of us who gather in these pages each issue) are as 
diverse as the people I mentioned above, but we seem to share, with very 
few exceptions, that same tolerance and respect for others. That's what 
I have come to love about this fandom. I have migrated through a number 
of fandoms over the years, and nowhere and nowhen else have I found 
anything to equal it. Sure we natter about which Robin has nicer buns, 
and we don't all like each other all of the time, but if you take the 
time to listen to us it's all very familial. We are a reflection of the 
merry band and all of the people they ran across in and beyond Sherwood 
Forest. We are, in our own way, Normans and Saxons, Pagans, Christians, 
Saracens, and Jews; men, women, lords, peasants, minstrels, wronged, and 
trying to right; leaders, followers, giants, half-wits, former soldiers, 
Crusaders' daughters, friars, foreigners, and most importantly friends. 
The world Richard Carpenter created when he penned the first script is 
the place where we all met, and "Sherwood should belong to everyone" 
(except possibly Guy the Gamekeeper). Did Nasir or Tuck or Marion (who 
occasionally expressed a desire to become a nun) ever get excluded when 
the cup was passed? Did they get left behind in Sherwood at the Time of 
the Blessing? The answer is no. All who wished to be included were 
included. Let us not then exclude anyone from our celebration by having 
individuals take on the roles of the various characters from the series 
and performing complex rituals that hold more meaning for the few than 
for all. Let us not frighten away anyone who might wish to attend, or 
join Cousins, by putting forth the image that to be one of our number 
you must be a practicing expert of the pagan persuasion. Cousins was 
founded with the intent that it be a place for all, regardless of their 
level of expertise or amount of experience, to learn and question and 
share. 

We say in the theatre that "Less is more," meaning that a man standing 
alone on a hillside with a longbow in his hand and the red sun setting 
behind him can say more about courage, truth, loyalty, love, death, and 
who is really winning the battle than the prettiest speech or the most 
expensive set. Why? Because it speaks in a language we can all 
understand. No matter what our background. No matter what we believe in. 
Let us then invite our community, our entire wonderfully diverse 
community, to join with us to speak in a language common to all who walk 
the long roads through Sherwood. Let us simply raise the cup and ask for 
Herne's protection and pass it 'round with a Blessed Be and Amen, too. 

Chris Haire Dear Cousins: 

Merrie meet! Issue 4 was great - keep writing, everyone! 

I just finished reading The Seventh Sword by Andrew Collins. What an 
extraordinary story!  Andrew and his psychic friends have been locating 
these swords and other artifacts by means of psychic questing over the 
past 10 years. Mark Ryan is featured in a chapter and RoS is also 
mentioned because of the similarities to Swords of Wayland. Andrew also 
thanks Richard Carpenter in the front of the book. I'll try not to go on 
too much about this book before you've read it. One part I wanted to 
share with you is some of the research on psychics done by Andrew 
Collins and Graham Phillips; they call it "psygenics." They found 
certain similarities in psychics: allergy complaints such as asthma, 
sinus problems, and hayfever; casts in the left eye; constant problems 
with electrical apparatus, including LCD watches; and a deep love of 
animals, ecology, and prehistoric monuments. They also found that, 
ethnologically speaking, all British psychics had strong Celtic 
backgrounds with family roots in either Ireland, Scotland, Wales, or 
Cornwall. When not Celtic, they discovered that they had either strong 
Jewish ancestry or Gypsy blood running through their veins. They say it 
seems psychics belong to one big family and abilities were part of a 
particular genetic strain. They said that often current psychics were 
found to have relatives who had been psychics, mediums, or spiritualists 
in their day. Psychics are a special breed of people who have been much 
discredited and maligned both in the past as in the 17th century witch 
trials and in the present day. They have often been made social outcasts 
by their friends, their workmates, even by their own families, purely 
because they are not understood or accepted for what they are. I found 
this information valuable and fascinating. It makes a lot of sense and 
explains a lot of things. Do you all have any thoughts on this? 

Laura: In Issue 3 you said your feminist friend referred to Marion as a 
token woman. I disagree! She was a hell of a strong woman who took 
risks, rebelled against men like Hugo, DeRainault, Belleme, her father, 
and Robin when it was necessary. There are a lot of admirable, strong 
women figures in RoS in addition to Marion who show aspects of the 
Goddess - Alison, Meg, Mab, Isadora, Sarah, etc. 

Yes, I'm into Tarot cards! I have the Hanson-Roberts deck as well, which 
is really a nice one.  It's uncanny how much the King of Pentacles looks 
like Mark and the Magician looks like Michael.  I had had some ideas on 
designing a RoS-inspired Tarot deck as well, but it's a bit overwhelming 
to consider tackling by oneself. I've been jotting down notes with ideas 
and will try to set a room party type gathering for interested artists 
and Tarot enthusiasts to discuss it at Weekend in Sherwood. Bring the 
Tarot decks you all use, Tarot books, and art supplies! 

Some of the ideas I've had were Nasir as the King of Swords, Much as the 
Fool, Robert as the Sun, Gisburne as the Moon, Loxley as the Magician, 
Marion as the High Priestess, Tuck as Temperance, John and Meg as the 
King and Queen of Rods, Will as the Hanged Man, Albion as the Ace of 
Swords, etc. 

Phil: I very much like your definition of what Pagan means. Yes! 

Mark: Thanks for plugging Weekend in Sherwood, sweetie! (Your check's in 
the mail! Ha ha!)  Hmm...sounds like DC needs to get their act together 
- we'll sic 350+ Spirit of Sherwood members on writing polite letters of 
inquiry about The Hooded Man and see if that helps! I can't wait to see 
The Wildwood Tarot and what you and Mike have conjured up. The Seventh 
Sword was quite a book! I remember seeing you in Memphis after your 
experience in California and how disturbed you were by the whole thing. 
Thank goodness you found Andrew and you were able to help each other! 

Tina: Thank you so much for the info on the Matthews. I am a great fan 
of theirs. I've been reading lots of great material by them on the 
Arthurian legend. I would highly recommend The Arthurian Reader by John 
Matthews and Legendary Britain by John Matthews and Bob Stewart.  The 
latter is a beautifully illustrated book containing material on Arthur, 
Robin Hood, the Green Man, Merlin, Wayland's Smithy, Aquae Sulis, Thomas 
the Rhymer, Iona and the Orkneys, etc.  (ISBN 0-7137-2027-1.) I seem to 
be reading anything Arthurian I can lay my hands on of late.  Any 
recommendations, anyone? I really enjoyed The Hawk of May series by 
Gillian Bradshaw  and the Mary Stewart series as well. 

Ariel: I think you are right about Marion - that most people like her 
but Time of the Wolf sort of messed things up. Kip once said if he had 
known there would be no 4th series, he'd have never ended it that way. 
He would have done the wedding. I don't believe Marion would have stayed 
in the convent forever. I think she had a breakdown of sorts and needed 
time to retreat and deal with her grief. She would have snapped out of 
it after a time, I'm sure. 

The Warriors of Arthur is by John Matthews and R. J. Stewart, I think. 
There is also Grendel as an example of a fanatic in RoS. 

 recently came across an old interview with Richard Carpenter which 
Goldcrest and HTV put out with their publicity for Season 2. In it he 
said, "I've drawn upon history and The Bible for inspiration since both 
were wrought with magical events. Solomon had a powerful magic shield 
and Moses could throw down his staff and it would become a snake." 

Laura: Don't give up on coming to Weekend! We have lots of club members 
out that way who might like to share a ride. We can put an ad for you in 
On Target if you'd like? 

I disagree about Jason and Michael upstaging anyone who's on the screen. 
I'm more interested in what Nasir is doing in the background! 

I think Marion loved Robert. What's not to love about Robert? I think 
you are right about his empathy with people. 

Kathy: Hello, old friend! Well, Hilda was right! We've been pan pals 
since the early years of RoS fandom and I never knew you were into this 
stuff! Anyway, I don't know about John Matthews touring, but I'd love to 
see him - if you or anyone hears of any more on this, please drop me a 
line! 

I think you are absolutely right in saying that Robin in RoS has more to 
do with our times. The historical Robin was probably not particularly 
religious or concerned with the plight of the poor and oppressed at all. 

Hilda: Thanks for another great issue of Cousins! Glad you enjoyed the 
current issue of On Target. Stay tuned for a great interview with Mark 
Ryan in issue 7, Jean West's journey into the land of Arthur, and more 
neat stuff from our talented and generous members out there. 

Thank you for the explanation of "cowan," but I still don't like the 
sound of it. Makes me think of cow or coward or something, I guess. 

