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Seolhe — Balance
Published: 2012-02-01 19:10:01 +0000 UTC; Views: 4442; Favourites: 94; Downloads: 40
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"The Goddess holds all things in Balance. Good and evil, death and rebirth, the predator and the prey. Without her, destruction and chaos will prevail."- The mists of Avalon
This image was inspired by one, short scene in the movie The mists of Avalon. It's based on an image that's shown in just a few seconds, you can see it in the very beginning of this video: [link]
I've been wanting to do my own interpretation of it ever since I recently re-watched it.
Originally, the woman portrayed is the Goddess, but I am of the strong opinion that I can't portray the Goddess just like that, because to me, the Goddess is but a representation of Earth itself, or as mother nature. So, I went with a slightly different idea.
Later in the movie, there is a scene returning to this image, with Morgaine, Arthur and Mordred, and thus, I decided to use Morgaine as the "Goddess" maintaining the balance here.
The concept is based on the movie, however, Morgaine here, is not. It's actually just a very loose depiction of her, as she wasn't my main focus.
However, this is not just plain fan art, but also a representation of a spiritual and philosophical statement that is very important in my life; balance is the key to everything.
The balance between life and death, light and darkness, pain and pleasure; we need balance in all aspects of our lives, for without it we are thrown into chaos.
All in all, I am very glad to have finally made this drawing!
More pagan art for you all!
References:
[link]
[link]
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Comments: 45
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a beautiful drawing and a great truth. When you abuse something, it always ends badly.
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beautiful. I have long beleived that balance is essential to life. I was wondering though if you have read the book the miniseries was based on? The miniseries of "The Mists of Avalon" really did not do the book by Marion Zimmer Bradley true justice. IT is a long read but hardly a slog.
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Thanks 
That's one of my very strongest believes, so glad someone shares it with me 
And yes, I've read the book, and it's one of my favourites
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yikes yup there it is...my other comment before this one was meant to go to someone else. 
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Haha, yeah, I kinda guessed that, as it didn't make much sense in the context of our discussion. No worries really, I'm in no way offended
Oh yes, I love that aspect of the book! They all had these both good and bad aspects. Like with Guinevere, I really, really hated her, and yet I could feel really sorry for her, especially with the whole kidnapping/rape thing, but also to her whole situation with her constant miscarriages, her despair over her love for Lancelot and her constant inner demons. It made her very compelling, even when I hated her for her fanatism and vile nature towards Morgaine and Kevin, etc. And the same goes for most of the characters. They have these really nasty parts, but also these really nice parts as well, making them a lot more interesting than the much more common plain good or evil characters in most versions of the Arthurian legends. None of them are really villains, and none are really heroes. They are people, and they do what they believe to be right or what they feel that they have to do, whether they want to or not, and that made for a very complex and fascinating set of characters
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I agree with everything you said.
I am a huge fan of books that put emphasis on shades of grey...it makes it more real and makes the characters more compelling. Reality is rarely black and white and I think that Mists of Avalon really is one of the best pieces of writing to pull that aspect of reality into a fantasy setting.
Have you read the prequels to MoA...they seem a bit more historical in some way but they still draw the magic and mysticism into the stories and show the history of Britain when the Romans came and so on. I haven't read Ancestors of Avalon yet though.
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Agreed!
Not to mention that Morgaine also constantly struggle to balance her owns dreams and desires with her sense of duty and doing the best for Avalon and Britain. She is a really great character btw, getting away from the standard portrait of her as some one-dimensional, vengeful villain, by far my favourite version of the character
Same here. I've tried to work as much with it in my own written work, and MoA helped me a lot in figured some stuff out for my own writing
Nope, not yet. I have a painfully long list of books I should read, and sadly, I spend way too little time reading. I will eventually look into them though
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sorry for the late reply.
