I have always loved the movie "The Last Unicorn". I've been watching my parent's recorded VHS copy of it since I was very little and because I'm a girly girl, I loved every second of it. As an adult I found a dvd release of it and jumped on it. I'm very glad that I did. As an adult, you pick up on things that you wouldn't think of as a child. Mainly, how Maidenhood, Motherhood, and the transition between the two is so wonderfully explained. Now, keep in mind, I have not yet read Peter S. Beagle's book (it's on a very long list of things to read), so, if you have read the book, and can provide more insight on my observations, I gladly welcome it. Also, there is no such thing as spoilers for a book and movie that came out over 2 (now almost 3) decades ago.
Maidenhood is a concept very familiar to Pagan women, though I understand that many people may not be aware of what it is exactly. For many Pagan traditions a woman will go through three stages of life: The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone. Being that I'm really only familiar with Maidenhood, understand that most of this is not very well educated guessing, if you believe my assumptions are incorrect, please comment with your own views. I really do love to hear other points of view. That said, let's discuss what I've come to understand about the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.
The Maiden is the youngest, full of life and vigor, she thinks little of the past or future, and focuses on the here and now. She is oftentimes thought of as the most beautiful and free-spirited of the three. She is usually very sure of herself and rarely makes a step she did not intend, even if the step ends horribly for her. Most of all, the Maiden, is innocent, and a touch naive. She is sure of herself, but doesn't actually know herself. She has yet to fully define, and understand herself, and her thoughts. Despite this, she knows that she is capable of great things.
The Mother is aware of the past, present and future, and depending on circumstance, she may live in any of them. She is careful, and productive. She has learned from her past, continues to learn today, and will be ready to learn tomorrow. The Mother has made mistakes in the past, and will try to avoid them in the future, but might dwell on them too. She might long for her days as a Maiden. The Mother has defined who she is, and she understands herself and her thoughts better than when she was a Maiden, but may still have some work to do. She is sure of herself, but unlike the Maiden, she has found her flaws and weaknesses.
The Crone is the eldest stage of a woman's life. She is living in the present again, as she did when she was a Maiden. Her past has taught her well, and her future is short, the present is the best place for her. She is unsurpassed in both wisdom, and confidence. She has defined herself, she is aware of her flaws and weaknesses, and she now uses them to her advantage. She is fully aware of all the great things she can accomplish, and no one is going to be able to stop her.
The Unicorns in Mr. Beagle's world, are the embodiment of Maidenhood itself. They are immortal, incapable of regret, and beautiful. When Molly meets the last of the unicorns, she is filled with anger. As a child, I never understood why. As an adult, I think I might have an idea. Being the embodiment of Maidenhood, a visit from a unicorn would do a woman the most good when she was a Maiden, or even when she is in the transition from Maiden to Mother. Molly however, is far past both those points. She hasn't been a Maiden in so long, and her transition was likely a painful (possibly unwilling) one. Molly is a Mother, who wishes to be a Maiden again. To see the embodiment of what she wishes she could be again, is frustrating. She sees in the Unicorn, her own Maidenhood. Poor Molly, in that moment, sees everything she wants to be, and everything she knows she can never be. Thus the "Damn You!". However, Molly is also aware of herself, and is quick to forgive those, who she knows have not intentionally hurt her. She joins the unicorn for many reasons; to spare other Maidens from her poor experiences by saving the other unicorns, and also to protect the last remnant of her Maidenhood left on this earth.
When the unicorn is turned human, she is not only brought from immortality to mortality, but Maidenhood, to Motherhood. Molly reacts to this very strongly. Not even when it's in physical form can she protect and preserve Maidenhood. The Unicorn reacts is a way that is very telling of how traumatic the transition can be. She insists on her being a Unicorn (maiden), and comments on how her new body is dying, and scares her. She also tries to harm her new body. Molly is quick to stop her from doing so, likely knowing exactly what would happen if she didn't. Molly has just witnessed her own transition from Maiden to Mother all over again. It wasn't pleasant the first time, and it certainly isn't pleasant now.
As the human Lady Amalthea, the Unicorn begins to define herself. Instead of identifying as a just a unicorn, and nothing else, she now calls herself a woman, and has her own personal name. The things that were important to her before: her forest and her kind, take a back seat to her new priorities, namely, Prince Leer. She forgets much of her old self, and this leaves her with a feeling that something is missing. Molly tries to remind Amalthea of the fact that she is a unicorn, but Amalthea continues to call herself a woman. She is starting to define herself, and not just accept the names that others have given her. Where the Unicorn was a Maiden, the Lady Amalthea, is a Mother.
After realizing this I patted myself on the back and said "Att'a Girl!". I thought I had cracked this whole thing wide open... Then I started to think. It seems incomplete. We have Maiden, and Mother, but might there be a Crone representation in this story too? Well, yes, there is.
When Amalthea is turned back into a Unicorn, she is changed. She is no longer the embodiment of Maidenhood, she can't be. Once one has left Maidenhood, she cannot return to it. Amalthea is also not like the other unicorns. She can, and does regret, none of the others can do that. She has experienced mortality, which is something no other immortal being can say. She has felt the seconds kill her slowly, and she has felt the decades have no effect. This experience alone, is enough to bring her to Crone status.
Watching this movie as an adult, has been a wonderful experience for me. I've always been a bit fuzzy on the details of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. As a learning Pagan, this is has been really helpful for me. Especially with my own transition from Maiden to Mother rounding out. I may feel like I've lost myself, I may feel like my life is over, that my body is "dying all around me", but like Amalthea, I will learn from this, and I'll survive it, and in the end, I will be better for it.
Though I will say, this movie does make Motherhood seem less desirable than Cronehood. I'm almost looking forward to my Cronehood more than my Motherhood.... One step at a time Becca.
