Which archetype are you most drawn to? Do you resonate with the hero, magician, creator, lover, rebel, or another from Jung’s list of the basic twelve archetypes? They are all part of us in some way or another, but we usually have preferences among the twelve. An image that I admire is the wise and wild old woman of the forest, a female version of the sage archetype. She lives apart from accepted humanity, possesses mysterious powers and some sort of arcane knowledge. Often her wisdom is related to healing plants or affinity with animals. She is the witch, the crone, the woman beyond childbearing years. She is a powerful figure in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. Over the centuries she has been demonized into the Halloween hag, the frightening crone who restores Pumpkinhead to life, and the cannibal witch of the Hansel and Gretel story. Her demonization urges us to fear the power and bloodless knowing that comes with age and experience. Sometimes in the old tales, however, a fascinating trace of her authentic energy shines through loud and clear.
Such is the case with the Buschfrauen or bush women of central Europe. These dwarf-sized fae beings lived in the forest in olden times when the woods were pristine and untouched, before the mass cutting down of trees. The women had disheveled hair, pendulous bosoms, and hollow backs. They dwelt within the hollow trees of the forest and came out at night, dancing in the fields to help the crops grow. They knew the medicinal uses of plants and herbs and offered their healing talents to humans who followed their simple rules of life. According to Patricia Monaghan in The Book of Goddesses and Heroines, the special rules mandated by the Buschfrauen were to never peel off tree bark because it inflicts pain on the tree, never tell your dreams, and never use caraway seeds in making bread because spirits cannot eat them. The Buschfrauen shared the healing secrets of plants with mortal women, and to knitters they gifted magic balls of never-ending and never-snarling yarn.
The grandmother queen of the Buschfrauen was named Buschgrossmutter, and you can visualize her as an ancient creature about three feet tall with mossy feet and stark white hair. She was plagued and pursued by a demented wild hunter and found rest only when she came across a fallen tree emblazoned with three crosses. Mortals walking through the woods often made cross marks on trees to aid the Buschfrauen queen.
Do you think the Buschfrauen are a good example of the wise crone or female sage archetype? Would you, I wonder, be able to keep the three simple rules of life these beings set forth?
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Paranormal Romance
Intriguing Post. I doubt I could keep to the three simple rules. I am a writer.. telling dreams is what I do.
Good point, Cathy!
Interesting to read. Thank you.
You are welcome. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I’d never heard the one about not eating caraway seeds. Interesting. I believe if we were to trace our history beyond history, we might find a Buschfrauen in our ancestry. Who knows???
I wonder why spirits can’t eat caraway seeds. That would be interesting to know the thinking behind. At my height there may very well be a buschfrauen in my ancestry, Loretta!
Utterly fascinating! Thank you!
Like Cathy I think it;s a bit difficult for me as a writer not to share the dreams.
I have been thinking about the concept of sharing the dreams, Carmen. It’s like sharing secrets and hidden parts of ourselves. However, in forming the dreams into tales and stories we transmute the raw energy into art, thereby adding protection and removing any chance of our secrets being used to impede or harm us.
Wonderful post and gorgeous photo to complement it. Your vivid descriptions brought everything to life. No, I don’t think I could keep those rules, but I find reading about them fascinating.
I’m glad you liked the photo as well as the post, Mae. The buschfrauen are fascinating beings to me too.