Speaking of films, isn't it interesting that movies like Dead Again and 
The Fisher King became word-of-mouth hits this past year? I also saw a 
cute film called The Butcher's Wife which brought up some neat ideas. I 
saw Thunderheart last night and I highly recommend it! 

Well, I'll shut up now and leave room for someone else! Keep up the good 
work! 

Laura Woodswalker Todd 

(Issue 4) 

Dear Cousins, Greetings. "Is Loxley 'perfect'?" That seems to be the 
question of the day. I never thought of him as perfect in the series 
(those few that I've seen) but it's true that the fan fiction has really 
canonized him! (Oh, I suppose that it's unavoidable when you have 
someone that heartstoppingly gorgeous with that much screen presence who 
exits with such an unforgettable death scene.) Anyway, as Ariel says, he 
is often "made into a paragon of wisdom at Robert's expense." Yeah, I 
could cite several stories where Robert is really condescended to. 
People are always telling him "you never let yourself believe..." I even 
remember one story where it was implied that Herne just didn't "like" 
Robert as much. Perhaps that was the author's preferences creeping in? 
Oh well, what can I say, authors are human too. As a matter of fact I 
recently finished a novella about Robin and Robert, and boy did I have 
to walk on eggs to avoid the appearance of "slighting" either one. I 
hope I don't have irate fans at my door when it comes out. 

Changing the subject, someone mentioned Lord of the Trees again. Can 
someone tell me what happened after Herne was shot? Did he heal himself 
with magic power, or does his deerskin repel arrows, or what? 

Hilda: calm down, my dear girl, I think Michael's legs (and the rest of 
him) are just fine...I was merely expressing my disbelief that anyone 
else would say such awful things about the dear fellow. 

This has nothing to do with RoS, but I just finished reading Diana 
Paxson's The White Raven, which will probably appeal to all you fans of 
Celtic Pagan stuff. Well, that's it for now and have a happy Beltaine 
(or whichever holiday is next). 

(Issue 5) 

Dear Cousins, As usual, I'm totally blown away by people's neat ideas. 
Like Janet VanMeter's idea of the Arrow as Loxley's symbol and the Sword 
as Robert's. Along with Hilda's Tarot-like addition of Isadora's table 
and Marion's cup. Ooh! I don't know why I love Tarot so much, seeing as 
how I don't believe they can "predict the future." I just think it's 
neat to play around with symbolism. Can't wait to see Mark Ryan's 
Wildwood Tarot! 

A few general comments. Was Robert "rational" in Herne's Son, when he 
fought Owen of Clun?  And his actions after that (attempting a rescue 
with four other men vs. a castle full of barbarians)? And giving up an 
earldom to become a ragtag outlaw? A really rational man would have 
stayed in the castle and worked behind the scenes. Not to say that 
Robert is not intelligent, but his primary character trait is not 
"rationality" but passionate conviction. 

And now, to add my 2 cents to the discussion about "what is this 
letterzine for?" Some people think general RoS discussion should be 
saved for "generic letterzines." Well, I'd like to point out that the 
other letterzines come out a few times a year, while Cousins comes out 
every month! [Would you believe every 2? -H] (For that, Hilda, you 
should win an award!) This makes Cousins the only zine where it's 
possible to carry on a halfway coherent discussion, and that's why this 
zine has become my main vehicle for general chatter about RoS. 

Well, I'll sign off for now and leave room for the rest of you! Herne 
Protect! 

Janet VanMeter Merry Meet Everyone! 

I want to offer my opinion and suggestions for the proposed 
CousinsÊgathering and ritual at "Weekend in Sherwood." The natural 
simplicity of the paganism presented in RoS is the aspect I find most 
comforting and attractive. Therefore, the simpler we keep things, the 
better, in my book. I don't see the need for the "calling of the 
quarters" part of the ritual, and I don't believe it belongs within the 
context given in RoS, especially the deification of the characters at 
the quarters. I'd like to offer the following for consideration. 

It begins with the first person taking the next person's hand and 
leading everyone "into" Sherwood with a visualization. As we are being 
led into the Forest, we walk sunwise around the Circle until the 
visualization is complete. 

This "casts the circle" and leads naturally into the next action, which 
is that wonderful "Herne Chant." 

Then one by one, we each express an intent or promise to fulfill with 
the Power raised within the group. 

Once each person is finished, someone raises the Blessing Bowl and says, 
"This seals the bond between us, both in the Forest and the Village. 
With the inner world and the outer world. With those that have gone 
before, and those yet to come. May Herne Protect Us." Everyone responds, 
"Herne Protect Us." 

The Blessing Bowl is passed around the circle as a symbol of the Bond. 
As we drink, the Power is grounded within us. Once the bowl has 
traversed the circle, the first person says "Nothing's Forgotten," 
everyone responds "Nothing Is Ever Forgotten. Blessed Be." 

Then we can pass eats and drinks. 

Well, what do you think? The Journey at the beginning both establishes 
Place and also brings us into the midst of the Goddess, as Sherwood. 
Once there, we can then call the God. Within their presence, we announce 
our action. We ask and receive blessing on it. Then we leave knowing 
that we must uphold and never forget what we accomplished. 

I think the above is a very simple way of achieving what the 
CousinsÊgathering is all about.  Those people not wholly familiar with 
established Craft tradition and practices might also find this more 
comfortable and easier to remember. (And except for the Blessing Bowl, 
no other 'props' are needed! Another big plus!) 

Except for the deletion of the "quarters," this is basically following 
the sequence you suggested, Hilda. I look forward to reading what 
everyone else wants to do! 

Herne Protect and Blessed Be! 

Tara O'Shea 
...I am going to go all out of order, because I started reading this at 
the dinner table, and didn't come upstairs until I saw something I could 
answer, and now I'm tapping away at the PC. 

Ariel: Let me tell you about Sovereignty. This is one of my favourite 
subjects. The idea of a mystical union between a king and his kingdom is 
older than Indo-European society, but among the Celts, the Irish in 
particular, the idea of sovereignty is remarkably clear. When the 
Milesians landed in Ireland, they were greeted by three sisters, Eriu, 
Banba, and Fodhla (collectively called the Banba) who represented the 
spirit of Ireland. 

They were the land incarnate. Donn, the leader of the Milesians, did not 
treat them with respect, and perished in the war that resulted between 
the Dananns and the Milesians.  Amairgen, the first Druid in Ireland, 
promised Eriu that Ireland would be named for her, and it still is 
because the name Erin is derived from the genitive form ƒireann. Marion 
Zimmer Bradley goes into this a great deal in The Mists of Avalon, tied 
up in her Sacred King ideas.  Basically, the king makes the marriage 
(called the banais raghi) with the land, in the form of a woman. Maeve 
(or Medhbh, or just Medb) of Connaught and Rhiannon and many others are 
thought to be sovereignty goddesses, and Maeve is always Queen of 
Connaught, even though she is listed as wed to three different kings. If 
he forsakes the land, he will come to a bad end.  Often Sovereignty 
appears first as a crone (The Caillech) and then is transformed into a 
ravishing beauty when a warrior has the courage to make love to her, and 
then that warrior becomes a king. Yeats, in the end of the play Cathleen 
N’ Houlihan, says this too, when the old woman of the roads has gone 
from the house, and one character asks his son, 'Did you see an old 
woman going down the path?' and the boy, Patrick, replies, 'I did not, 
but I saw a young girl, and she had the walk of a queen.' 

Many place names in Ireland come from women's names. My own name comes 
from the name of the seat of the high kings called Temuir or Temair 
(modern Irish Teamhair) after Tea, the wife of the first Milesian High 
King (Ard Rhi) Eremon. The Sovereignty's best known form was that of the 
Caillech BŽrre, and I have somewhere a poem about her, written in the 
ninth century. It's quite wonderful. I know I'll dig up a copy sooner or 
later. 

Also, in the first Arthurian stories, I don't think there was a round 
table. I am not certain, but I think this was an invention of Wace of 
Jersey in his Geste des bretons dedicated to Queen Eleanor, based on 
Geoffrey of Monmouth's bloody mess (sorry) of a history. In any case, 
most of the Arthurian legend comes from Welsh and Irish myth. It was the 
French who added most of the stuff we think of now: Lancelot du Lac, the 
bloody Grail legend (sorry again. I have a real problem with the 
Arthurian stuff. I hate bits of it. I mean really hate it.) 

I thought Marion would be the Queen of Swords, but maybe I have not read 
my tarot notes closely enough. I though de Rainault made a lovely devil. 
I did three card illustrations that I want to show at the Weekend Art 
Show. I love spending an afternoon reading looking for interesting 
things to draw or write about, and started thinking about a RoS deck a 
while back.  I, too, ran out of characters. 

