The Goddess Sovereignty

Origin Story

While contemplating the third fragrance for the ritual box series, I was reminded to dig into the legends and mythos found within my lineage, which contains roots in Northern England and Ireland.

In that contemplation, on June 8th of 2022, an incident occurred that rattled me to the core and had me recall the Goddess Sovereignty and the importance of being true to oneself, one's inner knowing and discernment.

The concept of a goddess called Sovereignty, like most elder tales featuring a strong feminine archetype, is a bit illusive and shrouded. I first came across Sovereignty in the same landscape as the Green Knight, during the mid nineties. I was an initiate in a group practicing the path of presence with Kaitryne Durham in Los Angeles. (Read about it at the journal)

A goddess of Sovereignty is most often portrayed and known in Celtic stories but also finds parallels in other traditions. I have even perceived her as representing the symbolic union of opposites in the alchemical tradition. The thematic element of union implies the existence of a dualistic nature uniting in ritual. She is also seen as a conglomerate archetypal symbol embodied in many other goddesses and legendary queens described in the folklore and mythologies of other cultures.

During ancient Celtic times, male monarchs ruled with the support of the Sovereign Goddess. The Goddess and the land were seen as one and the same, if the king became greedy or created an unbalance in the land it would result in the loss of his kingdom. The health of the land and well being of her people is directly linked to the Goddess; she is the one who bestows ruler ship to the king by choosing those who are deemed most worthy as her champion.

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle

Five years ago I heard tell the tale of The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle, the story comes from a 15th-century English poem in the Arthurian Grail Legend. I found a wonderful summary by someone called Red Maple which I have edited and present here to you.

During a hunt, in the Ingelwood forest, King Arthur rode out with his knights, all dressed in green. Suddenly, he saw a white hart (a kind of deer), and followed it through the forest, becoming separated from his men.The hart disappeared, and Arthur found himself coming out of the woods and into a field encountering a mystical knight on a black horse by the name of Sir Gromer Somer Joure, who threatens his life with a challenge. The knight cries out, "Arthur, he cried, prepare to lost your head!"

"Ah, but I am not dressed for battle." Arthur replied, gesturing to his green hunting clothes. "That is so." said the Knight. "Well, lucky for you. I will make a bargain instead, Arthur. If you will meet me here in a year and a day, and if you can answer a riddle I set you, you may keep your head."

Since there wasn't much of a choice, Arthur agreed and asked "What is the riddle?" "The riddle is this," said the Knight. "What is it that every woman desires?"

Now, you have to understand that Arthur was not too good with the ladies, so he wasn't at all sure that he'd be able to answer this riddle when the time came. He rode with his head down, distraught, and feeling hopeless. It was thus that his nephew, Sir Gawain, found him.

"My lord," said Gawain, "Why do you look so forlorn?" "Oh, Gawain," said Arthur, "I have just met a formidable Knight. And if I can't answer his riddle, in a year and a day I will lose my head." "Well, my Lord," said Gawain, always optimistic. "What is the riddle? We have a whole year and a day. Surely we can figure it out in that time." "The riddle, Gawain, is this: What is it that every woman wants?" Gawain, who was very popular with the ladies, said smiling, "Well, my lord, that should not be too difficult to figure out."

Arthur looked skeptical, but Gawain came up with a plan. They would spend the year going around the countryside, asking everyone they met, "What is it that every woman wants?" They would write the results in a book, and at the end of the year, surely, somewhere in the book would be the answer.

And that's what they did. "What is is that every woman wants?" they asked.
And they got lots of answers. "What every woman wants is beauty." "What every woman wants is wealth." "What every woman wants is eternal youth." "Children. Love. A Beautiful Home. Power." And they wrote every answer down in a huge book.

As they headed home, Gawain was content. But Arthur looked unhappy. "Arthur," Gawain said. "Surely, somewhere in this book is the answer the knight wants. Don't worry all this will be over soon." And Gawain rode ahead to the castle so they could prepare for the King's return.

Arthur rode on alone. Fine for Gawain to feel so confident, it was not he who would lose his head if the answer wasn't in the book. He rode slowly, head down, dejected. And so it was that he came to a crossroads, where his horse stopped, awaiting direction.

