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Ever wonder why are ships referred to in feminine terms? Me too! So, first I broke out the Google Fu and found that perhaps
up until the Sixteenth Century, ships and sailing vessels were referred to in
masculine terms. Really? Makes
sense I suppose because it’s easy to imagine Vikings naming their
longboats after Odin or Thor instead of Freyja or Nanna and the Greeks and
Romans might have paid homage to the gods instead of the goddesses as well. Even the brilliant research librarian
at my local branch was stumped about the change. Though, I’m sure that next time I’m there, she’ll beckon me over
with a stack of books on this very subject. My opinion? Sailors are known to be both superstitious and a little bit
crazy, which endears them to me over all the other branches of the military. Discipline and logic can only take you
so far until a healthy dose of nutty makes them irresistible, decked out in
those tight pants. For example, a naked woman on
board a ship is considered good luck but a clothed one—not so much. As a matter of fact, most female
passengers who didn’t hold the title of the captain’s wife, ran the risk of
being thrown overboard to appease
angry gods and rough seas. Talk about a crash course in swimming lessons. Supposedly,
a bare-chested woman (even a figurehead of one carved into the mast) possessed
the power to tame the waves.
Right. Sure she did. Remember
that sentence about superstitious and crazy? Okay, there’s your proof. But
having a lone female on a ship full of men surely would’ve been distracting and
perhaps deadly for all concerned.
You need focus to keep everything in good working order and any male/female ratio where the male number is greater than two can only lead to eventual disaster and ruination.
I much prefer the part of my search that says that
sailors referred to their vessels in feminine terms because they needed love
and comfort in addition to fortitude.
Men are certainly capable of providing those emotions to other men. They offer it everyday as fathers, sons, brothers, friends and lovers. But usually that’s the job of women, and
tradition dictates the attraction of opposites. With sea travel being such a long and arduous way to
navigate the world, men were separated from their loved ones for extended
periods and their existence and well-being depended upon their ability to
manage and care for their transport vessel. Those vessels that would be their boon companions
throughout their many adventures, even 900 plus years’ worth. Ha! I’m sure you wondered when I’d get around to it. Sorry for
being a tiny bit evil.
It’s no secret that I’m a great admirer of literary genius
Neil Gaiman as are many, many others. Writers and readers alike, we all love his work. When the news broke that Himself was
writing an episode of Doctor Who, the glee and speculation began in
earnest. Which episode? What would
it be about? Would he make a guest
appearance? Well, we needn’t have
worried because in typical fashion, The Doctor’s Wife was brilliant. It ranks among my most favorite
episodes ever and showcases Gaiman’s ability to mesh whimsy with the sublime
and terrifying. If you’ve read The
Graveyard Book or any of his other works, you know just what I’m talking about. If you’ve not read the Graveyard Book, go
here or get
yourself to a library
toute de suite.
The Doctor’s Wife opens with our motley crew tooling through
space, business as usual, when a knock (yes, a KNOCK!) is heard at the door of
the TARDIS. An antiquated box with a distress call from another Time Lord sends
the Doctor and the Ponds on a trip outside their universe. After some
knob-wibbling and a bit of turbulence, they’re off. Once they land, things get interesting. A green mist floats away from our
beloved blue police box and is transferred into the body of Idris (played by
the fabulous Suranne Jones), another traveler evidently lured to the planet
straight from the set of Regency House Party from the looks of her dress. It appears that our intrepid trio has
been duped—lured by a sentient planet/entity called House (voiced by Michael Sheen), who intends to “eat” the TARDIS.
The Doctor sends Rory and Amy on a fake errand in an effort to return
them to the perceived safety of the TARDIS, which separates the friends. I say “perceived” safety because with a
slip of that glib tongue, the Doctor has alerted House that he’s the last Time
Lord,
ipso facto, no more TARDIS on
the menu. House institutes a
“change of plans” and instead of eating the TARDIS’ artrial energy and murdering
the Time Lord, House absconds with the blue box, Amy and Rory trapped inside.
So, with the Doctor stranded on the dying husk left behind
by House and while House hurtles through space, terrorizing Amy and Rory, we
learn that the matrix of the TARDIS has been captured in the comely body of
Idris. The beauty of the exchanges
between Idris and the Doctor are hysterical and touching, especially this one
when they’re attempting to reconstruct a TARDIS console (thanks to
Diary of aProcrastinator’s livejournal for the transcript and of course, thanks to The Neil for the actual words):
EXT. PLANET SURFACE, NIGHT
The
DOCTOR and IDRIS have put together a shell of a room with a small console in
the middle. IDRIS pops up and taps a small piece of equipment with her finger.
IDRIS:
Bond the tube directly into the Tachyon
Diverter.
DOCTOR:
Yes, yes, I have actually rebuilt a TARDIS
before, you know. I know what I'm doing.(the
DOCTOR is dragging a piece of wall by a rope)
IDRIS:
You're like a nine-year-old trying to rebuild
a motorbike in his bedroom. And you never read the instructions.
