Aryo-Matriarchy in Warhammer
In the universe of Warhammer fantasy the Kingdom of Bretonnia, also known as the Land of Chivalry, is a close to primordial example of Aryo-Matriarchy, no doubt inspired on real myth and memory, where neither Catholic usurpation of the female’s dimension or the supression of the feminine in over-externalized, bastardized forms of the south have place. A brief description of the fantasy realm goes as follows:
“A proud and honourable kingdom, Bretonnia’s culture and society revolve around the ideals of nobility, social birthright, and the upholding of a strictly enforced code of chivalry. Bretonnia is widely considered to be the fairest and most beautiful land in all the Old World. It is a green land of fertile farms, rolling hills, starkly beautiful mountains, and airy forests. Bretonnian chefs are famous for their culinary skills, and the wine produced in the vineyards of the country is renowned throughout the world. It is seen as a land of honour and virtue, where noble knights keep the domain safe as peasants till the fields, where chivalrous heroes slay monsters and rescue fair damsels.”
Bretonnia is ruled by both a knightly warrior caste and the cult of the Lady of the Lake and the Holy Grail, similar to the Arthurean legend. On the one hand, “the armies of Bretonnia are comprised mostly of knights and noblemen, who ride into battle with lance, horse, and sword, seeking glory and rooting out injustice wherever they go. The Knights of Bretonnia are trained to fight from childhood, and even the lowliest Knights Errant are considered superior to ordinary warriors.” On the other hand, “before they (girls) reach puberty, almost all children with these strange (supernatural) talents will be visited by the Fay Enchantress, the holy representative of the Lady of the Lake. She takes them with her to the Otherworld, and they are mourned by their parents as if they were no longer living. Nevertheless, it is a great honour to be taken by the Enchantress, and it is believed they go on to a better place, where their powers are used to serve the blessed Lady of the Lake herself. The females will often return to Bretonnia years later as holy Damsels, and tell the Bretonnian nobles of the Lady's will.” In such way the hierarchies of the nobility and priesthood are formed.
The presence of two powers, representing the two generative forces, the masculine and feminine, secular and sacred, royalty and priesthood, is in accordance with the doctrine of the two heads - the Eagle and the Swan. The Lady of the Lake, “this mysterious Goddess of Purity, Light and Order is believed to have aided Gilles le Breton (an Arthur-like hero) in unifying Bretonnia into a single unified nation. These brave warriors form a bulwark against the growing evils of Chaos and dedicate themselves, body and soul, to the pursuit of excellence in honour of the holy lady.” They further elaborate: “By ancient tradition, the King of Bretonnia must be a Grail Knight, selected by a conclave of Grail Knights immediately following the death of the previous ruler. This unanimous choice is then legitimised by the Fay Enchantress. Once the election is finalised, the Fay Enchantress will then crown the new King for life in a ceremony within the traditional Grail Cathedral.”
Traditionally, the secular power takes care of politics, economy, military, social organization and other practical activities that are natural to men, and the sacred power is in charge of the high principles indirectly guiding the world, the directive motor behind society. It is analogous to the national states determined by supranational laws of “human rights” today, or of the many Kingdoms supervised by the Church in the Middle Ages, but in place of human rights and the Church there are the sacred Aryan principles and Temple, with a clergy made of priestesses, not priests. Another good analogy would be the constitutional monarchy system: while the prime-minister and the parliament directly rule the country, the monarch, as a figurehead, serves as a source of inspiration and legitimacy, except that, in this case, the monarch would be a Pope-like female figure with authority over the core principles, so in a way, the feminine incarnating the constituent power and supreme court, and the masculine incarnating the infra-constitutional legislative, judiciary and executive powers.
Likewise, the same can be seen in Bretonnia: “They (the holy Damsels) fulfil such roles as advisers to the Dukes and King, where their magical abilities and visions may aid their lord. They use their powers to scry into the future, to protect the sacred glades favoured by the Lady, to detect the truth in the hearts of men and to lend the Lady's healing where needed. As priestesses of the Lady, they also maintain her shrines and lead devotions and prayers. In a similar way to the Enchantress herself, these powerful individuals exist outside the usual hierarchy of Bretonnia, and may come and go throughout the realms as they please, for none would dare to cross one so favoured by the Lady herself. Many go about with their hair uncovered, and not a few are notorious for their promiscuity, taking on Grail Knights as both their protectors and lovers.” This is in accordance with the natural view on sacred female sexuality, in regards to which both the religious prude and the vulgar whore are patriarchal and subversive deviations.
Here, rather than woman understood as a vain, petty, capricious, envious and selfish little creature, woman in this context, pertaining to a priestly hierarchy, should be understood as the purest of all beings, the immaculate image of the holy lady pairing over Hyperborea. However, this is not an automatic right of women by any means, but the privilege of an elite. This is also explained in Warhammer: “She is the romanticised ideal of womanhood, the one fair lady that every knight aspires to love and serve without any doubt or hesitation. Within the minds of many nobles the lady is the very heart and soul of Bretonnia, a mystical elemental incarnation of the land itself and a guardian of all people living within the kingdom. Sacred groves and pools of mystical healing power are her dwelling places, and the magnificent Grail Knights her protectors, devoting themselves to upholding her honour and purity.”