I feel the same way about Morgaine. i've seen other depictions of Morgana/Morgan le Fay from older movies, to the miniseries Merlin to the new BBC tv series Merlin to the tv short series Camelot and so on and I don't think anyone captured her as a real person who struggles with each choice she makes the way that Marion Zimmer Bradley did with the character Morgaine. She was my favourite character in the book and I think she was the one who grew and changed the most over the entire story.
It's surprisingly difficult to pull shades of grey into a story and still keep the story interesting and avoid soap-boxing or so I've found but I always try to keep as much in the way of shades of grey as possible. i'm not sure i always succeed but in my mind even the worst of my characters aren't doing things to be wonton or because they can but because of some rational in their own mind. I hope to really improve on this aspect of writing. i am a fan of the shades of grey in all stories and find myself general bored by anything that is too black and white.
I have far too many books and not enough time to read them all. I think my current collection will keep me going for betweeen 3 and 5 years. There is a huge used bookstore here in town and whenever I visit it i rarely leave with my hands empty and often find myself leaving with at least 3 or more "new" books.
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No worries at all
Exactly.
The problem with so many villains are that they're not written as human beings, but just as antagonists. When they are stripped from their humanity, with their fears, their dreams, their personal struggles, they are dehumanized, in a way that makes them less believable, less threatening and less fascinating. They are basically made into cartoons and caricatures rather than developed and interesting characters.
And that's unfortunately what usually happens with this particular character, which is why I think it's so refreshing that she's so real and so human in MoA
And this is very much related to the whole shades of grey subject. When writing an antagonist or a villain, they should never be all evil and one-dimensional, or they won't be believable characters. Even antagonists are human beings (or non-human beings XP), and people aren't just evil for no reason other than just, well, evil.
I struggle with this in my own book, because I side very much with the protagonists, even though they have done some pretty awful things as well, and just really want to rip apart my own antagonists. But still, I try to give them valid reasons for what they are doing, and they don't believe that they are truly doing anything wrong, and when they realize they are, they still justify it in realistic and believable manners XP
Haha, yeah, I really have too many books too, though I can't really blame a lack of time, rather a lack of motivation XP
And I definitely don't mind a more historical touch, I'm a huge history geek
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Sorry for taking so long to respond it this.
I agree with you. I think it's a challenge to make a villain that is still an antagonist and that the reader wants to see defeated while still creating those qualities that all people have. I mean, even a psychopath has goals, desires and struggles even if they are not as easy to sympathize with or understand. I am not fond of the villain that is a caricature. I think of all those cartoon villains from when i was young. Many of them have been playing again on TeletoonRetro which airs a lot of 80s cartoons in particular and some earlier and many of the villains aren't really scary..they're juts there to have their buts kicked by the goodies each episode. More recent cartoons have much more complex characters, both the protagonists and the antagonists and I think that's why they seem to be enjoyed but a much wider audience these days.
In the case of Morgan le Fae/Morgana it does seem that she's either evil for evils sake or kind of crazy or both. Just like you, I think that's why I like the MoA version. And Morgause as well (who appears as the main villain in Mary Stuart's Arthurian series) also has her motivations that, while in many ways are selfish, are understandable especially for a woman. I think this is why I think MoA is such an amazing book. I can't really think of an example of anything that compares...at least not off the top of my head.
I agree about the whole shades of grey, though it can be challenging. I think with my own characters I'm going to have to really edit to make it work. I think of two of my antagonists, Avleen and Ver'issa and I think much of their motivation is selfish but both care about the land they live in and want to see it healthy...but I think their own desire to stamp their name on it is one of their key flaws. They perhaps don't really understand what it means to be a leader and think it's just about telling people what to do to make sure their own goals are accomplished rather than considering what is best for everyone. I think I need to focus more on their own struggles though rather than just showing them as selfish and haughty but I also want to make sure I'm not spending too much time away from the main plot. Any suggestions on how to make a compelling villain outside of what we've discussed would be more helpful.
