18 March 2007
Dames and Dragons: Female Nationalist Icons.
This post in the first instance is not about Women as Historical, Nationalist or Political Heroines. In way of an introduction to such, I first want to take a look at how women have been potrayed in images as used by nationalism over the last 100 years or so. If a women was to write this, she may come at it from a ''Sexist Male'' angle, and if she was a Welsh Women I have no doubt a lot about pacifism plus Greenham Common would come into the picture but I am rather taking aboard the view of comparing the militant artistic interpretation of Women, more in a ''Warrior/Goddess Role'' as example of Eiru - Celtic Ireland's Goddess of Land and Sovereignty, whose name as been used for the Gaelic name of Ireland. Images of Eiru were used by the Irish Rebels of 1916 and later in their propaganda to represent Irish Sovereingty they were fighting for, this image was often presented in most miltant manner, with clear indication of association to the Irish Nationalist Military Struggle of the early part of the 20th Century. In a similar fashion, the entirely fictional artistic work of 'Marianne' of the French Revolution both represents the personification of liberty in a most military manner, represented as a women prepared to lead, fight and die at the barricade in defence of that Liberty. I could give many examples from all over the World, but suffice to conclude here with drawing your attention to 'Mother India' and this iconic representation of women in association with that Countries struggle for Independence. The concept of 'Mother India' as a nationalist Icon of the Indian independence Movement is rooted in the religious representation of 'Bharat Mata' (Mother Goddess), a play on this theme first performed in 1877 had an hymn which in time became the song of India's Freedom Movent. A film produced in 1956 with same name 'Mother India' whilst telling a story that held up the heroic virtues of Indian Peasant women, at same time was full of Indian Nationalist connotations..
Welsh Flirtation with the female as nationalist icon, seems only have got has far as this painting, which may be found in Caernarfon. I forget who painted it and where it is hung, I should has I organised a meeting there once, but I am suffering memory loss these days. Certainly Victorian Wales had a 'Mother Wales', usually a nice old lady in a 'Welsh Costume' by a Spinning Wheel, with a pot of tea and Welsh Cakes close by. Thank the Lord, the Welsh had not yet, got into ''Tartan Taffery''. Certainly, this 'Mother Wales' was a million miles away from 'Mother India' and a million years away from the Eiru of Eire and Marianne of France. Now why is that? but of course the grovelling ''WASPS'' of Victorian Wales did not want to show their English Masters any threating image, let alone a female one. Sadly. this concept of a mixture of ''Non - Threatening Taffy'' of Victorian Wales and present day pacisfism, sits well in pacifist Labour and Cultural Nationalist circles. As example see Greenham Common statue in City Hall, Caerdydd and the Catrin Glyndwr Memorial in the City of London, not only the themes of such were non - threatening but in their unveiling were full of Pacifist - Feminist - Left Cultural Nationalist ''bourgeouise banalities'' about Women and Children being the innocents of War. True, but I get a little bit bored with the way these people make a virtue of peddling their essentially ''middleclass setimentalities''. They are certainly not of the breed of Aerfen - Our Celtic Godess of War or of our Warrior Princess Gwenllian, nor of the kind of Women that rushed to storm the Castle Inn on 'Bloody Friday' of 3 June 1831.
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Most definatly Cymru and our cause needs an iconic statue of a Welsh Heroine, after all it's all a bit ''Male Dominated'' at the moment. Please do not suggest that ''Brit'' Fishguard Fantasy of Jemima with the pitchfork chasing the French, that is an invention. made up for the 100th anniversary of 22 February 1797. At moment Princess Gwenllian obviouly takes the lead, but perhaps you have other suggestions for a ''fighting femme'' or any number of Celtic - Welsh Goddess as icon images and as statues suggest themselves to us as worthy of attention. Too bad the 'Sais' have nicked Brigantia and Boudica, but there are plenty more who may lend themselves as representing our struggle in same way as Eriu and Marianne. Further, why not a post millenium attempt at designing a new version of our one and only 'Dame and Dragon', if you have an idea and can draw reasonably well, send us your ideas for posting here. See, my idea below, the concept being that we are desperatly in need of some nationalist 'SHE DRAGONS' to take on the ''Wicked Sais'' with sharpened teeth and claws, breathing fire in a ferocious fury to melt the 'Saxon Swords'.........
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WELSH WARRIOR - DRAGON WOMEN WANTED!.....................
.....Quickly too, as the Nationalist Men, are so much like sheep:
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Fin!
# posted by Gethin 'Iestyn' Gruffydd @ Sunday, March 18, 2007
