Charge of the Star Goddesses

Pagan Motifs in Science Fiction

Science fiction, like most speculative fiction, has always been a literature of discovery. We use it as a means of inspecting ourselves, contemplating the mystery of our existence, and examining problems too hot to handle directly by presenting them at a safe remove. Some of the classic motifs in science fiction are in fact Pagan motifs, such as the sentient planet. Other motifs draw more subtly from the realms of myth and mystery. Sometimes Paganism touches only indirectly on the plot, but it's there if you know where to look. Since science fiction is in large part the literature of the future, it helps remind us that there will indeed be Pagans in other times, walking on other planets.

I write and read science fiction, and I also review it for a variety of markets. This gives me a solid understanding of what publishers present to us today. My favorite examples of Paganism in science fiction include some older works and some quite recent ones. I'm always looking for more. For now, I'd like to share a few favorites with you.

In The Rising of the Moon by Flynn Connolly, we follow a revolution in Ireland (a successful one, this time) which throws off a repressive regime. The women involved use the words Bandia duit or "Goddess with you" (a variant of the traditional greeting "God with you") as a recognition code. They also tell stories of Ireland's history and mythology as they fight for their freedom. [1]

Patricia Kennealy writes about Celtic mythology as science fiction in her Keltiad books, of which the first is The Copper Crown. She weaves in traditional elements of magic, featuring both the Druids and their counterpart female order the Ban-draoi. The Goddess Herself makes a personal appearance in the next book, The Throne of Scone, which involves some mighty spells and the arrival of the Sidhe in battle. The main character, Aeron Aoibhell, is a powerful priestess and magic-worker in her own right. All of this takes place against a backdrop of interstellar empires and conflicts. [2]

The Goddess does not make a personal appearance often in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover tales, but She does take matters into Her own hands from time to time. Darkovans know Her under two main guises, the relatively benevolent Evanda and the darker Avarra. The Forge-Goddess Sharra wreaks all sorts of havoc, too. My favorite novel involving the Goddess is Two to Conquer, which features a pair of rough-handed heroes (using the term loosely) and also gives us a peek at the women's refuge on the Lake of Silence. When they offend Avarra, She applies a clue-by-four vigorously to each. Similar motifs appear in other Darkover novels as well. [3]

Pagan elements also appear in the spiritual practices of nonhuman protagonists. Finders-Seekers (book one of The Ghatti's Tale) introduces a lost colony populated not only by humans with unusual psychic gifts but also the ghatti, who resemble oversized cats. The ghatti bond with human partners, serving almost as familiars, and together they can read thoughts and determine truth. The abilities of the human Seekers Veritas and their ghatti bondmates form an important underlying strength of their society. The humans look to the Goddess as Lady Bright. The ghatti have their own spirituality based on contact with their ancestors and a quest for personal development as they progress through the "spirals of knowledge" in their meditations. [4]

Ancestor worship touches on the classic science fiction motifs of the ancient civilization or lost tribe in Ancestor's World by A.C. Crispin and T. Jackson King. The tension here springs from the conflicting beliefs of different alien cultures: the reptilian Na-Dina and the serpentine Mizari both honor their ancestors, whereas the baboon-like Simiu don't believe in an afterlife at all. Through the course of the novel, the Simiu Khuharkk' learns about the Na-Dina natives and their culture, gradually coming to an understanding of them and overcoming his own fear of the dead. [5]

Likewise, the ancestor theme appears in Nicola Griffith's Ammonite, blending with memories of past lives. Women on the planet Jeep (there are no men, due to a virus which kills males but renders females fertile with each other) can access ancient memories through a process known as deepsearch. Those most skilled at this may become viajeras, who deal with trade and news and justice. This is what happens to the main character, Marghe, whose dreams about ammonites and the ancient god Amun lead her to new discoveries about herself. Scattered communities survive by connecting with each other in an intricate trade network called trata, a sort of social food-web. The differences between the various all-female societies there remind me of the differences between assorted Pagan faiths here. [6]

