Legend: The Queen of Spears, Dindrane

Sophie-David

Wow, I just read the brief story of Dindrane in A Keeper of Words: what an incredible, self-sacrificing but powerful woman! A story to give one goosebumps for sure. She is described as the sister to Percivale, and hence, in the context of the cards, perhaps a feminine counterpart to the Fool.

Her own Fool's Journey certainly accomplishes much, for she is the energy and wisdom behind the succesful quest for the Holy Grail. In effect, the three successful knights, Galahad, Percivale, and Bors, are her agents. It is by her determination and power that the ships which carry forth the ultimate, most holy and transfiguring adventure of the Grail are brought forth. Dindrane is the interpreter of the symbols of the quest; in her skill and dedication her very hair holds together the scabbard of the Sword of Strange Hangings. Her final act is to give her blood to heal a sick woman, and in doing so she dies.

Like the Knight of Spears, Dindrane stares forward with intensity, power and determination. Her face is firm but her eyes have the softness of compassion. Her hair is grey, perhaps prematurely, for her features appear quite young and dynamic. She gathers her cloak in one hand and steadies herself with a rope in the other. Her grasp appears sure but not strained.

Dindrane's tunic is a riot of colour, arranged in heraldic but feminine patterns, projecting her passion. The hem of her dress echoes these patterns, reflecting her internal integration. She wears the royal colour of gold; her cloak and dress are not ostentacious but reasonably practical for a woman of her rank.

Three animals appear to be drawn to her emanations of spiritual power. Above her a seagull floats on the wind, its wings outstretched, evocative of the descending spirit. Behind her another gull has just landed on the rail of the ship: the spirit is with her. At her feet an grey and white cat seems to emerge from her cloak. Perhaps a ship's cat, and symbolic of adapability, mystery, grace, feminine wisdom and poise.

The ship itself sports fine ropes which almost seem to be made of gold, and the sails are a royal purple. The energy of the sea and sky are not antagonist to her, but move according to her will, carrying forth her purpose. This Queen, the ship and the seascape are together carried forward by potent spiritual power, about to encounter the land of the Grail. Her three knights are not visible, for there energy is inconsequential in this context.
 

WalesWoman

She is "the calm in the storm," capable of handling whatever comes her way with grace, empathy and a very strong will. She's my favorite card, the one I identify with and shows up when it's time for me to go fishing. Really!
 

Sophie-David

WalesWoman, it looks like a great fishing card. The gulls are just waiting for the net to come in!

Lyones has pointed out that so many Legend cards contain the element of water. This card is dominated by water, but still works well as an expression of Spears (Wands) energy. I must say that in other decks so far, I have never been particularly interested in the Wands court: the other three Court suites always seemed much more engaging. But the Legend deck has really got me interested in the power of Wands!
 

WalesWoman

Water is the Element of all the Queens...they are the passive, emotional, femine, regenerative quality of each suit.

The Water of Fire, the Queen of Spears, puts things to a productive use, the wood of wands/Spears, created into a vessel to transport her to her desires, her drive and will fueling the winds to fill the sails, filling her mind with her intent.

Not giving way to panic, when emotion and passions surrounding the project or situation get rough and unpredictable, so another thing with her would be that loyalty and courage, to stay the course. Full sails ahead!
 

Sophie-David

Hi WalesWoman

I had forgotten that Anna-Marie had imaged Spears (Wands/Staffs) in air rather than fire. On page 121 of A Keeper of Words she writes,

I associate air with the fresh nature of Spears and its elusive manner. It embodies the intangible qualities of inspiration, thoughts, and intuition, all of which can be likened to air.
As you say, the Queen is traditionally an expression of water within her suit, but Anna-Marie's combination in this card is the Water of Air. And the card is of course strongly evocative of air, the wind in the sails, her cloak and on the water, the energetic looking clouds, the bird in flight and the bird landing on the ship's rail.
 

WalesWoman

Perhaps Air, when combined with the mature aspect of this Queen is what fills her sails, air to fan the fires of the Wands, yet she is mellowed and principly carried forward by emotion, compassion and creative reproduction of the feminine realm of a Queen. Her experience and wisdom have allowed her to focus her intent steadfastly despite surrounding tourmoil and unpredictablity of danger surroundings and emotions. Her loyalty is unshakable, her desires, genuine. I need to work on my termanology, I can't think if the head covering is a whimple or what it's called. But that white thing on her head, held on with a gold circlet...her motives are pure, her intentions are for the safety and well being, encircled and held on with the authority of her higher self. She doesn't go beneath decks to avoid the storm, she stands ready to meet it, to look for obstacles and dangers, to see what is ahead of her. She's a bit pale, maybe the constant motion and rocking is getting to her a bit, but either out of stuborness or simple determination, she will not lose her hold of the situation.


If birds act as messengers, then the seagulls might show that her ship is safe, she is close to shore, and that although moving towards the unseen, unknown is a source of stability and groundedness.

Well maybe she needn't be so mature, I thought all this time she was a blonde...platinum. Or was my unconsciousness not registering the gray...I don't look for it in the mirror on purpose that's for sure.