Hey, Hilda, you have an editorial staff? 

Kathy: A great deal of the stuff I've read about the legend has Robin 
Hood being a fanatic about the holy Virgin. Big time. Maybe this was 
turning a Goddess idea into a Christian one that would find more favour 
in the medieval world? 

Hilda, I swear, it's been so long I almost jotted a comment down on my 
own letter. I think I need to get some sleep one of these days. And I 
don't want to sound stupid, but what on earth (or any other manifested 
plane) is a Harry Stu? Gee it rhymes with Mary... Yes? No? Maybe?  
[Bingo. -H] Yes, I would love to do a Tarot RoS brainstorming session. I 
don't know much about the cards, and to have my questions answered in 
even the smallest part would help a great deal, as constantly feel I am 
missing out on something I should know more about. 

Oh, you read Hitchhiker's Guide too? Have you read Good Omens by Neal 
Gaiman and Terry Whatshisname? Oh, if you haven't, I know what I'm going 
to get you for a Yule gift. It's a really hysterical look at Armageddon, 
I mean it. I keep forgetting, does anyone out there read Sandman? [Here 
Tara offers a synopsis of some of the latest occurrences in the best 
graphic serial I've ever come across, including an encounter with the 
Three who are One...but you'll have to write to her to read it! You 
might want to pick up the latest Sandman series when you stop by your 
local comics shop to interrogate the proprietor as to the ETA of The 
Hooded Man. -H] I 

like Michael's skinny legs. I happen to be very fond of Anglo Irish 
skinny-butt men (this is adapted from my friend Katey's favorite phrase. 
I love Kate's odd idiom), as I will tell anyone who asks. (Our Mr. Praed 
and Pierce Brosnan are at the top of this list.) I don't mind, but I 
guess HTV did, hence the thigh supplements. 

Judi: I like medieval history up until Agincourt, but that's mostly 
because of Kenneth Branagh's Henry V and an utterly marvelous book 
called Fortune Made His Sword. 

Carol: I am also interested in Celtic languages (my cousin teaches 
Irish, though I see her less than once every two years. Her name is Tara 
O'Shea too. Quite confusing for everyone except the two of us.) and once 
not too long ago, while I should have been studying for my midterms, 
instead started looking at the etymology of words. Particularly, the 
word King. In Latin it's Rex, French Roi, Spanish Rey, English has 
Regent and as these all derive from Latin, it's to be expected, but what 
about Righ, Rhys, and Rajah? I don't know the Breton or Scots Gaelic 
word, but I expect that they are from the same root as the Welsh and 
Irish. Does this mean that the Romans and Celts had similar words for 
king and queen? Rigantona, Morrighan, Arianrhod, Rhiannon. I am a nut. 
Really. I mean, many French words come from Gaelic too, like "garcon" (I 
have no little 5 looking thing to put under the c, but you know the word 
I mean). And "iron" and "whiskey" come straight from Irish. I have 
recently learnt that my name in Irish is Teamhair N’ Seaghda, and also 
that Tara is the name of an eastern goddess as well. I can't remember 
the particulars, but it was an interesting bit to learn. 

My fave RoS quotes are "You've been sitting on yer bums for a year 
looking at sheep" and "We're very nearly ready." Funny, I never before 
realised how much I liked Herne's Son. It does have a few great laughs, 
doesn't it? Poor Guy. At least he wasn't shot and set on fire like in 
The King's Fool... I hope he had good medical insurance. 

Re: Issue 5 

Julianne: Has anyone written a story where Owen rapes Mari? I need to 
buy more back issues to catch up. If not, why not? I mean, there's a 
potentially explosive subject just waiting to be explored. Maybe Loxley 
didn't show up in Cromm Cruach because Marion wasn't there long enough 
to have nightmares like John and Robert. Plus, how could they have 
gotten Michael in for a guest appearance? Oooooh, that would have been 
interesting. I've seen Loxley meets Huntingdon stories, but I wonder 
what would have happened if they had met at Cromm Cruach... Deeply 
weird. 

While my sister watched Sorcerer the other day with me, all she kept 
asking was "What does the Arrow do anyway?" And all I could think to say 
was, "It has power." Or why else would Belleme have wanted it so badly? 
Maybe the arrow was what gave Robin the power to throw off Belleme's 
enchantment, so he would be able to kill him. 

As for the sword's incarnations, maybe it's a Time Lord in disguise? 

I know what you mean about a series. I have a monster I started when I 
first got into RoS, and it's over two hundred pages now, and (ye gods) 
still growing. I'm killing off the character to get her out of my life 
(and everyone else's lives) once and for all. It's the only way. [That's 
what Gramps said! -Arthur] A nice little epilogue, and then I swear I'm 
never fooling with it again. Well, maybe... no, I'm adamant about 
this... Really. (Ethlinn, put the sword down, I mean it! oh dear...) 

Where was I? Oh yes. Cousins. I call it a letterzine because I've yet to 
read Herne's Stepchildren, and Cousins just gets better and longer with 
each issue. 

(Hey Hilda, what or where is Beloved of Arianrhod?) 

Why would Gulnar want Owen dead anyway? Maybe just as an excuse to take 
revenge on Herne's Son later. Maybe he was just bats. I'm a firm 
believer in the latter myself...

Congratulations on your "baby." I'll send you mine if you send me yours? 
My poor Ethlinn has been known to go by the moniker "Mary Sue," but I 
was 15 years old when I started it, and I swear I've gotten better over 
the years. Well, sort of... My friend has a lovely laser printer at 
work, and is going to print out a nice copy for me soon. It all looks so 
professional. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to buy a Hewlett 
Packard too... 

I never knew about the serpent being wisdom. Thanks! 

Janet V.: I don't know what Kip would say about good ol' Simon, but I do 
know he's been popping up in fandom a lot recently. I have my own ideas, 
but I've no idea if they'll ever see print. Also, can't you just see 
Belleme and Gulnar as Evil Twins? I mean, neither has the common decency 
to die and stay dead for pete's sake! I guess Gulnar is sort of like a 
Belleme for Robert to deal with, only weirder. 

I thought Huntingdon died by poison. Unless that's another Robin Hood, 
after Robert. Has anyone thought about who'll fill the Hood after you 
know... Robert goes (what a nasty thought, but a necessary one...) 

I learned something interesting the other day. Alfred Tennyson, in his 
play The Foresters, made Marion the daughter of Sir Richard at the Lea. 
Do you think Kip used this as his reasoning, or was it synchronicity? 

Morgana: J. C. Holt has a whole book full of theories, and I also picked 
up a good book called Rymes of Robin Hood, an Introduction to the 
English Outlaw which also has a bit about Adam Bell too. It is by R. B 
Dobson and J. Taylor, and the ISBN is 0-86299-610-4. It has just about 
every tidbit you can imagine pertaining to the written record of Robin 
Hood. 

Raven: Okay, Gulnar was a Viking. Who just happened to think Arianrhod 
was an earth goddess.  And he resurrected an Irish daemon too. What is 
this, a pot luck? 

I heard that the reason the devil is portrayed with horns was a reaction 
against Pan worship way long ago. The same as in the creation story, 
where all the aspects others held as Gods (the Sun, the Moon, the Earth, 
etc.) were all created by Yahweh. Still, I mean, it's mildly annoying 
when you tell someone about your beliefs, and they come out with "You're 
a devil worshipper?"  I mean, really. One must be Christian to believe 
in the Anti-Christ, and so how can someone who is not Christian worship 
Lucifer? That's what gets me so crazy when you see those religious 
programmes on UHF channels around Samhain, where they say witches held 
human sacrifices at Stonehenge to bring about the Antichrist. It makes 
no sense, really, and I thought people were above such silly 
superstitious nonsense and lies in the 20th century. Obviously, I 
underestimated many of them. 

If Lucifer was a fallen angel, then why doesn't he have wings, but horns 
and a tail in most art?  If you ask me, after hearing all the stories, I 
think the Morningstar didn't so much fall as was pushed. Heaven needs a 
shadow, doesn't it? Someplace to threaten baddies with. One might say 
that if it hadn't been Lucifer, it just would have been one of the 
others. 

How did I get on to Christian mythology? I need to hold my tongue. 
[Pleathe don't. Thith thtuff ith too confuthing alweathy. -H] 

Hi Hilda. You want a copy of the Scots ballad Tam Lin from the Tam Lin 
in the Tor Fairy Tale series? I will enclose it. [Thank you! -H] I seem 
to be a veritable font of poems and odds and ends recently. Yes, Janet 
did wear green. 

I always find it amusing that, when Edgar went looking for the right 
"witch," he found one.  Serves him right. Broomstick indeed! 

