Date: Thu, 23 May 1996 14:05:30 -0500

From: Jane

Subject: What Wymin Want

 

 

> >Robert Johnson (Jungian, not blues man) tells a wonderful story about what

> >do women really want - a fairy tale about a man who marries a beautiful

> >girl who turns into a hag at night.

>

>

> Tell all. What *do* we want?

Helen, you are in luck, but most of all *I* am in luck, because I was able to find the notes that I took when he told it. Unfortunately I can't convey how entertaining it was as a narrative - please imagine a shy elf elder with sparkling eyes telling it to you.

Also, you will notice that -as with everything I've ever heard from him - he manages to end with the focus on the man! And remember, this may be read as a story of individuation; that is, all the characters exist inside of *each* of us - I can't do a complete explication of that, but think in terms of a search for knowledge necessitating a leap into the irrational; then an acceptance of the shadow resulting in the marriage within ones own psychology.

 

ROBERT JOHNSON'S BEDTIME STORY

 

The young King Arthur (still a Prince at the time, actually, about 15 years old) is caught poaching on a neighboring king's land. That king catches him. Rather than executing him immediately as was the custom, he told the young Arthur that he had one year to find the answer to the question "What does a woman want?" Arthur asks everyone he meets, but they give very uninteresting answers, which he knows aren't good enough. Several people tell him to ask the witch, "but her price is very high." He is afraid of her, and tries to avoid it, but finally with only a few days left, in desperation he goes to her.

She is enormously ugly. She smells bad, and she makes bad smells. She drools and belches. Gathering his nerve, he asks her his question: "What does a woman want?" She replies "Are you sure you want the answer? My price is very high." He says the price is no object, and he has no choice. She tells him,

A WOMAN WANTS TO BE SOVEREIGN OVER HER OWN LIFE.

He knows that this *is* the answer. Then she names her price: his friend Sir Gawain will marry her. Arthur says that he could never do that to his friend, so he will not use her answer to save his life. She says that it's his choice. When Gawain learns about it, her persuades Arthur to go ahead - as bad as marrying her may be, it is preferable to having his best friend dead.

So Arthur goes back to the neighboring king on the appointed day. He tries all the other answers he has been given, but none are acceptable. Then he uses the witch's answer, which the king accepts.

The wedding is scheduled. At the wedding, the witch bride eats with her bare hands, drools, and makes bad smells.

Later, Gawain and his bride are alone. Gawain goes into the other room to undress. When he comes back, in his bed there is a beautiful maiden. She says that because he has married her in her most repulsive condition, she will reward him by being a fair damsel for him half of the time. He must choose: days, or nights. If he chooses days, then he will not have to be embarrassed in front of the world. But then she would be disgusting at night.

Gawain thinks briefly. Then he says "You choose."

She says "Because you have trusted me to follow my own heart, and to choose my own fate, I will be fair damsel for you always."