The
Story
Once
upon a time there lived in the Land of Sheba, a fierce
and terrible dragon. The dragon was feared by all of the
inhabitants of the land, but especially by the young
girls. This was because the dragon always took young
girls away from their families. One day, a peasant
decided that he was brave enough to fight and kill the
dreaded dragon. He had a son and a daughter and he did
not want his daughter to be snatched away by the dragon.
So off he went. He wrestled and defeated the dragon. The
people of the Land of Sheba were so delighted that they
made him king. He ruled for many years and then died,
leaving his throne to his son. After a very short reign,
the son took ill and died. Since the son had no heirs,
the throne passed to his sister, Makeda.
When
she was twenty-two, she heard of a wise king who lived in
the North, named Solomon. One of her merchants, Tamrin,
told her that he was the wisest man that there was.
Makeda was intrigued by this information, and being wise
herself, she decided to go to Solomon and to test his
wisdom. So she prepared her caravan and made reparations
for the arduous six month journey. Meanwhile Tamrin had
started out ahead of his Queen's caravan with orders to
let Solomon know that the Queen of Sheba was en route to
meet with him. When Solomon heard this news, he set about
to have a palace built for her, so that her stay would be
pleasing to her. He told his djinns (magical spirit
helpers, genies) to build a palace for the Queen of
Sheba.
The
djinns got together to discuss the situation. They all
agreed that if Solomon fell in love with the Queen, they
would be forced to work for her as well as for him. So
they came up with their own plan. The djinns had heard
that the Queen had hairy legs. They decided to build the
palace, but to make the floors of glass that covered a
lake, so that when the Queen saw the floor, she would be
tricked into thinking that she was crossing water and
then raise her skirts. Solomon would see her hairy legs
and be repulsed.
On the
day that the Queen arrived, Solomon greeted her and
escorted her to her new palace. Upon seeing the floor,
the Queen raised her skirts and revealed her hairy legs
to Solomon. Solomon was so repulsed that he called upon
the djinns and asked if they knew of any remedy for hairy
legs. First, the djinns said that she should shave.
Solomon thought it inappropriate for a woman to shave her
legs as a man shaves his face. So the djinns devised a
sticky ointment called gypsum. It was applied to the
Queen's legs and when the ointment was removed the hairs
of her legs were removed also. This being accomplished,
Solomon agreed to have an audience with the Queen. Makeda
began to test Solomon's wisdom with several riddles.
Return to The Legend
The
Riddles
Riddle
1
A
room was filled with thousands of flowers that had
been hand-crafted to look real and then perfumed with
flower essences. Only one real flower was in the room.
Makeda, challenged Solomon to find the one real
flower. He responded by opening a window and allowing
a bee to buzz in. The bee went directly to the real
flower.
Riddle
2
The
Queen presented male and female youths dressed alike
and of similar style and asked Solomon to distinguish
the boys from the girls.
He
made a sign to the eunuch who brought him
[Solomon] a quantity of nuts and roasted ears
of corn. These he spread before the youths. The males
who were not bashful took them eagerly with their bare
hands. The females, more veiled in their motives, took
them more slowly, bringing their gloved hands from
beneath their clothes (Koltuv, 1993, 84).
Riddle
3
She
said, "Seven there are that issue, and nine that
enter; two yield the draught, and one drinks." Said he
to her, "Seven are the days of a woman's menstruation,
and nine the months of pregnancy; two are the breasts
that yield the draught, and one the child that drinks
it (Koltuv, 1993, 84)."
She
also asks riddles of Solomon that pertain to the story
of Lot, which he answers correctly. Needless to say
the King and Queen feel that they have finally met
equals and fall madly in love. The Queen stays for six
months being wined and dined by the king. Solomon even
gives her the Gaza strip as a present. This property
had been given to Solomon by the Pharaoh of Egypt as a
wedding present when Solomon married the Pharaoh's
daughter. They even manage to discuss trade routes and
territorial boundaries. This was especially important,
since Solomon was having a fleet of ships built that
could navigate the seas. The building of this fleet
would have meant that the Queen, whose queendom had a
monopoly on the land routes of the spice trade, would
have been facing economic downfall if Solomon
completed the building of his fleet.