DOCTOR:
I always read the instructions!
IDRIS:
There's a sign on my front door. You have been
walking past it for 700 years. What does it say?
DOCTOR:
That's not instructions!
IDRIS:
There's an instruction at the bottom. What
does it say?
DOCTOR:
Pull to open.
IDRIS:
Yes, and what do you do?
DOCTOR:
I push!
IDRIS:
Every single time. 700 years. Police Box doors
open out the way.
DOCTOR:
(throws
down the rope and walks over to her) I think I've earned the right to open my front doors any way I want!
IDRIS:
Your front doors?! Have you any idea how
childish that sounds?
DOCTOR:
(turns
away and mutters) You are not my mother!
IDRIS:
And you are not my child!
DOCTOR:
(turns
around and walks back) You know, since we're talking with mouths, not really an opportunity
that comes along very often, I just want to say, you know, you (points in her face) have never been very reliable.
IDRIS:
And you have?
DOCTOR:
You didn't always take me where I wanted to
go. (walks away)
IDRIS:
No, but I always took you where you needed to
go.
DOCTOR:
(stops) You did! (whirls around, happy) Look at us. Talking. Wouldn't it be amazing
if we could always talk? Even when you're inside the box?
IDRIS:
You know I'm not constructed that way. I exist
across all space and time, and you talk and run around and bring home strays.
IDRIS
falls but the DOCTOR catches her.
See? Bickering just like an old married couple. That scene brings home the long relationship between the
TARDIS and the Doctor for me. All
these long years, she’s loved him and looked out for him as best she could
within the limitations of her construction and technology. She’s taken him where she thought he
needed to go sometimes instead of where he wanted to go, always bearing he and
his friends away from danger just in the nick of time. In my mind, this episode shows that the
TARDIS is the ultimate companion with Donna Noble's strong, I'm just as good as you, no-nonsense attitude coming in a close second in term of the human companions. Notice I said "human" so all you River Song fanatics can calm the flock down because we all know that River's got a little something extra special going on, yes? But that's a topic for another post.
Back to the matter at hand. This scene brings home the feminine reference to vessels:
The DOCTOR gets up and hugs her. IDRIS stands slowly.
IDRIS:
Not good. Not good at all. (the DOCTOR helps her sit) How do you walk around in these things?
DOCTOR:
We're not quite there yet... just hold on. Amy, this is... Well, she's my TARDIS. Except she's a woman. She's a woman, and she's my TARDIS.
AMY:
She's the TARDIS?!
DOCTOR:
And she's a woman. She's a woman and she's the TARDIS.
AMY:
Did you wish really hard?
DOCTOR:
Shut up! Not like that.
IDRIS:
Hello. I'm... Sexy.
RORY:
Oh!
DOCTOR:
Still shut up.
His spaceship is the Doctor’s wife, really. She’s his longest and most important relationship because
without her, he is a madman in a box
without a box. No way to travel
throughout time and space saving his beloved Earth from whichever other alien
species aspire to menace our society.
Like other sailors, he’s committed to her upkeep for their mutual
benefit, just like a marriage. And in the end, Amy says
it best:
AMY:
Look at you pair. It's always you and her,
isn't it? Long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box, off to see
the universe.
Even though the Doctor regenerates and the stream of
companions flows right along, there’s always that blue police box. She’s the constant, traveling among the
stars with her beloved Doctor. What do you think? Who’s the Doctor’s ultimate
companion?
Now that I’ve tortured you with my half-baked lecture, I
think you deserve a chance to win prizes:
For the grand prize, The Complete Sixth Series on
DVD, please leave a comment with your name and email address. You
may enter once at every stop on the blog tour for a total of thirteen chances. The grand prize giveaway is
limited to the US and Canada, due to regional restrictions on the DVD. Entries
will be accepted until midnight CST on December 24th. Erica and Eliza will post
the winner on December 25th and notify the winner via email.
Commenters on this post will also be entered
to win this Red Canvas Drawstring TARDIS backpack from Bagnabit. You'll need something to carry around all those books
about nautical myths and legends, right?
Shipping is open to anywhere the USPS ships including international destinations. Contest closes
at midnight CST on December 28th. I will post the winner on December 29th and
notify them via email.
next stop!
Many thanks for dropping by! Be sure to visit Becky at Libri Dilectio for tomorrow's final stop on the tour where she talks about Growing Up with the Doctor. And if you’ve missed any stops along the way, consult the blog hop’s Wibbly Wobbly Schedule.
Happy Holidays!
So, it's no secret that I'm a huge Neil Gaiman fan. Also, I am really excited to have been asked to contribute to the #LastReads series at Land of Lost Books. I mean, what a fascinating concept! You get to choose the very last book you read, so it can be infused with as much or as little emotion or whatever, as you've decided. I'm a lifelong reader and the collection I chose, The Coloured Fairy Tales edited by Andrew Lang specifically The Blue Fairy Book and the Green Fairy Book, were almost nudged out by a Gaiman book.
