Week 14 Story: Bedtime Stories of Bala Lake

Brenin walked up the stairs to their kid's bedroom, thinking about their long day at work. Two people had asked them about their pronouns and identity today; it was emotionally draining. Sometimes Brenin wished their coworkers and friends would do some of that educational work without relying on them. Before starting at their new job, Brenin's goal was to foster an inclusive work environment; first by encouraging people to say their pronouns when introducing themselves. There was more push back about this than they had imagined.

They pushed those thoughts to the back of their head as they knocked on Alun's door, smiling at their child pushing books and toys back onto the shelf. 

"Za! Can you tell me one of your bedtime stories tonight? I already put up all of the books!" 

Brenin shook their head, wondering for the 100th time how Alun's nickname for them became a shortened version of pizza. 

"Sure, kiddo. Hop up and lay down. I'll tell you about how Bala lake came to be. Let me set the scene; many years ago there was this lush, green valley in the middle of Whales. But an evil Prince ruled over this land and stole from his people. The leaders of the towns met together to come up with a plan to drive him from his perfect valley palace. They prepared for months and months. This plan depended on a great rain and the work of men to dam the river that ran through the valley. The people prayed to any and all gods they followed and to create a great storm at the peak of spring. 

As the flowers began to bloom, the evil Prince was celebrating the birth of his son when dark clouds knitted together above the valley. The townspeople recognized the signs and finished damming the river as the clouds broke and a torrential rain flooded the newly bloomed flowers. The first floor of the palace began to flood and the Prince called for an immediate evacuation. The Prince was prompted to action to save his newly born child and wife from the ever-rising level of water. The royal family reached the peak of the nearby hill and watched as their palace was consumed by water. This was how Bala Lake was created. Those that still live in the area say that they can see the top of the ruins of the palace just beneath the surface of the lake during seasons of drought."

Brenin looked over to Alun's thoughtful face.

"Za? What did the evil Prince look like?"

"He was quite beautiful. The tale often says that he had bright green eyes that matched the green of the valley with sandy blonde hair that now matches the sandy beaches of the Lake. Now go to sleep, little one."

Brenin grunted as they pushed themselves off of the small bed. They said, "Goodnight," as they switched off the light and left the door ajar.

Author's Note: The bedtime story is based on a Welsh Fairy Tale about God's vengeance on the Prince that lived in a valley. The original story follows a harpist who is led away from the party in the palace by a bird that cries "vengeance, vengeance." The original version doesn't say how the valley becomes a lake or what happens to the people in the palace. I wanted to fill these gaps in the story, and focus on how the lake was created through the work of man and god. Brenin is a gender nonconforming person, whose pronouns are they/them. I would ask everyone who reads this to consider stating their pronouns when introducing themselves. This is an easy habit to create and facilitates a more inclusive environment. If you mess up sometimes, don't worry. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. Also, if you want to know more about the lives of those that are not like you, then I urge you to place some of that educational burden on yourself (educating others about one's life can be emotionally draining - this burden is much higher for marginalized communities). Read texts written by women of color, transgender feminists, etc. I would be happy to suggest things, if you are interested. I'll go ahead and add some stuff to the bottom of the page.

Image information: Valley Water Lake

Bibliography: Welsh Fairy Book: Bala Lake; story source: The Welsh Fairy Book by W. Jenkyn Thomas with illustrations by Willy Pogány (1908).

Some readings to consider:

Crenshaw, Kimberle. "Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color." Stanford Law Review 43, no. 6 (1991): 1241-299. doi:10.2307/1229039.

Stryker, Susan. “Transgender Feminism: Queering the Women's Question.” In Feminist Frontiers, 9th ed., 43–69. McGraw Hill, n.d.

Moraga Cherríe, and Anzaldúa Gloria. This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. Albany, NY: SUNY Press., 2015.

Abu-Lughod, Lila. “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others.” American Anthropologist 104, no. 3 (2002): 783–90. https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.2002.104.3.783.