I think Robin is definitely a title of sorts. I mean, later "Robin Hood" 
was a common name for an outlaw or thief. It survives in the American 
slang "Hood" for criminal. 

I like your Arthur-Herne comparison. It smacks of truth to me. Still, 
it's weird to think of a dead human king having greater power than even 
a localised God. Maybe Arthur fed off of the legends and became more 
than a memory, and that's why he is so powerful after centuries of 
storytelling. 

Cross global crowd, remember? Well, not for long. I'm due back in July, 
and an address change will be forthcoming. Until then, letters are my 
life. I give generously (too generously sometimes) and adore receiving.

Maybe we should all get together and plead with Jason to come to Visions 
'92 or some other annual con. If not, how about kidnapping? Works for 
me... 
Just so long as Abbot Martin doesn't do his Tammy Faye Bakker impression 
ever again. I have the bloody thing dubbed in Spanish, and it's even 
scarier... 

That reminds me, after reading your bit on "muin" being Irish for vine, 
I took a look at my Ogham notes, and Tinne is the word for "holly," yet 
every time I look up Beltaine, it says it comes from "Bel-tinne," the 
fires of Bel. So does Tinne mean holly and fire? Anybody know?  [Cath, 
this sounds like one for you. -H] I mean, all my Irish cousins had to 
take Irish in school, and Tara teaches it now... 

As for more Fave RoS quotes, how about "Arrest them? I don't even know 
them." If you've ever read Anthony Horowitz's novelization, after Guy 
goes flying down into the cellar and Cousin Ambrose shuts the door, it 
says "And then they all went and had a beer." I mean, really, that has 
to be the longest bar brawl ever filmed. I think I'll go watch it 
again... 

Maypole safety needs? 

Amber Foxfire 

Hilda - I agree with you about Marion's out-of-character actions at the 
end of The Time of the Wolf. Tara O'Shea comments in Issue #4 that this 
was due to the fact that Judi Trott "didn't want to do a lot of work in 
the 4th series." However, as we all know, there wasn't a fourth series. 
This leads to the question of whether Kip Carpenter knew, during the 
filming of Time of the Wolf, that there wouldn't be a fourth season. 
Does anybody out there know the answer? My guess is that while Time of 
the Wolf was being shot, Carpenter didn't know that there would be no 
fourth series for Robin of Sherwood. The whole idea of Marion staying at 
Halstead, in effect breaking off her relationship with Robert, seems to 
me too much like a season-ending cliff- hanger. Even if Robert and 
Marion hadn't actually gotten back together in the first episode of the 
never-filmed fourth series, Carpenter could have very easily redeemed 
Marion's character in the eyes of the fans in that first episode. (Maybe 
she would have had a vision of Robert in danger and the episode could 
have ended with her leaving Halstead for Sherwood.) 

Tina - I agree with your view of Herne as shaman. It makes sense when 
you consider that he probably wasn't the first "Herne" (and probably 
wasn't the last "Herne" either). 

The idea of there being a succession of Robin Hoods (as well as there 
being more than one Herne) is very intriguing. If we assume that Robin 
Hood is a Pagan, the term "Robin Hood" could be the pagan equivalent of 
the Judeo-Christian term "messiah" or "savior." I read an interesting 
article in the local newspaper recently about what Biblical scholars are 
just now finding out from their investigation of the Dead Sea Scrolls 
(for 40 years, from their discovery in 1948 until 1988, American 
academics blocked Biblical scholars from viewing the majority of the 
Dead Sea Scrolls). Anyway, what the scholars learned is that early 
Christianity was more like a sect of Judaism rather than a separate, 
independent religion. Both Jews and early Christians viewed Jesus Christ 
as a messiah in overthrowing the oppression of the Romans. The incident 
that disturbed the followers of Christ (but not their Jewish "brothers") 
occurred almost 100 years after Christ died. During that time Roman rule 
again became overwhelmingly oppressive.  In order to rally the common 
people, the current Jewish ruler declared himself "a messiah" and led a 
"rebel" fight against the Romans. This disturbed the Christians, until 
that time probably just a Jewish sect, because the idea of more than one 
messiah was anathema to them. As far as the Christians were concerned 
there was only one messiah: Jesus Christ. Apparently, though, Judaism 
has room for many messiahs; it would appear that Jews viewed the term 
"messiah" as a title that could be given to more than one person. The 
Biblical scholars seem to think that the Christians, on the other hand, 
interpreted the term "messiah" as also being "the son of God" and there 
was only one "son of God" - Jesus Christ - as far as they were 
concerned. The scholars believe that the incident with the "second" 
messiah could have caused the actual split of Christianity from Judaism, 
thus creating a separate religion. The whole point of this is that, in 
light of this information plus what we know of pagan practice, the fact 
that there could have been (and probably was) more than one Robin Hood 
is highly likely. (This could explain the seemingly contradictory Robin 
Hood legends: one, that he was a peasant {Loxley}; the other, that he 
was of the nobility {Huntingdon}). 

This is all I have to comment on this time. Blessed be. 

Debbi Henderson 

Greetings All! Thought I'd write with some other Robin Hood related 
books. The newest is called The Sheriff of Nottingham by Richard Kluger. 
Brand new. Also fairly new is Sherwood by Parke Godwin. Another good 
retelling is The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley. 

For esoteric knowledge of all sorts, you can't beat Brewer's Dictionary 
of Phrase and Fable.  There are entries on all of the principal players 
and some unique expressions as well! I've copied some below. 

1.	The Bow and Arrow of Robin Hood - The traditional bow and arrow of 
Robin Hood are religiously preserved at Kirklees Hall, Yorkshire, the 
seat of the Armytage family, and the site of his grave is pointed out in 
the park. 

2.	Death of Robin Hood - He was reputedly bled to death treacherously 
by a nun who was instigated to the foul deed by his kinswoman, the 
prioress of Kirklees, near Halifax (1247). 

3.	"Many talk of Robin Hood who never shot with his bow" - Many brag 
of deeds in which they took no part. 

4.	"A Robin Hood wind" - A thaw-wind which is particularly raw and 
piercing, being saturated with moisture scarcely above the freezing 
point. Tradition runs that Robin Hood used to say that he could bear any 
cold except that which a thaw-wind brought with it. 

5.	Robin Hood's Bay - between Whitby and Scarborough, Yorkshire, is 
mentioned by Leland.  Robin Hood is supposed to have kept fishing boats 
there to put to sea when pursued by the soldiery. He also went fishing 
in them in the summer. 

6.	To go around Robin Hood's barn - to arrive at the right conclusion 
by circuitous methods. 

7.	To sell Robin Hood's pennyworth - to sell things at half their 
value. As Robin Hood stole his wares he sold them under their intrinsic 
value, for what he could get. 

8.	Robin Hood's Larder - an oak in Sherwood Forest. The tradition is 
that Robin Hood used its hollow trunk as a hiding place for the deer he 
had slain. Late in the last century some schoolgirls boiled their kettle 
in it (my thought: a coven?) and burnt down a large part of the tree, 
which was reputed to be 1,000 years old. It was blown down in 1966 and 
the Duke of Portland gave a suitably inscribed remnant to the Mayor of 
Toronto. 

Let me move on now to Herne. Brewer's also has an entry that describes 
Herne's Oak. This was an oak in Windsor Great Park, reputed to be 
haunted by the ghost of Herne the Hunter/ The Wild Huntsman. It was 
supposed to be 650 years old when blown down in 1863. Queen Victoria 
planted a young oak on the site. 

Herne the Hunter was at one time a keeper of Windsor Forest. Shakespeare 
says that now he "walks" in winter-time. 

If anyone can't get hold of this marvelous dictionary and would like me 
to copy down the rest of the entries for Cousins, let me know. 

In Spirit... 

Morgana 

Dear Cousins: Greetings to you once more! I think Spring Fever is 
turning into writing fever as well. Besides these long responses to many 
Cousins I'm sketching out a non-RoS story, plus busily filling in my 
Book of Shadows. I sometimes wish there were a hundred hours in the day! 

Todd: Isn't Kineseology having to do with something called muscle-
testing and how it applies to your physical health and structure? 

Tina: You might want to check out The Tree: The Complete Book of Saxon 
Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland. It contains some chapters on the Pagan 
Saxon historical backgrounds, Woden and Freya, etc. It's a good all-
around read on Saxon Paganism. 

Nansi Loser: You're correct about the Sacrificial King's joy regarding 
being chosen to be the offering to his god(s). A very interesting book 
and television movie based on this whole theme is Harvest Home by Thomas 
Tryon. It's 20th century Paganism as portrayed by a small rural 
community who, every seven years, sacrifice the chosen Harvest Lord. I 
won't give away the entire plot (obviously this isn't all of it!) but if 
anyone's wanting more info on this premise, do read/see it. 