Finally we come to another classic science fiction theme, the sentient or self-aware planet. My favorite example of this type is Alan Dean Foster's Midworld, first introduced in his novel of the same name. Midworld later reappears in Foster's recent book Mid-Flinx. You can sit back and enjoy the ride, knowing that Midworld will wipe out the bad guys -- and my oh, does this world ever wax inventive when it comes to finding horrible ways to execute obnoxious idiots. At the end of Midworld, we get a brief glimpse of the planet-mind itself though the experience of a recently-killed human as he joins with it. Mid-Flinx details the experiences of Foster's popular character Flinx and his familiar-like minidrag Pip as they learn about Midworld; Flinx, with his aberrant empathic gift, finds the planet somewhat restful and welcoming. [7]

Petaybee, introduced in Powers That Be by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, has a more congenial nature. Where Midworld kills stupid people almost as a side-effect, Petaybee prefers to reach an accommodation with as many humans as possible. To this end, it learns to communicate with them, and the natives become quite attached to their homeworld. It even has unicorns and selkies, creatures who can shift from seal to human form. The human culture is a unique and colorful mix of Inuit and Irish; and the colonists do a pretty good job of convincing offworlders that Petaybee is definitely the wrong place to run around taking what they want without a word of thanks. [8]

Pagan themes appear more often in fantasy than in science fiction, perhaps because most writers don't tend to think of magic and science in the same setting. However, the more you know about magic, the more you understand that it springs from the world itself and is as much a force of nature as gravity or electromagnetic energy. Gradually more writers are discovering the wealth of ideas available in ancient religions and their modern branches. If you read speculative fiction of any type, keep your eyes out and you will spot many familiar motifs -- sometimes in the unlikeliest places, where they will make you laugh out loud. If you write speculative fiction (or would like to), consider incorporating Pagan motifs. Write what you know; take advantage of your experience in the Pagan community. It's nice to read science fiction that features people like us, still going about their lives in strange times and places, with that extra little advantage of Divine patronage and mystical skill.

References

[1] The Rising of the Moon by Flynn Connolly. Del Rey, 1993. U.S. $4.99 / Canada $5.99 paperback, 392 pages. ISBN: 0-345-38289-7 return to text

[2] The Copper Crown by Patricia Kennealy. Roc, 1986 (reprint from 1964). U.S. $4.95 / Canada $5.95 paperback, 430 pages. ISBN: 0-451-45050-7 return to text

[3] Two to Conquer by Marion Zimmer Bradley. DAW Books, 1980. U.S. $4.99 / Canada $5.99 paperback, 335 pages. ISBN: 0-88677-174-9 return to text

[4] Finders-Seekers: Book One of the Ghatti's Tale by Gayle Greeno. DAW Books, 1993. U.S. $5.50 / Canada $6.50 paperback, 506 pages. ISBN: 0-88677-550-7 return to text

[5] Ancestor's World by A.C. Crispin and T. Jackson King. Ace, 1996. U.S. $5.99 / Canada $7.99 paperback, 304 pages. ISBN: 0-441-0035106 return to text

[6] Ammonite by Nicola Griffith. Del Rey, 1992. U.S. $5.99 / Canada $6.99 paperback, 360 pages. ISBN: 0-345-37891-1 return to text

[7] Midworld by Alan Dean Foster. Del Rey, 1975. U.S. $2.50 paperback, 213 pages. ISBN: 0-345-31017-9 return to text

[8] Powers That Be by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough. Del Rey, 1993. U.S. $20.00 / Canada $26.00 hardback, 311 pages. ISBN: 0-345-38173-4 return to text

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Art on this page is from the "Whiteflower" set, at Winter's Pages

The URL for this page is http://www.worthlink.net/~ysabet/spirit/pagansf.html and it was last updated on October 13, 1998.