But this makes so much sense to add Air to this Queen, she's a bit wild and wonderful, bold and beautiful and in command of herself, she's an optimist as well. She looks at the the sky and says it's mostly sunny, rather than partially cloudy. She might have "Riding the Storm Out" as her theme song.
 

WalesWoman

I'm not sure what the connection would be here, am trying to think it is more than sense of style and coordination in this Queen that her bodice and trim of her skirt matches the runner that comes from the Grail Lance.

Since it is covers her heart, it is the healing, live giving properties of the Ace of Spears that colors her thoughts & emotions , what fuels her desires and motivates her. It is what guides her steps, is her foundation and gives her the strength to be so resolute and calm in the face of danger and turbulent times.
 

Sophie-David

That's it WalesWoman, I had the feeling there was something familiar in the designs when I had been looking at each of the two cards separately. At this rate we're going to know more about Anna-Marie's unconscious that she does! :)

This connection suggests to me that the mysterious black figures in the illuminated triangle below the design on the Ace of Spears carpet could express womb imagery, the potentials for new life hidden within the fertile mother.
 

WalesWoman

Sophie-David said:
That's it WalesWoman, I had the feeling there was something familiar in the designs when I had been looking at each of the two cards separately. At this rate we're going to know more about Anna-Marie's unconscious that she does! :)

This connection suggests to me that the mysterious black figures in the illuminated triangle below the design on the Ace of Spears carpet could express womb imagery, the potentials for new life hidden within the fertile mother.
Good catch! Excellent blending of Queen-mother of creation, taking that intent of implementing creative reproduction and all that water that surrounds the baby in the womb!
 

Lyones

Originally posted by WalesWoman
If birds act as messengers, then the seagulls might show that her ship is safe, she is close to shore, and that although moving towards the unseen, unknown is a source of stability and groundedness.

I like the idea of the birds being messangers of this sort. Dindrane's ship is a resting place for them away from the shore, and can indicate that there are tasty fish nearby - birds and fish = thought and knowledge? The birds also symbolise for me freedom and independence of thought.

I was just thinking of all the notices to tourists around our coastal city which warn "do not feed the birds", because seagulls are quite cheeky - once they learn that the food is available, they are liable to literally take it from you. Although I don't see this Queen as being quite so mean and grabby, I do see her as being a tiny bit brazen with lots of spunk, just like the gulls. And if you do not take the initiative, she may become impatient and take matters into her own hands like they do *lol*. They become very focussed and one-track minded, but they do back off it you chase them, not like kookaburras who swoop down from behind you on sneak lunch attacks, the gulls make no pretense of what they are interested in, and neither does the Queen of Spears :)

"To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying,
The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying."
-Legolas' Song of the Sea (The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien)
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Canopy/6181/gulls.htm

Gulls being scavengers, are garbage collectors - I associate this to collecting trivia (although they certainly have their place in the ecosystem) and possibly the need to know what's going on in everyone's lives. They also seem to migrate a lot - maybe showing that if they are dissatisfied with conditions they don't waste their time by hanging around, always on the move.

Although the sea is turbulent around the ship, Dindrane stands calmly watching from the deck ... I half expect her to say "Peace! Be still!" (quoted from the Bible - Mark 4:39) and anticipate some compliance from the elements ... like, "don't you dare mess with my plans." She may have a very quiet exterior, but inside her seething emotion and thought could be a bit of a roller-coaster ride, both for her and her co-travellers. And conversely even if things are a bit much around her, she will remain composed and handle problems as they arise - the calming influence during crisis.

The sea is a sort of greenish colour, which I would normally associate with growth, but because it is salty, and not fresh water, it brings to mind "the green-eyed monster" - jealousy as one of her negative qualities because I think this queen likes to have notice taken of her or at least of what she says, her upper garments are bright, almost dazzling, a show of her personality. The sea could be an indication too, of what to expect from her if her wishes are not adhered to.

Originally posted by Sophie-David
She gathers her cloak in one hand and steadies herself with a rope in the other. Her grasp appears sure but not strained ... At her feet an grey and white cat seems to emerge from her cloak. Perhaps a ship's cat, and symbolic of adapability, mystery, grace, feminine wisdom and poise.

She certainly seems to have it all together, doesn't she? :) I think that in gathering her cloak around her, she is almost defiant - she may not be able to control the elements, but she will face them head-on, and use what she has to protect herself from them if need be. She will not let a little storm interfere with what she has set out to do.

As there is a cat in each of the Queen cards (and are the only cards with domestic cats on them in this deck), I think of it as being feminine intuitition, being aware of her qualities, and in the case of Dindrane, this is possibly her own vitality, leadership and magnatism. I also link the cat to the mysteriousness of moods and change - cats can be aloof one minute, cute, cuddley or playful the next, they can switch from being prissy, sensuous or regal to the common scrapping street urchin in the blink of an eye. They like to be taken care of, but can manage quite well if left to their own devices and are very independent compared to other domestic animals. They always land on their feet ... they may be small creatures, but their size belies the magnatude of their personality and spirit - bringing out the feminine strength in each of the Queens.