The Cambridge Research Network for Fairy-Tale Studies is thrilled to start the new academic year with an online lecture by award-winning writer Dr. Sharon Blackie on 7 October 2024 at 5.00 - 6.00 pm (UK time zone). The event is free but registration is required.

Hags and Wise Women: An Analysis of Older Women in European Fairy Tales

There is no clear image of enviable female elderhood in the contemporary cultural mythology of the West; it seems not to be an archetype we recognise any more. Older women are mostly ignored, encouraged to be inconspicuous, or held up as objects of derision and satire. But European myth and fairy tales contain a rich and diverse collection of women at midlife and beyond who offer insight into the ways that each of us could uniquely embody a bold and purposeful elderhood. They are the ones who tell the wisdom stories and who know where the medicine plants grow; they serve as guides for younger adults; they know when the community is going down the wrong path and they are not afraid to speak out and say so. Their focus is on giving back: on bringing out, for the sake of Earth and community, the hard-earned wisdom which they have grown within themselves. From the Trickster to the Creatrix, the Medial Woman to the Mentor, these stories shed light on the rich and varied nature of older women’s wisdom.

Dr. Sharon Blackie is an award-winning and internationally bestselling author, and a psychologist with a background in mythology and folklore. Her work is focused on reimagining women’s stories, and on the relevance of myths, fairy tales and folk traditions to the personal, cultural and environmental problems we face today. As well as writing six books of fiction and nonfiction, including the bestselling If Women Rose Rooted and Hagitude, her writing has appeared in several international media outlets and she has featured in programs by the BBC, US public radio and other broadcasters. Sharon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Honorary Member of the UK Association of Jungian Analysts, and has taught and lectured at many academic institutions, Jungian organisations, retreat centres and cultural festivals around the world. Her publication ‘The Art of Enchantment’ is in the top ten global literature Substacks. Over the last years, she has undertaken a research project to dig out and analyse stories about older women in European folklore. Her book Wise Women: Myths and Stories for Midlife and Beyond will be published by Virago Press on 3 October 2024.

Webpage: https://sharonblackie.net/

Looking forward to seeing you virtually on 7 October!

The Cambridge Research Network for Fairy-Tale Studies

Webpage: https://cambridgefairytalenetwork.wordpress.com/

Email: cambridgefairytalenetwork@gmail.com