I enjoy history though I'm not super familiar with any one period so I am more likely to miss anachronisms...but perhaps that isn't a bad thing. I tend to be the sort that picks stuff apart if it's way outside the scope of believability for me. Most of the time I can suspend disbelief but in some cases it can be tricky.
When I write I try to ground things in reality at least to some degree...even if it's fantasy based. I try to think how something might work in the real world and even if I don't go into detail about it in my writing I like to have the answer at least in my mind. it might not be wholly scientific but then that's not what I'm aiming for...it's more like I'm trying to build a foundation so that I don't have to use the excuse "because it's magic" or the like. I hate that answer.
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Beautiful! You've captured The Goddess so well! )O(
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I absolutely love this. I vaguely remember watching the movie years ago, but the book is one of my favorites
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Beautiful work.
Pagannn! o/
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Those animals are gorgeously drawn (And so is Morgaine)
The one thing that bugs me is the grass looks a little weird around their feet.
I love the concept!
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I agree about the grass, I'm really not good with anything background related. I might redo that part sometime
Thank you!
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It's not a big deal considering attention is focused on the characters rather than the grass, just a thought. <3
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Haha, it still bugs me though XD
I was annoyed with it even before posting it, I just couldn't be bothered working even more on it, cause I'm lazy XP
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I know what that's like, backgrounds are so boring to do!
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Definitely, and frustrating! I'm definitely not a landscape artist >_>
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Can't take credit for that XD
But thank you
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This concept runs deep along the lines of my own personal beliefs.
I honestly am not sure of the movie or anything...but balance is something I greatly believe in and strive for. Sometimes it just isn't that easy. But yes it makes you think, doesn't it? I would not give up all the bad in my life for without it I would never know the light of good.
I am not sure the actual term for it (it's a celtic design of sorts) but it represents that all life is connected and just as birth is apart of living so is death...I have that on a necklace I wear all of the time and I believe it wholeheartedly. On the opposite side I have the cat; an animal that I have come to respect and in that darkest chapter in my life it was a cat (Keesha) who helped me see clearly. Call her what you will; a spirit guide, an angel, a gaurdian, or whatever. She taught me a lot and all we had to do was share a moment; a feeling, never a word. Some bonds run deep and never go away...not even in the face of death. So I believe anyway.
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Same here, I believe that we need to go through pain and sadness and all of that in order to truly know the opposite, and I also believe that it teach us a lot, about our selves, the world and other people. If we haven't felt pain ourselves, we could never understand the pain of others, and that would most likely make us ignorant.
So yes, I strive for balance in all aspects of my life, but as you say, it is indeed very difficult.
I'm not sure which symbol it is, but the only things that comes to mind is the Triskele: [link] or the tree of life: [link]
Either way, I'm sure that whatever it is, it's quite a powerful symbol
I personally have a tattoo on the back of my neck, that weaves together the symbol of the triple goddess: [link] and the tree of life. The tattoo to me hold such a spiritual meaning I could talk about it for hours XD
Such bonds with animals is something very special, and something you don't come across often. I'm glad you could have such a bond to her, even if she was taken from you so early and in such a horrible way.
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This makes me really happy. I know the image is only there for a second or so but I remembered it...
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Thank you!
It's really quite a small detail in the movie, but it really sticks out to me, perhaps because I really love the concept
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Yeah, same here
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I'm not quite sure, as I'm still reading the book and have only reached Guinevere and Arthur's wedding, still lots to read!
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It's a good book, but long, haha! I last reread it a couple years ago...it's been difficult to read almost anything fiction with my time schedule, not to mention humongous books like that...
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Yes, it's damn heavy!
Time shouldn't be a problem for me, I'm unemployed and spend most of my time just sitting at home, but I guess I'm just such a computer slave, I can't take time of to read XD
That and whenever I read, I mostly just read a chapter or two, so it takes it's sweet ass time!
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