Identity

sleeping beloved

Behind the Mask

And so, our Sleeping Beloved travels back to her native Germanic roots (a connection Wilhelm Grimm made as well).  However, she has changed drastically since her ancestress Brunhilde was placed in a deep sleep for disobeying an order from the All-Father.  This “new” Sleeping Beauty is…well, perfect. 

Maybe it’s because I grew up in the post-feminist world, or perhaps it’s because I’ve made my fair share of mistakes.  Either way, I’m cynical.  Well good for her.  She’s the good girl.  Everyone loves her.  She’s beautiful and modest; kind and clever.  I bet she wakes up with perfect hair, too…

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sleeping beloved

The Unloved “Other” Woman

The queen is in a loveless marriage.  She is childless.  In the eyes of the world, her position is shaky and her worth is of little value.  

The queen is a Sleeping Beloved, too.  Her heart has been asleep for far longer than Talia ever was.  Her soul is in pain, her wounds are deep. 

And then, she sees these beautiful children – the other woman’s children.  The queen is faced with her “failure” and her emptiness…and something in her snaps…

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sleeping beloved

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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sleeping beloved

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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sleeping beloved

The Sleeping Beauty’s Identity

The defining trait of our “Sleeping Beauty” is that she must not touch a spindle (or flax, if you read the earlier versions), or else she will die.

This is a strange “curse” to our modern ears, for we’ve lost the significance of spinning in our culture.  Before the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century, every stitch of cloth came into being through the work of women…

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sleeping beloved

Our True Identity

From the beginning, God is very clear on how He sees us.  Read the verse above again.  Let it sink in.  Revel in the fact that we were made in His own image. 

You, my dear reader, are made in the image of a Holy and Loving God.  Therein lies your value, your worth, your identity.  And God does not hold His image-bearers cheaply, but has spilled lavish blood to redeem you.  You are, after all, His Beloved…

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