"Good day, Arthur" said a voice. And Arthur looked up. Sitting next to the crossroad, between a holly bush and an oak, was the most Loathly lady he had ever seen. Her hair was a dark bramble around her head, her nose was more of a snout than a nose, she had one eye bigger than the other, and tusks growing out of the sides of her face. She had moles with tiny hairs on them, and sharp teeth, and her breasts hung down to her waist.

Arthur answered, "Good day to you, Great Dame," for though she was exceedingly ugly, it was clear that she was a Great Dame. "Why is it, Arthur, that you look so glum?" asked the Loathly Lady. And Arthur explained to her about the Knight and the riddle, and the probable loss of his head.

"And what is the riddle, Arthur?" asked the Loathly Lady. "The riddle is 'what is it that every woman wants.'" said Arthur.

At this, the Loathly Lady laughed, and said, "Oh, Arthur, I know the answer to that." And as she spoke, Arthur realized that this ugly Dame knew the answer if anyone did. "Tell me the answer," he said. "I am the King. I can give you anything you wish."

"Oh, yes, I will tell you the answer, Arthur," she said. "But there will be a price." "I am the King," Arthur said again. "I can give you anything you want." "What I want, Arthur, is the hand of Sir Gawain in marriage." At that, Arthur's heart sank. "I can not answer for Gawain," he said. "Nevertheless, that is my price," said Dame Ragnelle, for that was her name.

Arthur rode toward Camelot greatly dejected. He knew that Dame Ragnelle had the answer to the riddle, but he could not ask his friend to pay the price. Tomorrow he would meet the Knight, and prepare to lose his head.

Gawain rode out to meet Arthur, in good humor. "My Lord," he said, "you should be happy the year's challenge is almost over. And yet you ride so sadly toward Camelot. Haven't we scoured the countryside for every possible answer to the riddle? Surely it is in the great book."

"It's not in the book, Gawain," said Arthur. "I have met the woman who knows the answer, but her price is too great."

"How can that be, my Lord? For you are the King." Gawain would not cease his questions. "Tell me, Arthur, what is the price?"

Finally Arthur was compelled to tell him, "Gawain, the price is your hand in marriage, and I would not ask it of you, for indeed she is the most Loathly Lady I have ever seen."

Gawain thought only for a moment, and out of great love for his friend and King, said, "Arthur, I will wed this Dame." And none of Arthur's protests would change his mind.

So Arthur rode out to Dame Ragnelle, and told her that Gawain had agreed.
"So tell me, Great Dame, What is is that every woman wants."

The Dame was greatly pleased, and she said to Arthur, "The answer is, what every woman wants is sovereynté, the right to rule herself."

Arthur thanked her and rode back to Camelot thinking, "That can't be it. I will offer all the answers in the book first, and save Gawain from this marriage."

And so the next morning, Arthur dressed for battle, and rode off to meet the Knight. When he came to the field, the Knight asked him, "Well, Arthur, can you answer my riddle? What is it that every woman wants?"

And Arthur took the great book, and read from the answers he and Gawain had collected over the year. Beauty, Wealth, Children, Love....and the Knight said "No, No, No, No....Arthur prepare to lose your head."

And then Arthur said, "I met a Dame at the crossroads who told me that what every woman wants is sovereynté, the right to rule herself."

At that the Knight grew angry, drew back his sword, cursed, and said "Twas my sister who told you that," turned his horse, and rode away.

Arthur rode back to Camelot, with a light heart -- his life was spared. But as he neared the castle, he started to worry about his friend Gawain, for now there would be the promised wedding.

Arthur went to Dame Ragnelle, and suggested that there be a quiet wedding, but she would not have it. "No," she said. "There must be a wedding fit to my station and that of Sir Gawain's." And so great preparation took place. The ladies of the castle wove and sewed a beautiful trousseauu, the hunters filled the kitchen with game, and the cooks cooked and baked so that in all it was six weeks before the wedding day.