The Sacrificial King is also mentioned in the first part of the Farrars' 
A Witches' Bible Compleat. 

Being a novice's novice to RoS fandom, and since like me you write, my 
fevered imagination came up with a rather radical departure from the 
traditional RoS structure. What do you, or does anyone, think of an all-
female Sherwood band? As it's merely a thought - for now - I haven't 
elaborated on characters, mindsets, etc. but perhaps someone could put 
forth ideas. I seriously hope I don't get into too much trouble with you 
good people, as I honestly have no idea what type of reaction/response 
this will elicit (I'm still waiting while you digest this...) For 
instance, how would the Sheriff, Isadora, Jennet, Gulnar, Wickham itself 
react to the Sherwood Amazons? Could the characters be the female 
equivalents to Nasir, Tuck, Will, et al? Should the leader be a dark 
Celt, then later on maybe a Duchess or other nobility? What about a 
sacrificial Queen? 

Folks, this field is wide open. If you want to pat me on the back and 
shout "Vivat!", okay. If, on the other hand, you'd rather throw me into 
the Sheriff's cell with the old prisoner and Arthur, I'll perfectly 
understand! Really, I'm willing to accept whatever fate you deign! 

Tara: This is answering Tina's letter to you in #4 regarding serpents 
and occult wisdom.  Dense me, I never considered St. Patrick's expelling 
the snakes out of Ireland as symbolic of expelling magickal wisdom and 
knowledge. But in light of the serpent's definition it makes a ton of 
sense. Lady Cybele in her fine lecture tape "Witches and Halloween" 
postulates that the snakes actually stood for the Druids (as their 
staffs were fashioned to look like serpents) and when St. Patrick got to 
Ireland, he drove out the Druids from the island, and thus their ancient 
knowledge. 

In pictures of Cleopatra and other prominent Egyptian contemporaries (I 
know, she wasn't Egyptian at all, but Macedonian!) you can see on the 
headdresses the snake emerging from the Third Eye. Again, this was the 
exponent of occult wisdom emanating from that person.  Obviously this 
wisdom was not confined to men. Many women were seen to possess it as 
well. 

Raven: Holy Blood, Holy Grail is one heady read! There's a lot to take 
in, but the authors are really up on their history of the Templars and 
the Gospels. It pretty much blows the whole Sacrificial King theory out 
of the water! If I come across an extra copy, I'll let you know. 

Legend states that Fenris is said to have been killed by Odin's son 
Vidar, one of the Aesir, so you're right about that. Fenris is the son 
of Loki and the Giantess Angurboda. He became so fierce that the gods 
finally had to chain him. While Fenris struggled not to have the chain 
affixed to him, Tyr put his hand in Fen's mouth but before his hand 
could be removed, the wolf bit it off. There's also a myth that Fenris 
consumed Odin (a godling eating a God?)! 

Julianne: I read in Conway's Celtic Magic that green, apart from being 
the favorite fairy color in all Celtic countries, also became known as 
the color of death. As for being the color of criminals, I don't know. 

Hilda: Hesus, Taranis, and Teutates is a patriarchal, warlike Gaulish 
trinity. Hesus is similar to Teutates, the latter being a war god 
worshipped for human sacrifice. His name is cognate with Tuatha, 
"People." Taranis - "The Thunderer" - is also found in Britain. The 
wheel is his symbol, sometimes a spiral representing lightning. Also the 
eagle. Human sacrifices were offered to him. 

General This and That: That old question arises: Was Jennet a Witch or 
what? Well, she certainly had the name for it. Planta genet (or genista) 
was the broom plant sacred to Witches and a derivation of the royal 
British line Plantagenet. "Genet" meant horse or steed, "royal horse" of 
Paganism. A "jennet" was a small horse or female donkey and used 
frequently in names of medieval Witches - Jenet, Janet, Jean, Jeanette, 
Joan. 

Julianne again: Glory-of-Elves is the Norse name for the Sun Goddess 
who'd birth a daughter sun to rule the new universe after doomsday. 
(These last two are from the Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets.) 

That's about it. My vacation plans are updated and I am hoping to be in 
London June 11-25 (tentatively). If any Cousins will be there about that 
same time than let's merry meet! May the Lady and Lord of the Greenwood 
guide us all gently. 

Nansi Loser 

Last week Issue #5 arrived and I hate it when people get caught up on 
typing, especially since it just reminds me how far behind I am on my 
own stuff! 

Nan and I sat down this weekend and watched the Lord of the Trees 
episode of RoS, which I no longer have on tape - so thanks again to 
Laura Todd, who was kind enough to invite us over and loaned us her 
tape, and which I hadn't seen in a long time (I think the resident 
teenager taped over it at some point, because we've got all the others). 
We had a lot of fun talking the episode over because there's so much 
going on in it, both magically speaking and otherwise. It certainly 
seems that "the blessing" is a very localized/Sherwood personalized kind 
of Beltane (welcome to summer) festival. This episode's Herne appears as 
more of a localized deity, also.  But as isolated as people were at that 
time, this "personalization" of both major and minor sabbats would make 
sense. It's hard to realize how truly cut-off these villages were from 
the rest of the world, especially living (as we do) in the age of 
instantaneous EVERYTHING.  Anyway, everyone, including Marion and Tuck, 
seems to have a clear idea of what they are worshipping/celebrating and 
why. Isn't it Marion who tells Robin that he can't go after the 
mercenaries and spill blood because he's Herne's son? My personal 
favorite person in this episode, very strangely enough, is Abbot Hugo - 
he's shown as much more knowledgeable about the old ways and tolerant 
than one would expect. And he certainly doesn't doubt that Guy ran into 
some serious trouble with the old gods of the forest... 

Hilda, I loved your holography suggestion in response to my comment 
about my not being able to be two places at once - It would be fun, but 
I can't be two places at once, even holographically (though that 
certainly WOULD cut down on any travel and hotel expenses at Weekend in 
Sherwood), because I have quite enough trouble coping with one of me 
running around. If I start multiplying, I think the family would 
probably have hysterics! 

Great job and lots of interesting discussion. Take care. 

Richard Carpenter 

Sweet coz, 

I love it! I wish I could enter into endless discussions and theories 
and suppositions and all the other delightful eccentricities in your mad 
mab - er - mag. 

I even did a long tape - shall I send it, Hilda? - (HILDA: No thanks!) 
[Fair enough, I'm sure I've erroneously second-guessed you enough times! 
-H] Right, I will send it - about all the letters, just to try and put 
my point of view really, and justify all my mistakes. Writers always do 
that! But before I got a chance to send it - I get another edition! 

In fact the only time that I get pissed off is when people say things 
about the show that indicate either a bad memory or the fact that they 
haven't really studied every episode! And that, he said - falling off 
his chair in hysterics - is essential! 

For instance, dear Laura Woodswalker Todd (lovely name) I agree that the 
show has as many holes as God's golf course but not some that you bring 
up. Loxley sees visions - knows the right path to take, has definite 
e.s.p. and clairvoyance. And his archery is "magically" good!  These 
things are in the stories and not just in Michael's piercing eyes. 

No, Robert isn't any more rational than any other young man of his age. 

I do find "bare bones" a bit unfair (I cried into my Highland Park) and 
I would've said that Loxley got quite a lot of revenge during the 
series. 

I do feel sometimes that the sweet coz's lose sight of the obvious in 
their pursuit of the esoteric. Robin died to save Marion's life. And to 
give her time to get away. It is in the script. It was meant to be 
significant that Much - the youngest of the outlaws and the most 
innocent - was the other person Robin sacrificed his life for. On a 
wider scale the Summer King idea is there to give the thing mythic 
scale. But to quote from my favourite prose poem "greater love hath no 
man than this - etc." It was curious that the episode went out Easter 
weekend. 

Yes, Herne is a shaman - and although some directors tended to "beam him 
down," this was not in the scripts. Murray Hope's book on Atlantis is 
very good - for a woman. (Hope you know I'm kidding) Hey - a good book 
is Keith Thomas' Religion and the Decline of Magic. 

I love Robert Graves and Margaret Murray, but scholars who are poets can 
put the glamour on you. Gift of the gab, the Irish call it. 

And finally, in Hilda's bit - the fifth paragraph on page 14 is the most 
generous and warming tribute that any writer could ever hope to read. 
Thank you Hilda. That - I shall keep, for any rainy days ahead. Blessed 
be, sweet coz's. Kip 

P.S. Herne help us if you lot ever start an Arthurian fanzine! 

P.P.S. And talking of Robert Graves, here's one of his poems. It speaks 
to me. Read it several times slowly like an incantation - which I think 
it is - and then learn by heart. 

