Enchantment VS. Sorcery

Okay, here's my take on Enchantresses and Sorceresses in general as I mentioned in the last entry. Personally, I find the Enchantress more endearing primarily because of the fact that they need not resort to crude methods such as the promise of violence (although they can if they really want to.

While I will admit that the term, "Sorceress" is really a catch-all for women who cast magic, I find that the Enchantress has enough merit to stand on her own. The Myths are full of women who have used magics that fall under the umbrella of Enchantment rather than the more direct magic attributed to other practices.

Take Medea from Jason and the Argonauts, for example. Her exploits paint her as not the kind of woman you'd like to anger, but she admittedly has style... even if she exhibited a kind of sly murderous streak that most modern individuals would consider to be mentally disturbed.

In most fantasy literature, Enchanters and Enchantresses usually get the job done with the judicious use of wit, cunning and charm. Rarely relying on destructive forces, they empower objects (like the ever popular magical swords), brew potions, and achieve a form of mental domination over people. There is hardly ever a grand display of special effects of light and sound, but the results are still as potent.

I guess I'm writing this as a tribute to the other side of the Arthurian mythos. While the Knights are certainly those that set off (often with only courage as their only companion) on their Quests, it is the role of the Wizards, and the Enchantresses to provide them strength. Even as Circe helped Odysseus, Medea assisted Jason, and the Lady of the Lake watched over King Arthur, no epic is complete without the wise, cunning and sometimes frightening female enchantress watching from the shadows.

It's certainly something to think about as I go on with life, knowing that somewhere, the Enchantress is waiting for me to find what I've been questing for.