When the day came, Dame Ragnelle arrived on a white horse trimmed in red. And she was a sight with her bramble of black hair, her snout in place of a nose, her eyes of two different sizes, her tusks, and her breasts that hung past her waist. Still, when Gawain greeted her, he offered her his hand, and helped her from her horse. He never showed by look or action that she was not the loveliest of women.

And so they were married. There was a grand feast, and Gawain chose the best pieces from his own plate to give to his new wife. And when they danced, he looked into her face, and never let her know by any word or action that she was not his first choice.

Everyone was horrified by the ugliness of Gawain's new wife. But they were relieved that nothing untoward happened at the wedding. They celebrated through the day and into the night, and finally it was time to accompany the couple to their marriage chamber, as was the custom. And when they were safely there, and Gawain turned, and said, "Thank you my friends, Good night," and closed the doors, the faces of Arthur and Guinevere and his other friends paled as they wondered what would become of their friend. Would she devour him in the night?

Inside the bed chamber, Dame Ragnelle spoke to her husband and said, "My husband, I thank you for today, for neither in word nor action did you ever betray that I was not your first choice."

Gawain bowed his head to her and said, "It is only your due, my lady." And he climbed into bed beside her. He rolled over, facing away from her, as if to sleep.

"But Husband," she said, "I do think that on my wedding night, I deserve at least a kiss."

Gawain had a tender heart, and he thought to himself, she is right, how can I deny her? And so he leaned over to her and kissed her full on the lips. And when he pulled back, there sitting next to him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"Ah, Gawain, husband. You see me now as I really am. I was under a curse, which your tender kiss has lifted." Gawain was indeed taken aback with this new course of events, and wished to kiss his wife again.

"Ah, but Gawain, the curse is only half-lifted. I can be as you see me now by night, and ugly by day; or I can be ugly by night, and beautiful by day. You choose."

And so Gawain thought about it. If she were beautiful by day, everyone would realize Gawain had a beautiful wife, and it would be easier for her with the people of the court, but then at night he'd come home to an ugly hag. But then if she were ugly during the daytime, people would say "Poor Gawain, what a hag he has for a wife", and of course it wouldn't be easy for her, either. But at night he'd come home to a beautiful wife. What would it be, ugly by day, beautiful by night? Beautiful by day, ugly by night? Which would he choose? Which would you choose?

Finally, Gawain turned to his wife and said, "My Lady, it is not for me to choose, it is for you to choose."

"Ah," she said. "Now all the curse is lifted."

And so Dame Ragnelle and Sir Gawain lived in wedded bliss for seven years, when a white horse with red trim rode into the castle yard, and Dame Ragnelle rode off and was never seen again.

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In this tale, we once again meet Sir Gawain, in this encounter he is obviously much wiser and mature than in the story of the Green Knight. We also witness the testing of the King by a dualistic female figure. In order for him to avoid having his head cut off, and continue as the King of the land, he must pass the test.

The Ritual Box

This box set included:

The Goddess Sovereignty fragrance: solid, spray or (ideally) both
A cranberry red, lined, Cahier pocket journal, measuring 3.5 x 5.5 with a custom sticker.
Two ounce package of wine infused bath salts.
AND, Robin Coale, a local shaman in Santa Fe, honored us once more with a recorded Zoom session to meet the Goddess Sovereignty. The live session took place on January 20, 2023, a private link was sent out to all who participated.

The Artwork

I am using two images for Sovereignty, both created by Greg Spalenka. The first is an image of my hand with a rose that was created using a painting he did while we were in Austria at a Visionary Art workshop. The second is an image he created recently titled The Alchemical Egg, which felt like our journey to in-body the aspects of the Goddess Sovereignty.

Addendum: Water & Veda Austin

Since launching the Sovereignty fragrance and ritual box I have come across more details to help us in remembering what powerful and magical creatures we are.

When I was instructed to add the packet of infused wine salts, I wasn’t completely clear on why, then different threads led me back to Kaitryne, the shaman I worked with and her tale of the water maidens. I now realize that the intention of the bath salts was to incorporate a ritual with water. I have also recently come across the work of Veda Austin in New Zealand, whose pioneering work with water is similar to Dr. Emoto from Japan -> https://www.vedaaustin.com/

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