The readings for this first week of class are reminiscent of most classical fairy tales of love and the loss of love. However, the idea that women held the power in the love relationships was something that had not necessarily occurred to me. I always pictured myself and the female characters as the one who was attempting to woo the male and never considered the power aspect of the relationship. Certainly the thought for most women at the time to hold the power in a relationship would be enticing since women historically had not always been in control of their own lives much less the men to whom they would be married to for a lifetime. It is, therefore, ironic that the women in the tale of the Wife of Bath and Lanval are allowed to determine the fate of their male companions. At the end, Lanval jumps on the horse to ride off into the sunset after the female character has rescued him, how empowering for the young girls at the time! They were learning that men could be manipulated and it did not take a Disney movie to get the point across. I think this reinforces the train of thought that many of the tales were told by women who cared for children and provided entertainment with bawdier versions of the tales, perhaps at court.

In the poem by Yeats, the woman enchants the young man so completely that he spends his entire life searching for her. All the while he thinks of her and yearns to be with her in that magical perfect place where they will be together forever. This reinforces the idea that a woman can inspire the type of love that endures, inspires, and sustains. That is a lot to live up to! Fascinating to me is the ring of mushrooms mentioned because they allude to magic and harken back to the Druids and spirits in the forest. The circle could be the source of power or the site of rituals involving the spirits.  Interesting!