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| Matthews & Worthington, 2012 |
There are so many versions of Pelles in various Arthurian source texts that it can all get rather confusing. The main thing to know about him is that in all versions, he is wounded and completely helpless, waiting for someone to come to his aid and alleviate his suffering. He is a king, and as a king he is tied to his land, so that when he physically suffers, his land also falls into ruin and decay. In the versions where he is known as The Fisher King, he is so-called because his injuries make him unable to do much beyond spending his time fishing near his castle, Carbonek. It's a fitting occupation for him. Fishing requires patience and in a way is a rather helpless pastime--one is dependent on the right fish coming along, just as Pelles is dependent on the right man coming along to help him. In his case, the 'fish' he needs to catch is the man who can achieve the Holy Grail, and use the Lance of Longinus to heal him.
In this card from John Matthews' Camelot Oracle (illustrations by Will Worthington), Pelles sits in a coracle, a small, lightweight boat of a type traditionally used in Wales and parts of western England (but now seldom seen except in tourist areas). The boat is known to be unstable because of its tendency to sit on the water rather than in it, thus making it tend to be carried easily off by currents and winds. So that even the Fisher King's means of transport renders him in some ways helpless, and certainly vulnerable.
He perches there on the surface of the water in his little coracle, the setting sun behind him, peering into the distance, one guesses for the person who will at last be able to heal him from his grievous wounds and restore both him and his lands to health and vigour. He is, as the Bible says, a 'man of sorrows and acquainted with grief' (Isaiah 53:3, for those interested in that sort of thing). His posture is slumped, his shoulders weary with the heavy burden of his constant suffering.
Is there a more romantic or evocative title than 'The Fisher King'? One cannot help but associate the name with Christ, the fisher of men, king of kings. Pelles is not a Christ figure, but the name 'Fisher King' does call up deeply resonant echoes in the collective consciousness of the Western mind.
What lessons can Pelles teach us? Of what is he archetype? The wisdom of suffering and hope of restoration. Sometimes, we face things that there is absolutely nothing we can do about. Circumstances are completely and utterly out of our hands. It is at those times that we can call upon the wisdom of Pelles to help us. We may not be able to fix the thing that wounds us. But restoration, healing, may come in other, unexpected ways, if we do not give up the vigil.
It's interesting, your post made me connect him in some ways with the Hanged Man archetype. This image, though, feels rather scarier to me. At least, hanging from a tree, you know where you are. Being stuck out on a body of water, blown around with no control, and with night falling... yeah, I'm not very good with lack of control. If I choose to hang on a tree, that's different to drifting on a boat. I think I'd chuck my fishing rod and start paddling... ;)
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I know next to nothing about Arthurian mythology and this type of oracle is so not my thing but....STUNNING image.
ReplyDeleteChloe, he does have a little paddle in his boat with him. But you're right, I think he is more helpless than the tarot Hanged Man. If I recall correctly, he never chose to take the Dolorous Blow.
ReplyDeleteBonkers, that's how I felt about your Mary-El draws for the last few days!