Return to The Legend
The
Trick
Villa Romana del Casala by
Piazza Armerina
At the
end of the six month period the Queen prepares to take
her leave of Solomon. The King is heartbroken and
attempts to coax her into staying. She is firm in her
resolve, stating that she must return to her people.
Solomon proposes that she share his bed with him on her
last night in Jerusalem. The Queen refuses. The King
seems resigned to not being able to physically consummate
this relationship. He prepares a lavish and spicy feast
for the Queen's last meal. As the two retire, the King
tells her that if during the night she should take
anything of value from him that he would then be entitled
to sleep with her. The Queen assured him that there was
nothing that she desired of him.
They
both went to their respective beds. Solomon, however, did
not sleep, but pretended to sleep. In the middle of the
night the Queen arose from her bed in order to partake of
some water to relieve her thirst from the evening's
feast. As she was drinking, Solomon came up to her and
said that he now had the right to have his way with her.
The Queen answered by saying that she had not taken
anything from Solomon. He responded by asking her what
could be more valuable to the king of an arid country
than water? Still, the Queen declines the offer of his
bed and offers her hand-maiden in her stead. Solomon
accepts this offer. After his liaison with the
hand-maiden, he returns to the Queen and says that it is
she that he desires and that it is she that he will have.
They spend the rest of the night together. The Queen
leaves the next morning with her entourage for her
homeland of Sheba.
The
Ethiopian story continues to say that the Queen returned
to her homeland and gave birth to a son, Menelek. When
Menelek became of age (21) he went to visit his father,
Solomon. Solomon re-named Menelek, David II after
Solomon's father, and anointed him King of Zion.
Supposedly, Solomon was aware that his Kingdom was doomed
because Solomon had chosen to worship the idols of his
wives instead of the one true God of Israel. The fall of
the nation of Israel had already been revealed to Solomon
in a dream. In the Yemeni story, the Queen's brother was
too young to be king, when their father died. Upon
returning to her home, the Queen abdicates her throne to
her brother. In both stories, there is clearly a passing
of women's power to a male.
There
are variations of the above story. The first is a
folktale from Tigray, a Province in Northern
Ethiopia.
The
Tigrean version states that there was a girl named Eteye
Azeb (Queen of the South), who was to be sacrificed to a
dragon. Just as she was to be killed seven saints
appeared and saved her life. The saints also slayed the
dragon and in this process some of the dragon's blood
dropped onto the girl's foot. The foot became a donkey's
hoof or perhaps a dragon's foot. The townspeople were so
delighted with the death of the dragon that they made the
girl
Queen (Chwaszcza, 1992, 84).
Return to The Legend
The
Fig Tree
Eventually,
the Queen traveled to Solomon who cured her foot. Another
Ethiopian folktale states a girl was sacrificed annually
to the dragon, which was finally killed by the brave
Queen -to-be (Chwaszcza, 1992, 85).
Another
legend regarding the Queen's hoofed foot says that once
there was Mother bird, the neser, whose child was taken
off by a predator. The Mother bird flew to the garden of
Eden and took a branch from the Tree of Life. She carried
the limb in her beak to where her child was being held.
She dropped the limb onto the predator and killed him.
She then took her child to safety. Years later the Queen
of Sheba was en route to Solomon. Solomon, having heard
about her foot, wanted to cure her. He ordered the bird
to lay the branch from the Tree of Life across a small
pond. When the Queen arrived, she touched her hoofed foot
to the branch and her foot was cured.
A
similar tale appears in two separate Ethiopian texts
called the Matshafa Kidan and the Hemamata Masqal. The
story is related in a text called Ethiopian Magic Scrolls
by Jacques Mercier.
