Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite
Year 2024, Issue: Ö14, 1199 - 1214, 21.03.2024
https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1455176

Abstract

References

  • Allen, A. (1999). The Power of Feminist Theory: Domination, Resistance, Solidarity. Routledge.
  • Barstow, A. L. (1994). Witchcraze: A new history of the European witch hunts. Pandora.
  • Behringer, W. (2004). Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History. Polity.
  • Boehnke, M. (2011). Gender Role Attitudes around the Globe: Egalitarian vs. Traditional Views. Asian Journal of Social Science, 39(1), 57–74.
  • Dahlström, E., & Liljeström, R. (1983). The Patriarchal Heritage and the Working-Class Women. Acta Sociologica, 26(1), 3–20.
  • Federici, S. (1975). Wages against Housework. Power of Women Collective.
  • Federici, S. (2004). Caliban and the Witch. Autonomedia.
  • Federici, S. (2018). Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons. Pm Press.
  • Foucault, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality. Pantheon Books.
  • Foucault, M. (1982). The Subject and Power. Critical Inquiry, 8(4), 777–795.
  • Foucault, M. (1995). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Vintage Books.
  • Hanmer, J. (1997). Women and Reproduction. In: Robinson, V., Richardson, D. (eds) Introducing Women’s Studies. Palgrave, London.
  • Hartmann, J. (2003). Power and resistance in the later Foucault. In: Annual Meeting of the Foucault Circle, 28 February-2 March. 1-11. John Carroll University. Hooks, B. (1986). Sisterhood: Political Solidarity between Women. Feminist Review, 23, 125–138. https://doi.org/10.2307/1394725.
  • Horsley, R. J., & Horsley, R. A. (1987). On the Trail of the ‘Witches:’ Wise Women, Midwives and
  • The European Witch Hunts. Women in German Yearbook, 3, 1-28.
  • Hutton, R. (2017). The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present. Yale University Press.
  • Martin, Y. B. (2013). The servants of the devil. The demonization of female sexuality in the medieval patristic discourse. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 3(2), 48+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A361713544/AONE?u=anon~7e61f20e&sid=googleScholar&xid=afa67dd0.
  • Meyerding, J. (1982). Reclaiming Nonviolence: some thoughts for feminist womyn who used to be nonviolent, and vice versa. In P. McAllister (Eds.), Reweaving the Web of Life: Feminism and Nonviolence (pp. 5-16). New Society Publishers.
  • Minkowski, W. L. (1992). Women healers of the middle ages: selected aspects of their history. American Journal of Public Health, 82(2), 288–295. doi:10.2105/ajph.82.2.288.
  • Ostling, M. (2014). Witches’ Herbs on Trial. Folklore, 125(2), 179–201.
  • Pansardi, P. (2012). Power to and power over: two distinct concepts of power? Journal of Political Power, 5(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2012.658278.
  • Pansardi, P., & Bindi, M. (2021). The new concepts of power? Power-over, power-to and power-with. Journal of Political Power, 14(1), 51–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379x.2021.1877001.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Before A Fall. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 7). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Betrayer Moon. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 3). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Four Marks. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 2). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Much More. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 8). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 4) Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). The End’s Beginning. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 1). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). Dear Friend. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 6). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). Redanian Intelligence. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 4). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). Voleth Meir. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 7). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). What Is Lost. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 3). Netflix.

Female sorcerers resisting patriarchy in the Netflix series The Witcher

Year 2024, Issue: Ö14, 1199 - 1214, 21.03.2024
https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1455176

Abstract

Lauren Schmidt’s Netflix series, The Witcher (2019), centers around the witcher, Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter and his adventures in a fantasy world known as the Continent. While Geralt is the central character, the series also delves into the lives of female sorcerers who are trained by Brotherhood; an organization of skilled magic practioners who are determined to restore stability and order by governing and regulating the use of magic between kingdoms. This paper will analyze four sorcerers, Yennefer, Fringilla, Cirilla, and Tissaia, by focusing on the power of womanhood, especially the female power coming from what Silvia Federici in her book Caliban and the Witch (2004) underlines as women’s “sexuality,” “control over reproduction” and “ability to heal.” This paper argues that these three innate female traits push these four sorcerers to exert their own agency and code of ethics and, thus, dismantle the patriarchal control of Brotherhood. Drawing upon feminist literary theory, especially Silvia Federici’s book Caliban and the Witch, this article aims to analyze the power dynamics and resistance between the sorcerers and Brotherhood, the motives driving the sorcerers’ rebellion, and how these sorcerers emerge as symbols of resistance throughout the series.

