Second Years, Lesson Three

"Good morning, everyone. Surviving?" There were a few equally tired expressions on the students, and Gabrielle couldn't help but feel sympathetic. The halfway point in the semester is where things tended to lull, after all, and she also tended to get exhausted. "I won't keep you all too long today, we'll just have a short lecture then I'll give you a small research assignment for homework." There were a few groans, and she smirked into her teacup, finishing the brew before it got cold.

"We've got an interesting and somewhat divisive figure to talk about today. The lady Morgan Le Fey, also known as 'Morgana'. If you recall back in first year you might remember mention of her when you learned about Merlin, yes?" There were a few blank stares - it had been some time ago now - but some recognition amongst some. That was enough to satisfy her, and she continued. "She's mostly known as King Arthur's half sister, by his mother Igraine and her first husband prior to Uther Pendragon, and was a powerful sorceress in her own right. She was an exceptional healer, so it was told. She was believed to have resided in the Straits of Messina, off the coast of Italy. In this area, the strange currents can draw phosphorescent creatures from the depths to make strange lights appear to hover above the water. This is a phenomenon known as 'Fata Morgana'."

Gabrielle paused to give the students a chance to catch up with their notes, rolling her shoulders and neck to prevent herself from tensing up too much. "Perhaps this draws from the positive interpretations of the lady Morgana. She had an exceptional gift for healing, which caused some people to consider her as being a fae being, or even a goddess of sorts. Some tales speak of Morgana aiding King Arthur at the Battle of Camlann, prior to his death."

"On the other hand, there are tales of her villainy, too. She stole King Arthur's sword, Excalibur - the one said to have been gifted to him by the Lady of the Lake - and schemed to plot his death and usurp his throne. Some tales expand upon this, suggesting she may have been a lover of Merlin, amongst others, and antagonised the Knights of the Round Table as well as the King himself. Even so, it is believed that she and Arthur still reconciled right before his death." Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, looking over the class. "People are complicated creatures. You can't really just think in terms of 'good' or 'evil', you know?" She gave a little laugh at herself with that. Something about this year's syllabus just made her go in to fable mode. Sometimes she just really couldn't help herself.

"Well, I promised you a shorter lecture today, so we'll leave it at that. From one healer to another, though - I'd like for your homework for you to give me a short essay on Paracelsus, please. If you're interested in studying to be a healer he's someone who I think you should certainly familiarize yourself with." There was still a little bit of time before the end of class, but Gabrielle wasn't planning on keeping them long. "Let me know if you're having any difficulty at any stage, otherwise have a good week!"

Homework
RP the lesson. Extra credit for short essay (one or two paragraphs is fine), please include your sources.

 

[Susie Lagowski]

Susie tried not to look too keen as she strolled into the History of Magic classroom and sat down. If she kept up this level of enthusiasm, her classmates were going to start calling her a nerd. She just didn't understand how anybody couldn't be interested in history. It was so interesting, and often romantic - much more romantic than the modern day. Although Susie supposed she ought to be grateful for her modern luxuries. She titled her page 'Morgan Le Fey / Morgana' and began to take notes, circling parts she wanted to research in more depth later. Nobody had ever told her there was such thing as a fae being. Or maybe, a bit like the story with the transfiguration and the dragon, there was a mythical element to it too. The only thing that annoyed her about history was that there were some things that would never be confirmed. Satisfied she'd taken enough notes, she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out.

 

[Sayuri Edogawa]

Sayuri jotted down notes for History of Magic, at least she found this week's lesson to be more interesting than the last. She thought that Morgan Le Fey was a more interesting conversation topic than Merlin. A lot of things about Merlin were already frequently known or discussed while Morgana, powerful in her own right, was rarely mentioned. Men, she snorted. Besides all that was known about her painted quite the picture - a healer, a villain, a schemer, a reconciler. She was all too amused when the professor mentioned categorizing good or evil. Well, if things were that simple then world peace would achievable now would it? When homework was assigned, Sayuri quietly sighed. It wasn't that she was against the homework but Paracelsus just wasn't the most interesting research topic - especially since she had no intention to go into the field of healing.​

 

[Winnie Calida]

Winnie walked into the history of magic classroom and took her usual spot in the room. She nodded at the mention of the homework they would get and then took her quill to write down what the professor then went on to say about Morgan le Fey. She was trying to get everything that the professor was saying about her down, given that this was important and interesting. She didn’t want to miss any of it. The professor’s lecture was much shorter than the one previously, but she was rather excited for the homework, she took a note of it and then headed out of the room and to the library so that she could get to it.

 

[Jonah Edogawa]

Jonah sat at the back of the classroom, his head propped lazily on one hand as he idly toyed with his quill before the lecture started. This was the one class he couldn't afford to sleep despite the tiredness seeping into his bones. He didn't even know why he was so tired. It was difficult to stay focused but he pushed through - mostly because the professor scared him sh!tless. He wrote notes, frowning at the name Morgan Le Fey. He could've sword the name rang a bell but History of Magic from first year was so long ago. It was perhaps a little interesting that Morgana-sama was both a healer and a villain. It was... confusing... for things to not be clear-cut. It made him uncomfortable that someone could betray such a close relation. It just didn't sit right. He sighed as the rest of the lecture washed over him and the assignment barely registered. Research. It was going to be annoying for sure.​

 

[Eurydice Nightray]

Eurydice sighed at another day for lessons. The Valentine's Dance had just gone past and she sort of wished they would have more of those around the year. Sadly, they had to deal with boring lessons and History and that was quite unfortunate. She rested her chin on her hand, elbow on her desk as she tilted her head, considering. Morgan Le Fey was definitely a more interesting topic at least though she hadn't gotten far in her reading. She was an amazing woman and Eury wondered if the only reason she had been more forgotten throughout history than Merlin was because she was a woman and Merlin was a man. Sure they had been told that she was a traitor in History, but she thought that History was written by victors - and men - and so she wondered if it was ever distorted to make her seem like a bad person and Merlin the hero. After all, she was a healer. People were indeed complicated creatures but she also wondered if they sometimes put too much stock in stories that no one could prove or disprove at this point. With class dismissed, Eury quickly packed up her stuff and turned to leave.​

 

[Nox Walden-Cade]

Nox headed into the History of Magic class and sat in his usual spot, taking out his notes and adding to them as the professor talked more about Merlin and his association with Morgana. He was pretty sure that most people knew about Merlin and Morgana anyway, they were the kinds of legends in children’s books when Nox was growing up. He sighed lightly at the mention of an essay, but this was History of Magic so he wasn’t all that surprised that there was going to be an essay, this was the essay giving class after all. Soon the class was over and he quickly headed out.