When
his son lay sick, Saul, upon the advice of his wise-men,
captured the young offspring of the giant bird neser and
immured it. The neser took the branch of a fig tree from
Paradise and threw it against the wall to tear it down
and free its child. The branch was found to contain a
miraculous medicine, and it was planted on the bank of
the Jordan. Later, Solomon cut it down to use in building
his temple, but it could not serve for beam or post. So
it was thrown aside. The Queen of Sheba, whose feet had
been turned into ass's hoofs [sic], was cured of
her infirmity when she accidentally tripped over it on
her way to visit Solomon. The trunk was later used to
make Christ's cross. Thus the Tree of Life and the Cross
are of the same wood (Mercier, 1979, 60).
This
story gives us a continuity. There is a thread, namely
the fig tree, that appears continuously. It is there in
the garden of Eden, it was used by Solomon in the
construction of his Temple, it cured the Queen of Sheba
and this same fig tree supplied wood for Christ's cross.
It is not only the Tree of Life but also a representation
of longevity. Another tale, related by Pritchard, tells
the story of Adam as he lay on his deathbed. Adam
persuades his son, Seth, to return to the Garden of Eden
and to beg Gabriel for the oil of mercy. Gabriel took a
branch from the tree of which Adam and Eve had eaten and
gave it to Seth. The tree had dried up since the couple
had left the Garden. When Seth returned to Adam, Adam had
already died. Seth planted the branch on Adam's grave.
There it grew into a mighty tree.
...Solomon
cut it down to build, but it always changed shape and
was thrown down as a bridge. When the Queen came to
cross the water, she knelt in adoration at the sacred
wood and prophesied that it would be used to nail a
world savior who would defile and end the Jewish
heritage (Pritchard, 121).
Another
idea here is that the Queen is a bridge: a bridge between
the old testament and the new testament; a bridge between
the past and the future. She is the link, for us today,
to what was and what is.
Return to The
Legend
The
Dragon
The
dragon story represents the first remnant of a matrifocal
culture to be discussed. The dragon and the snake are
traditional symbols of women's power and wisdom. Her
slaying of the dragon is synonymous with her statement
from the Kebra Nagast, where she says that never will a
woman rule Ethiopia again (Brooks, 1995). It clearly show
the changeover from matrifocal society to a patriarchal
culture. Women's knowledge and power are not deemed
important by the emerging patriarchy. In short, she,
herself put an end to the patristic society by killing
the dragon, (i.e. abdicating the throne to a son or a
brother). The Queen is shown as a betrayer of other
women. With her betrayal women in her Land became
subjugated to the expansion of patriarchal culture. I can
only point to the loss and tragedy of one woman betraying
another woman or other women by reflecting on the
millions of girls who have been betrayed by their
mothers, aunts and grandmothers in the act of genital
mutilation. The complexity of this web of denial and
distancing demonstrates women's ability to embody,
embrace, and reinforce patriarchal power. Often this
embracing is seen as a matter of survival for the women
as well as their children. Unfortunately, the phenomenon
of of colonizing and oppressing one's own kind is not new
or unique, nor is it rare (Walker, Parmar, 1993, 179).
In
another legend, she, the Queen, is seen being rescued
from the dragon by Christian saints. After her rescue she
is made Queen of the people. Undoubtedly, her allegiance
would be to those that saved her life. Psychologically,
to betray or in any way threaten the loss of those who
have saved your life would be dangerous. Even though the
saints rescued her, it is never mentioned whether or not
Makeda had a positive or negative connection to the
dragon. Since the dragon was worshipped in
pre-monotheistic Ethiopia (Hancock, 141), it stands to
reason that Makeda's "rescue" consisted of replacing the
values of pre-monotheism with the values of her
"rescuers."
Another
rendition of the Queen of Sheba story states that each
year the Queen saves a girl from being sacrificed to the
dragon. This is another indication that shows societal
changes. This annual sacrifice is what remains of the
yearly pagan sacrifices. By the time the sacrifice
employs the Queen, it has already been changed to show
the sacrifice of a young girl. The original sacrifice
would have been the king/consort of the Queen. In pagan
cultures, each year the Queen selects a king/consort, who
is sacrificed during the summer solstice. It should also
be noted that pagan sacrifice is symbolic and represents
the waning of the light of the sun.