Broken Images 	

He is quick, thinking in clear images; 	
I am slow, thinking in broken images. 	

He becomes dull, trusting to his clear images 	
I become sharp, mistrusting my broken images. 	

Trusting his images, he assumes their relevance 	
Mistrusting my images, I question their relevance 	

Assuming their relevance, he assumes the fact; 	
Questioning their relevance, I question the fact. 	

When the fact fails him, he questions his senses; 	
When the fact fails me, I approve my senses. 	

He continues quick and dull in his clear images; 	
I continue slow and sharp in my broken images. 	

He, in a new confusion of his understanding; 	
I, in a new understanding of my confusion. 

[Tape begins here. -H] 

I get an awful lot of fan mail...well, let's say, letters from 
friends...about Robin of Sherwood, which was a programme that I wrote 
quite a few years ago now, and also have largely forgotten what I wrote, 
because my short-term memory is very poor. And so when obscure points in 
a text that was written with a deadline and also to a series of 
production constraints are examined in such minute detail by clever 
people like you, it is, to say the least, a little bit frightening. You, 
as writers yourselves, must realize that a lot of the things that one 
does, one does on the spur of the moment because it sounds right, and 
that dear old thing Inspiration (which doesn't happen very often). 
Certainly I researched, but not nearly as thoroughly and as deeply as if 
I was preparing a Ph.D. 

The curse of writers is the VCR. I think I'll probably have that on my 
tombstone, because programmes that basically are meant to be watched 
once have been watched again and again, and all of the faults have been 
obviously very clearly revealed. I am flattered that the fan fiction has 
arisen from this, because anything creative that happens from a 
television programme, which you just sit and watch and is a very 
uncreative activity, must be good. 

Well, with that rather boring preamble, let's get down to why I'm 
writing to you like this. One, because I can't afford to spend hours of 
time answering letters concerning a programme that I wrote ten years 
ago; and two, it's quite pleasant to chat to you like this, walking 
through an English wood in winter and kicking up dead oak leaves while 
my dogs race around in the holly bushes. So, I've got my copy of 
Cousins, Issue 2. I have to confess, I haven't read Issue 1, but I shall 
certainly read Issue 3 if there is one, because I find it fascinating, 
and I crave your indulgence to answer a few points which actually I 
think Hilda finally covered at the end of it, as it were acting as 
chairperson. 

What I find fascinating is the intensity of some of the interpretations. 
Everybody seems very worried about the fact that the Goddess doesn't 
appear in the series. Well, the reason for the occult in Robin Hood was 
inspired by a book called The God of the Witches, so that's really a 
very simple answer. Not "The Goddess of the Witches," you note, and 
written by a woman. A clever book, but she was potty. I recommend her 
other book, which is even pottier, which is called The Divine King in 
England. 

Ceremonial magic is one thing, the Wiccan tradition is another. Paganism 
is a feeling and an instinct. Whoever coined the expression "the old 
religion" did Paganism (in my opinion, and this is all my opinion!) a 
great disservice. So, to Laura Woodswalker Todd, here I am, Laura, 
walking in the woods. You wish the trees would take revenge. Have you 
seen the floods in Bangladesh? 

Magic was probably less prominent in the third season because I didn't 
write five of the episodes. Although the Tarot was used (incorrectly, I 
might add). And why the Round Table would be placed in the keeping of 
the heirs of Agrivaine when, in fact, Agrivaine was one of the people 
who helped to destroy the Fellowship, remains beyond me. 

Now then, "Satanic covens" stereotypes. Why would I pander to these 
negative cliches? Well, I'll try to answer that one. You have to believe 
in the Devil in order to worship him. The Bible is full of the Devil, 
both in the Old and the New Testament. The Bible is also full of magic, 
ceremonial magic, which has existed in every civilisation since Babylon. 
If you don't believe in the Devil you can't worship him, and there is no 
question that the negative power of evil is just as strong as the 
positive power of good, and certainly enforced chastity in the Middle 
Ages gave rise to all kinds of neuroses, some of which found outlets 
both in monasteries and in convents in deliberately upturning the magic 
rituals of the Judeo-Christian tradition. I don't know if there's (I've 
never studied it, anyway) I don't know if there are accounts of rabbis 
turning to black magic, but then rabbis are not celibate. Nevertheless, 
the Jewish tradition believes in demons and demonic forces and has 
banishing rituals. It's all done to gain power, of course - power over 
the material world. "All this I will give to you if you will bow down 
and worship me." (New Testament, the Devil to Jesus.) 

I'll come on to Gulnar later on, answering another letter. Why did Herne 
choose Robert? Why did Christ choose St. Paul? Why does anybody choose 
anybody? You know, you can't explain everything. If you do, it 
disappears. Duke Ellington said that once, he said about critics and 
analysts, he said: "If you take a daisy and you pull its petals off one 
by one, what have you got? You ain't got a daisy." I know that's a 
pretty flip answer, but sometimes analysis or explanation of everything 
that you put into a show kills the show. You must have mystery.  Mystery 
is the essence of good drama. The guy got hooked on Marion. Then he got 
involved with the Merries, liked the excitement, saw that it was 
motivated by a desire for justice, and in a sense he was defying his 
father, becoming an outlaw, because his father was very Establishment. 
Do you remember the scene between them? So, all these things got him 
involved. Why did Patty Hearst become a terrorist? So, I would say that 
the three reasons that Robert became an outlaw were love, revelation, 
and excitement. No, Robert had had no previous experience of the Old 
Religion apart from the usual things of throwing salt over your left 
shoulder and not walking under ladders and...in other words, the 
superstitions which have survived in everybody to this day, even in the 
most materialistic world (black cats, etc.)  Although black cats in 
America are different , aren't they? Strange, I don't know why that 
should be. 

No, he wouldn't have crossed himself and run like hell when he saw 
Herne. Robert has an innate curiosity and a lot of courage. Really, 
summing up your letter, Laura, people behave inconsistently all the 
time. Consistent people are dull and boring. 

Janet VanMeter: Well, I have to say: the series is male-oriented, and I 
suppose you're right, the forest is the Earth Mother, just as the rest 
of Britain is, and just as the whole world is.  Richardson's book Earth 
God Rising suggests that there has been in recent years too much 
emphasis placed on the Goddess, to the exclusion of Her Consort, and 
yhat it's possible that we're going to see much more of a twosome in the 
Wiccan tradition from now on. That's certainly true in Britain. I mean, 
I went to a Wiccan wedding, and there was dear old Herne with the 
antlers, and why not? It's a uniting of the male and female principles. 

I can't go along for a female sun, but that's a personal thing; because 
in the Edda, the son of Munduforai is Mani [I'm just guessing the 
spellings here -H] and the daughter is Sol; and according to Brewer, the 
Lithuanians and the Arabians and the Mexicans and the Hindus, and 
apparently the Germans have "Frau Sonne" (Mrs. Sun) and Herr Mond (Mr. 
Moon, hence "man in the moon,") but I don't think you'll get a good 
Wiccan to see the moon as anything other than a female. Perhaps the Yin 
and Yang symbol sums it all up. There's a bit of Yin in the Yang, and a 
bit of Yang in the Yin, as there is in all of us. What's important is to 
unite the whole thing. 

Now on to Tina Evans. Again, trying to turn Herne into a woman, are you? 
Well, women can be as horny as men... The Horned God is the consort of 
the Goddess, and certainly Diana is portrayed as horned - the horns of 
the moon - so maybe your idea isn't as daft as it first seemed. 

Lynn: That's a nice theory, but I think you're pushing it to its limits 
to suggest that Herne was Robin i'th' Hood. He'd have had an awful job 
getting a hood over those horns... No, I will take you seriously. Again, 
the desire for total knowledge... We really know nothing of Herne's 
past.  Good. I'm glad. We shouldn't. He is our mystery figure. You sound 
like a script editor. The moment I read things like "a practicing 
Wiccan," I realize just how dangerous organized religions can be. If you 
read the Robin Hood ballads, which is about the earliest thing we've 
got, he is always revering the Goddess under the disguise of Mary. And 
I'm sorry, I didn't use Craft belief to get them out of the jam when 
Michael left the show. I used Frazer's The Golden Bough. 

You're totally wrong about the British public knowing anything about 
Rhiannon or Arianrhod, because they don't. As I've said earlier, Herne 
is the consort of the Goddess in many Wiccan ceremonies over here. And 
no, I certainly didn't avoid the word "Goddess," Ariel. I just didn't 
need to use it. 

