Christopher Vogler The Writers Journey
I felt the presence too of the witches from the old European and Russian
folk tales, fearsome figures who represent the dual nature of the primeval forest. T h e
heroes of those tales learn that the witches, like the forest, can quickly break, destroy,
and consume you, but, if you learn how to appease and honor them, they can also
support and protect you like a kindly grandmother, hiding you from enemies and
providing you food and shelter. At the moment, the forest was turning its nastiest
and most seductive witchy face to me. There was something alive and evil and hungry
out there, like the witch in "Hansel and Gretel" but stretched out over the whole
forest. I was in big trouble.
I stopped and took a breath. T h a t simple act brought a sudden surge of
clarity and common sense to my panicked brain that was causing me to rush about
like a terrified animal. I realized I had not been breathing properly, that my gasping
and panting had deprived my brain of oxygen
annaabi.ee 
