| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Myths and Myth-Makers by John Fiske: women by crouching on their chests or stomachs and stopping
their respiration. The scene is well enough represented in
Fuseli's picture, though the frenzied-looking horse which
there accompanies the demon has no place in the original
superstition. A Netherlandish story illustrates the character
of the Mara. Two young men were in love with the same damsel.
One of them, being tormented every night by a Mara, sought
advice from his rival, and it was a treacherous counsel that
he got. "Hold a sharp knife with the point towards your
breast, and you'll never see the Mara again," said this false
friend. The lad thanked him, but when he lay down to rest he
Myths and Myth-Makers |
The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James: I could take a turn into the grounds and enjoy, almost with a sense
of property that amused and flattered me, the beauty and dignity of
the place. It was a pleasure at these moments to feel myself tranquil
and justified; doubtless, perhaps, also to reflect that by my discretion,
my quiet good sense and general high propriety, I was giving pleasure--
if he ever thought of it!--to the person to whose pressure I had responded.
What I was doing was what he had earnestly hoped and directly asked of me,
and that I COULD, after all, do it proved even a greater joy than I
had expected. I daresay I fancied myself, in short, a remarkable young
woman and took comfort in the faith that this would more publicly appear.
Well, I needed to be remarkable to offer a front to the remarkable things
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