Absolutely, the main reason that Marion went to Kirklees was to avoid 
being married off to someone she didn't like, and she went to Halstead 
for sanctuary. She went, as it were, in retreat. Some of the convents in 
those days were like women's clubs. The nuns hunted, had lovers, and a 
bloody good time. They were usually quite rich, and some of those 
convents were extremely well endowed. (Presumably the lovers were too.) 

Good old Ariel, she got the message. She read Margaret Murray's funny 
book, The God of the Witches, and that's where I got Herne from. 
Somebody says I'm not sure entirely what I was getting at in The Swords 
of Wayland.  According to my sources, the first Black Mass was performed 
as a lark by some priests of Louis XV or XVI or something of France. 
This is queried by Hilda, but as far as I'm concerned, they're not doing 
a Black Mass. They're invoking a demon. 

The best book on the Druids is by Stuart Piggott, and one of the things 
he says is that using text-free archaeological evidence in an attempt to 
see it in meaningful terms of human activities, we must recognize 
straightaway that the valid information it can give is strictly limited. 
But it's a good book about the Celts, anyway. 

The wheel stuff is good, but wheels are usually sun symbols. I've seen 
the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance. It's quite eerie. The antlers are very 
old. I like the bit about the actor playing the part before you. No, you 
don't play it the same way; nor do you write the legend in the same way. 
Would God you did! My task with Arthur would be that much easier. There 
are so many tangled strands to untangle and make some sort of sense of 
in the Arthur legend, because too many people had a go at it, with 
vastly different viewpoints. 

I prefer my faeries a little bit shorter than everybody else, but not 
tiny, obviously. They weren't thumbnail-sized winged sprites in 
Elizabethan times. Have you seen A Midsummer Night's Dream? 

Why were you stunned when you saw Marion weeping and wailing in Owen's 
castle? The girl was terrified of the situation with Gulnar, and Owen 
was completely different to the situation with King John. Try playing 
"Conquest" with Owen of Clun! He'd knock you down and rape you. 

Oh, the other thing is this business of having problems with crossed 
mythologies. You've got to understand, you people in the United States 
of America, that this little island has been invaded by everybody. For a 
quarter of our history we were run by Italians. We've had the Vikings, 
the Danes, the Saxons, and the French; the Picts, the Scots, and the 
Welsh. Look at present- day Wiccan tradition. It's a rag-bag of ideas 
from all over the place. Place names in England are French, Saxon, 
Viking, Roman...You have only to look at the number of strange religions 
in the United States to realize that Owen's particular mumbo-jumbo 
derives from very different sources. It's only archaeologists who snap 
off history into the Bronze Age, the Stone Age, the Iron Age, the Beaker 
People, etc. What are we going to be known as, the Motorway People? or 
the Airport People? 

Janet, your stuff is excellent about sorcery. Now then, what's Tuck 
doing out in the woods with a load of fogbound Herne-worshippers? He's a 
renegade monk. End of story. But not quite the end because he can see 
clearly that organized religion is corrupt, and that the Herne- 
followers (not worshippers) are essentially good. All mythology starts 
with the horizon, and all religion too; and with the changing seasons 
and the eternal questions: Who am I, and what am I doing here? Don't 
let's bring the Masons into it, for heaven's sake! 

I love "Owen and the Composite Pagans." That's exactly right. OK, Hilda, 
if you want Robert to have the possibility of having latent magical 
talent, why not? It doesn't worry me any. But he certainly won't have 
any either latent or blatant magical talent if we did any more episodes. 

This is all very incoherent, and I've more or less come to the end. I 
agree and disagree with all of you, and I love you too. If Robin of 
Sherwood has brought you together as friends, if it means that you read 
more about our desire to be at one with all things and to invest them 
with the magic of our imagination, then I hang my head humbly. People 
tell you to keep one foot firmly on the ground, and that's not a bad 
idea, but if you do, you'll never dance.

 Well, I dictated that a long time ago. Well, not all that long ago. And 
I think it was Hilda's letter to me today that prompted me to have a go 
at Cousins (I love the name!) Issue 3, February 1992, so I'm catching 
up, aren't I? It's a super idea, this letterzine, because particularly 
throwing up all sorts of mythological cross-references and what have 
you. So I thought I'd put in my pennyworth for Issue 3 and at least be 
topical, if magic can be topical. 

So, let's have a look...By the way, where is Mu/Lemuria, it's in the 
Pacific. First question answered... Murry Hope is a lady, not a fellow. 
Second question, well, not "question," but first mistake answered. She 
has written, in fact, an extremely cogent book on Atlantis. Don't pooh-
pooh Atlantis. I've been working with a deep-trance medium who has been 
to Atlantis and comes from Atlantis, and I'm absolutely certain that I 
did, too. 

Single-source theory? I don't know what you're talking about. What about 
the Big Bang? Isn't that single-source theory? And everything starts 
somewhere, not in about five places at once. Thank you, Woodswalker! The 
whole business about writing a television series that has a slight 
mystical bent (if you like to put it like that) is that the writer is 
God. He can do what he wants. And it's very wrong to sort of come up 
with an agenda, and then force your characters into it, because your 
characters take over and say things and do things that you didn't expect 
them to do. It's part of the creative process, and so if it doesn't fit 
into some neat theory (using "neat" in its proper context) that's just 
too bad. 

It is the most beautiful pre-Spring day here! I can't tell you... [A 
"tweet" of agreement from some anonymous bird... -H] Robert's reason for 
going into Sherwood. Well, one, he was rebelling against his father and 
injustice. He had a very strong sense of justice. And, two, he'd fallen 
in love with Marion; and three, he was called by Herne, in a sense. 
People often struggle against the call, but the call proves too strong 
for them. Horns, well...Female horns? Certainly. The horns of the moon. 
And if you really want a great Goddess with horns, you can't do better 
than Isis Herself. Or maybe I answered that in my reply to Cousins #2 
earlier on this tape. 

Yes, you're right about Belleme and black magic. He brought it back from 
the Crusades. He even looked as if he was dressed in Arabic gear, if you 
remember. He is using ceremonial magic and he's invoking a demon to gain 
power. 
You don't have to go to Argentina, as I've explained about the German 
Mr. Moon and Mrs. Sun. 

Well, the Rotary Club wheel is actually the Round Table, I think. Oh no, 
it's not, that's another thing called the "Round Table" which is similar 
to Rotary. 

I can't help you with Cromm Cruach. Antony isn't into Paganism, although 
he's written a very lively book of world mythology for kids in a very 
contemporary style, which is what it needs. I don't know what Gulnar was 
trying to accomplish in Cromm Cruach. Now, in Time of the Wolf he's out 
to kill Herne. Well, of course he is. He's a rival shaman. He can't kill 
Fenris, no.  Fenris is a mythological creature. 

What magical powers does Isadora's Round Table possess? Well, if it is 
in fact King Arthur's Round Table, which it's supposed to be, it 
possesses the power to unify and bring together ("round table" 
conferences and all the rest of it). It's a seat of power, it's a magic 
circle. It represents the horizon, and probably had (and certainly will 
have in my version) the zodiac signs around it. It also represents 360 
degrees, of course, which is the year. I don't know where we got the 
other five from. 

What does the Silver Arrow do? What does a crown do? What does a scepter 
do? What does the President's seal do? It doesn't do anything. It's a 
symbol of power. That's all. 

As you probably know, I drew issue with the designer of the Silver 
Arrow. I wanted a beautiful Silver Arrow about 18 inches long, carved 
with sort of Celtic designs but recognizably an arrow, not a sort of 
early medieval dildo. 

Yes, I'm into Tarot cards. I use the Marseilles deck, because it's one 
of the earliest. Some of them misinterpret very badly the original 
meanings of the cards. That's why I use one of the earliest. 

Hey, come off it, Janet! "In general the TV series seemed to not want to 
probe past the surfaces. Is this a general failing of TV...they want the 
characters to stay the same cardboard cutouts week after week? They seem 
to avoid any references to past events, as if they're afraid to offend 
some viewer who hasn't seen the earlier episodes." No, the series didn't 
want you to forget that there was a Loxley as quickly as possible. In 
fact, in the very last episode, one of the reasons that Marion goes into 
the convent is because one of her men, the man that she mystically 
married in the very first episode, died; and she's terrified to lose a 
second husband, which is why she just finally can't take it any longer 
when she "finds his body." And once having committed, when he comes back 
to her, she feels that the shock of seeing what she thought was his dead 
body is just too much her and she's not going to go through the 
possibility of it happening, which of course is more or less inevitable 
with revolutionaries. The establishment, generally speaking, tracks them 
down and kills them. They're too dangerous.  But I don't like "cardboard 
cutouts." I thought I'd actually created rounded characters with a bit 
of depth to them. If they were merely cardboard cutouts, I doubt if 
there would have been the outburst of fanzines in the States that there 
has been, and I don't think you can put it down to a desire to fill in 
the characters and round them out. 

