Re: And why. . .?

Julie wrote:

> mpresley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
 
>> When women look at Wotan they probably tend to take Fricka's side.
 
> It'd be interesting to know how you arrived at this. 

Obviously it's more complicated than my tongue in cheek comment implies. 
Yet I think most women (especially those that are married) would agree with
Fricka's views on relationship integrity and fidelity.  I haven't done any
research so it wasn't as if I "arrived" at my thinking in any formal sense. 
But I still suspect my view is sound, nevertheless. 

On the other hand, there are probably many women (as well as men) who
understand that Fricka's motives are not pure.  She is as cunning and
conniving as Wotan--but to her disadvantage she doesn't have a Loge to
council her, so she has to do it alone.  Sadly, she is not really up to the
task.

> Why would a man 
> be more or less able to
> appreciate Wotan's predicament?  

I never argued this.

> I think most of the those who love 
> the Ring (male or female) see that Wagner has
> set up a superb tension in the Brunhilde/Wotan/Fricka dynamic, made
> more complex by
> Wotan's relationship to Erde.

I'm not sure what you mean to imply, here.  I do know that Wotan's relation
to Erda is multilevel.  Obviously the beginning impulse is towards a kind
of manipulative knowledge, but he comes away with nothing to gain from his
first encounter with her except the seeds of his own destruction.  Wotan is
unable to comprehend the nature of Erda's wisdom until much later.  And
even this understanding is slow to manifest.

W:      Wake Wala.
        From your long sleep I wake you.
        I have roamed the world in search of knowledge

E:      My sleep is dreaming
        My dreaming meditation
        My meditation is mastery of wisdom

Here Wotan's action in SEEKING knowledge is contrasted with Erda's
non-action and POSSESSION of knowledge.  And Erda understands that as long
as Wotan is "seeking" he will not understand.

E:      While I sleep the Norns are awake
        They weave the rope spinning what I know
        Why not ask them?

Erda represents knowledge that cannot be spoken.  The Norns are simply
"interpreters" or discursive manifestations of knowledge.  What Wotan seeks
from Erda is not within Fricka's domain.  In this sense, by the time Wotan
realizes his need for Erda, Fricka is pretty much a useless appendage.  

> It's easy enough to understand Fricka's 
> attitude
> toward Wotan but perhaps even easier for a woman to identify with
> Brunhilde in the father/daughter relationship.

Wotan's love for Brunhilde is probably the only true love he shows.  It
certainly has nothing in common with whatever it is he "feels" for Fricka.

> I'd like to offer: Maybe the reason more women don't post to this
> group is because you have already assessed the woman's reaction, therefore
> would have no need for contributions that reinforce that assessment? Let
> alone postings that might contradict that assessment? 

I'd certainly hate to think that anyone would really hesitate to post on
this Newsgroup because of anything I might already think. Besides, I'm a
(small "d") democrat and believe in the value of idea exchange.   

>  I think
>> most men (even if they wouldn't admit it to their spouse/girlfriend)
>> secretly admire the life of Wotan.
> 
> Of course they'd admit it.

Maybe.  But sometimes in order to preserve domestic tranquility it is
prudent to keep certain thoughts to oneself.

I think you should post more.

michael gnu/linux#224791

http://catb.org/~esr/writings/unix-koans/end-user.html