The
Sun King grown embraces the Queen of Summer in the love
that is death because it is so complete that all
dissolves into the single song of ecstasy the moves the
worlds. So the Lord of the Light dies to Himself, and
sets sails across the dark seas of time, searching for
the isle of light that is rebirth (Starhawk, 1979,
177).
Return to The Legend
The
Betrayal
The
sacrifice of a girl by the Queen, her mother, has been at
the core of patriarchal societies. Quoting again from
Warrior Marks, we find this ritual song of female
circumcision. This song describes the way that the elder
women who have been circumcised speak to young girls who
are about to be wounded and the girls'
response.
We
used to be friends, but today I am the master, for I
am a man. Look -- I have the knife in my hand, and I
will operate on you. Your clitoris, which you guard so
jealously, I will cut off and throw away, for today I
am a man.
My
heart is cold. Otherwise I could not do this to
you.
The
daughters sing in response:
Your
words make us very scared, but we cannot escape
(Walker, Parmar, 1993, 178).
In
this ritual, the girls are betrayed by their mothers.
There is also a group of women, called barren women who
are dressed as men. These women are usually widows,
unmarried women or women who have been abandoned because
they cannot have children. They dance around the newly
circumcised girls singing the above song.
Important
in the interpretation of this myth from a womanist
perspective is the way in which Makeda's last evening
with Solomon is always romanticized. Solomon did prepare
a lavish going away celebration for her, however, his
intent was to trick her into his bed. Not only does she
take the religion of Solomon to the Land of Sheba, but
she does so with the offspring of an act of
rape.
Solomon
tricked Makeda into his bed. If Makeda has been used
throughout history as an example for other women, then
her rape is symbolic. It is a lesson to other wealthy and
powerful women of what can happen to us if we do not
succumb to patriarchy. It also implies that we, women,
cannot have what the patriarchy considers valuable
without paying a price. The price is ourselves, our
bodies, our souls. We as women are not allowed to cry out
in pain for our loss. Whether the loss be an eye, as for
Alice Walker, or genitalia for nine million circumcised
women or the loss of an ancestral grandmother like the
Queen of Sheba. We are not allowed to grieve, therefore
we cannot heal. "Don't you quarrel, or we will punish
you. We will make your pain unbearable by rubbing salt in
your wounds (Walker, Parmar, 1993, 179)." Thus, we are
silenced.
If we
use our bodies correctly and in accordance with
patriarchal rules we are allowed to continue to give
birth, perhaps even to a sacred Son. The following trines
are given as examples:
Bathsheba
and David = Solomon
Makeda
and Solomon = Menelek
Mary
and Joseph (God) = Jesus
David
and Solomon were both kings. Bathsheba was married. Her
husband was killed by David because David wanted to marry
her. She gave birth to Solomon, the greatest of all the
Israeli Kings. Solomon rapes Makeda. Makeda subsequently
gives birth to Menelek, the first King of the Solomonic
Dynasty. Also the seat of Zion (the Ark of the Covenant)
was moved to Ethiopia with Menelek. Therefore, Menelek,
his kingdom and his descendants are the chosen people of
the God of Israel. Lastly, Mary and Joseph are parents to
God (Jesus).
The
role of Mary has become synonymous with the virtuous
woman. Bathsheba was not a virgin at the time of her
marriage to David, Makeda was a virgin, but she lost that
title when she was seduced into patriarchal service by
Solomon; and Mary, since she was impregnated by the Holy
Spirit, attained the status of ever-virgin. She gives
birth not only to a king, but to God, Himself. How does a
woman attain the status of ever-virgin? There seems to be
a direct correlation between infibulation and the concept
of the ever-virgin. Each act of intercourse for an
infibulated woman requires the re-tearing of what is left
of her vagina.
Notice
that the name of Solomon's mother was Bathsheba. Bat(h)
in Hebrew means daughter. Solomon's mother's name
literally means daughter of Sheba. Bathsheba was a
priestess in service to the Goddess of the Sabeans.