Janet, the reasons that Robert becomes an outlaw are obvious in the 
story. He loathes Owen of Clun, he falls in love with Marion, and he has 
to get Marion back when his father says that he will do nothing about it 
because Owen of Clun is on the borders. In other words, he's a marcher 
lord. And King John would get very cross if the Earl of Huntingdon made 
waves with regard to the political situation on the Welsh marches; and 
therefore the Earl is going to do nothing about Marion, so Robert does. 
He goes back to Herne for help in tracking down the outlaws and then, 
after he's fought with them and rescued Marion, he has become an outlaw 
whether he likes it or not. I mean, if I go out and meet a gang of 
criminals and get them to save my girlfriend illegally from a rich man 
who's kidnapped her, who happens to be related to a High Court judge, I 
am branded a criminal, whether I like it or not! I mean, sometimes I 
think people are so busy examining minutiae that they can't see the wood 
for the trees! 

The other reason (and this is my criticism of American television) is 
that I have written shows before that had to go out in a certain order, 
obviously Episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (it's logical, isn't it?) and what 
happens in America is that they put them out in any order! In a recent 
showing of Robin of Sherwood in the States, they mixed all of the series 
up so that some weeks it was Michael being Robin Hood and another week 
it would be Jason being Robin Hood, which must for people who had never 
seen the show at all have been totally confusing. When I do King Arthur, 
I'm going to insist that it go out like a soap. I mean, they don't 
scramble episodes of Dallas and Dynasty, or do they? Or even Cagney and 
Lacey, or even Star Trek: The Next Generation? Then why should they take 
a British show and just scramble it any way they like?  It really makes 
me really mad, actually. And then I get accused of not developing the 
characters from week to week or referring back to previous episodes. 
That is precisely why. I tell you, a scriptwriter has to be a juggler 
and a tightrope walker at the same time. You must remember that Marion 
has been brought up by Sir Richard of Leaford, who is a straight 
establishment figure who goes off to the Crusades and is reported dead, 
and then Marion becomes the ward of the Church. So why the hell should 
she know anything about Samhain, for God's sake? You're trying to turn 
ancient beliefs into a religion all the time, you people! It isn't! It 
isn't organized! There aren't covens and grand covens and head covens 
and Wiccan Incorporated. It just isn't like that. And pray God it never 
gets like that, because it'll die if it does. 

Page 6: I like Phil Kramer. A simple, to-the-point letter. That's really 
what it's all about.  Simple is best. 

Mary Ann (or Marion) - she likes Hugo's description: "As long as they 
have their children baptized and are married and buried as Christians, I 
don't much care what they get up to." In fact, this is the whole essence 
of what one belief does to another. It takes its rituals and uses them 
with a different belief. Magic wells, holy water. Fertility rites, 
Easter. And you're wrong, they did burn people at the stake in England. 
They burnt Catholics. Protestants burnt Catholics, and I think Catholics 
burnt Protestants as well. And I think there was a bit of burning in 
Scotland of witches. 

No, you're right, the witches wouldn't have worshipped Satan. Possibly a 
few nutty priests would have done that. 

The main thrust of most of the letters is the puzzlement by the Pagans 
in America as to why I didn't use the Goddess in Robin of Sherwood. I 
just didn't. That's all. End of story! I couldn't have the Goddess and 
Herne, and I wanted Herne. 

And this question of pantheon-hopping...These pantheons have been 
created by literary scholars in universities. There weren't pantheons. 
People had beliefs, that's all, and I think I explained on the first 
side of this tape that we are a very mongrel race, just as you are 
becoming a very mongrel race if you could break up your ghettoes. (Mind 
you, we've got ghettoes too.) But you haven't been invaded and taken 
over many, many times in the course of your history. 

Yeah, you're right about Margaret Murray's books. They are very 
controversial, and The Sacred King in England is even more 
controversial. 

While we're on the subject...well, we're not, but anyhow, Druids 
believed in blood sacrifice.  Human sacrifice. The idea of these lovely 
old men is bollocks, quite frankly. 

Oh, yes, I know the story of William Rufus. I don't know the original 
source for the story, and I'd like somebody to find it, the actual 
original source. 

Yes, St. Brigit. Hilda, you're quite right. I didn't know about "Robin" 
being part of the male anatomy in old Welsh and Cornish. That's 
interesting. I think, really, you've got it right.  Herne was a local 
deity. It was actually Windsor Great Park, but I transposed him to 
Sherwood Forest. 

Yes, Gulnar is a howling loony. Yes, Morgana picked up Isis. "Kernel" or 
seed for Herne is good. 

If you want to make a really good Tarot deck, read up about the Tarot 
and then get photographs of people you know who you think represent the 
different archetypes (in the Major Arcana, anyway) and make the deck 
yourself. Anybody who draws a Tarot deck themselves, even if they copy 
another Tarot deck, is making a very much more powerful deck. If you 
ain't an artist, use an ordinary deck and just decorate it a bit. I 
mean, paint some of the colors brighter or something on the figures. 

Page 11: Am I a Pagan? Find out. And what do I think of Cousins? I think 
it's terrific! I don't think it's silly at all. Not that I care what you 
think. You don't care what I think. 

Good, Hilda. Herne is more concerned with balance than with good per se. 
That's exactly the point I made, I think, on the previous side of this 
tape. 

Oh, dear, this thing about the Devil. Lucifer, who is the Light-Bringer, 
fell from Heaven because of the sin of pride, which is why pride is the 
worst of the seven deadly sins. He's also the hero of Paradise Lost by 
Milton, who is far more interested in Lucifer than he is in Adam and 
Eve. It's a great poem, written in wonderful Jacobean English, of Man's 
first disobedience and the fruit of that forbidden tree. That's how it 
opens. But then, you know that. 

Yes, a Priestess of Bast would lift her skirts to show her congregation 
the Divine Portal of Life. 

Might I suggest that a really fascinating book is called The Nazarene 
Gospel Restored, by Robert Graves. Well, by Graves and Podrow, a Jewish 
rabbi, who came to the same conclusion about the New Testament. You must 
remember that Christianity was not founded by Jesus. It was founded by 
St. Paul, an ex-SS man. According to Graves, Jesus was the rightful heir 
to the ancient Jewish throne of Israel, a priest-king position, and the 
reason for that was that Mary was a princess of the House of Israel. 
Anyhow, get the book out and read it. Even if you only read the 
introduction, it'll open your eyes. It's very ?intimatic? [Not sure of 
this word. -H]  Graves later wrote a book called King Jesus, which was a 
novel based on the book of scholarship. I warn you, it's a huge book, 
but it's fascinating, and it's full of Graves' usual flimflam and 
playing with words and very illogical explanations for everything, but 
it's lovely. 

Now, [pages flipping, indistinct mumbling] Marion is a Mary Sue, I knew 
that when I wrote it...Yes, there are not enough women really in the 
show. I'm going to correct that if we do King Arthur, because we've got 
a lot of permanent ladies in that. We've got Gwynvar, we've got Morgan, 
we've got Vivian, we've got Morgause, we've got Palomides. Ah! Who is 
Palomides?  Well, Palomides actually is a Saracen knight in the Morte 
D'Arthur, but I can't obviously have another Saracen knight in a 
television series, so I'm making her a Greek Amazon warrior lady.  And 
she falls in love with guess who? Well, who was Tristan's rival for 
Isolde? Who? Well, it was Palomides, wasn't it? Well, I thought I'd keep 
that going, except that my Palomides is a woman who falls in love with 
Isolde. Why not? In Camelot 3000, Tristan comes back as a woman. 

I've got to kill this idea in the bud that old Robin Hoods become 
Hernes. There's no such thing as "old Robin Hood." They get killed. 
Herne is a shaman, is a man who becomes the God when he dresses up as 
the God. He could have dressed up as the Goddess. A lot of shamans do 
this, but I don't think the television audience was ready for this. 

So, Kathy Allard...Interests besides the obvious (whatever that means): 
shamanic journeying and Herne as shaman. She's got it absolutely right. 

Is "fen" the plural of fan? I thought it was a wet, marshy place. 

Right, that's all, folks. I hope I haven't bored the pants off any of 
you. Oh, quite a few of you I wouldn't mind boring the pants off... No, 
I shouldn't have said that, that's terribly male and chauvinistic. But 
only an American fan journal, or whatever you call it, could start with 
"This issue's Fun Word: Tanist" [this with an American accent that makes 
me wish I were Chinese... -H] I love it! I suppose that's the difference 
between our two cultures in a nutshell.