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sleeping beloved

Zellandine’s Choice

I didn’t want to write this blog post.  It felt too risky, too vulnerable.  I’m frightened someone will misunderstand what I’m saying, or they’ll take it out of context.  But I felt compelled to speak out for Zellandine in this matter; after all, she speaks for me in so many ways.  

Zellandine still loves Troylus and she chooses to run away to Britain and marry him.  This is perhaps the most controversial portion of the story to the modern mind.  How can she do this?  Why does she do it?…

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Zellandine the Survivor

I am still amazed at the tenderness with which the author depicts the emotions of a survivor of violence.  He captures the moment when the choice to be a survivor is made, and yet shows how that choice  is a constant struggle.  For as any survivor will tell you, shame and fear and secrecy are hallmarks of the continuous battle.  

The Enemy strives to have us define our identities by our circumstances.  Like Zellandine, our identities are assaulted in many ways.  The harsh words of a loved one, the disdain of peers, the emptiness of being alone…or perhaps you, like Zellandine, are a survivor of violence.    

We cannot control our circumstances, but we can control our reactions.  We have a choice: to become hard or to become strong.  You must not confuse the two…

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Zellandine Awakes

Zephir forces Troylus to leave Zellandine when her father and aunt come to check on her.  Her aunt continues to care for the sleeping Zellandine as she grows great with child, and in due time Zellandine gives birth to a son.  As the babe is searching for milk, he begins to suck on her little finger – the finger with the splinter of flax.

Out comes the flax, and the curse is lifted… 

…And Zellandine weeps…

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The Death of Zellandine’s Heart

Sin is accomplished, and has brought forth death.  For rape is as death to a woman (Deut. 22:26).  Themis caused Zellandine’s body to fall asleep; but it is this act that truly destroys Zellandine’s heart.

We want Troylus to be noble.  We want him to be worthy of Zellandine’s love.  We want the “happy ending.”  How can that happen now, when Troylus has done something unspeakably savage?…

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The Mistakes of Troylus

After arriving in Zeeland only to forget and then remember his identity (a plot twist inspired by Brunhild’s story), Troylus is finally on his way to Zellandine.  

He goes to the temple of the three goddesses and prays to Venus – his first mistake.  Yes, it’s the 1st century BC; but the author has made it clear that Troylus knows of and acknowledges the Sovereign God…yet he goes to the temple of the goddess of “love” looking for answers.  He has opened the door to lust, and as James 1:15 points out, sin and death will follow…

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Zellandine’s Death-Like Sleep

Zellandine’s tale began with the importance of pure love, agape.  The love between a man and woman is meant as an allegory of God’s agape for us (this is true regardless of whether the lovers are believers in Christ).  So, when Troylus and Zellandine fall in love, it is an allegory of God’s love for His Beloved.   

But we live in a fallen world.  The feelings of eros – desire (which is a fancy word for lust) – can be confused with agape.  Although Zellandine’s story begins with agape, eros is quick to take hold, as shown through Venus’ involvement in her story…

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Patience, Pride, and Love

Zellandine has been waiting patiently for someone to be worthy of her love.  Yes, she is “much taken” with Troylus; but she does not give him her heart.   Rather, she gives Troylus the opportunity to pursue her: will he offer to take the shield, the symbol of her love?  Or will he fall back on his pride, like all the others?   

Paul points out the dichotomy between love and pride in 1 Corinthians 13.  Simply put, pride is selfishly placing your desires before another’s needs.  Certainly there must be a give and take in a relationship; but a prideful person only knows how to take, and has trouble giving…

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Troylus the Loveless Knight

Troylus is not in love – and in Perceforest this is a dangerous thing.  For a man can only be a truly great knight if he is inspired by love.  Only love can cause a knight to fight boldly, honorably, and with great prowess.  If a man has no love, his deeds will fade away…

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Introducing the Lovely Zellandine

The first Sleeping Beloved we’ll cover is Zellandine, whose story is just a small part of a larger saga called Perceforest: The Prehistory of King Arthur’s Britain.

The entire work is an anachronism.  It’s “a veritable encyclopaedia of 14th century chivalry,” but the stories describe events after Alexander the Great’s (fictitious) conquering of Britain and his naming of Perceforest as king of England…

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Following the Spindle’s Thread

It’s time to meet our “Sleeping Beauties”!  The following versions are the ones most clearly showing a turn in the thread of the story.  There are, of course, hundreds of stories tracing their lineage back to the ones listed here.  

The tale we know today as “Sleeping Beauty” has its roots in the Norse and Germanic myths of Brunhild and Sigurd…

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