References

  • Allen, A. (1999). The Power of Feminist Theory: Domination, Resistance, Solidarity. Routledge.
  • Barstow, A. L. (1994). Witchcraze: A new history of the European witch hunts. Pandora.
  • Behringer, W. (2004). Witches and Witch-Hunts: A Global History. Polity.
  • Boehnke, M. (2011). Gender Role Attitudes around the Globe: Egalitarian vs. Traditional Views. Asian Journal of Social Science, 39(1), 57–74.
  • Dahlström, E., & Liljeström, R. (1983). The Patriarchal Heritage and the Working-Class Women. Acta Sociologica, 26(1), 3–20.
  • Federici, S. (1975). Wages against Housework. Power of Women Collective.
  • Federici, S. (2004). Caliban and the Witch. Autonomedia.
  • Federici, S. (2018). Re-enchanting the World: Feminism and the Politics of the Commons. Pm Press.
  • Foucault, M. (1978). The History of Sexuality. Pantheon Books.
  • Foucault, M. (1982). The Subject and Power. Critical Inquiry, 8(4), 777–795.
  • Foucault, M. (1995). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Vintage Books.
  • Hanmer, J. (1997). Women and Reproduction. In: Robinson, V., Richardson, D. (eds) Introducing Women’s Studies. Palgrave, London.
  • Hartmann, J. (2003). Power and resistance in the later Foucault. In: Annual Meeting of the Foucault Circle, 28 February-2 March. 1-11. John Carroll University. Hooks, B. (1986). Sisterhood: Political Solidarity between Women. Feminist Review, 23, 125–138. https://doi.org/10.2307/1394725.
  • Horsley, R. J., & Horsley, R. A. (1987). On the Trail of the ‘Witches:’ Wise Women, Midwives and
  • The European Witch Hunts. Women in German Yearbook, 3, 1-28.
  • Hutton, R. (2017). The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present. Yale University Press.
  • Martin, Y. B. (2013). The servants of the devil. The demonization of female sexuality in the medieval patristic discourse. Journal of Research in Gender Studies, 3(2), 48+. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A361713544/AONE?u=anon~7e61f20e&sid=googleScholar&xid=afa67dd0.
  • Meyerding, J. (1982). Reclaiming Nonviolence: some thoughts for feminist womyn who used to be nonviolent, and vice versa. In P. McAllister (Eds.), Reweaving the Web of Life: Feminism and Nonviolence (pp. 5-16). New Society Publishers.
  • Minkowski, W. L. (1992). Women healers of the middle ages: selected aspects of their history. American Journal of Public Health, 82(2), 288–295. doi:10.2105/ajph.82.2.288.
  • Ostling, M. (2014). Witches’ Herbs on Trial. Folklore, 125(2), 179–201.
  • Pansardi, P. (2012). Power to and power over: two distinct concepts of power? Journal of Political Power, 5(1), 73–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2012.658278.
  • Pansardi, P., & Bindi, M. (2021). The new concepts of power? Power-over, power-to and power-with. Journal of Political Power, 14(1), 51–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379x.2021.1877001.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Before A Fall. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 7). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Betrayer Moon. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 3). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Four Marks. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 2). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Much More. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 8). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 4) Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2019). The End’s Beginning. The Witcher (Season 1, Episode 1). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). Dear Friend. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 6). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). Redanian Intelligence. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 4). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). Voleth Meir. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 7). Netflix.
  • Schmidt, L. (Creator). (2021). What Is Lost. The Witcher (Season 2, Episode 3). Netflix.
There are 32 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture
Journal Section World languages, cultures and litertures
Authors

Büşra Doğru 0000-0002-1272-0772

Esra Çöker This is me 0000-0002-4983-6496

Publication Date March 21, 2024
Submission Date January 21, 2024
Acceptance Date March 20, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Issue: Ö14

Cite

APA Doğru, B., & Çöker, E. (2024). Female sorcerers resisting patriarchy in the Netflix series The Witcher. RumeliDE Dil Ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi(Ö14), 1199-1214. https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1455176