Perhaps she, herself, was from Sheba. In either case, the
influence of the Sabeans was already known by the
Israelites before Makeda made her journey to
Solomon.
Return to The Legend
Hair
Lastly,
the Queen has hairy legs. The hair must be removed, as
Solomon is disgusted by it. Hair has long been a symbol
of power. Solomon is disgusted that the Queen would have
hairy legs. His disgusts insinuates that no other women
have hair on their legs. Makeda is unusual. Solomon puts
his djinns to work finding a way to remove Makeda's hair.
Synonymous with the hairy legs is the idea that the Queen
had an animal's hoof for a foot. Both instances suggest
that the Queen was magical. "Curing" her is another way
of taking her power. Webster's Collegiate dictionary
gives the following definitions for the verb to
cure.
1
a: to restore to health, soundness or normality: b: to
bring about recovery from: 2 a: to deal with in a way
that eliminates or rectifies b: to free from something
objectionable or harmful 3 : to prepare or alter, esp.
by chemical or physical processing for keeping or use
(Webster, 1994, 284).
In
Islamic cultures women remove hair from their entire
bodies. In the United States, women shave or wax their
underarms and legs, their bikini line and often their
upper lip is either shaved or waxed or bleached. Nuns cut
their hair, orthodox Jewish women cover their hair. When
I was a child women wore veils over their heads at
Catholic Church and in the Baptist Church, they wore
hats. Immediately following the circumcision ritual, the
girls must also cover their heads.
The
power of a woman's hair has been linked to love spells as
well as forces for creation and destruction. From
folklore to St. Paul to the Rastafarians hair symbolizes
strength, control of spirits (1 Cor 11:10) and wealth. A
Rastafarian states... Keep no lock on your money but just
on your head (Hausman, 1997, 52). Witches were known by
their hair. Medusa's hair was said to be made of
serpents. To remove Makeda's hair was to take her power.
The concept that she willingly applied the ointment to
her own legs and removed her own hair shows her willing
compliance. It also evokes the idea that her body was a
source of shame. Her body, the way it was, was offensive.
In the story from the Qu'ran, Makeda lifts her skirt so
that it does not get wet in what she believes to be
water. By exposing her body she shamed her people and
herself: she has to submit to Solomon's God.
The
last element of the legend that I would like to examine
is the element of water. Water is considered primordial.
The place where all life begins. In the Yoruba tradition,
Yemaya is the goddess of the ocean. She is the place
where all life begins. In Solomon's last effort to seduce
the Queen, he prepares a spicy farewell feast for her.
Telling her that if, during the night, she were to take
anything of value from him than he could take what was of
value to her. Makeda awakens during the night and takes
water. Her thirst for water has betrayed her to Solomon.
This element of the story means that the drinking of
water, a symbol of Makeda's allegiance to the Goddess, is
punished. Makeda must submit to Solomon.
Return to The Legend
Conclusion
The
above collage of tales represents themes and ideas that
have been told regarding the Queen of Sheba. Within these
stories, we can see that her original role was that of
priestess to her people. The importance of the Land of
Sheba and the Queen herself cannot be denied. Why else
were she and her people chronicled by all three major
mono-theistic religions? Why is she used as a prophet to
speak of the Messiah? She is used in these stories as an
example of patriarchal womanhood. She submits, her power
is removed, she is coerced into bed with her conqueror,
she gives birth to a new order. Underlying all of this is
the notion that this woman and the women who ruled before
her were powerful. They could not co-exist with
patriarchy.
Return to The
Legend
|
|
Miri
Hunter Haruach received her PhD in Women's
Spirituality at the California Institute of
Integral Studies in June, 1999. She is a
published writer and performance artist, and
teaches dance and acting at Santa Rosa Junior
College in Northern California. Miri tours
nationally with her one-woman show "Grandmothers
of the Universe", and gives workshops entitled
"Re-Visioning Sheba: Reclaiming the Beauty,
Wisdom and Power of the Dark." She uses the
ancient tools for re-visioning: singing,
movement, drumming, circle dancing, coloring,
and guided visualization.
She
can be contacted at: haruach@slip.net
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