I found it intriguing that escaping the tower was only the beginning of the story. Surviving hunger and poverty, and then finding the strength to reclaim herself as the true bride seemed the more difficult task for Maid Maleen. I'm not sure how often the exploration of psychological trauma appears in fairy tales. For me, it added depth and realism to the story. Also, the information in the footnotes was extremely interesting--thank you for including them.
I love that this story has two distinct parts. One of the things that strikes me, as both a reader and a writer, is the disappearance of the serving woman in the second part. I would love to know her story, where she went (if anywhere). As someone who writes about trauma through the lens of fiction myself, this fairy tale has special relevance to me. I'm glad you enjoyed it! -- Carina
Yes, I was curious about why the serving woman disappeared as well. According to the text they both arrive at the palace and are given the same role: "... at last the cook said that they might stay in the kitchen and be scullions." But then the maidservant is not mentioned again. It's almost as if Maid Maleen takes on that role when she becomes a servant. Thanks for all that you and Nike are doing with this publication! I was glad to discover it here on Substack. :)
Maid Maleen in the Dark Tower
Seven years in the cold tower,
with only the blade of women's talk
to cut the quiet.
Seven years of food
getting ever more stale,
harder to cut,
more difficult to portion.
Seven years away from the world,
but even through stone walls
we can sense change,
as faint sounds move from wooden wheels
to those encased in iron.
Seven years to sharpen a knife
slick enough to scrape out mortar.
Seven stones removed to let in the sunlight.
This is how long it took me
to cut through red tape,
and receive labels
that shed light on who I am.
*****
How gorgeous! I especially love "with only the blade of women's talk/ to cut the quiet." Thank you for sharing!
I found it intriguing that escaping the tower was only the beginning of the story. Surviving hunger and poverty, and then finding the strength to reclaim herself as the true bride seemed the more difficult task for Maid Maleen. I'm not sure how often the exploration of psychological trauma appears in fairy tales. For me, it added depth and realism to the story. Also, the information in the footnotes was extremely interesting--thank you for including them.
I love that this story has two distinct parts. One of the things that strikes me, as both a reader and a writer, is the disappearance of the serving woman in the second part. I would love to know her story, where she went (if anywhere). As someone who writes about trauma through the lens of fiction myself, this fairy tale has special relevance to me. I'm glad you enjoyed it! -- Carina
Yes, I was curious about why the serving woman disappeared as well. According to the text they both arrive at the palace and are given the same role: "... at last the cook said that they might stay in the kitchen and be scullions." But then the maidservant is not mentioned again. It's almost as if Maid Maleen takes on that role when she becomes a servant. Thanks for all that you and Nike are doing with this publication! I was glad to discover it here on Substack. :)